How to eat for a healthier brain

Have you ever heard of brain food?  Foods you can eat for a healthier brain?  I always told my students that before an exam they should drink some water.  Why?  Because even being slightly dehydrated (1%-5%) can adversely affect brain function.  A 2% decrease in brain hydration can result in short term memory loss and have trouble with math computations. Besides staying hydrated, what foods can you eat for a healthier brain?

My sister sent me an interesting article, “People who eat magnesium-rich foods like spinach and almonds may have bigger, healthier brains”.  

Why magnesium? 

According to NIH, about half of Americans have diets deficient in magnesium.  It is known as a “silent deficiency” as most people are totally unaware that they are lacking in magnesium. 

What are the health benefits of magnesium? 

Magnesium is a mineral that has many roles to play in your body. 

•       Heart – a healthy heart needs magnesium as it helps the heart regulate a healthy rhythm, helps regulate blood pressure and helps in cholesterol production.  (Your body needs some cholesterol.)
• Bones – everyone knows your bones need calcium but most people do not know your bones also need magnesium for bone formation and to maintain bone density. 
• Metabolism – Magnesium helps your body digest fats and proteins and also helps your body “regulate blood glucose levels”. 
• Vitamin D metabolism – to metabolize vitamin D, you need magnesium.  A person can take a vitamin D supplement but your body cannot metabolize D without sufficient magnesium. 
• Energy:  One function of magnesium is to help your body convert the glucose in foods you eat into energy.  “Therefore, getting enough magnesium can help keep energy levels stable and prevent onset of tiredness.”

How does magnesium help your brain?

A study in the European Journal of Nutrition looked at 6,000 participants from 40-70 years of age.  They analyzed the magnesium intake over 16 months.  The participants with the healthiest brains had higher magnesium intakes.  According to NIH adult men need about 420 mg of magnesium a day and adult women need 320 mg.  Study participants with the healthiest brain ate over 550 mg of magnesium a day. 

Researchers stated:

Increasing one’s magnesium intake “may lead to significantly better brain health, which would also be expected to contribute to greater preservation of cognitive ability, and lower risk or delayed onset of dementia in later life.”  

How can you increase your intake of magnesium?  Many foods like nuts and spinach are good sources.  For good health, Dr. Oz recommends a handful of nuts a day.  I usually enjoy some nuts everyday as nuts are loaded with good nutrition.  Find some sources of magnesium that you can enjoy every day. 

Focus on food not supplements. 

•          Green leafy vegetables like spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens
• Nuts:  almonds, cashews, peanuts, peanut butter
• Milk and Yogurt – cow’s milk and yogurt made from real cow’s milk
• Seeds:  pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds
• Cereal: shredded wheat, oatmeal (some other breakfast cereals are fortified with magnesium)
• Beans:  kidney beans, black beans, edamame, lima beans
• Potato – baked with the skin on, green peas, sweet corn
• Rice:  brown rice has magnesium, white rice not so much as processing white rice takes away most of the magnesium
• Quinoa
• Bananas, avocados, papaya, blackberries.  Bananas are my favorite as I eat a banana every day.
• Meats/Fish:  Salmon, halibut, chicken breast, ground beef
• Dark chocolate:  contains several minerals including magnesium, zinc, copper and iron

Conclusion:  How does your diet stack up for magnesium?  Are you one of the 50% of Americans lacking in magnesium?  There are so many ways to add some magnesium to your day.  Focus on whole grains like whole grain breads, whole grain cereals as the magnesium isn’t processed out.  I drink real cow’s milk (organic) and everyday I eat some yogurt made from cow’ milk.  There are so many ways to add some magnesium to your day so you can have a healthier brain and more energy.  

Sources:  brain function , People who eat magnesium-rich foods like spinach and almonds may have bigger, healthier brains” , NIH , many roles , metabolism , energy , European Journal of Nutrition , NIH , stated, recommends , foods Image Sources:  Magnesium in foods  , Health benefits of magnesium  , Brain health

What 5 nutrients do Alzheimer’s patients tend to be deficient in?

Everyone has heard of Alzheimer’s and you may know people who have suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.  My sister called my attention to an article in Forbes magazine, People with Alzheimer’s disease tend to be deficient in these 5 nutrients that ‘help keep brains in top condition at all ages’ researchers say.  What are these 5 nutrients and how do these nutrients help protect against Alzheimer’s disease?  These research findings are interesting to me not only as a nutritionist but the work Forbes cited was done at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine by Professor Kathleen Dorey.

What was the study and what other studies have been done?

