The Brain - and diet
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
Our brain is a marvel of the living world. It is a major asset to each and every one of us, some might say its our only real asset in life.
Yet diet in connection with the brain and the way we feed ourselves in order to feed our brain is all but forgotten in the modern world where we are sleep walking into a catastrophe of food devoid of nutrition that is good for the brain and high in valueless ultra processed carbohydrate and sugar laden foods that have led to an epidemic of obesity. Some say also an epidemic of alzheimer’s and general declines in mental health for people of all ages.
In the food programme ( below ) omega fatty acids are discussed and the importance of these in the diet for the brain. And where do we, or should we get these in our diet? From fish, some nuts and seeds and some vegetables. Yet we hardly eat fish here in the UK and we eat far too much processed food and sugar.
If you listen or watch Dr Ken Berry or Dr Cywes both talk about the importance of the right kinds fat in the diet and how we have been led to believe that fat is bad for us. Oily fish is one of the key sources of the right kinds of fat in the diet and this feeds the brain. Better, if you can get your body into ketosis, your brain will be fed by ketones, which are produced by the body when it is in ketosis, which is a state of burning fat for energy rather than glucose. So your brain can be well fed whilst glucose is not in overload, which is what happens when we eat too much sugar and processed carbs.
Since I followed this life style change I noticed an increase in mental energy, problem solving, had less fatigue and felt more alert.
Even people in prisons have been observed to have better mental health when given a diet containing more fish and vegetables and less sugar and processed carbs.
So why are we not talking about this more? Why are we not talking about the importance of diet in connection with mental health? Why are we not talking about the importance of diet in connection with the brain?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001p6yx