Food Affects Your Brain

You are what you eat. Nothing could be truer than this. For a long time you have been hearing about the benefits of food, how your diet is instrumental in maintaining body structure and how it's intrinsically linked to your mood. Now studies indicate that food also affects your brain. Certain foods have a good influence on the brain while others affect the brain negatively.

Foods that improve brain functions
Brain cells start deteriorating when substances called free radicals increase. These can be combated by the increase in the levels of antioxidants. Antioxidants are food chemicals that are produced when there is an increased intake of foods rich in antioxidants. Foods such as cherries, prunes, grapes, apples, raisins and spinach are rich in antioxidants and hence beneficial for the brain. Consumption of these foods can reverse memory loss, improve motor coordination and balance.

Another food compound that has been found to affect brain functions is omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids also help to restore memory loss like antioxidants. Fishes such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines are rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Apart from these walnuts are also highly rich sources of these fatty acids.

Another food component that needs to be carefully selected is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are of two types: simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are rapidly digested by the body resulting in a sharp rise in the blood sugar whereas complex carbs though digested well do not raise the blood sugar. An increased blood sugar adversely affects the brain function. So the emphasis should be on increasing the intake of complex carbohydrates. Foods such as peanuts, dried beans, whole pulses, oat bran and whole-wheat flour are among the few foods rich in complex carbohydrates.

Food that adversely affect
It's true that certain foods can result in the deterioration of brain functioning. Too much concentration on one type of food affects the functioning of the brain. One such food product is polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Research has pointed out that too much intake of oils rich in PUFA can result in inflammation of brain tissue and hence affect the blood supply in the brain. Oils such as sunflower oil, safflower oil and corn oil are rich sources of PUFA. These oils should be consumed in combination with other oils and ghee.

Another food that can affect the brain is sugar. Though the normal sugar intake does not affect the brain functioning but when sugar is taken in excess, it can result in building up insulin resistance and hence changes in the levels of blood sugar. This can result in permanent brain damage. This means the emphasis should again be on increasing the intake of complex carbs since simple carbohydrates are quickly converted to sugars.

Finally, then the health of your brain is dependent on proper nutrition. The key to a healthy brain lies in eating a well balanced diet as intake of one type of food can result in damaging the brain cells. Thus always eat a variety of foods. This will also help to take in a good amount of Vitamin B complex that is linked to the functioning of the brain. In addition, avoid stress and tension and exercise regularly.