Easy Breakfast Recipe To Improve Your Brain Health
Make it easy for your brain to be healthy by eating the foods your brain needs to function well. Aim for including more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, and healthy fats in each meal.
An easy breakfast to start your day off right is a homemade nut-based granola served with berries and Greek yogurt.
Heres what youll need:
- ½ cup of walnuts
- ½ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup of pitted dates
You can put all the ingredients into a food processor and process until it holds together well, or chop finely and mix in a bowl. The nut-based granola can be stored in the fridge for a week.
This recipe Makes an excellent breakfast served with ½ a cup of fresh or thawed berries and a scoop of Greek yogurt!
This breakfast recipe will help you feel full for hours while providing your brain with the healthy fat it needs from the nuts and coconut, phenomenal flavor, and a good dose of polyphenols from the cocoa and berries. All mixed together with another healthy fat from the Greek yogurt and a super-sized helping of probiotics.
Keeping your brain healthy is essential for your enjoyment of life and eating healthy is one of the most important lifestyle factors for improving brain health. Eating for your brain health can and should be delicious and enjoyable.
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Pillar #: Stress Management
Chronic or persistent stress can take a heavy toll on the brain, leading to shrinkage in a key memory area, hampering nerve cell growth, and increasing the risk of Alzheimers disease and dementia. Yet simple stress management tools can minimize its harmful effects and protect your brain.
Breathe! Quiet your stress response with deep, abdominal breathing. Restorative breathing is powerful, simple, and free!
Schedule daily relaxation activities. Keeping stress under control requires regular effort. Learning relaxation techniques such as meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or yoga can help you unwind and reverse the damaging effects of stress.
Nourish inner peace. Regular meditation, prayer, reflection, and religious practice may immunize you against the damaging effects of stress.
Make fun a priority. All work and no play is not good for your stress levels or your brain. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.
Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress.
Mind Lab Pro Universal Nootropic
Mind Lab Pro v4.0 is a nootropic formula that has been designed to improve focus and concentration, enhance memory and work on keeping your brain healthy. This is why it is highly recommended as a way of keeping that mental alertness up and helping prevent cognitive decline and dementia.
Even after the onset of memory loss, Mind Lab Pro promises to get you back on your feet and turn you back to your most creative and confident self, as well as your sharpest and productive self.
It is safe, scientifically proven to work, and has passed numerous placebo-controlled trials. Take 2-4 capsules a day with a drink of your choice and feel the effects in around 30 minutes. If youre looking for a supplement to not only help enhance memory but also improve mental agility, look no further.
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How To Prevent Dementianaturally 5 Proven Ways
Has this happened to you? You left your keys somewhere and you cant find them. You walk into a room and you dont know why you are there. Are these the first signs of dementia? In this article we will examine five natural ways to prevent dementia.
Unfortunately, there are no disease modifying drugs to stop progressive dementia or to cure the disease. However, the good news is that there are certain steps you can do to live a healthier life.
There are different types of dementia. The most common type being Alzheimers dementia making up about 70% of the dementia cases. In Alzheimers dementia there is an abnormal buildup of proteins in brain cells and around brain cells. These proteins are neurotoxic meaning they cause damage to the brain cells. One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells. The other protein is called tau, deposits of which form tangles within brain cells. As brain cells become affected, theres also a decrease in chemical messengers involved in sending messages, or signals, between brain cells. This damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other.
Amyloid in brain
Tau protein
It later affects areas in the cerebral cortex responsible for language, reasoning, and social behavior.
So that means when cells in a particularregion are damaged, that region cannot carry out its functions normally.
Social Activity Prevents Mental Decline
We all witnessed the consequences of social isolation due to the Coronavirus. Isolation is the root cause of a lot of things including depression, early death, and diseases that affect the mind. Mental decline is related to isolation and an under-stimulation of the mind, body, and spirit.
Being social prevents mental decline and reduces incidences of depression and loneliness.
Studies show that people who feel disenfranchised and isolated tend to decline emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. This includes the onset and development of mental decline.
Living alone without enough human connection and interaction can magnify feelings of loneliness and make people unwilling or unable to keep active or engaged. This puts them at great risk for a sedentary lifestyle that includes poor diet, lack of physical activity, and little mental stimulation.
Having a social circle and engaging in activities, even one day per week, can make a big difference in personal satisfaction, quality, and quantity of life. Having a group where you belong and enjoy making contributions can help give you purpose, stimulate your mind, and give you an outlet to think more.
Getting your blood pumping helps release natural endorphins that help with brain health and mood.
Here are some fun ways to find a tribe and keep your mind healthy.
