subject: What Brain Nutrient Are You Missing? [print this page] What Brain Nutrient Are You Missing? What Brain Nutrient Are You Missing?
In a perfect world everyone would eat right and exercise enough. That would give you lots of nutrients for your brain and body. But since the reality is often quite different, what can you do to keep your brain healthy?
Probably the best brain nutrient is the fatty acid DHA. You've likely seen some of the reports about how DHA can improve your memory and enhance your concentration. If you haven't, well, 1000's of studies show this fatty acid can protect you from Alzheimer's, boost your mood and improve your focus and concentration.
In fact, some studies show this brain nutrient might even calm children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. Even get them off the drugs.
A Brain Nutrient From the Sea
So, where can you get this DHA? It's in fish. You might have heard fish called "brain food"? That's why. See, DHA is a major part of your brain. But, most Westerners don't get enough of it because we don't eat enough fish. As a result, we're plagued with memory loss and a ton of diseases that are rare in fish eating cultures like Japan.
Bring On the Omega 3's
DHA is part of the omega 3 fatty acids. And, frankly, nutritionists say we're seriously deficient in these fatty acids. Yet, they're essential to your brain function. So, it's smart to get serious about including them in your diet.
Here's what they do in your brain, they coat your nerves and literally "smooth" them out. As you age, it's a natural for this protective coating to wear off. This leaves your nerves exposed in your brain. But omega 3's help slow down this process.
Plus, as you get older, the message centers in your brain don't work as well.
You might have noticed this, you forget where you put your eyeglasses and they're on top of your head. That kind of thing. Partly that's because your message centers are connected with those exposed nerves which are becoming frayed.
Omega 3's slow down brain aging. A study done at the University of California found participants who got enough omega 3's actually slowed their DNA.
You can get more of them by eating avocados, olive oil and walnuts. But the DHA brain nutrient comes from fish. Eat it 2-3 times a week say the nutrition experts.
You can also consider fish oil supplements. Just make sure they have the DHA brain nutrient in them. Please visit my website where I share about the best omega 3 fish oil supplements.
