Cognitive Health
Our brains use a vast amount of different nutrients to keep healthy. Listed below are some of the biggest nutrient influences on our brains.
Protein: Proteins repair brain tissue and build the messengers that allow the nerves in the brain to communicate (memory, emotions, and more). Protein is also the building blocks of serotonin and dopamine, which greatly effect mood, sleep, and focus.
Carbs: Turns into glucose for your brain and body’s most preferred energy source. Gives energy to the messengers (that were made by protein) to do their job. It is critical that our brain’s messenger have enough energy to carry out their jobs, including the signaling of functions like breathing, digesting, and heart rate and for processes including, thinking, focusing, and sorting information.
Fats: Your brain is made of fat! About 60%. So one of the reasons we need fat in our diets is to maintain the structure of our brain. Fats from our diet make up myelin, the protective layer around the nerves in our brain. decomposing/weak myelin causes numerous symptoms due to the nerves having trouble sending signals, including numbness and tingling in the body, coordination loss, trouble walking,
Omega 3: This is one type of fat, but very important to brain health. Omega 3 works to lower inflammation by replacing Omega 6 in our cells (omega 6 causes inflammation). It promotes faster signaling in the brain for improved learning and memory, a defense against Alzheimer's. Since a majority of the brain is composed of fat, omega 3 is a building block for our brain’s structure, preventing it from shrinking.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): B2 is needed to turn food into energy that our brain cells can use. It is also Anti-inflammatory and it helps create antioxidants. To explain antioxidants, they calm damaged molecules that cause harm to your cells. Antioxidants carry an extra electron that they give to molecules that are missing one from damage. This damage is from pollution, diet, stress, etc.
Optimize your memory, creativity, mood, concentration, and overall brain health through your diet. Getting the right amounts of these nutrients is vital for cognitive function.
