Feed your head

Don’t get excited – I’m not going to talk about “feeding your head” in a way Grace Slick might advocate. Although she now claims that famous line in White Rabbit meant “read a book”. Yeah, Grace. Whatever.

These days, though, even Grace might appreciate a new way of feeding our heads. With foods that have been shown to keep your brain healthier and help protect against Alzheimer’s Disease. And I am all about doing whatever I can to keep that at bay. An ounce of prevention and all.

No big surprise with number one on the list: Blueberries. Another of the “superfoods” – high in antioxidants, sure, but they also act as an anti-inflammatory. And that’s a big one-two punch against aging cells, especially in the brain.

I also wasn’t surprised to see Green Leafy Vegetables make the list. Spinach, especially. The reason this works for your brain is the high concentration of folate, a B vitamin. Folate is helpful in preventing strokes, which account for 25% of dementia cases.

And a big shout out to my favorites, Cruciferous Vegetables. Those are vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. Studies done at Harvard showed that women who ate more of those vegetables did better in tests of memory and cognitive skills than women who ate the least. Significantly better. Like the equivalent of being two years younger in terms of memory.

Go a little nuts with Healthy Fats. The healthy fats, found in foods such as nuts, avocados, salmon, mackeral, tuna and olive and canola oil help to lower your cholesterol, protect your arteries and fight inflammation. And studies have shown that people with diets high in these fats (unsaturated and unhydrogenated, of course) have a much lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those whose diets are high in saturated and trans fats.

And here’s a surprise. Alcohol and Juice. I’ve never met anyone who seemed smarter when adding alcohol, but apparently moderate alcohol usage (for women, averaging one half to one drink per day; and for men, averaging one to two drinks per day) benefits the brain as well as the heart. They think this is due to increased blood flow to the brain, reducing the possibility of mini strokes. Moderate drinkers also do better on cognitive tests than non-drinkers. And juice? Listen to this fascinating statistic: People who drink just three glasses of fruit or vegetable juice per week had a 75% lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s Disease. Holy cow – 75% is huge.

I admit I tend to stay away from juice because of the sugar, but I think this has just convinced me to go back to an old favorite of mine, Absolut and grapefruit juice. Three times per week for strictly medicinal purposes. I can totally live with that.

A healthy brain is a happy brain

I am afraid that I spend way too much time obsessing over my body and pay too little attention to what’s going on between my ears. With a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, this is probably not an area I should be taking for granted.

I read with great interest articles that offer advice on different things that may help to fend off Alzheimer’s, whether it’s a food, a supplement or a “brain exercise” to keep my brain from withering away.

And there’s good news! Brain exercises require a lot less effort than body exercises!

I have long looked forward to the day when I could be a cranky old woman who said and did whatever I pleased. I’m getting really close to reaching that goal now and need to keep my brain in peak condition; I want to enjoy being cognitively crotchety during my golden years.

So, without further ado, here is the first installment of five tips for buffing up your brain:

1. Drink two cups of gotu kola tea daily. Gotu Kola is an herb said to regulate dopamine, the chemical that helps protect brain cells from damage by free radicals, boosts pleasurable feelings, and improves focus and memory. Dopamine sounds like my kind of chemical.

2. Put some cinnamon on that oatmeal and start eatin’! My love for oatmeal is well-documented and now it turns out that it’s not only good for your heart – it also scrubs plaque from your brain arteries! Add the cinnamon to keep your blood sugar under control, which may improve neurotransmission.

3. Read, read, read! Picking up a good book or reading the newspaper will not only cut down on boredom, but frequent reading is associated with a reduced risk of dementia. I am reasonably certain that obsessive blog reading qualifies here.

4. Get out the board games! Whether you like Yahtzee, Pictionary, Scrabble, or Boggle (the personal favorite of both me and Peggy Hill), board games are associated with a lower risk of developing dementia. They activate strategic, spatial, and memory parts of the brain, and require you to socialize, which can help form new neural pathways.

5. When you look around, really look. Stare straight ahead, and now—without moving your eyes—see if you can make out what's at the periphery. Do this regularly and you'll stimulate the neural and spatial centers of the brain, which can atrophy as you age.

So that’s it – the first five. So far brain exercises don’t look all that tough. I think I’ll make some tea and get started on that new book I’ve been wanting to read. Those mundane household chores will just have to wait – I’m doing important brain work!