10 Tips to Boost Your Brain Health

These 10 tips to boost your brain health are easy to follow and are meant to help with the overall goal of longevity. With diseases like Alzheimer’s on a consistent rise, it is never a bad idea to start being proactive. Whether you are 20 years old or 50 years old, these 10 tips are easy to do and can help in the long run.

First let’s talk about Blue Zones!

Have you ever heard of the Blue Zones? There are 5 blue zones in the world and they are selected as the areas of that have the most longevity. From various studies, they concluded that there are nine attributes to what has allowed them to live such prosperous, happy and long lives. What is powerful about the people from these areas is that they live a well-balanced life. They are not fixated on short term “health hacks” and incorporate the philosophy of holistic health. Check out this article for the Power 9: Click here!

So before we get into the 10 tips to boost your brain health, I hope that the concept of the Blue Zones helps you recognize that longevity is more than what you put into your body. It is how we react to situations, our overall happiness with our lifestyle choices and how we maintain a healthy balanced life. While limiting processed foods, toxins and added sugar will help, this article will focus on what we can add to our life, rather than remove.

10 Tips to Boost Your Brain Health:

Nutrition

1. Walnuts: they are an extremely nutrient-dense nut, being the one with the highest levels of antioxidants and omega-3’s. You’ll read later on about other omega-3 rich foods, as well as antioxidants. Both are proven to reduce inflammation in our bodies. By reducing inflammation in the whole body, we are reducing inflammation in the brain as well. The brain may only take up 2% of our weight but it takes up 20% of our energy. So, the less inflammation the better. Walnuts also contain polyphenols, specifically ellagitannins, which have been proven to slow down the initiation or process of neurodegenerative diseases ⁽¹⁾ My favorite way to add walnuts into my life is in a homemade trail mix or banana walnut bread!

2. Blueberries: blueberries are one of the most antioxidant rich fruits and are low in sugar. If you have ever heard of the concept of “eating the rainbow”, blueberries are almost always the choice for the blue/purple color. Antioxidants are particularly important for protecting your body from free radicals and flushing them out. While blueberries also contain polyphenols like walnuts, their main polyphenol compounds are flavonoids. Anthocyanins, a kind of flavonoid, is specifically noted to help with the antioxidation. My favorite way to enjoy blueberries is fresh in the summer and frozen in the winter! Add them to your next smoothie or oatmeal.

3. Turmeric: Now let’s get into spices! While there are a bunch of good-for-you spices, turmeric specifically helps reduce inflammation in the body. Furthermore, it is the compound curcumin instead of turmeric that is the reason for the high anti-inflammatory properties. In order to see a huge reduction inflammation, you would have to have a dose of at least 1 gram. However, this is well over the amount you would add to a meal. Additionally, in order for the body to absorb the curcumin, it needs to be paired with black pepper because the piperine instead of black pepper helps to absorb the curcumin by 2000% ⁽²⁾ My favorite way to add turmeric into my diet on a daily basis is in eggs! The combination of turmeric, black pepper and smoked paprika has been my go to combination for years.

4. Salmon: Not only is salmon a good source of protein, but it is an excellent source of omega-3’s, specifically EPA and DHA. Omega 3’s are extremely beneficial to our brain health because our brain needs healthy fats to run smoothly. Even more, fatty fish and fish oils have been proven to reduce depressive symptoms and reduce gray matter in the brain. This helps to set ourselves up for even better longevity and as well as happiness ⁽³⁾. If you are not a fan of fish, you could take a fish oil supplement as well. My favorite way to enjoy salmon is by seasoning it with Trader Joe’s Chile Lime seasoning and air frying at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 11 minutes! Perfectly crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside.

Check out this Sheet Pan Salmon, Broccoli and Sweet Potatoes recipe!

5. Avocado: Another excellent source of healthy fats! Like I just mentioned, your brain thrives off of healthy fats to keep it running. Specifically, they are high in monounsaturated fats, which is key for promoting good blood flow and pressure. Both of these directly connect to your brain health. The less blood pressure on your brain, the less stress on the brain. Think of it as a well-oiled machine. If you do not have the right oil to get the gears going, it may take longer to complete the mission. Additionally, avocados are high in potassium, folate, and flavonoids! My favorite way to enjoy avocado is on toast or as guacamole but it is also delicious blended into a green smoothie!

