We need to eat to feed our brains, just as we eat to maintain a healthy heart

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We need to eat to feed our brains, just as we eat
to maintain a healthy heart

• Food makes a real difference to how well the
  brain performs
• Jayne Cormie, The Thinking Business

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Patrick HolfordOptimum nutrition for the Mind

• During an exam, your legs dont need the energy
  as you are sitting down. Your brain uses it all
  and that is why you are starving at the end of
  the exam. You would train your body for a
  physical exam, so why not do the same for a
  mental test

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You need to look after your brain

• Thinking is a bio-chemical process requiring
  energy, vitamins and minerals
• 25 of carbohydrates eaten are used by the brain
  40 when we are concentrating hard
• 20 of oxygen is used by the brain

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Water

• 70 of the brain is water.
• A dehydrated brain releases the stress hormone
  cortisol which adversely affects the brains
  ability to store information
• (Coffee slows down the thinking process and makes
  you feel foggy)

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What are we missing?

• 50 of girls aged 11-18 have too little magnesium
• 50 of school children have too little zinc
• 21 of girls aged 11-18 have too little Vitamin
  B2
• 8 have less B12 than is recommended
• Too little B vitamins can lead to depression
• Swedish research shows if your B vitamin levels
  are low, your grades are low.they can predict
  exam results chemically!!

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The good news

• We can do something about it.
• Vitamin B levels can be raised in 48 hours.
• One teenager brought B vitamin levels almost to
  normal in 2 weeks. He reported
• - improved memory
• - more able to focus
• - no longer bored (Blimey, its not the teachers
  after all)

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What Breakfastshould we eat to learn?

• Slow release carbohydrates to maintain steady
  energy release to brain
• Not sugary cereal, sweets or white bread as these
  lead to drowsiness when blood sugar levels
  fluctuate
• Good fats such as eggs help with memory
• Not bad fats (hydrogenated) makes the brain
  denser literally and metaphorically

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What Lunch should we eat to learn?

• Protein makes you feel alert. Oily fish (Omega
  3) improves concentration by 35
• Rice full of B vitamins and it will reduce
  stress excellent in exam time.
• Add some veg for other vitamins and minerals

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What Suppershould we eat to learn?

• Red meat, dark green vegetables, lentils, beans
  nuts, seeds to provide iron
• Citrus fruits, tomatoes, peppers to provide
  vitamin C. This helps absorption of iron. Lack of
  Vitamin C can increase anxiety (so fresh fruit
  is good at exam time)
• Hard cheese for zinc which is vital for quick
  thinking helps brain transfer information
• Sage and rosemary improve memory, strengthen
  mental alertness and fight mental fatigue.

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Do you get moody?Find it hard to concentrate?If
so you need to avoid

• Hydrogenated and trans fats
• Refined carbohydrates
• Added sugars
• Chemical additives
• High-GI foods
• Stimulants
• Where do you find these?

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Hydrogenated and trans fats

• Cakes, pastries, biscuits, bread, margarine,
  popcorn (and snacks), some French fries and
  hamburgers (commercially fried)

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Refined carbohydrates

• Processed white flour white bread, pasta,
  cereals, crisps and snacks

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Added sugars

• Sugary drinks, coated breakfast cereals,
  chocolate
• They seem good at first, but then as the brain
  feels high, insulin levels rise, our blood
  sugar level plummets and our brains in a fog

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Chemical additives

• Crisps, snacks, drinks
• 40 of products aimed at children contain them
  colours, flavour enhancers.
• They are linked to tantrums and temper loss

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High-GI foods

• Baguettes, bagels, pizza, instant white rice,
  fries, instant mashed potatoes
• Similar to added sugar.
• They cause mood swings

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Stimulants

• Fizzy drinks, energy drinks, tea, coffee
• Research in USA - teens with high caffeine intake
  were less mentally alert.
• These drinks make you anxious and tired. Great!

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What should you eat to stay in a good mood?

• Essential fatty acids
• Complex carbohydrates
• Tryptophan
• Essential minerals
• Essential vitamins
• Low-GI foods

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Essential fatty acids

• Oily fish salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel
  Omega 3
• Seeds flax, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin, or their
  cold pressed oils Omega 6
• just get loads of omega-3..
• Dr Alex Richardson, ULP Oxford

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Complex carbohydrates

• Porridge oats, oat cakes, brown rice,
  wholegrains, beans, lentils, most fruit.
• The ideal good mood cereal is whole oats
• Debora Colson, nutritional therapist.

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Tryptophan

• Turkey, chicken, meat, fish, eggs, nuts
  (walnuts), bananas, avocados, cottage cheese,
  beans, peas, lentils, soya
• Its the Good-mood protein

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Essential minerals

• Green leafy vegetables, nuts and wholegrains,
  lean meat, offal, tinned oily fish, dairy
  produce, tofu, egg yolk, pulses, figs, Brazil
  nuts, wheatgerm, molasses, sunflower seeds,
  wholewheat, unrefined grains, mushrooms,
  asparagus, raisins, nuts, prunes
• These all help you to chill out

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Essential vitamins

• Citrus fruits, berries and watercress (Vitamin C)
• Fresh brussel sprouts, asparagus, spinach, kale,
  black eyed beans, yeast extract (Vitamin B)
• More foods to help you keep your cool

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Low-GI foods

• Oats, ryebread, pumpernickel, pasta and noodles
  (wholegrain) yams, carrots, baked beans, lentils,
  dried apricots, stoned fruits, fruits from
  temperate climates (apples, pears etc)
• These will help you to keep calm