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Super Nutrition For The Brain And Preventing Dementia
High nutritional status equals higher mental function. Given the frequency of nutrient deficiency in the elderly population, it is likely that many cases of impaired mental function have a nutritional cause. The goal should be to bathe the brain in super nutrition, as numerous studies have shown that brain function is directly related to nutritional status. Focus on these foods and nutrients:
- Vitamins C and E: Diets high in antioxidants such as vitamins C and E prevent age-related memory loss and other degenerative brain disorders. Emphasize green leafy vegetables, brightly colored vegetables, and flavonoid-rich fruits such as citrus, berries, and cherries.
- Blueberries and blueberry extracts: In animal studies, researchers found that blueberries protect the brain from oxidative stress and memory loss. When older rats were given the human equivalent of 1 cup of blueberries a day, they demonstrated significant improvements in both learning capacity and motor skills, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats.
- Celery and celery seed extract: These contain a compound, 3-n-butylphthalide , that has brain-health benefits. In human and animal studies, 3nB significantly improved learning deficits, as well as long-term spatial memory. Researchers have concluded that, 3nB shows promising preclinical potential as a multitarget drug for the prevention and/or treatment of Alzheimers disease.
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The Link Between Air Pollution And Dementia
Air pollution isnt just harmful for our respiratory health: Emerging evidence shows that people who are exposed to air pollution are at a higher risk of dementia. In fact, people who live close to major roads and freeways, have higher odds of developing dementia. And some scientists have suggested that exposure to air pollution can lead to brain inflammation.
Heres what you can do: Avoid the outdoors when air pollution levels are high, Larson said, such as instances of wildfires. Meanwhile, researchers urge policy makers to consider increasing peoples access to green spaces, reducing traffic and the number of highways in residential areas.
Read more about past research on the link between heart disease, Alzheimers, and air pollution
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S To Reverse Dementia And Memory Loss As You Age
Recently, I spoke on a panel for PBS TV at the American Association of Retired Persons convention in Boston. The topic was dementia.
There was a woman with mild cognitive impairment on the panel. Her condition is sort of like pre-Alzheimer’s disease. Everyone on the panel — including the Harvard neurologist — agreed that memory loss is NOT a normal part of aging. The sad part was that the panel didn’t have much to offer people in the way of prevention. Their only solution was just a very bad and pretty ineffective selection of drugs with lots of side effects.
But there is another way to think about brain aging. The brain responds to all the same insults as the rest of the body — stress, poor diet, toxins, lack of exercise or sleep, nutritional deficiencies, and more. All we have to do is give the brain a tune-up and we can see miracles. In today’s blog I will give you nine tips that will allow you to do that. But first, let’s look a little more closely at the magnitude of this problem.
Dementia on the Rise
Dementia is a big problem and growing every day. Ten percent of 65-year olds, 25 percent of 75-year olds, and 50 percent of 85-year olds will get Alzheimer’s disease — at a cost of $60 billion a year to society. Worse, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is predicted to triple in the next few decades. It is now the seventh leading cause of death.
I’d like to illustrate this through the story of one of my patients who had a diagnosis of dementia.
Cognitive Retraining And Dementia
Cognitive interventions for dementia syndromes encompass a wide range of modalities, including cognitive training that targets one domain and increasing task difficulty as expertise develops, cognitive stimulation targeting multiple domains with emphasis on social interaction, and cognitive rehabilitation tailored at improving activities of daily living. These interventions aim at enhancing cognitive reserve, that is, the structural and dynamic capacities of brain circuits that compensate when one or more brain regions do not function adequately, thus increasing resilience against the neuropathological changes of dementia., Several long-term follow-up studies have looked at trajectories of cognitive impairment and the effect of cognitive stimulation, including the German Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study on Adult Development and Aging Study, the Minority Aging Research Study, the Memory and Ageing Project, the Chicago Health and Ageing Project, and the Betula prospective cohort study. The PACE study was an RCT designed to study the effect of cognitive interventions on the progression of MCI. The intervention group received supervised education on cognitive retraining strategies. Over a period of 2 years, there was no significant effect on progression to dementia however, a limitation of the trial was the lack of active supervised task engagement for the participants of the intervention group beyond the 5-week intervention period.
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Dementia Is Not Necessarily Preventable But Science Has Established That Lifestyle Changes Can Significantly Lower Risk Here Are 12 Factors That Could Help Delay Or Prevent 40% Of Dementia Cases
Researchers project the number of people living with dementia, a neurodegenerative syndrome which currently afflicts 50 million people worldwide, will more than triple by 2050, soaring to 152 million cases globally. But experts in a recent report say two in five dementia cases could potentially be delayed or prevented by certain lifestyle choices and government policies.
The report builds on the previous nine risk factors identified by the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care, and adds three additional risk factors air pollution, traumatic brain injury and excessive consumption of alcohol.
Eric Larson, an author of the study and senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, said just as people cant control their genetics, people in their 40s cant retroactively change their socioeconomic circumstances in early life but people of all ages can, to varying extents, make lifestyle choices like habitual exercising to improve their health.
