What you eat affects how well you think.

Just as your body needs to be in peak condition as you approach your 40’s and 50’s, to have a memory that keeps growing and never lets you down, your brain and neurons need the right foods also.

What you eat directly affects the performance of your brain.

Your intelligence, the way you move, your memory and even the beating of your heart, all rely on your brain cells.

Research has shown that by eating the right food, you can boost your IQ, improve your mood, be more emotionally stable, sharpen your memory and keep your mind young.
The right nutrients will give your brain the power to think more quickly, remember more effectively, be better coordinated and balanced and have improved concentration.

Unfortunately, with all of the food processing that takes place today, and because so many of the ingredients that are actively bad for your brain are used in almost everything edible in the supermarket, it is increasingly difficult to make sure that the foods you are eating are the right ones.

Think ‘balanced diet’ as you plan your meals for the week. Be sure to include at least 25 of the following in your shopping list.

Lean Protein

1. Fish – Salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring (also listed under fats)
2. Poultry – chicken and turkey (skinless)
3. Meat – lean beef and pork
4. Eggs – free-range and/or organic eggs are best
5. Tofu and Soy products
6. Dairy products – low fat cheeses, cottage cheese, low fat yogurt (sugar free) and low fat or skim milk
7. Beans and lentils – also listed under carbohydrates
8. Nuts and seeds, especially walnuts – also listed under fats

Complex Carbohydrates

1. Berries – especially blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries (keep frozen berries on hand as well)
2. Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit
3. Cherries
4. Peaches, plums
5. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
6. Oats (the long cooking kind), whole wheat items, wholemeal bread with at least 3 grams of fibre.
7. Red or yellow peppers (much higher in Vitamin C than green)
8. Pumpkin squash
9. Spinach – for salad or cooked, adds fiber and nutrients
10. Tomatoes
11. Yams
12. Beans – also listed under proteins

Fats

1. Avocados (great news for avocado fans!)
2. Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
3. Olives
4. Salmon – also listed under protein
5. Nuts and Nut Butter, especially walnuts, macadamia nuts,
Brazil nuts, pecans and almonds – also listed under protein

Liquids

1. Water
2. Green or black tea

Remember to include minerals, too, as they are also critical to mental functioning and performance.

Magnesium and manganese are needed for brain energy. Sodium, potassium and calcium are important in the thinking process and they facilitate the transmission of messages. Check food labels.

For more information, read Keep that Boomer Brain Growing

What you eat affects how well you think.

It’s time to DO something about it.

Just as your body needs to be in peak condition as you approach your 40’s and 50’s, to have a memory that keeps growing and never lets you down, your brain and neurons need the right foods also.

What you eat directly affects the performance of your brain.

Your intelligence, the way you move, your memory and even the beating of your heart, all rely on your brain cells.

Research has shown that by eating the right food, you can boost your IQ, improve your mood, be more emotionally stable, sharpen your memory and keep your mind young.
The right nutrients will give your brain the power to think more quickly, remember more effectively, be better coordinated and balanced and have improved concentration.

Unfortunately, with all of the food processing that takes place today, and because so many of the ingredients that are actively bad for your brain are used in almost everything edible in the supermarket, it is increasingly difficult to make sure that the foods you are eating are the right ones.

Think ‘balanced diet’ as you plan your meals for the week. Be sure to include at least 25 of the following in your shopping list.

Lean Protein

1. Fish – Salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring (also listed under fats)
2. Poultry – chicken and turkey (skinless)
3. Meat – lean beef and pork
4. Eggs – free-range and/or organic eggs are best
5. Tofu and Soy products
6. Dairy products – low fat cheeses, cottage cheese, low fat yogurt (sugar free) and low fat or skim milk
7. Beans and lentils – also listed under carbohydrates
8. Nuts and seeds, especially walnuts – also listed under fats

Complex Carbohydrates

1. Berries – especially blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries (keep frozen berries on hand as well)
2. Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit
3. Cherries
4. Peaches, plums
5. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
6. Oats (the long cooking kind), whole wheat items, wholemeal bread with at least 3 grams of fibre.
7. Red or yellow peppers (much higher in Vitamin C than green)
8. Pumpkin squash
9. Spinach – for salad or cooked, adds fiber and nutrients
10. Tomatoes
11. Yams
12. Beans – also listed under proteins

Fats

1. Avocados (great news for avocado fans!)
2. Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
3. Olives
4. Salmon – also listed under protein
5. Nuts and Nut Butter, especially walnuts, macadamia nuts,
Brazil nuts, pecans and almonds – also listed under protein

Liquids

1. Water
2. Green or black tea

Remember to include minerals, too, as they are also critical to mental functioning and performance.

Magnesium and manganese are needed for brain energy. Sodium, potassium and calcium are important in the thinking process and they facilitate the transmission of messages. Check food labels.

For more information, read Keep that Boomer Brain Growing

The computer opens up the world at any age

All in our family have been amazed when visiting to see their 82 year-old GranPop peering at the computer screen, looking for messages from the family. Not only that, he has discovered the Internet and has been looking up Scottish things from all over the world. What a hoot! While not understanding for a nanosecond how the technology works, GranPop has been thrilled to be able to find out all of the wonderful information that would normally have taken him hours of research at the library.

