Diet and the Brain

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation

On the one hand, we all know intuitively that our diet effects the way we feel. Many of us feel tired after a heavy meal, many of us are irritable when hungry, and many of us are familiar with the boost/crash cycle of eating sugary snacks. Most would also agree that a light, nutritious meal makes us feel differently than one based on junk food.

On the other hand, many claims about certain foods and their impact on brain health, have been either overblown or misinterpreted by the masses. As far as we know, there is no particular oil, berry, fish, root, herb, or vegetable that we should all start consuming in massive quantities, as a means to an immediate improvement in brain function.

Rather, it is important to think about diet and the brain in both the short term and the long term. This is true because dietary habits have both short-term and long-term effects on the brain. Guidelines for a healthy brain diet have been discussed here and elsewhere many times.

The point of today's post is to emphasize the importance of the word "habit" in the phrase "dietary habit". If you consistently consume a lot of preservative filled, sugar laden, trans fat based snacks, you can't undo the damage with a giant bowl of spinach and a glass of fish oil. Despite claims you may read about coconut oil, green tea, and gingko biloba, don't fool yourself into thinking that you can add those elements to a poor diet and your brain will be fine.

1 comment :

  1. Sugar is the killer in all cases. It is a drug that is poison to the body.

    ReplyDelete