Include these seven brain superfoods in your daily diet for optimum functioning

Friday, May 03, 2013 by: PF Louis
Tags: superfoods, brain function, daily diet

(NaturalNews) You probably know enough about neurological excitoxins such as aspartame and MSG to avoid them, right? If not, plug in those terms in the NaturalNews search window at the top of the site's page and explore NaturalNews archives.

Those are the bad guys. Let's proceed with a list of the good guys.

Foods that boost your brain health and power

(1) Omega-3 fatty acids may be the most vital brain food substance available. It's the building material of nerve and brain tissue. Animal sources of omega-3 are considered by many experts as more beneficial than plant based omega-3 sources.

Fresh fatty fish, like cold water salmon and sardines (low on the ocean food chain) are good sources.

It's easier and safer to purchase purified fish oils in bottles that need to be refrigerated, such as cod and krill oils from Arctic and Antarctic waters. These omega-3 sources are considered superior because they contain the high ratios of DHA to EPA fatty acids that don't need to be converted. They're "predigested" by the fish for you.

Need to be convinced of fish oil's efficacy for brain health? Two teens who had suffered serious brain damage with no hope of significant recovery were brought to almost complete recovery when hospital physicians fed them fish oil through their feeding tubes (http://www.naturalnews.com).

(2) Plant based omega-3 is considered inferior to animal based omega-3 only because a conversion process must take place in the body to partially convert ALA (alpha linolenic acid) into the DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) ratio that directly affects brain health. This process weakens with age and illness.

Some studies show that vegans who take in substantial amounts of ALA can get away with converting enough ALA to maintain high DHA/EPA. Since ALA alone has heart health benefits, it would be wise to go with both animal and plant sources. Men need to take more ALA sources because women make the conversion more efficiently.

Good sources of ALA are cold pressed virgin olive oil, cold pressed, refrigerated flax oil and flax seeds freshly ground and immediately consumed, as well as hemp oils and seeds and walnuts and cold pressed walnut oil.

(3) Coconut oil was recently discovered to contribute heavily to brain health, especially after Dr. Mary Newport reversed her husband's advanced Alzheimer's disease with a couple of tablespoons every eight hours (https://www.naturalnews.com/034082_dementia_drugs_side_effects.html).

Coconut oil supplies medium chain triglycerides (MCT) that are easily metabolized by the liver to produce ketones, which can be utilized by brain cells for cellular energy metabolism. Virgin cold pressed organic coconut oil is best.

(4) In addition to being highly antioxidant, blueberries are considered brain food because they contain proanthocyanidins, which protect fatty and watery brain parts from environmental toxins. Blueberries also reduce inflammation.

(5) It's important to heavily hydrate with pure water free from fluorides, which damage your brain. (https://www.naturalnews.com/037866_water_filters_crisis_safety.html).

Dehydration is sneaky. Even mild dehydration can cause brain shrinkage. Next time you're feeling a little out of sorts mentally, try drinking lots of water and see what happens.

(6) Aluminum crosses the blood brain barrier. It causes neurological damage from autism spectrum disorders to Alzheimer's. A simple antidote to aluminum brain toxicity is to consume 1.5 liters of unflavored Volvic Mineral for five days.

Volvic spring water contains the most solvent and assimilable silica, which removes aluminum from tissues. It's available at some health food stores. Dr. Chris Exley lectured this and more at the Vaccine Safety Conference in January 2011 (http://gaia-health.com).

Horsetail herbal extract can supply silica to help detox aluminum from tissues also, but according to Dr. Exley, the Volvic water solution is better.

(7) The antioxidant resveratrol sucks up free radicals before they hit the brain. Red or purple grapes or grape juices are superior to wine, since the alcohol would have a negative impact on brain cells. But they have to be organic. Grapes are normally heavily sprayed.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-brain-superfoods.html

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com

Excellent article on the food industry's insistence on using aluminum in their processing - http://www.greenmedinfo.com