Food for thought, not everything you eat is healthy for your brain
Senior life is all about making mindful choices be it exercise, food, lifestyle and mental health. Every aspect requires a little more attention if you want your life filled with joy and happiness. Eliminating certain foods from your diet can help improve cognitive skills and keep health conditions at bay.
Perhaps you have been eating right, loading up on colourful berries, nibbling on nuts, and dining fish rich in omega-3 – all essential foods for better brain health, however, what about foods that might put you at risk and cause unusual mood or memory problems, especially as you age?
Here are nine foods that you must eliminate from your diet. These can pose more problems to your health than you think –
- Food high in trans fats – Margarine along with many other packaged snack foods are high in trans fats. You may know that trans fats aren’t good for your heart and blood vessels. Research has found that foods high in trans fats is linked to decline in cognitive functioning. A study found in the journal Neurology concluded that seniors who had the highest levels of elaidic acid – a common type of trans fat, in their blood were the more likely to develop dementia.
- Alcohol – As you age, the more you drink, the more difficult it may be to process new information or remember things. While a single glass of wine or beer is unlikely to mess with your brain, alcohol directly affects the brain’s neurotransmitters – communication pathways. And that may also make you feel confused or depressed.
- Sugary Drinks – Sodas and sugary drinks of any kind can be considered as a slow poison. If you desire to keep your brain sharp as you age, steer clear of super-sweet drinks. People who drink a lot of soda, sweet tea, and other sugary beverages are a lot more likely to have troubled memory. These drinks, which often have a type of sugar called fructose, might even cause certain parts of your brain to become smaller.
- Diet Sodas with Artificial Sweeteners – If regular soft drinks are bad for you, then sugar-free ones are good? Not likely. Scientists think that artificial sweeteners may be the offending ingredient for brain health. Some research has found that people who choose diet sodas over regular are nearly three times more likely to have a stroke or develop dementia.
- Oily dripping Fried Foods – Fried food or fatty food might be your guilty pleasure. However, it is responsible for causing inflammation damaging blood vessels and disrupting blood flow to the brain. It can literally cause your brain to hurt. Also, experiments have shown that people who indulge in fried food fare poorly on thinking skills.
- Cake and desserts – An irresistible sugary delight. Cakes are definitely tasty treats These tasty treats however, when it comes to brain health it’s something to stay away from as much as you can. Studies have linked high levels of sugar in the blood with dementia.
- White rice and bread – Rice could be your staple food, however, opting for a much-refined carbohydrates that smells great and taste even better, can spike your blood sugar. This can result in making you feel mentally foggy. Refined carbs in any form can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease, especially if you have genetical predisposition. Instead go for whole-grain breads, multigrain breads, brown rice, red rice or even raw rice when you eat carbs.
- Butter – Saturated fat may amaze your tastebuds but it can cost your health. That creamy taste comes at a cost. Research has found that women consuming high amount of saturated fat are at a higher risk of developing cognitive decline. When it comes to brain health, low-fat dairy is generally the healthier choice – milk, yogurt, panner, are some low-fat dairy products that you can include in your diet.
- Salad Dressings – Steer clear from bottled salad dressings. Many of the bottled dressing found in the market have surprisingly large amounts of high-fructose corn syrup. That kind of amount is equivalent to drink a can of soda. Usage of bottled dressing and margarine are linked to memory loss and a decline in brain performance among other health problems. The best way to avoid it is by making dressings at home that are lighter and easy on your brain.
What you eat has an impact on your brain health. And as you age being mindful about what you add and eliminate to your diet can contribute to your brain health. Several substances in food can be dangerous for your brain, but you can always have a choice. Perhaps a moderation of everything can be good for your health but it is essential that you consume more of fresh wholesome food over foods that are worst for your brain.
