How to Optimise Brain Health and Function.
If you're looking for a way to optimise your brain health and function, I have some good news for you; it's not that hard. In fact, the best way to do it may actually be through your diet.
That's right, it all starts with what you put in your body. And if you're serious about getting optimal brain health and function, it means making sure your diet is rich in nutrients that support brain health while avoiding habits that can impair it.
Let's talk about 5 nutrients scientifically proven to support brain health and function: Essential Fatty Acids, Choline, Creatine, Berries and Glutamine.
I'll also talk about 5 habits you may want to consider ditching if optimal brain health and function are important to you: Sitting, Social Connection, Sleep, Stress and Alcohol.
Before we get into nutrition for brain health, I want to cover a few other indirectly beneficial areas. These areas are especially important for the long-term health of our brain and body.
Sleep
The first is sleep. Sleep is the only real-time our brain and body have to recover fully. The brain stores new information and gets rid of toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and reorganise, which supports healthy brain function. The body repairs cells, restores energy, and releases molecules like hormones and proteins.
But how do we go about getting a good night's sleep?
The best place for you to start is by implementing consistent sleep and wake times. This means going to bed and getting out of bed at the same time every day, 7 days a week. Sorry to say, but it’s time you ditch the weekend sleep-ins!
One way to help you get into a consistent sleep routine is by having supportive evening AND morning routines. Ideally, you want to start to wind down 60-40 minutes before bedtime, avoid bright lights and electronic devices in this window, maybe take a hot shower and engage in a less stimulating activity like drawing, reading, journaling, stretching, or listening to a podcast.
A morning routine is just as important if you want to get a good night's sleep the coming night! The first and the best thing you can do in the morning is to get some sunlight in your eyeballs! This doesn’t mean going outside and looking directly into the sun. Simply spending 20 minutes outdoors in the morning signals to your brain and body that the day has started. Another great way to put your circadian rhythm on the right track is by delaying your caffeine intake for 60-90 minutes. This will allow your body to naturally increase its cortisol levels, helping you stay more alert throughout the day.
Cardiovascular Health & Resistance Training
We all know that exercise is great for your physical health. However, studies are beginning to show exercise also positively impacts our brain health and mental health. The suggested minimum amount of exercise we should aim to get a week to see health benefits is 180 minutes. That’s only three hours!
One physiological benefit of exercise is that it increases blood flow. Your heart directly affects brain health as it pumps blood around your body, including to your brain. This allows the direct delivery of nutrients your brain needs.
Nutrients for Brain Health
Your brain is made up of neurons that allow you to think, move, create memories, learn, speak—the list goes on. And these neurons are made from the nutrients you get from the foods you eat!
That's why it's so important to ensure that what you eat gives you the building blocks of healthy cells and neurons. You want to ensure that your diet provides all the nutrients needed for optimal brain health and function.
Essential fatty acids: DHA, EPA, Omega-3 and Omega-6.
The first area of nutrition we are going to talk about is fat. Fat is required to manufacture the cell membrane of every new cell being built, including neurons. It's required to build new cells and synapses between neurons, AKA their communication ability.
Recent studies have shown Essential Fatty Acids to have similar positive effects on antidepressant treatment! Now I am well aware that not everyone enjoys eating seafood. If that is you, a fish oil or krill oil supplement may be worth looking into. You would ideally be looking for a supplement that can provide you with between 1-3mg of EPA daily.
However, an even better option than supplementing is to get these fatty acids from food like salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, shellfish, oysters, chia, walnuts, flax, and flax oil.
Choline
You may have heard of acetylcholine. A neurotransmitter that modulates our focus. Having enough choline will assist acetylcholine function, improving focus, memory, mood and muscle control.
Eggs and egg yolks, in particular, are fantastic sources of choline. Eggs yolks are actually quite impressive. When you think about it, they contain all the nutrients required for an organism to grow! If you aren’t a fan of eggs, other lower-dose sources include potatoes, nuts, seeds and fruit.
