Another healthy brain list from Mercola.com
How to Keep Your Brain Healthy: Nine Essential Tips
A healthy lifestyle can help protect, nourish, and revitalize your brain. This includes:
1. Taking omega-3 fats. The omega -3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) keep the dopamine levels in your brain high, increase neuronal growth in the frontal cortex of your brain, and increase cerebral circulation. Krill oil is an excellent source of omega-3, and
may even be superior to fish oil.
2. Exercising. Exercise may encourage your brain to
work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage.
3. Sleeping well. It’s during sleep that your mental energy is restored, and a lack of sleep may cause your brain to
stop producing new cells.
4. Eating healthy. Like the rest of your body,
your brain depends on healthy foods to function. While protein is the main source of fuel for your brain, vitamins and minerals from fresh veggies are also important, as is limiting sugar.
5. Getting out into the sun. This will help you maintain optimal vitamin D levels. Scientists are now beginning to realize vitamin D is involved in maintaining the health of your brain, as they’ve recently discovered vitamin D receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and central nervous system.
There’s even evidence indicating
vitamin D improves your brain’s detoxification process. For children and pregnant women, getting enough vitamin D is especially crucial, as it may play a major role in
protecting infants' brains from autism.
6. Turning off the TV. Allowing children under the age of 3 to watch television can
impair their linguistic and social development, and it can
affect your brain chemistry as well.
7. Protecting your brain from cell phones. Recent studies have found that cell phone users are
240 percent more prone to brain tumors, and a study back in 2004 found that your risk of acoustic neuroma (a tumor on your auditory nerve) was nearly four times greater on the side of your head where your phone was most frequently held.
8. Challenging your brain. Mind-training exercises can keep your brain fit as you age. This can be something as simple as searching for famous people whose first names begin with the letter A, doing crossword puzzles or playing board games that get you thinking.
9. Avoiding foods that contain artificial sweeteners and additives. Substances such as
aspartame (Nutrasweet) and
MSG, which are common in processed foods, can damage your brain. For instance, consuming a lot of aspartame may inhibit the ability of enzymes in your brain to function normally, and high doses of the sweetener may lead to neurodegeneration.
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