At KingsWilliam we can help you to determine whether you’re giving your brain the greatest opportunity to work at its best. If your child is having difficulty with school work or if you’ve noticed your memory isn’t what it used to be, or if you just want to keep your brain healthy as you get older, talk to your practitioner about a health-check for your brain!
Right through your entire life, your ability to learn and remember is vitally important. The best way to enhance learning and memory is to keep your brain healthy. This means giving it the right fuel from the food you eat, and avoiding substances in your diet and the environment that aren’t good for it.
What sort of things do we check?
For your brain to function well it has to have the right basic fuels:
It also needs good quality fatty acids to keep it functioning well. Most of your brain is made of essential fatty acids and it’s vital that you get enough of these from your diet. Good quality fatty acids are Omega-3s and, as you probably know, fish have significant quantities of these. Fish is good brain food. At the same time, avoid deep-fried and processed foods. They contain high levels of trans-fats, which are formed when vegetable oils are heated. If you have enough of these they start replacing the Omega 3s in your brain and make it sluggish.
Messages in your brain are passed between nerve cells by chemicals called neurotransmitters. The best way to make sure your brain is able to make the neurotransmitters needed for learning and memory is to ensure you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals in the food you eat. The most important minerals for making neurotransmitters are magnesium, zinc, iron and manganese. The most important vitamins for learning and memory are the B vitamins, in particular B1, B3, B6, B12, and folic acid.
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that enhances your memory. It contains the molecule choline, which is found in the gut. If your gut doesn’t contain a good balance of healthy bacteria your level of acetylcholine is likely to be low, and therefore your memory won’t be as good as it can be. The formation of acetylcholine is also inhibited by foods in the nightshade family. These foods are potato, tomato, capsicum, chili, and eggplant. For this reason it’s a good idea to avoid eating large amounts of nightshade foods close to a big exam. Foods that increase acetylcholine production and help to improve memory include spinach, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, coriander, egg yolks, legumes, and whole-grain cereals.
There are a few other things you need to look out for to keep your brain healthy. Toxins that you may be exposed to in the home and the environment stop your brain from functioning at its best. In particular, toxic metals inhibit the enzymes needed for the production of neurotransmitters. Allergies, food intolerances and sensitivities can reduce brain function; as can structural factors such as cranial and upper neck misalignment. Chronic stress, both psychological and physical also affects your brain function and increases memory loss.
As babies and small children we soak up as much information as we can. When we get a little older we keep learning and we need to be able to remember what we’ve learnt. This is especially relevant for year 12 students who are heading towards the HSC in a few weeks. As we get older still, many people notice that their memory isn’t working as well as it used to, and want to stay sharp into their old age. The best way to make learning and memory come easily is to look after your brain!