The ability to enjoy and perceive life is all related to brain Function.
Brain Fog, Memory Loss and Emotional Instability all have one thing in common –Neuro-degeneration. Neuro-degeneration occurs when the neurons, the brain cells that transmit information, die due to lack of activation, stimulation or proper nutrients.
The following are some simple steps you can take to provide your brain with its basic nutrients, while keeping it active, and stimulated:
1. Keep Your Blood Sugar Balanced
Eat every 2-3 hours and be sure to include lots of protein and veggies in your meals. Balance every sweet food with some protein, fiber or fat. This will reduce the speed at which the sugar leaves your digestive system and enters your blood.
Fat free ice cream, fat free cookies, or fat free sweetened yogurt products are detrimental to your blood sugar balance.
Maintain a goal to keep your blood sugar within a tight range, by not allowing it to rise quickly, by eating sweet foods, and not letting it drop quickly by skipping a meal. Nuts and seeds are great snacks, because they are high in protein, as well as essential fatty acids needed to reduce inflammation in the brain.
2. Provide Oxygen To Your Brain
Engage in some form of aerobic exercise every other day for 30-45 minutes. This will increase the flow of oxygen, another essential nutrient, to the brain cells.
It is important to wear a heart monitor, or at least take your pulse after 5-to-10 minutes of exercise. For an optimal aerobic workout, you need to remain below your maximum heart rate. Here is a simple calculation to determine your maximum heart rate:
- Male athletes – MHR = 202 – (0.55 x age)
- Female athletes – MHR = 216 – (1.09 x age)
When you exercise above your maximum heart rate your body will stop burning available glucose and fat, for fuel but instead will tap into the storage glucose supplies, called glycogen. When this happens your body releases Adrenalin and Cortisol. In turn high levels of adrenaline and cortisol can lead to Hippocampal damage, an area of the brain responsible for consolidation of information from short-term memory into long-term and spatial navigation. More importantly, an increase in these hormone levels will make your brain more susceptible to assaults from environmental toxins and chemicals. The Blood Brain Barrier normally prevents these toxins from entering the brain, however, with an elevation of these hormones the Blood Brain Barrier, in essence, becomes more permeable, readily allowing the toxins to pass through.