With the proliferation of computers, UCLA scientists have been investigating whether all of this new activity improves the brain of older people. The results have been very positive.

The study, the first of its kind to assess the impact of Internet searching on brain performance, is reported in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Principal investigator Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA says “The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults.

Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function.”

Without any intervention, it is well known that as the brain ages, structural and functional changes occur, which can affect the way the brain performs. That’s why crossword puzzles and Sudoku have been so welcome for challenging the mind. With the advent of the internet, scientists, using MRI imaging, have compared what happens in the brain when doing Internet searches as compared with simple reading.

They found that the Internet’s many choices involves making rapid decisions about what to click on, and this activity enhances brain circuitry in older adults. ‘This demonstrate that our brains are sensitive and can continue to learn as we grow older,” Small said.

So as GranPop whiles away the hours on the Internet, he is also recharging his brain circuitry and re-growing vital brain connections that will increase his brain capacity.

Way to go, GranPop!

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Growing up in this day and age, there are so many crazy and amazing things out there to try and it’s a sure bet that most of you will have suffered from the odd hangover, or been tempted to de-stress using medication, marijuana or herbal substances. It’s really hard to say ‘No, thanks’ but if you are really serious about regrowing and rejuvenating your memory, then ‘No’ it must be.

Here’s why.
Your brain is a living, sensitive collection of cells that rely on oxygen and glucose in the blood supply that is pumped to them by a strong, healthy heart. The brain takes 20% of the body’s oxygen supply. Every action we take to improve our heart, brain and blood supply will give our brain and memory a boost. Conversely, damaging life factors will also damage memory

Alcohol has been with us for centuries, and I enjoy a glass of red wine myself on occasions. I’ve heard people boast of alcohol helping them to relax, to sleep and to reduce anxiety. In medical fact, alcohol does quite the opposite. And the effects on memory are nothing short of alarming. Research demonstrated that people who regularly drank more than two glasses of alcohol a day showed decreased performance in memory tests of visual and spatial perception, short-term memory tasks, non-verbal abstract learning, fine motor tasks, abstract and conceptual thinking ability and may even develop more serious psychotic disorders. Dietary deficiencies also arise and the brain becomes deprived of the glucose it vitally needs.

I am always highly amused when smoking marijuana becomes a talk back topic on radio. Invariably, regular marijuana smokers ring in to extol its benefits. Trouble is, they demonstrate by their conversation how hard it is for them to maintain clarity of thought or precision of expression. Marijuana is the enemy of memory, particularly if it has been taken in the early teens or for a prolonged period of years. Dendrites are damaged and the neurotransmitters in the brain are adversely affected by the chemical THC (tetrahydrocannibinol). Short-term memory is clouded, feelings of depression descend and motivation wanes. I know, in extreme cases, marijuana is sometimes used as a medicine, but with long-term use, the brain and memory will inevitably suffer damage.

Some medications cause memory-depressing side effects. I know your doctor will sometimes prescribe specific drugs for you – and of course, you need to get better – but you need to know that some of them can cause memory problems. The drugs that are known to have memory-depressing side effects include anithistamines, antipsychotics, barbiturates, beta-blockers, digitalis, glaucoma eye drops, incontinence medications, painkillers and sleeping pills. If the prescription time is short, your memory will recover once the medication is out of your system; however, seriously discuss prolonged use with your doctor. If you have experienced a sudden memory loss, think back to see if any of the foregoing list might be the cause.

Anything I might say about the harmful effects of smoking on your memory, has already been said many times. If you can, quit. Smoking will restrict the blood flow and the vital source of oxygen you need in the brain will be minimized. For your brain to be healthy, alert and youthful, it needs all the oxygen it can get.

This all sounds a pretty dismal picture, doesn’t it? But life is full of healthy foods, drinks and enjoyment that you can say a loud ‘YES’ to – surround yourself with these for the sake of your brain.

For more information about positive choices for your brain, read Nine Secrets of a Sharp Brain Over 55 and Your Brain and BMI.

As it turns out, that teacher was mostly wrong about the cells.

It’s true that the brain discards used cells and bits of waste, but actually you can grow new cells, as your brain needs them.

The more that you require your brain to learn or do, the faster your neurons create dendrites to reach out to make connections with other neurons in your brain.

If you are getting lazy in your thinking, then your brain doesn’t need any new connections so, of course, as you get older, your brain shrinks in size. Left to itself, your brain will naturally reduce in size by up to 20% by the age of 75 or older.

Recent discoveries by neuroscientists, though, show that intellectual activity will combat normal shrinkage. It truly is a case of ‘use it or lose it’.

Your brain can make new dendritic connections at any age; you can have a youthful brain all of your life.

To be sure that this is true for you, though, you have to push your brain into being more active. Get involved in debates and local campaigns, listen to presentations, try a new genre in reading, and discuss your views knowledgeably afterwards.

Fight the memory loss that some boomers experience by learning new information, trying out new sports, interests and social groups.

Your dendrites will be forced into growth, your brain will expand and you will, even into older age, have an alert, responsive and reliable memory that would have amazed my grade school teacher.

Read other articles in this series to find out how nutrition, stress, sleep and other factors will help your brain stay young for life. Nine Secrets of a Sharp Brain After 55

Also see these articles on forgetfulness, how to stop losing things and improving your memory