These days, practically every pill, product, and procedure has been invented to maintain and enhance your body’s health. But are you forgetting perhaps the single most important organ of all – the brain? Keep your brain alive and happy if you want the rest of your body to remain in good shape as well. To keep your brain alive and happy, treat it the way you ideally would the rest of your body; that is, eat right, get enough sleep, and get sufficient exercise.
Food for the Brain
Unless you’re allergic, you can never go wrong with fish. Fish is the ultimate food for proper brain development. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and DHA (or docosahexaenoic acid), which is believed to keep dementia at bay.
Not only do you build healthy brain cells when you consume omega-3s, but you also ensure that their foundation is strong and that they have a better chance of withstanding the test of time.
Hit the Sack
According to Sean Drummond, of the University of California at San Diego, if you have been awake for 21 hours straight, your abilities are akin to those of a person who is legally drunk.
Depriving your brain of sleep can muddle memory capacity and cognitive function. Attention span becomes shorter and reaction time is delayed. So if you are looking for another excellent way to keep your brain alive and happy, get some shuteye.
Get Physical
When we think of brain exercises, we think puzzles, mazes, riddles, and the like. But if you want to add some actual physicality to your brain’s workout regimen and get those synapses ‘sweating,’ try neurobics.
Neurobics is a system of mental exercises wherein you do something your brain does not expect, thereby forcing it to work harder. Deprive it of sight, for example. Wear a blindfold around the house for about an hour and rely on your other senses to move about. If you are right-handed, try writing or brushing your teeth with your left hand, or vice versa. By doing something your brain is unaccustomed to, you stimulate it and help build up its neurological structures by triggering more pathways that would have otherwise remained dormant during routine activity.
Get Physical Some More
Exercise your body as well. Physical activity promotes neurogenesis, or the growth of new brain cells. Plus, it gets your heart pumping, forcing more oxygen to the brain, thus giving your mental abilities a much-needed lift.
Your looks may have dodged the ravages of time, but it will all be for naught if your brain betrays your age. Follow these simple ways to keep your brain alive and happy so you’ll be able to think and feel as young as you look.
The human brain is composed primarily of fat. Of the free fatty acids in the brain, about 40% are DHA or Docosahexaenoic acids. DHA is essential for growing children. But, research indicates that it may be just as essential for adults, particularly those that do not eat much fatty fish, the best dietary source of DHA, an omega3 fat.
We have to be careful about how much fish we consume on a monthly basis. It is recommended that adults eat no more than four servings of yellow fin tuna, orange roughy or Atlantic salmon per month, because of possible PCB and mercury contamination. Other species, such as wild Alaskan salmon, are safe enough to eat on a daily basis. Pacific sardines and mackerel are other good choices.
Because of the contaminants in the fish, it is necessary for supplement manufacturers to select a species that is low on the food chain, such as sardines, and swims in cleaner waters. Just about anything that comes out of the Atlantic Ocean will contain high levels of contaminants.
Some manufacturers don't even list which species they use, much less where it was caught. These are things that are important for the consumer to know. It is also important to know how much DHA each capsule provides.
Research concerning DHA has shown that supplementation is beneficial for people suffering from depression and for kids with ADHD. It also seems to be beneficial for people with bipolar disorder and aggressive behavior. The latest studies are looking at the long-term benefit to protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease.
Most people realize that Alzheimer's causes memory loss, but some people are unaware that it eventually leads to death, as brain cells continue to die. Plaques composed of misfolded proteins build up in the brain cells and they can no longer function normally. It is, as yet, unclear why this happens, but evidence indicates that poor nutrition is a factor.
In addition to the benefit to the brain, there are many others. Increasing your omega3 intake may reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. It is good for the skin, improving conditions, such as acne, psoriasis and eczema. Research indicates that it improves the skin's firmness and structure over the course of three months.
It is beneficial to the joints, the digestive system and the immune system. It has natural anti-inflammatory activity, which provides improvement in a variety of health problems, including inflammatory bowel, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
When people learn about all of the benifits of fish oil supplements, they sometimes find it hard to believe. But, omega-3 fatty acids are really that important to the human body. Just be sure to carefully evaluate your supplements, before you buy.
Both Michael Lee & Sherman Chambliss are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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