Do you ever feel like: you’re walking around with your head in a fog, have less energy than you used to, maybe you’re not quite as quick to the punch as you once were, or you find that common words seem to continuously slip your mind? Well, this doesn’t have to be. Certain foods can actually help to boost your brainpower, clear away your mental fog and leave you with enviable quick-thinking skills. So if you’d like to increase your intelligence to the level you’re capable of achieving, take a moment and read through the list below. Choosing these foods will not only make you appear smart to those around you, they will actually help you to increase your mental clarity, ability to think and overall health potential.
Fish Oil: As the old saying goes, "Fish is brain food." What I recommend- and I can’t recommend it highly enough is fish oil. Packed with beneficial omega-3 fats including DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid), fish oil may reduce inflammation in the brain and offer a protective effect. Our brains and nerves are made up of approximately 60 percent fat, and most of this fat is either DHA or AA (arachidonic acid). DHA is primarily obtained from fish sources, not plant sources like flax seed. When using fish oil it is important to obtain a high-quality reputable brand. If you would like help finding a quality supplement, please let Mark or myself help you... it can be very confusing and difficult on your own.
Vegetables or a Vegetable Powder Supplement: There is little that compares to the nutritional value of vegetables. Specifically, low levels of folic acid, a nutrient found in green leafy vegetables, have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and the many antioxidants and phytochemicals in vegetables will help to keep your mind sharp. My general recommendation is to eat one pound of vegetables daily for every 50 pounds of body weight. The easiest way to achieve this is to be regularly consuming vegetable juice or a vegetable powder like the Body By God Green PhytoFoods supplement that I take. It has 2.5 pounds of veggies per serving! With less time to cook and eat quality vegetables I choose to drink them instead. If you are not already doing this I strongly recommend that we talk about how to start using vegetable powder to support your nutritional needs.
Avoid Sugar: This is obviously not a food, but more of a "foods-to-avoid" category. If you want to perform at your top level, intelligence-speaking or otherwise, it is imperative to limit, if not completely avoid, sugar. High-sugar foods will disrupt your body's homeostasis and insulin levels, which will contribute to disease and brain fog. Some easy ways to avoid sugar in your diet is to cut out soda and candy, but also watch out for less obvious sources like fruit juice.
Berries: Not only do blueberries taste good, but they are one of the most potent antioxidant foods on the planet. They are small and densely packed with a variety of potent phytochemcials that can do wonders to normalize and improve health, including direct benefits to the brain. Blueberries have been shown to actually reverse some of the aging that occurs in the brain. Blueberries are full of other health-promoting qualities as well, and my only caution for them is to watch how many you eat at once due to their sugar content. Other small, darkly colored berries, like cherries, raspberries, gooseberries and mulberries provide similar health benefits.
Liquid Multivitamin: There is more confusion about what multivitamin to take than anything else I can think of. Here are my thoughts on how simple this should be… everyone NEEDS a multivitamin nowadays- unless you have a perfect diet, and I don’t know anyone who actually does. Liquid is clearly the way to go in comparison to pill form. The source of the multivitamins nutrient value should be plant derived and preferably harvested from the ocean floor for purity. It is that simple folks. If you need help finding a liquid multivitamin, please ask Mark or myself for advice. I have made many poor choices about diet in my lifetime. I welcome you to learn and benefit from the mistakes I have made and the research I have already done for you. Good nutrition is part of living a Chiropractic lifestyle and a Maximized Life.
Your Maximized Health Mentor,
Dr. Craig
