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Donegal Nutritionist Sorcha McElchar from Sorchas Healthy Living takes a look at the best foods and drinks that will help your mind give a peak performance. She also shares advice on good foods for a good mood!
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There is a lot of new evidence out there revealing that our diet has a big impact on brain health. Specifically, the link between gut health and brain health is a lot stronger than previously thought.
We’ve been told to keep our brain healthy we need to eat plenty of Omega 3 healthy fatty acids, which you get from oily fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, and trout as well as plant sources such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, ground linseed, hemp seeds and walnuts. Of course, this is still true. Healthy unsaturated fats do play a major role in brain health, but they aren’t the only important element.
Like I mentioned, gut health is so important for brain health. Why? Because the billions of different gut bacteria don’t just affect digestion. They affect mood, immune health, cravings and more! In fact, it has been shown that people with an imbalance of good and bad gut bacteria (also referred to as dysbiosis) are more likely to suffer from many mental health illnesses such as depression. Basically, having a healthy gut is a big factor in overall health and wellbeing.
So how do you ensure you’re doing everything you can to have a healthy gut, and thus a healthy brain? Here are a few simple tips you can incorporate into you and your family’s daily diet and lifestyle.
1. First, Fibre is key. I say this to anyone who will listen. By increasing your fibre intake to at least 25-38g per day you will see such a big difference in your overall health, not just your gut health. Fibre acts as a prebiotic which is food for the beneficial gut bacteria. By opting for wholegrain bread, pasta or rice as much as possible and eating plenty of fruit, veg, nuts and seeds your beneficial gut bacteria will be eating like royalty!
2. Probiotics are what we call those beneficial bacteria, and although you can get them in supplement form you can also get them from your food. Including fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, tempeh, kimchi, Miso, pickles, traditional buttermilk, natural yoghurt, and yoghurt drinks like Yakult and Actimel. You can get most of these in either your local supermarket or health food store.
Add more yoghurt to your diet
3. I know cutting out all junk food in this day in age is not an easy feat. So why not try to simply swap more processed foods for less processed alternatives? Instead of choosing highly processed meats try choosing fresh meat from your local butcher. Things like sausages, ham, beef and chicken burger, mince meat and other meat products that are cheap to buy but highly processed may taste good at the time, but what harm are they doing over time when eaten on a regular basis? The answer unfortunately is a lot. You can buy cheaper cuts of fresh meat from your butcher that when cooked properly can taste nicer than the more expensive cuts.
4. Sugar feeds many of the more harmful gut bacteria, so cutting back on sweets and fizzy drinks will be a big help. You don’t have to cut them out completely, just try to swap them out for a healthier option when you can.
5. If you frequently suffer from heartburn and indigestion you probably carry a bottle of Gaviscon or Rennie on stand-by. The truth is research has shown they shouldn’t be used in the long term as they can actually cause Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)as they neutralize the acid in the stomach too much and the acid in the stomach is a form of defence against harmful bacteria we may ingest. Try to opt for herbal remedies like peppermint tea and peppermint capsules.
Peppermint tea
6. I am a firm believer in modern medicine, but we are starting to see the overuse of antibiotics causes more harm than it does good. Broad spectrum antibiotics don’t differentiate between harmful and beneficial bacteria and so they kill them all. This leaves you open to an overgrowth of harmful gut bacteria. Only use antibiotics when absolutely necessary. Never use them for a cold or a virus as they are useless in that case anyway. You should also try to do what you can to increase beneficial bacteria so maybe take a probiotic supplement or eat more probiotic foods.
7. Exercise. It may not be diet related but countless studies have shown staying active helps improve gut health, and overall health really.
8. Drink plenty of water and avoid overconsumption of alcohol. The water part goes without saying. We can survive weeks without food but only three days without water. Water is also important when increasing your fibre intake so drink up! As for alcohol it can diminish the health and diversity of your gut bacteria, meaning you have less of the good guys fighting your corner. Alcohol is a toxin to the body so although the odd drink now and again for social purposes is fine, if you’re really serious about looking after your body it’s best avoided.
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To book a free introductory nutrition consultation with me please click on the link https://fb.com/book/
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