The numbers of people today who are suffering from conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, addictions PDSD, ADHD are sky rocketting, but the standard treatments have not changed much over the past decades, and the success rate in treating these conditions have barely improved. At Dr. Daniel Amen's (child and adult Psychiatrist) clinic they look at the brain before going about changing it and they believe that once you get the brain right your mind will follow. Dr. Amen says "We're not dealing with mentail health issues at all. We're actually dealing with brain health issues that steal your mind. Get your brain right and your mind will follow."
What if mental health was really brain health?
We know that too much alcohol poisons the liver, smoking causes lung cancer but we do not see that brain fog and cognitive decline and dementia can be direct consequences of what we eat. People have a hard time grasping that the brain is damaged by poor food choices. More so than any other body system. Cognitive health is linked to our overall health and when we eat poorly and fail to nourish our bodies our brain will suffer. Your brain is 2% of your body's weight but it uses 20%-30% of the calories consumed. The brain is the most expensive real estate in your body. If you have a fast food diet odds are you are going to have a fast food brain. *A study was done in Australia where they looked at two outer islands.
A JCU research team led by Professors Zoltan Sarnyai and Robyn McDermott looked at the link between depression and diet on a Torres Strait island, where fast food is available, and on a more isolated island, which has no fast food outlets.
They found that the island with the fast food restaurants had significantly lower levels of Omega 3 fatty acids (one of the most essential nutrients for your brain) and five times the level of depression *Another study showed the linear correlation between the number of fruits and vegetables you eat a day and your level of happiness.
They found that if you have four servings of fruits and vegetables you are happier then if you had two, if you had six you are happier then if you had four, and if you had eight servings the you are happier then if you had six servings of fruits and vegetables a day. What Can We Do To Prevent Mental Illness or Improve Our Brain Health?
If we want to prevent our brain from risk of mental illness we need to start having a healthy brain. We must treat risk factors that steal our mind. Being overweight lowers blood flow in our body due to toxin build up which creates fat. The fat (Visceral fat) is protecting our organs from toxin spillage. The more fat in your body comes more inflammation.
Food Matters
The quality of food you eat matters to the health of your mind. Eating more fruits and vegetables puts your brain in an optimal healing environment.
We need to understand what ingredients do to the brain, body and mental health.
Just about everywhere we go in our society today we are offered toxic foods that will damage our brains. The real weapons of mass distruction are highly processed, pesticide sprayed, high glycemic, low fiber foods. As your weight goes up, the actual physical size of your brain goes down. Healthy diets are associated wtih bigger brain size.
Our lifestyle choices, particularly our food choices have an enormous impact on how our brain functions. You can eat extremely well, however you just have to be smart about it.
Many people's taste buds have been hijacked with processed foods, high glycemic foods, foods that have been manufactured to be convenient and to make us crave them. They are full of sugar, salt and fat (unhealthy fats). People are so use to eating prcessed foods that they cannot taste an apple, a strawberry, a carrot, broccoli etc... They are just so accustomed to the taste of strawberry ice cream that is full of sugar and artificial flavors that when they do eat the real thing it just does not have the same distinct taste they are use to. A real strawberry may not be sweet enough for them. We need to re-train our tastebuds to eat healthy real food.
*In an article "Diet and Alzheimer's Disease" they list foods for a healthy brain and foods to avoid:
Healthy Foods
Whole grains
Fresh fruits
Vegetables
Fish
Beans
Nuts
Olive oil
Foods To Avoid
Red meats
Butter
Margarine
Cheese
Fast foods
Sweets
High-sodium foods
We can all play a part in reducing and healing brain health issues by nourishing the brain with the right foods. When you nourish your brain you become more capable of making positive choices and changes and this in turn allows you to have the capability of doing more for yourself and your life through longevity.
*Study firms up diet and depression link in Australia
*Evolution of Well-Being and Happiness After Increases in Consumption of Fruit and Vegetables
*Diet and Alzhemier's Disease
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