This is Your Brain. This is Your Brain On a Poor Diet.

Here's the thing.  I have this passionate belief that I pass on to my clients:  Health and fitness is not a physical thing.

Okay, it is.  Of course it is. But I believe it all really stems from the mind.  It's a psychological thing.  Mental health can expedite the slippery slope into obesity, or it can enhance your motivation and ability to become the healthiest version of you.  Feeding your mental health is the first step to your health; it's why I start many of my clients with programming that will feed and encourage their positive self talk and mental image.  Mental health is the baseline, its the foundation.

When I talk about diet with my clients, the dietary influence on the brain becomes a top priority.  A poor diet can lead you to cognitive decline and dementia...but the right diet can have a huge and direct impact to enhance memory and clarity of thoughts!  Imagine, doing better in school just because you have improved your diet!

 Let's look at the leading causes of cognitive decline:

1. Atherosclerosis... okay I'm just showing off big words, this just means the clogging of arteries and blood vessels.  This limits blood flow to the brain, making it harder for oxygen and vitamins to reach your noggin!  You may recognize some symptoms in yourself, including: lack of energy, depression, memory loss, and dementia.  What leads to this?  Well, your diet!  Foods high in cholesterol, fats, salt, or triglycerides contribute and lead to premature aging of the brain.  Those with elevated LDL (that's the bad cholesterol) have a higher risk of cognitive decline, also more likely to develop Alzheimer's
2.  Amyloid buildup.  Amyloid is a protein, found only in the brain.  In normal brain function, these are not bad.  But in a brain that is clogged and not working properly, these proteins clump up and form hard plaques which are difficult for the body to remove.  As a result, they pile on top of each other and form toxic sticky balls which kill thousands of surrounding neurons.  This process triggers an inflammatory response and further complicates the problem due to even more restricted blood flow.
3.  Inflammation.  The same inflammatory process that occurs in the joints and skin and lead to arthritis and wrinkles can also occur in your brain!  In the brain, when it experiences inflammation, high reactive oxygen molecules called free radicals are released...they aggressively bond to most molecules anywhere in their vicinity and attempt to destroy them.  Yeah, DESTROY healthy molecules...sounds pretty bad

The priority is to combat inflammation in the body, particularly in the engine room aka: your brain.
There are a hundred health benefits from lowering inflammation!  I consider it the first step.  Why?  Well because once inflammation is lowered, I guarantee other health benefits will fall into place with it.  To do this, you'll need to create a dietary habit of eating foods lower in cholesterol, salts, and higher in fibers.  A diet rich in antioxidant vitamins is essential in protecting the brain.  Fruits and veggies are an ideal source of antioxidant vitamins, such as:

• Purple colored fruits (blueberries, cranberries, grapes)
• Blackberries
• Plums
• Avocados
• Oranges
• Cherries
• Red apples
• Spinach
• Brussel sprouts
• Broccoli
• Beets
• Kale
• Red bell peppers
• Red wine
• Supplements are a reasonable addition (notice I say addition, never substitute for real food!)

(Interesting side note!  To combat amyloid buildup, try the spice found in curry - curcumin!  In India this has been used as a natural remedy for thousands of years.  It serves anti-inflammatory responses as well as anti-amyloid agent.  You can even rub it directly on inflammed joints.  Give it a try and let me know in the comments how it works!)

Don't believe inflammation really has all that big of an effect on your fitness?  Let me tell you a little story about my friend leptin.

Leptins are a brain specific hormone that controls appetite.  They travel through your bloodstream to reach your brain and tell you when to stop eating!  You have probably heard of leptins, dietary pills often claim to increase leptin activity.

But when your body is inflamed and your arteries are clogged, the leptins cannot travel efficiently and your appetite control system begins to fail.  No amount of diet pills can improve blood flow, sorry, that's all controlled by the food you put in your mouth!

Some people wonder how they went so rapidly from being a little chubby and barely able to squeeze into their favorite jeans to suddenly barely able to squeeze in an airplane seat.  Well, the secret is that your hormones are all messed up in your brain because of inflammation!

 If you want to know the best thing you could possibly do for your brain, it's to feed it right.  The  best brain food is OMEGA 3s! They are not only great for joints and bones, but they also are a great way to keep your brain young and healthy.  Those suffering with depression, chronic fatigue, and Alzheimer were all found to have one thing in common: Low levels of Omega 3s.
They are the building blocks to improve memory and concentration and is critical for brain development (it has even been added to infant formulas for this brain development!)
Highest sources of these?

• Salmon
• Sardines
• Bluefish
• Herring

So basically, your long term brain health has a direct impact on your mental happiness.  And as I continually tell my clients, your mental health and happiness is essential to your physical health.

So, there you have it.  Feed your brain, keep her healthy, and you'll find physical and mental health and happiness much easier to maintain.