More Brain Health Foods

To fight inflammation which is a key problem in the brain, a good source of omega 3 is essential. Nuts are one of the best sources. Specifically almonds, pecans, and walnuts. I have written about almonds and walnuts before, but nothing about pecans.

Pecans are high in antioxidants as well as containing omega 3 fatty acids. This makes them very beneficial in terms of decreasing free radical damage, but also to decrease inflammation in the brain and decrease plaque in the blood vessels in the brain, putting you at less risk for a stroke. Stroke like a heart attack is not from the high cholesterol, but rather from the high degree of inflammation in the brain which causes a chunk of plaque to break loose and become lodged in a blood vessel.

Walnuts are Brain Food

Walnuts are brain food. Since the brain is at least 55% fat, the brain needs fat to maintain its structure. The type of fat that it needs is omega 3 which is found in walnuts. The outer membrane of every cell is composed a fatty lipid layer. The cell must pass toxins from the inside to ouside the cell through this layer. Like wise, for the cell to be nourished, nutrients must pass from the outside into the inside of the cell through this lipid layer. We have become as a society so "fat" conscious that we believe that everything should be low fat and food that have fats in them are not good for us. This is just not true.

The Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to making the cell membranes able to get nutrients in and toxins out. Walnuts are a great source of omega 3. This is particularly important as far as our brains are concerned. Toxic build up in the cells of our brains leads to unclear thought processes and cell death. While we only use a very small portion of our brain, look at the number of olde people who have dementia. It doesn't take the whole brain or even a quarter of the brain to die for us to be in trouble. Walnuts can also serve as a brain food by supporting the cells to function normally.

Walnuts

Walnuts are another super food with many benefits. Of course most of you probably know that walnuts are rich in omega 3, but there are many other benefits to walnuts. They are also a wonderful source of fiber. How many people out there do not eat nuts because they are "high in fat"? That is not the issue here. The fat in walnuts is good fat, omega 3. In addition, if you eat a handful or so a week it will help with constipation, one the biggest complaints of people over the age of 65. Walnuts are both a soluble and insoluble source of fiber. They bind with fatty acids, decrease the stomach emptying time and thereby decrease the speed at which sugar is absorbed into the blood stream. Diabetics out there, can you see how this might help you?

Walnuts are also a rich plant source of protein and besides the omega 3s, they are also have B vitamins and Vitamin E.

Walnuts have been shown to help protect against heart disease and they also have been shown to decrease C-Reactive protein. See my notes about C-Reactive protein on 11/20/08. This leads me right into my thoughts about anti-inflammatories which is the key to many diseases.