Easy Brain Health

like soda can influence us a headache or something? or chocolate milk that can boost our brain power? how about guava juice, orange juice and etc. ? the positive and the negative, please? anything, but not alcohol or beer.

I heard a new study suggests apple juice makes ya smarter. (( Beer brings on my hay fever allergies.) It make a persons nose stuffy.)) Choclate milk boosts mood as well. Orange juice turns on your bodys mechansim of telling you when your full right away so you don’t overeat. Caffienated beverages do in fact boost your focus, but they also make ya shaky and hypertensive. All soda diet er not has acid it would do to drink with straws so as to not eat your teeth away as much. Green and white tea, especially green boost your immune system. Tea with echinacia does as well. That weight loss tea suppresses your hunger. the name escapes me right now. anyway theres a few.

No….Ideally it would be a balance of the 2.
IQ tests are flawed

In this article today I want to share with you, my 3 top tips to look after your brain. The brain is one of those organs in the body that we can tend to forget when it comes to fitness. Ask yourself – “Have you neglected the grey matter for too long?” If so, these tips will help your brain get into great shape in a very short period of time. Go easy on yourself – instead of trying to implement them all today, why not try and work them into you schedule over the coming days or even over the next fortnight.

Ok here we go.

1. Drink More Water. OK you may have heard me say this one before, however this is very important indeed! The brain is made up of 80% water and this water plays an essential part in its function. When we are dehydrated, we can reduce our sense of well-being and significantly reduce our performance and our learning. We are also seriously risking our long term mental health. On average, the human body can lose up to 2.5 litres of water per day. These losses are through the lungs, skin (sweat) and through our urine. We must aim to at least replenish this loss on a daily basis. Try drinking more water throughout the day and eating more fruit and vegetables, as these too are full of water.

2. Eat the right fats for your brain! The brain is made up of a total of 60% fat, which includes – saturated fat and cholesterol. Now most of us may at first consider fat to be unhealthy, however there are some fats that our brains need to function normally. 20% of the brains fat should be made up of essential fatty acids or Omega-3 and Omega-6. These two essential fatty acids are important as they can not be made within your body, so you need to make sure that you are getting them from your diet. Eat oily fish as these are a well-known source of Omega-3 and Omega-6.

3. Exercise. Keep your brain fit by keeping your body in shape! Scientists have shown us that regular exercise can massively reduce the effects of depression, anxiety and stress. In fact in a lot of cases, exercise can work just as well as anti-depressants. Keeping your grey matter happy will also keep it healthy! You can do this by introducing a daily brisk walk through the park or maybe take a dance class!

So there we have it! By increasing your water, eating the right amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 and taking a daily brisk walk you will already be feeling great and looking forward to a bright future!

Richard MacKenzie
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/healthy-brain-happy-brain-94306.html

Many people don’t understand how important nutrition is to their brain. And, when they don’t get the nutrition their brain needs to think intelligently, it doesn’t help them to understand this simple concept – good nutrition feeds your brain!

After all, your brain is part of your body and it’s well understood that you need certain nutrients for your body. Why wouldn’t you need certain specific nutrients for your brain too? Yet, most people are extremely casual about what they eat – as if it’s only a matter of taste that’s important.

But, if your brain is developed enough to think clearly, it will be easy to understand this question. What’s the most important factor to our intellectual and cognitive development?

Some people say it’s genetics. Other’s say it’s the environment. While still others might argue that the most important factor in a person’s brain development is their self-discipline – in other words, how the use their brain.

But, while all these factors do play an important role, the single most important factor for brain development and intellectual capacity is a person’s daily diet and the nutrition your get from it.

You’re probably familiar with the saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Well, if you’re eating an unhealthy diet, then that same principle applies to your brain. Eating garbage robs you of your brain’s full potential.

And it gets even worse. If you have a family and are eating a poor diet, you’re definitely dooming your children to a future of mediocre intelligence, poorly developed verbal skills, eyesight, hearing and many other physical and mental drawbacks.

But wait, it’s not too late! The good news is that at any time during a person’s lifetime they can still turn to nutrition for a better brain.

If you’re ready to improve the mental capacity and functionality of your own and your family’s brains, consider this. While all of your nutrition is important, the most important and beneficial nutritional factors for your brain are the DHA, EPA and other omega 3 essential fatty acids found in fish.