Lifestyle

1. Stress Management: This is one of those tips that is easier said than done but working on this as much as possible is crucial. While there are certainly stressors that are outside of our control, there are many that are controllable. And if they are not, our reactions are. By reducing our oxidative stress, we allow our brain to do its job without extra work. However, a healthy amount of stress is good for the brain. For example, challenging our brain to figure out problems or a moderate amount of physical activity. Bad stress looks like overworking, not resting, excess caffeine amounts and staying angry at situations for longer than necessary. Stress can also take form in not resolving past issues or traumas that can trigger our brain to go into a “flight or fight” mode. Many times stress management can be difficult to solve on our own. If it is something traumatic that has been neglected, talking to a therapist could help your brain health now more than you know. If you are looking for more ways to navigate your daily stress management, contact me for a consultation as an integrative nutrition health coach!

2. Sleep: Having a good, routine sleep schedule is extremely important for our brains. While you may think that you can thrive off little sleep now, it is only declining your brain health down the line. Again, the goal is longevity, not short term work. When it comes to sleep, I recommend 7-9 hours of quality sleep across the board. Again, this may be difficult depending on your circumstances, such as parenting or night shift working, but the goal is quality over quantity! In order to get quality REM sleep, try avoiding bright screens before bad and reducing caffeine consumption closer to the time you are trying to sleep. Certain essential oils, such as lavender, can be extremely beneficial to relaxing the brain and sending it into sleep-mode.

3. Physical Activity: This one is a tricky balance. If you read the Blue Zones article, you would have read that movement is one of the Power 9’s. This is because physical activity is vital to stimulating the brain as well as the whole body. This can be as little as going on a daily walk or as much as going for a long run. I say this can be tricky balance because we live in a world that looks at exercise as a way to reach “body image goals”. The goal of physical activity should be to make you feel good, allow your body to reap the benefits and for you to be strong inside and out. By depleting our energy tanks and overworking our bodies, we do more harm than good. Strive to challenge yourself but not overdo it. Give your body the much needed rest, love and recovery.

4. Getting outside: Exposure to nature has been linked to various studies showing an improvement in stress management, mental clarity, happiness and reducing psychiatric disorders. Experimental findings show how impressive nature’s healing powers can be—just a few moments of green can perk up a tired brain. ⁽⁴⁾ Not only does it get our eyes peeled off of the never-ending screen exposure, but it allows our brain to be stimulated in a calming environment. I always say this, but you can never be mad on a walk. Whenever you feel eager, anxious, mad, sad or upset, try going for a walk outside. Begin to notice your stress levels decrease, whether it is because you are distracted or because you are giving yourself time to process. Being outside, especially being exposed to sun, significantly helps to bring ourselves back to homeostasis.

5. Mental Stimulation: As I have mentioned earlier in this article, challenging our mind is a good stress for good brain health. This could include learning a new language to new career or doing something that wakes the brain up from the mundane daily tasks. Furthermore, if we can stimulate our “happy hormones”, we will be doing our brain an even bigger favor.

Our happy hormones include: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins.

• Dopamine, the “feel good” hormone, has to do with pleasurable sensations including learning, memory and motor function. One of the best ways to elevate your dopamine levels is by laughing!
• Serotonin has to do with regulating your mood, sleep, digestion, learning ability and memory. Tryptophan boosts serotonin levels, which is found in food like turkey and salmon. Another great way to get a serotonin boost is from direct sunlight!
• Oxytocin, the “love” hormone, has to do directly with physical touch, kissing, love, affection, etc. Great ways to boost oxytocin levels is by receiving a hug, sex, petting dogs, etc.
• Endorphins are the natural pain reliever hormone and they are the reason behind the feeling of a “runner’s high”. Exercise in any form releases all the endorphins, which is why you may feel so happy and powerful after a workout!

I hope that you enjoyed this brief list of 10 tips to boost your brain health. While the list is not exhaustive and extensive in detail, I hope you are able to take a few tidbits away! If you like this article, please leave me a comment below!