If you could take a magic pill to make you smarter, would you do it? If it didn’t have any side effects, and it was totally good for you, would you? I am raising my hand! This pill would help you solve problems think quickly, maintain concentration and help you remember people’s names ( for the love give me all the pills). Everyone would want one, right? They would FLY off the shelf! Well, God gave us those magic pills in the plants he created for us to eat for food. My grandmother died from Alzheimers Disease. I believe that this disease is one of the most horrific diseases a family can face. I am constantly researching brain function and food. The brain needs a balanced mix of proteins, vitamins, fats, mineral and phytonutrients to keeps it functioning and unfortunately, our American Diet of processed foods and sugars have our bodies depleted of most of these things, and its causing oxidation of our cells (cell die off) at an alarming rate. But there is HOPE!! You can actually REVERSE the damage that has been done to your cells by increasing nutrients and flooding the body with antioxidants that will protect your neurons and heal the damage that has been done. So if you are finding yourself in a place where you can’t think, you have major brain fog, lack of ideas or you just can’t seem to focus, your help is in your kitchen.
Here are 5 Ingredients that are proven to make you smarter.
- Hydration. This is one I constantly have to work on. I hate drinking water. I know, kind of crazy for a health coach, right? I do! But I make myself because it is so important. In the brain, neurons store little drops of water in them and just like a computer over heating and needing a fan, your brain needs to be kept from overheating by holding on to those droplets. If the neurons are depleted, your brain is not functioning at its best. My tennis pro reminds me of this all of the time, “If you are thirsty, its too late.” You must continue to drink water throughout the day, even when you are not thristy. There are some great apps out there than can remind you and keep up with how much you drink. You should drink at least 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water.
- Healthy Fats. One of my favorite documentaries on this is Dr. Mark Hyman’s new one called, “ Broken Brain” I highly recommend it. During the 80s and 90s we went into this “fat free” craze and we starved our brains of what it craved and needed. Fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar and processed junk makes you fat. But nutritional science is always changing, and we realized it was the partially hydrogenated fats, and saturated fats found in red meats that are not the best for us. We need fats that are rich in omega-3 fat which is essential for a healthy brain and its processes. These fats are things like salmon, walnuts ( and I would dare to say, God made a walnut look like a brain on purpose ;), eggs, seeds and avocados. Eating the bad fats like hydrogenated fats can take the place of good fats and cause the brain to become sluggish. Did you know that Hydrogenated fats are one molecule away from plastic? No wonder its clogging!
- Balance your blood Sugar. Allowing your blood sugar to peak and crash will wreak havoc on your ability to concentrate. Thats why we should not use donuts as study fuel before a big final exam. Opting for eggs and avocado or any protein with fiber is the best option. Staying away from simple sugars throughout the day will keep you focused and on your toes.
- Magnesium. This is a mineral that often we get depleted of. Not enough magnesium can cause brain fog and forgetfulness. Magnesium helps speed up the transmission of signals in your brain, so when you have a need to recall someones name, it comes to you a whole lot faster. Can I get an amen. You can get Magnesium from spinach, nuts, avocado, brown rice and whole fat, grass fed organic plain yogurt.
- Bring on the B’s- B Vitamins are mega mega mega important and protect against brain SHRINKAGE. Yes your brain can shrink and we don’t want that. You can get your B vitamins in meat, eggs, fish and poultry, leafy greens, beans and legumes. I find that many people need to supplement B Vitamins. I recommend Young Living’s Bs. I take two per day. You can grab those here.
If you need specific help with any of this, feel free to contact me and we can talk about it!
xoxo,
Kelli