Studies show that nearly 70 percent of a baby’s brain and more than 60 percent of the adult brain is made up of essential DHA and EPA fatty acids and that an adequate dietary intake of these oils is absolutely vital for mental and emotional health.

That’s why, among other reasons, the U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends that all adults supplement with a daily intake of about 650 mg of fish oil containing balanced ratios of EPA and DHA. Pregnant and nursing mothers should take nearly 1000 mg a day.

It’s simply the smart thing to do.

You can get these special brain nutrients from eating more fatty fish and from taking pure fish oil supplements on a daily basis. Don’t you think it’s time to get started?

Michael Byrd
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/nutrition-and-brain-development-109689.html

Mental activity can keep your mind sharp. Continue to learn and challenge yourself and your brain continues to grow.

Review the following tips to help challenge your brain to continual growth:

• Learn to play a musical instrument
• Play scrabble or do crossword puzzles
• Interact with others
• Switch careers or start a new one
• Start a new hobby with crafts, painting, wood-working
• Learn a foreign language
• Volunteer
• Travel
• Stay informed about world news
• Read

Taking classes that interest you or just reading more can help you maintain memory longer as you age.

Staying physically active increases blood flow to all parts of the body, including the brain; exercise may even promote cell growth in the brain. Exercise makes you feel more energetic and alert. Just recently I started a membership at a local fitness center. I am amazed at how much better I feel after over one month of daily activity in the fitness center. I walk at a moderate speed on the treadmill for 60 minutes everyday. I started out just five minutes per day, then added one minute each day thereafter.

Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables protect and nourish brain cells. Antioxidants may also help prevent cholesterol from damaging the lining of your arteries and slowing blood flow to your brain. Foods high in antioxidants include:

• Oranges
• Berries
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Carrot
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes

You are more likely to gain the health benefits of antioxidants from eating whole foods than by taking supplements.

Heavy drinkers for many years can experience permanent brain damage. Heavy drinkers are also at a higher risk of developing memory problems and dementia. If you drink alcohol, do so moderately. If you do not drink alcohol, do not start. Moderate drinking means for women anyone 65 or older, one drink daily. For men under 65, no more than two drinks daily.

Some evidence shows that “moderate” alcohol consumption may prevent Memory Loss; this is not clear how. If you already do not drink, don’t start just for this reason.

Try to keep stress to a minimum. Chronic stress may cause your brain to release hormones that can damage the brain. Chronic stress can also make you feel depressed or anxious. These are feelings that can interfere with your memory.

Protect your head when doing exercise such as riding a bike. Head injury can increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Smokers may have twice the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease as people who never smoked. It is never too late to stop smoking. You can still reduce risk of memory loss later in life.

If you have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, talk to your doctor, he or she may be able to suggest ways of preventing the disease that would prove helpful to you.

Keeping regular doctor appointments is a good way to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol level and blood sugar level as well as to be sure your thyroid gland is functioning normally. These are easy ways to know what is going on inside your body.

Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 4-2007.

Connie Limon
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/keeping-your-mind-and-brain-healthy-139476.html

Recent researches show that certain foods like nuts and seeds, can boost your self-esteem and stabilize your mood. Whether you believe it or not, if you consume large quantities of any kind of nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts etc) and seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc) you will experience mood balance and you will start thinking clearer and be happier.

Many modern scientists use the term “Brain Food” for nuts and seeds and other related food. It is not a coincidence that nuts look like our brains. For example a walnut’s hard shell looks like our skull. Inside the walnut, the thin layer that connects the two halves of the nut looks like our brain membrane. And the two parts of the nut represent the two hemisphere of our brain.

Is it a coincidence that a food, shaped like a human brain, is considered a “Brain Food” and is proven to help your brain work more effectively while stabilizing your mood?

Here’s another fact. Most nuts are made up of at least 20% protein and contain omega-6 fatty acids, large quantities of vitamin E and B6. These powerful ingredients contained in nuts and seeds could boost your mood in a way similar to famous chemical antidepressants. There are hundreds of reports about the antidepressant effects of nuts.

Is it possible to defeat the not-so-serious conditions like mild depression, anxiety and stress by consuming certain types of nuts, without using any kind of chemical drugs? Its a great idea to eat nuts when you feel moody or you feel you are in a bad shape. It would be better to make those “Brain Foods” an important part of your diet. But when it comes to severe mental disorders (severe depression, panic attacks) you cannot simply rely on nuts and seeds to overcome the problem.

