Bell peppers are good for us in so many ways (there are several posts on this blog about them). Now some Italian scientists say bell pepper pigments (carotenoids) are good for the brain. They reviewed 9 studies and found that the compounds fuel the growth of healthy new neurons. They also boost the production of focus-enhancing neurotransmitters, cutting the risk of brain fog and memory lapses by up to 65% if you eat 3/4 cup daily. This applies to eating the peppers raw or cooked.
The human body needs water more than anything else, except oxygen. At as little as a 2% loss of water, our bodies become fatigued. As little as a 10% loss can cause serious problems and a week without water can be fatal. Check out the following facts and you will understand why water is so important:
Do you drink alcohol? If you do, you need to read the rest of this post. There are many reasons to stop drinking alcohol or to cut back on the amount. Here are a few reasons you may not have considered or even known. Alcohol can cause inflammation in the body and inflammation is responsible for a lot of health problems. Alcohol is known to increase inflammation in the intestines, disrupting gut bacteria. Alcohol can change brain structure and function. It can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of stroke and heart disease. Experts recommend no more than one alcoholic beverage per day for both men and women.
Yesterday I talked about the brain and how puzzles of various types can slow down the aging of the brain. There are a few more suggestions I want you to be aware of. Below are a few more suggestions I have found.
It doesn't come as a surprise that our brains age just like the rest of the body. Scientists say around 40% of us will have some form of memory loss after age 65. There are some things we can do to give us the brain of someone 15 years younger, according to the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. On a personal note, several years ago when my mother suffered a stroke, my family heard about this. At the hospital after the testing on her brain, the doctors said they couldn't believe her age because her brain looked like the brain of a much younger person. They ask if she worked puzzles. The answer was, yes. She had worked puzzles all her life. Jigsaw puzzles, word find puzzles, crossword puzzles, etc. Puzzles were her favorite pastime. I spent time working puzzles with her throughout my life and puzzles continue to be a favorite activity for me. Do you have some type of brain activity you do on a regular basis? If not, consider puzzles.
If your answer is yes to the title question, and you normally have a glass of orange juice with your breakfast, try switching to pomegranate juice. This switch can slow, maybe even reverse, the aging of your brain, heart, muscles, and bones. Italian scientists say the phytonutrients in pomegranate juice energize anti-aging genes in every cell of the body.
I am posting this after a day and night of everything from drizzles to rainstorms and I am not personally verifying this information. Scientists say it has been proven that the sound of raindrops bring one peace. A few years ago, YouGov polled 1,000 Americans about the noises they most enjoy hearing. The sound most people said were their favorite was raindrops. Another survey found that rain sounds make one more productive. The reason, the fast tempo wakes up the brain to improve alertness and problem solving. If you don't live in an area where you get much rain or you want the sounds on a routine basis, you can get the sound of recorded rain. There is a free app called Nature Melody where you can choose from several different rain sounds.
Water is one thing the body must have to survive. The body needs water more than most anything else except oxygen. Did you realize that as little as a 2% loss of water, the body becomes fatigued. As little as a 10% loss can cause serious problems and a week without water can be fatal. Consider the following:
I have mentioned this on this blog before but so many complain of afternoon slumps I thought another post might be in order. Whatever you do when you feel that afternoon slump coming on, don't grab a candy bar or other sweet treat. You need something protein rich to combat the slumps. British researchers suggest a snack that includes hummus or eating a hard boiled egg for a boost in pep. The reason? Amino acids in protein stimulate certain brain cells that make you feel more alert, according to the study's lead author Denis Burdakov, Ph.D. Protein rich foods are also rich in tyrosine, an amino acid needed to help the body produce noradrenaline another brain chemical that perks you up.
Have you ever connected eating onions with improving your brain? While that may seem like a strange connection, Egyptian scientists say eating 1/3 cup of red onions daily, could fast track the growth of healthy new brain neurons. They say that could banish brain fog and sharpen memory in as little as one month. These scientists credit the flavonoids in the red onions, saying they relax and open arteries thus improving the flow of blood to the brain.
Huh? I'm old enough to remember when they told us to stay away from eggs. Now, they tell us eggs, especially the yolks are good for the brain! Egg yolks are rich in natural sources of choline. Choline is an essential building block of acetylcholine. What that big word means is that it is a neurotransmitter that brain cells use to communicate with each other. The researchers at Arizona State University, where we got this information, did a study that suggests eating just two eggs a day can help one think more clearly, concentrate longer and multitask more easily. So, go ahead and enjoy eggs.
Are you one of those people who can't remember where you put your glasses, keys, etc? As we age, it is a fact that our brains shrink and unfortunately a smaller brain just doesn't work as well as we would like. Neurologist Majid T. Fotuhi, M.D., author of Boost Your Brain: The New Art and Science Behind Enhanced Brain Performance, says not to worry. He says the brain has the remarkable ability to keep growing at any age. But here is the catch - you have to have the right health habits if you want your brain to grow.
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Continuing today with more brain information from Dr. Fotuhi, credentials given in previous post, research shows that getting a certain type of DHA can increase the size of your hippocampus in about six months. (The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for short-term memory.) This is a type of omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, fish oil and algae. However, according to Dr. Fotuhi, it is almost impossible to get enough from your diet therefore this is an area where supplements are useful. He does state that you should buy supplements that come from algae rather than fish due to impurities such as mercury that might be in the fish oil. Dr. Fotuhi stated, "I really believe DHA is a super brain food. I take 1 gram a day, and so does my wife."
We have been told for years that fish is good for us and we should eat it once or twice a week. In 2014 researchers looked at brain scans of healthy older adults who had been enrolled in a 10-year study. They found that those who ate any kind of baked or broiled, not fried, fish once a week had more gray matter in the brains regions that control memory and cognition.
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fA study at the Harvard Medical School found women who reported eating the largest amount of leafy greens and vegetables such as broccoli had a markedly lower rate of brain function decline than those who ate the least. Load up on those green leafy vegetables and keep your brain sharp!
If you want to cut back on shortening or butter in pie crust, use an equal amount of coconut oil. Coconut oil is the only oil that gets to a part of the brain which has a lot to do with Alzheimer's. It also contains medium-chain fatty acids which are metabolism-revving.
Have you ever really stopped and thought about the brain and what an amazing thing it is? I once read that it is the body's Grand Central Station of function, thought, and memory. How true! Vonda Wright, M.D., author Fitness After 40: How to Stay Strong at Any Age and Guide to Thrive, is quoted as saying, "There's never an age or skill level where we can't maintain or rebuild our brains and bodies. Age is not a barrier." That is something this old lady is glad to know! Below are some tidbits about keeping the brain healthy:
Yes, a simple banana is brain food!
Did you realize that every 40 seconds someone in the United States suffers a stroke? This information came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The good news is about 80% of these strokes are preventable! Two major factors contribute, independently, to most strokes. These two factors are high blood pressure and high cholesterol. (Not a good thing for me as I have both and a history of stokes in my family.) Philip Ades, M.D. cardiologist, stated, "Hypertension damages blood vessels and high cholesterol can cause the buildup of fatty deposits that narrow arteries. That information can be scary but there are ways to work toward keeping your arteries strong and resilient.