Virginia Tech scientists analyzed the brains of 31 donors, average age 75.  Most but not all of the donors had died with Alzheimer’s.  The scientists found that those with Alzheimer’s had brains with only half the level of 5 nutrients. 

NIH has also studied diet in preventing Alzheimer’s Disease.  Their study outlines dietary factors positively and negatively influencing Alzheimer’s disease.  Positive diet factors are diets rich in antioxidants, Vitamins C, E and B vitamins, and polyunsaturated fats.  Negative dietary factors include highly processed foods, saturated fat, simple sugars, and poor-quality food.

What are the 5 nutrients Virginia Tech scientists found low Alzheimer’s donors?

Lycopene:  This antioxidant is found in fruits and vegetables that are usually red.  WebMD notes, Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that might help protect cells from damage. 

Good sources of lycopene:

•      Tomatoes including tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato juice, catsup, tomato soup, spaghetti sauce, salsa
• Watermelon – I noted how healthy watermelon is, see Watermelon – tasty and so good for your health.
• Grapefruit – pink grapefruit
• Apricots
• Guava
• Red bell peppers

Retinol:  Most people have heard of Vitamin A, well retinol is a form of vitamin A.  Retinol helps your immune system, helps you see in dim light, and helps keep your skin healthy.  Foods like carrots have beta-carotene that your body converts to this healthy retinol. Fruits and vegetables that contain beta-carotene (preformed retinol) are usually dark orange, yellow, dark green or red.  When I asked my students to list foods high in beta-carotene, they often included bananas.  Sorry, bananas are healthy but the part you eat is white so not a great source of beta-carotene.  Notice “dark green”.  Thus, lettuce would provide very little beta-carotene but spinach would provide a lot.  Many animal foods provide retinol including “cheese, eggs, oily fish, milk, yogurt and liver”. 

Good sources of beta-carotene (retinol):

•       Carrots, Sweet potatoes, pumpkin
• Spinach, broccoli
• Red peppers
• Cantaloupe, mangos, apricots, papaya
• Cow’s milk, yogurt, cheese
• Eggs      

Lutein:  You often now see “lutein” added to vitamin/mineral supplements.  Lutein is known as the “eye vitamin” as this nutrient helps protects your eyes from sun damage.  WebMD notes lutein “helps preserve brain activity, improving memory, learning efficiency and verbal fluency.”   Color is an indicator of what foods provide lutein as lutein gives plants yellow and green colors. 

Good sources of lutein:

• Green vegetables: kale, spinach, Romaine lettuce, green bell peppers, parsley, zucchini
• Yellow vegetables:  corn, yellow and orange peppers, squash
• Nuts:  Pistachios
• Eggs – not the highest in lutein but the fats in the egg yolk help you absorb the lutein

Zeaxanthin:  One of those healthy antioxidants found in foods, zeaxanthin is known for protecting eyes from sun damage, and helps prevent age-related macular degeneration. 

Good sources of Zeaxanthin:  Many foods are rich sources of lutein and zeaxanthin such as dark green and yellow fruits and vegetables. 

• Eggs
• Oranges
• Grapes
• Mango
• Orange peppers
• Corn
• Green vegetables:  kale, spinach, broccoli, peas

Vitamin E:  This vitamin acts both as a vitamin and as an antioxidant in our bodies.  Vitamin E helps your immune system and may help prevent heart disease.  The Mayo Clinic notes that some researchers have found that vitamin E may delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease while other researchers have found no benefit.  But do not try to get vitamin E from supplements as these “appear to have no effect on whether people with mild cognitive impairment progress to Alzheimer’s disease”.  Always better to get vitamins from food.   Plant-based oils and some fruits and vegetables provide vitamin E.

Good sources of vitamin E: 

•  Oils:  sunflower, safflower, soybean, and wheat germ oil
• Nuts:  Almonds, peanuts, peanut butter  
• Seeds: Sunflower seeds
• Greens:  Spinach, beet greens, collard greens
• Other vegetables:  red bell pepper, asparagus, pumpkin, avocados

Conclusion:  All the nutrients noted are considered antioxidants which are noted for preventing or delaying damage to cells in your body.  What diets are good to follow that provide all these antioxidants?  The MIND diet is one which is a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets.  The MIND diet focuses on lots of fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, and fish.  (See:  Can you eat for a healthier mind?).  Fresh or frozen fruit and veggies are a great way to add antioxidants to your day.  Juice can be a great source of antioxidants, if it is real juice.  