What nuts and seeds do is to enhance and empower the way your nervous system work, balancing your mood. Although nuts are excellent natural antidepressants and have no side effects, nutrition alone cannot be a substitute for the care of a trained professional doctor. Treating serious health conditions should involve the care of medical specialists.

Now, some historical information on these “Brain Foods”.

Isn’t true that nuts and seeds were an essential and elegant part of our ancestors’ diets? That goes for all ancient civilizations across the globe. Is this a coincidence? Years of research have shown that 70% of our ancestors’ diets were fruits, vegetables, nuts and selected seeds. Diets based on these “Brain Foods” were considered to improve mental abilities and lower the risk of infections/disease.

Start today. Understand that nuts and seeds empower your brain and your body and boost your mood and energy levels. Make those “rich” foods an important part of your diet.

Maria Markella
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/training-your-brain-for-success-can-some-foods-make-you-smarter-112742.html

Brain health shouldn’t be something you first start thinking about in middle- or old-age. Just as you need to exercise your body throughout life to keep it healthy so too does your brain require a daily workout to keep it vital and alert.

It is common for people to experience a gradual decline in their mental abilities as they age. We are told that this is normal and is the result of age-related structural changes in the brain – and that such changes are inevitable.

But you know what… there’s a lot of evidence coming from the latest research into brain health that brain aging is only ‘normal and inevitable’ if you do nothing to prevent it. This means that it doesn’t have to happen to you – that you can keep your brain healthy and in ‘tip-top’ shape, enjoy being creative and improve your memory with just a little bit of effort… whatever your age.

The question is how…?

Research findings point to three main ways to support your brain: healthy diet, mental activity and getting physical with the brain. The first two have been promoted for many years. However, the third – getting physical with the brain – is not widely known yet may well prove to be the most powerful factor in maintaining brain health.

What does ‘getting physical’ with your brain mean? To make the explanation simple I’ll define getting physical as anything that is clearly not diet related nor a mental activity such as puzzles, number sequence exercises, memory games, practicing musical instruments and so on.

So what can you do to get physical with your brain? Plenty! In fact, as you’ll discover shortly, there are many powerful ‘hands-on’ ways of using physical activity to boost your brain-power and keep you as sharp as a tack regardless of your age.

And, because they are based solely on natural health principles, they help your brain to help itself without having to resort to popping pills, taking supplements, mood enhancers or anything like that.

What’s more, you’re likely to find getting physical with your brain so easy and enjoyable that you can readily picture yourself doing it for life.

Here are some of the factors you should consider when developing a strategy to keep your brain healthy, alert and vital:

Physical exercise:

Physical exercise can encourage a healthy brain to function optimally in ways that are not widely known or their value appreciated. For example, exercise can help the brain by promoting the production of new neurons (brain cells) and strengthening the connections between neurons.

Reduce stress levels:

Stress plays havoc with the functioning of the brain and the body systems it controls. In particular, the sustained presence of stress hormones in the bloodstream can damage brain cells.

Encourage the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain:

Increasing blood flow and oxygen can help support the survival of new neurons and foster neuron ‘firing’. In simple terms, ‘firing’ means a neuron connecting with its neighbours – which is how messages are transmitted to and from the brain.

Sexual Energy:

Promote the generation and circulation of sexual energy around the body can play a key part in supporting mental health as it fosters, for example, the movement of chemicals called neurotransmitters between neurons. These play a critical role in the communication of information between nerve cells. As an illustration, the neurotransmitter serotonin associated with sexual behaviour and arousal is involved in a number of functions including influencing mood and alertness.

Control the breathing rate:

Another important factor in optimising brain health is the practice of slowing down the breathing rate as that can enhance the activity of the hypothalamus and the pituitary and pineal glands, the optimum performance of which is central to the maintenance of both physical and mental health.

Challenge the brain:

Challenge the brain with a variety of ‘new’ experiences – walking backwards is a simple example. By experiencing such unusual patterns of behaviour the brain is stimulated and there is some evidence that the brain can actually increase in size.

Stimulate the senses:

The bottom line here is that you should take every opportunity to engage your eyes and smell sensors by continually sampling your surroundings – consciously keep your eyes moving so you present your brain with new information to analyse and process while you ‘sniff’ the environment in search of smells and odours for your brain to identify.

In conclusion it is fair to say that all the above elements can have a marked positive influence on brain health in their own right. However, it is the synergistic impact of using them in combination that is likely to provide the most powerful benefits.