If you feel as though you aren’t getting enough of these foods in your diet regularly, you can supplement choline. If that is what you choose, consider consuming 500 mg-1 g of choline daily.
Creatine
Most of you will know creatine as a muscle-building supplement. It actually brings water into muscles and tissues, giving a more swole look, but it has many other health benefits, especially for your brain!
Creatine is found in red meat and fish. However, if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, you can supplement creatine, ideally, monohydrate. 5g per day appears to be the amount needed to reap the cognitive benefit.
Creatine is a fuel source for the brain. It enhances the function of the frontal cortical circuits, which are connected to brain areas involved in mood regulation and motivation. It has also been shown to help improve memory, reasoning skills and reaction time. Creatine has some promising research to support its use for cognition and depression, and anxiety.
Dark Coloured Berries
Blueberries, blackberries, purple grapes, and dark berries help reduce cognitive decline, especially in elderly people, enhance memory and reduce insulin levels (high insulin levels have been related to a greater risk for obesity).
The beneficial chemical in these dark-coloured fruits is called anthocyanin and is responsible for the colours red, purple, and blue in fruits and vegetables. A cup or two of dark-coloured berries often, not necessarily daily but often is enough for you to benefit from anthocyanin.
Glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid found in protein-rich foods such as seafood, meats, dairy products, eggs, beans and dark leafy greens. It helps enhance immune function and offset sugar cravings. The neurons in our gut sense amino acid, fat, and sugar content and signal to the brain when we have enough amino acids (enough glutamine). When our gut neurons sense enough glutamine, they send signals to the brain of satisfaction, reducing the hunger signal known as ghrelin—ultimately curbing sugar cravings and helping with weight management.
If you are interested in supplementing glutamine, you should consider consuming around 10g per day.
Hydration
Not necessarily a nutrient, I know, but still important! Your brain consists mostly of water. As little as 3% dehydration can reduce your cognitive abilities; focus, memory, mood, attention, and coordination.
However, if you are drinking enough water but not consuming enough magnesium, potassium and sodium, you may not actually be hydrating your body but rather peeing it out. Magnesium, potassium and sodium pass through a cell's fatty membrane, allowing neurons to communicate. Without this increase, your water intake will only make your kidneys work unnecessarily harder.
5 Behaviours You May Want to Improve
Sitting for long periods.
This changes the section of the brain responsible for memory. Reducing our ability to form new memories and recall information.
A simple way to improve how long you are sitting at your desk would be to set a timer to go off every 15-30 minutes.
Lack of social connection
Loneliness is linked to depression and a higher risk for Alzheimer’s and can accelerate cognitive decline.
You don’t have to have a large group of friends. 2-3 close friends you can share anything will is sufficient.
Lack of sleep
Cognitive skills, such as memory, reasoning, and problem-solving, decline when people sleep fewer than seven hours per night.
Give yourself time for an extra hour of sleep. Spending 7 hours in bed doesn’t mean you get 7 hours of sleep.
If you wake up at night, read, and don’t go on your phone.
Stress
Chronic stress can kill brain cells and shrink the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for memory and learning.
Try to be flexible with your reactions, and ditch the my-way-or-the-highway mindset, as this triggers negative reactions and increases stress.
Try two breaths in one long breath out when feeling stressed.
Alcohol
Alcohol acts as a poison, leading to cellular stress and damage.
It impacts neuronal function and changes our thinking and behaviour.
It Impacts inflammation, stress, neurodegeneration, and cancer risk and negatively impacts the gut microbiome, brain thickness, hormone balance, mood and feelings of motivation.
You've made it to the end of this blog, and I couldn't be more excited to have you here! I hope you enjoyed my tips on optimising brain health and function. If you want to learn more, you can listen to our accompanying podcast episode #115, How to Optimize Brain Health and Function or any other episode on health and fitness.
If there's anything else we can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out!
