Feed a bigger brain!

Did you know the human brain has actually shrunk over the last 100 years due to our poor Western diet? Worrying isn’t it?

BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is a protein that tells cells the brain to make more connections. BDNF decreases when we eat a poor western diet full of processed foods but increases when we eat a wholefood diet rich in nutrients.

This is one of the reasons that a healthy nutrient rich diet decreases the risk of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety by 30-40%.

Brain food:

The brain is made of fat and cholesterol and consumes approximately 420 calories every day!

To feed your brain increase your intake of:

• Zinc (e.g. pumpkin seeds and oysters)
• Magnesium (kale and 85% dark chocolate)
• Omega 3 (wild salmon, oysters, clams and mussels)

Mussels are especially great as they contain zinc, omega-3 and chromium. Just one cup of the super food Kale helps to speed up your microbiome and provides 608% of the vitamin essential for brain health, Vitamin K. Take regular exercise to reduce stress and release endorphins.

Other tips:

Ditch processed meats but include eggs, nuts, seeds, beans and lentils in your diet.

I stir in Linwoods milled mix of linseed, almonds, brazil nuts and co enzyme Q10 into my breakfast or salads for a morning boost of brain power