Nourish Your Brain
Over the last few years, researchers have begun to find a surprisingly powerful connection between what we put in our mouths and how we feel in our heads. We've known for a very long time that nutrition is incredibly important for our bodies and our weight. We now know that it's just as important for looking after our minds.
How do nutrients affect the brain?
Many foods contain nutrients that directly help improve the function of our brain. On top of this, there is also a direct pathway between our digestive system and our brains along which critical information about our well-being is constantly flowing. This pathway is sometimes called the gut-brain axis. To understand how it works, you need to know that when we eat anything, we are not only feeding our cells but also trillions of bacteria that live mostly in the large intestines. These ‘gut-bugs’ are crucial to our health because they process much of what we eat for us and produce by-products that can help us feel better. When those microorganisms are happy, this will be communicated up gut-brain access and will feel good, and our mood will improve. But when we make less helpful food choices the reverse can happen.
Food is so much more than just energy or calories.
It’s information! If you provide good information to ‘gut bugs’ they will then communicate that to your brain and send calming signals to it… But if you give them food that they don’t like they will send stress signals.
Many modern highly processed foods can have a terrible effect on our gut bugs, wiping them out by the millions. In addition, anything that contains artificial additives, emulsifiers, pesticides, and chemical sweeteners has the potential to negatively affect them. Even many popular medications, including antibiotics and best-selling heartburn medication, can play havoc with our gut bugs that can take months to recover.
Our brains thrive on certain nutrients. The problem is many of us struggle to find the time to create healthy home-cooked meals.
Do you struggle to find the time for home-cooked meals?
Spend five minutes making yourself a delicious brain nourishing smoothie. Throw my favourite brain nourishing nutrients into a blender and blitz until Smooth.
Brain Nourishing Smoothie
70 g blueberries
Half an avocado
Two handfuls of leafy greens (eg Spinach or Kale)
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
A handful of walnuts
Cocoa powder (optional for taste)
Unsweetened almond milk or water
Blueberries are rich in fibre, loaded with healthy nutrients and antioxidants. Research has shown they are good for brain function and memory.
Avocados are a great source of healthy fats that our brain needs to work at its best.
Dark green leafy vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and fibre that are essential for a well-functioning nervous system.
Coconut oil tastes fantastic and contains a kind of fat that can be directly used as fuel by the brain.
Walnuts are rich in omega-3 which is known to be important for optimal brain function, in addition, they are rich in helpful polyphenols antioxidants and vitamin E. Observational studies have shown that walnut eaters have better brain function.
Would you like to find out more about the Lantern Clinic? You can book a FREE discovery call with Dr Margarita below.
