Health and Lifestyle Tips to Better Protect Our Brains
This is one of the hardest articles that I have decided to write because I admittedly am guilty of some of these habits and at higher health risk, especially with metals, as you will red about in a bit. In other words, this article is making me face my own realities. But it is important not to dwell on past misbehaviors rather fix our current ones and lead healthier lifestyles starting now.
I like to think of behavior change as a lot like when you quit smoking: when you quit smoking your lungs are able to heal and get almost back to full optimal health even after years of puffing away. So I believe other parts of our bodies in addition to our lungs have the ability to fully recover and heal themselves even after years of poor lifestyle choices such as the ones I will discuss in this article.
So with all that being said this article is about Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Neal D. Barnard, MD Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, DC and Author of Power Foods for the Brain, was recently a guest on the Dr. Oz show and made very compelling arguments about the behaviors and habits which “put people at higher risk for Alzheimer’s. ”And suggests ways to help reduce our risk for the disease.
It is very hard for many young, healthy people to think about their health long term. It is hard to think of choosing behaviors and lifestyles to pursue now that will help prevent severely negative health diagnosis like Alzheimer disease. How can we get young people to think about their health in terms of longevity rather than in terms of immediate short term, quick fixes only? There is no simple answer but the point of this article is not to scare anyone that they are going to get Alzheimer’s it’s to inform people of important simple behavior changes that we can make today that can greatly improve our long-term health and help reduce risks for serious illnesses such as Alzheimer’s in the future.
So here are excerpts from the Dr. Oz show and article, which identified foods that put people at higher risk for Alzheimer’s according to Dr. Barnard:
1. “Bad Fats”
Saturated fats – the fats in meats and especially in dairy products, Researchers with the Chicago Health and Aging Project found that people eating reasonably large amounts of these “bad fats” had more than three times the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, compared with people who tended to avoid them. So here is yet another reason why you shouldn’t be following a paleo diet or any other diet advocating lots of meat, because almost all meat has saturated fat and in the paleo diet you eat a lot of meat (poultry, meat, fish).
2. Irons, Copper and Other Metals
This is probably the most important piece of information for me personally. Metals – iron and copper – that can come from foods and even from our pots and pans can be part of the problem for our risk of Alzheimer’s. Of course, you need iron for red blood cells and copper for normal enzyme function. But in larger amounts, these metals produce free radicals that damage brain cells.
Where do these metals come from? Iron is in cast-iron pans. Stainless steel is a safer choice. So one of the biggest bad habits that I am constantly guilty of is using metal on metal when cooking and eating. I frequently find myself scraping my spoon on the bottom of the pot and I am sure that some of the pans I use to cook my food are burned or rusted at the bottom. Things like these are examples of when I increase the risk of ingesting iron. So a recommended tip to avoid getting large amounts of iron is to use stainless steel pots and pans, and never use metal on metal. Try to use wooden or rubber spatulas, spoons etc when cooking on metal. Would you dish out a few extra bucks to invest in a new stainless steel pan if it reduced your chances of Alzheimer’s? Everyone should be nodding his or her heads.
Furthermore, Copper is found in copper pipes – so it pays to install water filters. Also, be mindful of using only cold tap water to cook and wash your food with because more copper and iron will come off of the pipes and into your water if your using warm water.
Protective Foods to Help Reduce The Risk of Alzheimer’s and Protect the Brain: The good news is recent research has shown that that foods can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and may even reverse memory problems if they are caught early.
1.Nuts and seeds are rich in vitamin E, which has been shown to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Especially good sources are almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and flaxseed. Just one ounce – a small handful – each day is plenty. Vitamin E supplement, or capsule is not the same as the vitamin E found in these foods.
2. Blueberries and grapes get their deep colors from anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants shown to improve learning and recall in studies at the University of Cincinnati.
3. Sweet potatoes are the dietary staple of Okinawans, the longest-lived people on Earth who are also known for maintaining mental clarity into old age. Sweet potatoes are extremely rich in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant.
4. Green leafy vegetables provide iron in a form that is more absorbable when the body needs more and less absorbable when you already have plenty, protecting you from iron overload, which may harm the brain. Green vegetables are also loaded with folate, an important brain-protecting B vitamin.
5. Beans and chickpeas have vitamin B6 and folate, as well as protein and calcium, with no saturated fat or trans fat. (Another reason Paleo sucks, you are not supposed to eat legumes on the Paleo Diet)
6. Vitamin B12 is essential for healthy nerves and brain cells. Together, folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 eliminate homocysteine, which can build up in the bloodstream – rather like factory waste – and damage the brain.
Vegetarian and especially vegan diets are especially powerful. A study at Loma Linda University showed that vegetarians not only live longer than meat-eaters; they stay free of memory problems longer, too.
Other important behaviors to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s:
1. Physical exercise,
2. Mental exercises (brain stimulation like reading books, puzzles, or learning new skills),
3. High quality sleep (6-9 hours) and staying asleep during that time. (I am guilty of waking up multiple times during the night and I need to work on that for sure)
Putting it all Together: The Final Diagnosis:
It pays to take care of our bodies now when we are young to prevent later on life frightening diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Easy tips and behaviors to make right away are to try and avoid “bad fats” found in meats, dairy products, etc. as much as possible, eat more powerful nutrients in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans as listed above. Get more Vitamin B12, B6 and Vitamin E in our diets. Cook with stainless steel cookware and be mindful of instances where we can be at risk for getting metals in our bodies. Get Good sleep, and challenge our MINDS and our BODIES everyday.