Healthy Eating and Nutrition for Best Body and Mind
Posted on June 21st, 2009 by Maryann in Healthy Eating/Weight IssuesHealthy Eating and Nutrition for Best Body and Mind
How does healthy eating affect your nutrition and body and mind?
Your brain is a system of chemical connections firing off at each other so fast that it’s almost impossible to fathom. Well, the food you eat affects the chemical make up of your brain, altering how it acts and works.
Feelings and emotions also affect your brain. Obviously feelings are born in the brain, and, depending on the emotion, they can alter the brain chemistry. For example, some people with mental health issues do not produce certain chemicals in their brain, which radically changes their behavior patterns.
There are things you can do to regulate this chemical reaction on a daily basis, and it’s simpler than you may think! Eating certain foods can specifically affect different functions of the body, the chemicals in your brain, and your emotions.
Everyone has heard the expression, “You are what you eat.” This very simple saying means more and more each day as we gain a greater understanding about how foods affect us.
* The food you put into your body has an effect on your physical appearance, energy levels, bodily processes and how well your brain functions.
Here are some healthy foods you can eat to help optimize both your body and mind:
1. Antioxidants.
We all recognize the health benefits of antioxidants in fighting diseases, but did you know a cup of hot cocoa has a higher concentration of antioxidants in it than either red wine or green tea? It’s true – as long as you use a dark chocolate.
* Serve a cup of rich dark hot cocoa after dinner, and know you’re actually taking good care of your health!
2. Green Tea.
Have a glass of green tea every day to help keep the cognitive functions of your brain in tiptop shape. Studies have shown 70% of people who drank green tea showed an improvement in the functions of the brain.
3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
Eating foods high in Omega-3s has a great deal of health benefits, including improving your brain’s development and functions. The Omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, is an important polyunsaturated fat found in the brain.
* Fish is a great source of Omega-3 Fatty acids, including DHA.
4. Cranberry Juice.
This beverage is not only good for your body, specifically, kidney and urinary functions, but it can also help prevent a stroke. Cranberry juice has also been shown to help reduce brain cell damage after a stroke.
5. Choline.
Choline is a chemical building block of every cell in your body. Choline has also been shown to help with retaining information in your memory. The more choline your lifetime diet includes, the less likely you’ll be to face extreme memory loss as you grow older.
* Eggs yolks have a high concentration of choline in them.
Can You use these simple Healthy Eating and Nutrition suggestions?
By taking simple steps to optimize your nutrition, you’ll also optimize your mind and body. Start making healthy, nutritious food choices today and enjoy looking, feeling, and thinking better.
Eating a well balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, protein, and some fat is the best way to nourish both the body and mind. Our bodies are highly complicated machines requiring many different things to function properly, and what we eat determines how it functions.
So, what’s it going to be? do you think you can include these healthy eating and nutrition tips in your diet to get your best body and mind?
Entries (RSS)
I truly admire what you have done here. It is charming to see you verbalize from the heart and your lucidity on this crucial subject can be easily ascertained. Extraordinary post and will look forward to your next update.
Don’te forget this:
Carbohydrates are good for the brain, because they contain Glucose which is known as the brain fuel. It gives off energy for us to concentrate, remember, learn, and other activities.
Then there’s your protein. Amino acids are obtained from protein. Neurotransmitters need those amino acids to relay or become a messenger from one nerve cell to another. A high protein meal can make us feel energized because it increases the tyrosine levels of our brain and blood. Tyrosine and tryptophan are some of the different types of amino acids. And because tyrosine can make us become more energized, our brain can concentrate more.
I think we all should be interested in memory and preventing memory loss in our older years!
After all, who would want to leave a lifetime of memories behind if they could avoid it?
thanks for your comments – Kymmy
Wow! and I thought I was the onlyone who liked tuna….lol
Tuna is a part of my every day diet – for the reasons above plus it is power packed with protien and very good for building muscle, which is great!
Also full of omega3 and very good brain fuel!
thanks for sharing – BTW Igor I will email you shortly about your proposal – thankyou!
Kymmy
Great post.
Also, what I have found to be
my personal “Power Snack” is
Tuna Fish.
I can eat it for days and feel awesome
and productive.
Igor
“The more choline your lifetime diet includes, the less likely you’ll be to face extreme memory loss as you grow older.”
Quite interesting, didn’t know that. I’ll research further since memory is something I’m interested in. Thanks