Sources:  People with Alzheimer’s disease tend to be deficient in these 5 nutrients that ‘help keep brains in top condition at all ages’ researchers say. , NIH , WebMD , sources , Watermelon – tasty and so good for your health. , foods , lutein , sources , eyes , macular degeneration , sources , foods , Mayo Clinic , Can you eat for a healthier mind?  Image Sources: High lycopene foods , lutein and zeaxanthin foods , Diet

Brain freeze – what causes it and what to do to prevent it?

Some call it a “brain freeze” others call it an “ice cream headache”.  After eating something really cold, you suddenly feel a sharp pain in your head.  Why?  The professor explains that your body wants to keep things at a certain temperature including your mouth.  Eating something really cold means your mouth temperature suddenly isn’t warm anymore so your body wants to warm your mouth back up.  More blood is sent to the roof of your mouth to warm it up, your nerves sense this rush of blood to your mouth and your brain interprets this as “something that is painful”.  

Is “brain freeze harmful?

It may seem painful for a bit but it is your bodies way of naturally reacting to cooling in your mouth.  The professor says, “A ‘brain freeze’ is not harmful and should go away within a few seconds to a minute or so.”

What can you do if you get a “brain freeze”?

Professor Rau has a few simple ways to handle a ‘brain freeze’:

•           Drink something at room temperature to warm your mouth.  This will quickly change the temperature in your mouth.
• Push your tongue to the roof of your mouth to warm that area. 
• Slow down – eat or drink cold items more slowly and that will allow your body to adjust to the cold temperatures of the food or drink. 

Can you avoid getting a “brain freeze”?

Professor Rau says the only way to completely avoid a “brain freeze” is to avoid ice cream, popsicles, Slurpees, slushes, and cold drinks.  But who wants to do that on hot summer days?  He said, “Summer without ice cream and popsicles seems quite sad though, so it is probably worth the risk of the occasional ‘brain freeze’.” 

Conclusion:  I agree with Professor Rau.  No need to give up the summer pleasures of ice cream, popsicles and cold drinks.  Enjoy them more slowly and follow his tips to handle a brain freeze.  And a big thank you to Professor Rau who studied this phenomenon and for providing some simple ways to deal with a ‘brain freeze’.  If you are choosing some popsicles as a summer treat, choose some Oustshine Fruit Bars as they are made from real fruit and real juice and they taste great.  Also low in calories so anyone can enjoy them.  (See:  How to stay hydrated this summer ) 

Sources: brain freeze , Oustshine Fruit Bars , How to stay hydrated this summer       Images:  Brain freeze   , Outshine Popsicles , Beat the freeze

Real dairy or plant-based milks?

Growing up every kid and many adults enjoyed a glass of real dairy milk at every meal.  Then plant-based milks started to come on the market and many people switched to these milks thinking they were healthier.  Are they?  Teaching nutrition I often talked about the nutritional differences of real milk versus the fake plant-based milks.  Some students asked what “real milk” was.  Real milk is dairy – milk from a cow.  Plant-based milks can be made from almonds, oats, or soy.  Which is healthier?  Real dairy milk or plant-based milks?  Which milk does the United States Department of Agriculture count as a serving of milk? 

Consumer Reports has a great article Which Milk Should You Drink?  that answers many of these questions.   

Should you drink cow’s milk? 

Good news for nutritionists is that 79% of 2,121 US adults polled are still buying cow’s milk.  Unfortunately, people are drinking less real cow’s milk as consumption has declined from 8.2 gallons per year in 2000 to 5.9 gallons in 2021. 

You may have read conflicting things about cow’s milk.  Consumer Reports states, “The truth is, cow’s milk has mostly benefits and just a few drawbacks”.  Cow’s milk is loaded with many nutrients young bodies need for growth and adults need for muscles and strong bones.

Nutrients in cow’s milk: 

•           Protein – each cup of cow’s milk provides 8 grams of protein.  And not just any protein but a very high-quality protein.  As noted in my blog, How can you add some high-quality protein foods to your day? , the egg is the gold standard for protein quality.  But second is cow’s milk protein.  Why?    Cow’s milk protein consists of casein and whey – both are very high-quality protein sources.  In fact, many body builders buy protein powders with casein and/or whey because they are such high-quality proteins.  But you can skip the powders and enjoy a glass of cow’s milk or yogurt made from cow’s milk.  “Approximately 80 percent of the protein in milk (cow’s milk) is casein protein, while the other 20 percent is whey protein.”  

