Boosting Your Memory: Mind Games & Food For Thought

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Good Morning!

 

Boosting Your Memory: Mind Games & Food For Thought

 

Most researchers agree that the best way to protect your memory is to

eat plenty of antioxidants and nutrients commonly found in fruits and

vegetables. Brain cells are especially vulnerable to toxins because

the brain generates more free radicals per gram of tissue than any

other organ. Antioxidants also protect neurons by keeping blood

vessels supple and open, ensuring the flow of nutrients to the brain.

 

In a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,

researchers tested people who ages ranged from 65 to 90 and

discovered that the people with the best ability to memorize words

and do mental arithmetic were those whose diets included the most

fruits and vegetables. Coincidentally, the same group of people ate

the least artery-clogging saturated fat. Of all the fruits and

vegetables studied, blueberries and blackberries contain the most

potent antioxidants, anthocyanins.

 

As well as eating a diet rich in antitoxidants, taking extra vitamins

can help preserve memory, especially as we age.

 

Try to maintain a meal schedule! At the start of your day, it is

important to have a big high protein breakfast. This will jump start

your metabolism, will not spike your blood sugar and will " feed the

brain " . After class, if it is between breakfast and lunch, have a

handful of nuts or good fats like cheese or yogurt with fresh or

dried fruit. Lunch is the balancing act! Students tend to load up of

the simple carbs found in rice, white bread and processed soups and

other canned foods, instead of the complexed carbs found in beans and

root vegetables.

 

To keep your blood sugar from spiking and wanting to hit the pillow

instead of class, go for the high protein and Omega rich options like

tuna, salmon or sardines with beans, and root vegetables. Study time

can be a real distraction if you are hungry. Avoid the coffee,

dounuts, bagels and cookies and go with green or black tea, or herbal

tea. Have handy a tray of fresh vegetables and fruit, cut and ready

to eat. Drinking plenty of water will stave off hunger, keep you

full, hydrated and awake. This kind of snacking will get you through

your study time much quicker and with less distractions!

 

 

Boosting Memory

 

Start your day right with these memory boosting supplements that give

you antioxidant power, anti-aging protection, a lift in energy and

encourage your memory function.

 

People who take Vitamin C regularly, consistently score higher on

memory tests. Vitaman E is complimented by Vitamin C and work in

great synergy to improve brain function. Vitamin C acts primarily in

cellular fluid. Vitamin C scavenges free radicals and cleans up waste

products. In addition to its anti-oxidative activities, vitamin C

benefits many other body functions.

 

Carotenoids, of which beta-carotenes are the most popular, are found

in many fruits and vegetables, animals, plants and microorganisms.

The body converts beta carotene into Vitamin A. Vitamin A is a fat-

soluble vitamin essential for vision, growth, cell division,

reproduction and immunity.

 

Super Omega 3 Fish Oil is known for being rich in unsaturated fatty

acids and provides rich OMEGA-3 fatty acids, (Pure EPA 360mg/DHA

240mg). Alaska Deep Sea Fish Oil are made from natural marine lipid

concentrate and are essential to normal human cell and tissue growth

and maintenance. If not found regularly in the diet, the diet must be

supplemented. These fatty acids are especially abundant in brain

cells, nerve relay stations (synapses), visual receptors (retinas),

adrenal glands, and sex glands.

 

As we age, a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, may decline. This

chemical is responsible for the excitatory actions in the brain. A

shortage of acetylcholine in the brain has been associated with

Alzheimer's disease. Some help maybe available in this brain-saving

supplement, phosphatidylserine, or PS. It is reputed for its ability

to stimulate production of the acetylcholine. Consider taking 100mg

of PS three times a day for 12 weeks.

 

Iron should be considered. Taking 8 mg for men with the

recommendation for women is 18 mg. Iron is vital to the body's

formation of red blood cells, which help carry and store oxygen

throughout the body. Plant sources of iron include dried fruits,

whole grains (including wholemeal bread), nuts, green leafy

vegetables, seeds and pulses. Other foods rich in iron but which are

usually eaten in smaller amounts include soya flour, parsley,

watercress, black molasses and edible seaweeds.

 

Zinc is an essential mineral that is found in almost every cell. It

stimulates the activity of enzymes, which promote biochemical

reactions. Zinc supports a healthy immune system, is beneficial for

wound healing, will maintain your sense of taste and smell and is

needed for DNA synthesis. Foods that contain zinc include oysters

(the most zinc), red meat and poultry. Other good food sources

include beans, nuts, certain seafood, whole grains, fortified

breakfast cereals, and dairy products. Zinc absorption is greater

from a diet high in animal protein than a diet rich in plant

proteins.

 

Vitamin B12 bounds to the protein in food. Hydrochloric acid in the

stomach releases vitamin B12 from proteins in foods during digestion.

Once released, vitamin B12 combines with a substance called intrinsic

factor (IF). This complex can then be absorbed by the intestinal

tract. Vitamin B12 helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood

cells. It is also needed to help make DNA. Vitamin B12 is naturally

found in foods that come from animals, including fish, meat, poultry,

eggs, milk, and milk products. Fortified breakfast cereals are a

particularly valuable source of vitamin B12 for vegetarians.

 

Folic acid and folate are forms of a water-soluble B vitamin. These

occur naturally in food and can also be taken as supplements. Foods

such as leaf vegetables including spinach and turnip greens are high

in folate as is dried beans and peas, fortified cereal products, and

some other fruits and vegetables. Some breakfast cereals (ready-to-

eat and others) are fortified with 25 percent or 100 percent of the

recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for folic acid.

 

 

Mind Games

 

Some of the best ways to engage your brain is by using your memory

functions!

 

1. The number one rule is: Get off auto-pilot! Avod brain shrinkage

by expanding your emotional and mental capacity. Break up your

routine. Switch it up. Do something different each day.

 

2. Memorize favorite poems, speeches or famous passages.

 

3. Read challenging books or articles that encourage you to expand

your interests.

 

4. Learn something new whether it is a new language, the words to a

song or a new recipe, this helps stretch the brain.

 

5. Practice other-handedness If you're right-handed, try brushing

your teeth or writing your grocery list with your left hand.

 

6. Play word games like crossword puzzles, sudoku and acrostics.

 

7. Test at your threshold. Testing yourself slightly beyond your

capacity (80 percent right, 20 percent wrong) helps to increase brain

neurons.

 

8. Get lost. Getting lost and then being able to find your way, by

backtracking, reading a map or deducing, helps to increase memory.

 

9. Choose one new thing to learn everyday. You will greatly benefit

your age/mind capacity, as you comprehend something new.

 

10. Stay optimistic, remaining so, enables higher cognitive function.

 

 

 

Andrew Pacholyk MS, L.Ac.

Peacefulmind.com

Therapie for healing

mind, body, spirit