Optimize Your Brain Health PART 1: Sex Hormones And Nourishment
Please remember I’m not a physician or a neuroscientist and thus, this information is shared only to spark your interest in brain health.
This is the first part of my brain health post. I will explain why paying attention to your brain health now will pay off big time. I will also share a few valuable health food facts. The second part of this post will focus on all other lifestyle factors and is at least as important as this one.
There are many things you can do in your daily life to improve your brain health and prevent yourself from horrible brain related illnesses such as migraines, dementia, and tumours. If you are a young adult dementia prevention is unlikely to be among your top health concerns. Sadly, Alzheimer’s disease can start 30 years before any symptoms, and it affects 50% of people over the age of 85. Just because something seems normal, does not mean it’s natural - nor does it need to be that way. Often people blame their bad genes, but here’s the truth according Dr Lisa Mosconi: less than 1% of the population develops Alzheimer’s because of a rare genetic mutation in their DNA, and the exact same is truth with other common diseases, such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes. According to Daniel Amen, MD, Alzheimer’s disease, depression and obesity are all interrelated. Irrespective of your age your daily habits can be damaging your brain cells and prevent you from reaching optimal brain function in your daily life. Optimal brain function is extremely crucial if you want to have excellent problem solving skills, creative mind, good memory and experience happiness in life. You don’t want to be left behind because of your brain fog or cognitive decline.
I take this topic seriously because I have had relatives who suffered from dementia and passed away with brain tumors. I have suffered from brain related issues too. I had horrible migraines for over a decade. In my early 20s things got worse. During a bad week I could have several migraine attacks. I was not able to study, not able to go out of my room. I would lose my vision temporarily and sometimes it would lead to numbness in my body. Finally, at the age of 23 I managed to figure out the root cause and healed myself. Migraines can be triggered by various different factors (flashing lights, noise, hormonal changes, brain tumors, food intolerances, vision problems, dental issues, etc.) depending on an individual. I believe, migraines are often curable and should not even be suffered from in the first place.
Sex Hormones - Or Brain Hormones
After listening to Dr Lisa Mosconi’s interview on the Model Health Show, I was shocked how much more common brain related diseases area among women than men, and this is not because women tend to live longer than men. Instead this is due our differences in sex chromosomes (typically: female XX and male XY) and our sex hormones. Yes, you read it right: our sex hormones have a huge-huge impact on our brain health. Declining estrogen levels in menopausal women makes the female body to age faster and that affects the brain cells too. Estrogen is a neuroprotective hormone. Men, on the other, do not go through similar hormonal changes. Two thirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women. So for all my sisters out there this is highly important information for you.
Brain Foods
Eat mainly organic, unprocessed, whole foods without any restrictions and you will most likely to be fine. When you eat foods in their natural form there’s no need to calorie counting or any fad diets whatsoever. Listen to your hunger signals. Please don’t eliminate any macronutrient group. Our brains need all of them. Even though our bodies can use both fat and sugar for energy, our brains exclusively rely on sugar, called glucose and that needs to come from the diet. Here’s a brief list of examples your brain loves:
Water
Our brains are made of almost 80% water, 11% fats, 8% proteins and 3% vitamins and minerals, and a pinch of carbs. Therefore, the first thing is to make sure you are properly hydrated. Human beings can survive without food for weeks, but can go only a couple of days without water. Drink clean, filtered water throughout the day. Our needs are individual. If you eat more hydrating foods, like fruits and vegetables, obviously you don’t need to drink as much water as someone who mainly eats foods with low-water content. Another trick is to reduce the amount of coffee you drink which I don’t recommend drinking much anyway. There’s another good reason to ditch your coffee addiction: black coffee leaves nasty, yellow stains on your teeth.
Mediterranean Diet
Dr Lisa Mosconi advocates a Mediterranean diet in her book. Healthy centenarians living in two out of five Blue Zones thrive on the Mediterranean diet. There are certainly many things I have taken to my life too after visiting rural Greek towns and islands: olive oil (make sure you get organic oil in a dark glass bottle!), beans, whole grains, plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, and little bit of nuts and seeds.
Pre- and Probiotics for Gut Health
This one would need a blog post of its own. Our gut is said to be our second brain and there’s a clear connection between these two through a neural circuit. Thus, your gut health has a massive impact on your physical and mental health as well the way you think. If you didn’t already know, 70% of your immune system is in your gut. To stay healthy you need both pre- and probiotics. Great examples of prebiotics and fibrous foods are: onions, asparagus, artichokes, oats, rye, broccoli, berries. Probiotic foods are less common than the prebiotic ones. These foods contain ”live bacteria” - the ”good guys”. Look for bitter and sour foods, like fermented foods (yogurt, kefir), pickled vegetables, natto (personal favourite), kimchi and kombucha.
Brain Healthy Fats and Omega 3 Fatty Acids
You need different types of fat to function optimally. You need both Omega 3 (ALA, DHA, EPA) and Omega 6 fatty acids. Yet, most people tend to get way too much Omega 6s and way too little Omega 3s. My personal healthy fat sources: avocados, cold pressed organic virgin coconut oil, natural nuts and seeds. Great plant based sources for Omega 3s (ALA which needs to be converted into DHA and EPA in the body) are walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds and brussels sprouts.
Eat The Rainbow For Antioxidants
Colourful fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants, such Vitamin C, E and beta-carotene. These help defend your cells from damage caused by free radicals. Colourful fruits and vegetables are excellent sources for antioxidants. Great examples are berries, purple beets, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, cocoa, green tea. Selenium is another great antioxidant that not only helps your brain but also your thyroid.
Organic, Unprocessed Soy Over Fake Foods
Soy has faced a lot of controversy: some say it’s healthy, others believe it causes cancer or “man boobs” for men. The verdict should depend on the type of soy foods you consume and how much. Soy include isoflavones that can affect estrogen levels, and may help some menopausal women with their symptoms. Centenarians in Japan have consumed soy products for ages. Yet, that is not the same type of soy we mostly consume in the western world. I would not recommend people to consume fake meats, fake cheese and other highly processed vegan foods. If you don’t pay attention to, soy is hidden in many products in the form soy bean oil. Also, isolated soy proteins are used as emulsifiers in many products to bring creamy consistency. If you use soy, choose organic, unprocessed soy foods, like edamame, miso soup, tempeh and natto.
Choline With Many Benefits
Our brains depend on choline to manufacture neurotransmitters that are crucial for memory and learning, as well as arousal and reward. Our body produces choline but not enough and thus, the rest needs to come from the foods we eat. Eggs yolks and most fish are high in choline but so are plant based sources such as brewer’s yeast, shiitake mushrooms and wheat germs. Estrogen helps to produce choline, and thus, postmenopausal women are at risk for deficiency. There are also other groups that have higher requirements such as pregnant women and athletes.
In the second part I will focus on the daily habits that can be affecting your brain health. Paying attention to all areas of life is crucial for optimizing your brain health - so please don’t get obsessed with foods.
Keep on shining and sharing your love with the world!
Recommended Resources:
Brain Food: How to Eat Smart And Sharpen Your Mind By Lisa Mosconi, PhD
The Model Health Show 402: Secrets Of The Female Brain – With Guest Dr. Lisa Mosconi