• Calcium – each glass of cow’s milk provides about 300 mg of calcium.  About 25% of what one needs each day. 
• Vitamin D – all cow’s milk in the US is fortified with vitamin D and most cow’s milk yogurts are fortified with vitamin D.  Each cup of cow’s milk provides at least 100 IU of vitamin D.  Drinking a glass of cow’s milk at each meal or enjoying yogurt made with cow’s milk is a great way to add some vitamin D to your day.  So important as many Americans, adults and children, are deficient or have low vitamin D levels.  Not only do our bones need vitamin D, but so do our muscles, nerves, and D even helps our immune system. 
• Other minerals – cow’s milk provides other minerals including potassium, magnesium, zinc and more.  

What about the saturated fat in cow’s milk? 

Many people have heard that the saturated fat in cow’s milk is linked to heart disease, inflammation, and type 2 diabetes.  But is this true?  According Beth Bradley, PhD at the University of Vermont, “Current research indicates that the fats in [cow’s] milk are not associated with weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease or inflammation.”  If you want to cut back on calories but not on nutrition, one can enjoy low-fat or fat-free cow’s milk.

What if drinking cow’s milk leads to bloating, gas, or as my daughter calls it, “bubble gut”.  Cow’s milk naturally contains the sugar lactose and some people have trouble digesting this sugar.  One can easily solve this by drinking a lactose-free milk.  Fairlife milk is a good choice as it is lactose free and made from cow’s milk and provides all the nutrients cow’s milk provides. 

Plant-based milks – are they healthier?

So many people buy plant-based milks thinking they are healthier.  I know many parents are giving plant-based milks to their kids instead of real cow’s milk. 

Experts are now saying plant-based milks are not healthier than real cow’s milk.  The only plant-based milk that comes close is soy milk and only if it is fortified with calcium and vitamin D.  In fact, USDA considers the dairy group to include cow’s milk, yogurt made from cow’s milk, cheese, lactose-free cow’s milk and fortified soy milk and yogurt.  Except for soy, plant-based milks are not part of the dairy group that we all need for good health.  Why doesn’t the USDA consider other plant-based milks to be part of the dairy group?  “Other products sold as “milks’ but made from plants like almond, rice, coconut, oat and hemp “milks” may have calcium.  But they are not a part of the Dairy Group because their nutrition content is not like dairy milk and fortified soy milk.”  Emma Laing, PhD from the University of Georgia states, ‘most other plant-based products do not contain the nutrients comparable to dairy milk.” 

According to Insider, “Scientists found that plant-based milks often have less vitamin D, calcium and protein”. 

• Protein – cow’s milk provides 8 grams of high-quality protein per cup.  Plant-based milks only provide about 2 grams of protein per cup and the protein is not the high-quality proteins of casein and whey. 
• Other concerns about plant-based milks:  Not only do plant-based milks lack the nutrients in cow’s milk, they often contain added sugar and thickeners not found in cow’s milk.  One has to choose unsweetened plant-based milks or you could be adding 13 grams (52 calories) of added sugar to your diet for each cup of plant-based milk you drink.  In fact, almost half the calories in original Almond milk are from added sugar. 
• Thickeners – many plant-based milks contain thickeners like guar gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum to make the consistency like cow’s milk.  Original Almond Milk contains the thickener, gellan gum.  According to Laing, “Some studies have shown an adverse association between these additives and inflammation of the GI tract.”
• Children’s height:  A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition noted that drinking cow’s milk in kids is associated with increased height.  They studied plant-based milks as many kids are drinking these milks but these milks provide less protein and fat than cow’s milk.  The study found that children drinking plant-based milks were “shorter in height than those consuming cow’s milk.”  

Conclusion:  Plant-based milks continue to grow in popularity.  You won’t find any plant-based milks in the school lunch program because these milks aren’t “dairy” and USDA only considers cow’s milk or soy milk as “dairy” for the School Lunch and Breakfast programs.  I drink real cow’s milk and choose yogurt made from cow’s milk in order to get my calcium, vitamin D, high-quality protein and many other nutrients.  People choosing plant-based milks, especially for their children should take time to understand the pros and cons of plant-based milks.  People who are lactose-intolerant may want to try Fairlife milk.  A relative is lactose intolerant and she enjoys a glass of chocolate Fairlife milk and has no stomach issues. 

Sources:    Which Milk Should You Drink? , How can you add some high-quality protein foods to your day? , protein , whey protein , University of Vermont , Insider , Plant-based milks , Almond milk , Almond Milk , According , American Journal of Clinical Nutrition  Images:  Cow’s milk protein ,  Cow’s milk nutrients  , Protein in milks