Ajay R (articlesubmit.net)
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-keep-your-brain-healthy-and-your-mind-as-sharp-as-a-tack-whatever-your-age-97589.html

Your brain is your greatest asset but it is also your body’s most vulnerable organ. It requires constant support from other major organs and is your most susceptible organ to oxidative stress during aging.

Here are some brain facts:

1. Your brain makes up only 2% of your total body weight but requires 20% of your heart’s output of blood to sustain the amount of oxygen that it needs.

2. Your brain is the most oxygen-demanding organ in your body.

3. Your brain uses chemicals (neurotransmitters) to relay important messages to other parts of your body. These same chemicals are also involved in chemical reactions that produce damaging free radicals.

4. If your brain cells become weak or die they cannot repair themselves. Their functions then can be permanently lost if cell death or damage occurs.

Given these susceptibilities, your brain is especially vulnerable to conditions that threaten oxygen supply, such as in head injury, stroke, lung diseases and heart failure. Under these conditions, brain activity will continue even without enough oxygen. This can cause problems that lead to extreme levels of oxidative stress and the over-production of damaging free radicals.

In diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, other damaging factors are at work. In Alzheimer’s disease, a toxic protein called beta-amyloid, forms in your brain tissue. This protein acts as an irritant and causes inflammation in your brain. This inflammation then causes the production of free radicals that can destroy any membranes and cells in their path.

Parkinson’s disease results from unregulated production of the brain chemical dopamine which, with the help of free radicals, becomes toxic to the brain cells that control your motor functions.

Even in a healthy brain, oxygen radicals are produced every moment during normal high-oxygen demand of neuronal activity. In a healthy brain, enzymes and nutritional antioxidants neutralize these radicals.

Benefits of Dietary Antioxidants

What safeguards can healthy people take to reduce risk of diseases and especially to protect their brains from oxidative stress over a lifetime?

The simplest answer is to follow a diet that includes abundant sources of antioxidant chemicals derived from plant foods. Evidence for the benefits of such a dietary regimen has only been demonstrated in experiments with animals up until now, but the results are convincing. Over the past eight years, the research activities of Dr. Jim Joseph of the US Department of Agriculture, Boston, have focused on how to protect the brain from oxidative stress with dietary use of antioxidant-rich plants such as strawberries, cranberries, elderberries, blueberries and spinach.

Dr. Joseph’s research findings—a message closely pertinent to this essay—can best be represented by a quote from one of his research reports in 1998: “increased antioxidant protection through diets comprised of fruits and vegetables identified as being high in total antioxidant activity might prevent or reverse the deleterious effects of oxidative stress on neurons.”

Summary: Oxidative stress is a major factor in brain aging. This stress can be combated or balanced by including dietary antioxidants into your daily life. The best way to do this is by eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables each day.

Reading

* Lau FC, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA. The beneficial effects of fruit polyphenols on brain aging. Neurobiol Aging. 2005 Dec;26 Suppl 1:128-32.

* Joseph JA, Shukitt-Hale B, Denisova NA, Prior RL, Cao G, Martin A, Taglialatela G, Bickford PC. Long-term dietary strawberry, spinach, or vitamin E supplementation retards the onset of age-related neuronal signal-transduction and cognitive behavioral deficits.

J Neurosci. 1998 Oct 1;18(19):8047-55.

* Joseph JA, Nadeau DA, Underwood A. The Color Code. Hyperion, New York, 2002.

Copyright 2006 Berry Health Inc.

Dr. Paul Gross
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/antioxidants-and-brain-health-76954.html

A recent interesting report from the Alliance for Aging Research encourages all of us to keep our brains healthy.

It’s important as you age, but also important at any age.

At this time of the year, when people make all kind of resolutions, one of the most frequent is to improve our state of health in one way or another.

This can also include keeping our brain’s healthy.

Here is a list of actions you can take, and make part of your life to assure your brain stays in the best of shape.

Step 1 – Eat a Brain-Healthy Diet.

What is a brain-healthy diet?

It is one that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids (commonly found in fish, specially fed chicken (via their eggs) some fruits and vegetables), essential amounts of proteins only, plentiful antioxidants (found in a host of natural foods) lots of fruits and vegetables, foods rich in vitamin B (such as lentils); minimum amounts or no trans fats; and fiber-rich non-processed carbohydrates.

Step 2 – Stay Mentally Active

Every year resolve to learn something new. Let it be a language, a skill, some dance, something new each year. Keep your mind active.