In my own practice, Ive been telling patients it would be a good idea to exercise regularly, Larson said. When they found out that you could preserve your brain and reduce your risk of dementia, it was actually a powerful motivator for many people to become a regular exerciser.
Being Patient takes a closer look at how each risk factor is linked to dementia.
Researchers Continue To Seek Answers
The idea of Alzheimers as a metabolic disease that affects the brain, and Alzheimers markers such as glucose metabolism, have led scientists in various directions. Besides the Mediterranean diet and its variations, they are looking at other diets as well as individual foods and nutrients.
For example, the ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that prompts the production of ketones, chemicals that help brain cells work. Studies show that this diet may affect gut bacteria in distinctive ways in people with and without cognitive impairment, and may help brain cells better use energy, improving their overall function.
Researchers are seeking answers to these questions:
- Which foods are critical to brain health and should be included in diet-based interventions?
- Which groups of people are most likely to benefit from dietary interventions targeting prevention of dementia and cognitive decline?
- Can dietary interventions introduced in midlife lead to better outcomes?
These clinical trials are recruiting participants to test dietary interventions:
To learn more or to find a trial near you, visit the Alzheimers.gov Clinical Trials Finder.
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What Do We Know About Individual Foods
Many foods blueberries, leafy greens, and curcumin , to name a few have been studied for their potential cognitive benefit. These foods were thought to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant or other properties that might help protect the brain. So far, there is no evidence that eating or avoiding a specific food can prevent Alzheimers disease or age-related cognitive decline.
But scientists continue to look for clues. One study, based on older adults reports of their eating habits, found that eating a daily serving of leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale was associated with slower age-related cognitive decline, perhaps due to the neuroprotective effects of certain nutrients. Research has also shown that eating a diet that includes regular fish consumption is associated with higher cognitive function and slower cognitive decline with age. Another recent study, in mice, found that consuming a lot of salt increased levels of the protein tau, found in the brains of people with Alzheimers, and caused cognitive impairment.
What Is The Main Cause Of Dementia
While research has come a long way in recent years there is still plenty about dementia that we dont know. Mainly, we are still unsure as to how exactly dementia forms and whether or not its avoidable. What researchers do know is that dementia is caused by damage to or loss of nerve cells and their connections in the brain.
Each person will be affected by dementia differently as it will affect different areas of the brain and there will be varying levels of damage. Here are some risk factors that can contribute to dementia:
- Age – The older you get the more at risk you are of dementia.
- Family history – If your family has a history of dementia you are at a greater risk.
- Down syndrome – Many people with Down syndrome develop early-onset Alzheimers disease.
- Diet and exercise – A lack of exercise increases the chance of dementia as does an unhealthy diet.
- Heavy alcohol consumption – Researchers believe that moderate drinking can actually decrease your chances of dementia, however, heavy drinking greatly raises your chances.
- Cardiovascular risk factors – High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and buildup of fats can increase your chances of dementia.
- Depression – Its not quite understood the exact role depression plays on dementia but experts agree that there is a link.
- Smoking – Smoking can increase your chances of developing dementia and vascular diseases.
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Mild Cognitive Impairment And Dementia: Strategies For Prevention
Evidence supports the existence of prodromal stages of dementia, including preclinical disease and the early clinical stage of MCI., The hallmark of MCI is the presence of cognitive deficits beyond what is expected for age but not severe enough to cause disruption of daily life., MCI represents a common prodrome of dementia with an annual conversion rate to clinically definite dementia of 1015%., Given that different stages and trajectories of cognitive decline may vary in their response to distinct interventions, distinguishing the various stages of the disease and the underlying pathogenic processes will be essential for the development of personalized prevention programs.
Epidemiological studies have highlighted the concept of cognitive reserve: individuals with a higher number of years of education and cognitive functioning status show symptoms of dementia later than those with lower educational status. However, once individuals with higher cognitive reserve exhibit symptoms of dementia, they show more rapid disease progression than individuals at the other end of the spectrum. This observation speaks to the complex relation between cognitive reserve and cognitive deterioration.
Consider Primehealths Prevention Program
We stand behind Dr. Dale Bredesens revolutionary KetoFLEX 12/3 diet program for patients with cognitive decline. We have seen it work wonders, particularly in combination with other beneficial lifestyle changes.
As more research is published on the KetoFLEX 12/3 diet, we cant wait for more professionals to hear about this super effective diet plan.
How can you reverse dementia naturally? You can reverse dementia naturally with simple lifestyle and dietary changes. This mainly works in the very early stages of dementia and cognitive decline.
Let PrimeHealth create a plan to put that knowledge into practice. With our Prevention Program, we will work side-by-side to create an individualized plan for slowing and reversing cognitive decline.
Schedule a free phone consultation with us to learn more.
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