Stay away from TV as much as you can, and replace it with the computer.

Take classes in something, and read as much as you can. The brain needs this stimuli to maintain its cognitive levels.

Step 3 – Exercise Regularly

Nothing is as important for the body and brain as regular exercise.

Regular exercise always increases circulation, improves one coordination, and helps prevent conditions that increase the risk of dementia such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Step 4 – Remain Socially Active

Do not remain a recluse. Be with your friends, become a volunteer and work with people, take regular outings to new places, and new countries. Let your eyes see new sights, your ears new sounds, taste new foods.

Step 5 – Sleep Well

The healthy brain needs for your body to sleep and rest. When you are deprived of enough sleep, the brain suffers.

Step 6 – Stress Management

Simple stress is often healthful, but long protracted stress puts the brain (and body via the immune system) at increased risk.

There are wonderful ways to manage your stress, such as yoga, enjoyable hobbies, regular journeys to spas, healthful massage, and a host of other options. Use them, and let the stress pass away from you.

Step 7 – Safety

Don’t take chances.

The damage an injury to the head cannot be under-estimated, especially triggering the onset of dementia.

Step 8 – Watch Your General Health

Keep a healthy weight, control high-blood pressure, hypertension, and guard against diabetes.

Each of these can negatively affect your cognitive state.

Step 9 – Avoid Unhealthful Habits

If you smoke, stop now.

If you over drink stop, and limit yourself of moderate amounts of wine, and an occasional drink.

Illegal drugs of any kind will negatively affect your cognitive state, and surely hasten the onset of dementia.

Step 10 – Genetic Disposition

If there is any history of dementia, or other cognitive diseases in your family, you can take steps before it become too late.

The previous 9 steps are a good start, and consultation with your doctor can be the start of protecting your brain’s health

Sacha Tarkovsky
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/brain-health-the-10-steps-to-keep-your-brain-healthy-92026.html

A proven, successful way of combating stress and relaxing is offered through the practice of Tai chi techniques, yoga, meditation and other ‘eastern’ alternative therapies. I personally have tried all of them to ease stress ad found the best results came from the Tai Chi techniques.

If your stress won’t seem to dissipate and you’ve tried everything possible, you should first try changing your lifestyle and remove the stressors. With less stress, you will find it easier for your brain and body to relax. This is the goal of most eastern alternative treatments. Tai Chi is no exception. Tai Chi presents techniques that will promote relaxation and ease stress, through the use of ‘mind/body’ therapy. Tai Chi techniques are perfect for people, like me, who cannot stay in a seated position for long for meditation or yoga. ‘Motion therapy’, which, if done regularly, promotes activity and lessens your chances of illness. Tai chi involves every part of the body and therefore can offer more health benefits than other eastern therapies and western style exercises such as aerobics and other high impact exercises. I have found, after I began performing Tai Chi many times weekly, that I can relax easier and let go of stress better. I am more flexible and physically fit. The movements are very slow and smooth, making Tai Chi a perfect solution for physical and mental exercise for persons young or old.

Tai Chi presents two techniques that help with relaxation and ease stress. The most important exercise in Tai Chi is called ‘pushing hand’. I really thought this name would mean Tai Chi would be an exercise program for older people and I didn’t think I would receive many benefits. But, immediately, I could feel the results. Tai Chi is typically not performed as a form of martial arts in USA, but rather as an exercise routine. “Pushing hands” promotes a mental focus on moving with opponents’ energies and redirecting their force, with circular movements. I think Tai Chi is really simple to learn and anyone of any age can benefit from practicing Tai Chi.

“Pushing hands” requires practicing three separate steps to use the Tai Chi techniques. The first uses a single hand technique. The second simply incorporates the use of both hands. The third step is the use of both hands and specific ’stepping movements’. It should be noted that the movements are quite smooth and ‘gentle’. This ’smoothness’ allows for the participant to focus on the martial art of Tai Chi and be better prepared for how the style’s defense techniques work. By having an understanding of the techniques, you can better control your inner chi at the proper moment in both the form and in self-defense, making your techniques stronger and controlling.

I have never needed to use my Tai Chi training for fighting or self-defense in the many years I have been practicing, but the Tai Chi techniques have shown a substantial effect on how I relax and handle stress.

Yoshi Kundagawa
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/tai-chi-techniques-that-helps-with-relaxation-and-eases-stress-113738.html