Keeping Your Brain Healthy: Brain-FX

The Brain - Business Connection

All this week I've been reading tidbits about the brain over on 800CEOread blog. This is thanks to Geil Browning who was guest authoring. She mentions her book about the brain, Emergenetics. I'm unfamiliar with it as yet, but will read the review.

This interest in the brain on a site that is read by CEOs and executives fascinates me. As some of you know, my "other job" and other blogs have to do with executive consultant and coaching newsletters, blogs and marketing (www.coachezines.com, www.buildabetterblog.com, www.bizbooknuggets.com, www.executivecoachingarticles.com). What is the brain connection?

I am a psychologist by training and have always been intriqued by the brain, and how little we really know and understand about how it works. The connection between the brain and business is important. It permeates every aspect of work and business.

This is the first time I've seen books about the inner workings of the brain discussed on a business blog, and it will not be the last.

Here's what else the author mentions: The Creating Brain, the Neuroscience of Genius by Nancy C. Andreason. The author blends in neuroscience research to discuss creative giants such as Da Vinci, Mozart, Michaelangelo and others. Did you know that the hippocampus of London taxi drivers is enlarged because of their required memory for city addresses?

Next we like to see images of the brains of Enron executives as compared to those of leading altruistic companies...or is that an oxymoron?

Brain Awareness Week

I always laugh at all the obscure "national weeks," but this one I'm all in favor of...

It's national Brain Awareness Week March 13-19, so start baking cookies...and get out the party hats.

Created by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, Brain Awareness Week is an international partnership of government agencies, scientific organizations, universities, and volunteer groups. It includes more than 1,850 partner organizations in 62 countries and many activities.

The ultimate purpose of Brain Awareness Week is to make the public more aware of the benefits and promise of brain research. Here is the official web site, which includes brain games and links to brain research news.

This info comes to you from Geil Browning over on the 800CEOread blog.

Dr. Amen's 7 Steps to Feeding a Healthy Brain

In the past two weeks, I've featured Dr. Amen's article, Seven Simple Brain Promoting Nutritional Tips, from his book Making a Good Brain Great. Here's what else Dr. Amen is known for:

Daniel G. Amen, M.D., is a clinical neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and brain-imaging expert who heads up the world-renowned Amen Clinics. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and has won numerous writing and research awards.

He writes a monthly column in Men’s Health called “Head Check” and has published nineteen books, numerous professional and popular articles, and a number of audio and video programs.

His books include Making a Good Brain Great (Harmony Books; October 2005;$24.00US/$34.00CAN; 1-4000-8208-0), Preventing Alzheimer’s, Healing Anxiety and Depression, Healing the Hardware of the Soul, Healing ADD, and the New York Times bestseller Change Your Brain, Change Your Life. He is an internationally renowned keynote speaker and a popular guest expert for the media, with appearances on CNN, the Today show, The View, and other venues.

For more information please visit www.amenclinic.com.

Brain Foods: Healthy Snacks

This is the 7th and final step in Dr. Amen's book for promoting a healthy brain through food. For more complete information, get his book, Making a Good Brain Great.

7. Plan Snacks

I love to snack; just like to munch on things to get through the day. When snacking it is helpful to balance carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Since I travel frequently, I have learned to take my snacks with me, so I am not tempted to pick up candy bars along the way.

One of my favorite low calorie snacks are dried fruits and vegetables. Not the kind of dried fruits and vegetables stocked in typical supermarkets that are filled with preservatives, but the kind that just have the dried fruit and veggies. A company called Just Tomatoes, from Walnut, California (www.justtomatoes.com) makes great products. When you have dried fruit or veggies -- all carbohydrates -- add some low-fat string cheese or a few nuts to balance it out with protein and a little fat.

Patsi"s note: I love snacks too, but Dr. Amen just hit upon a key to healthy eating. Just about everything that comes out of a factory, i.e. supermarket packages, has unhealthy and artificial ingredients. This is such a bore. The whole point of snacking is to instantly gratify yourself! Yet it is true: be wary of what you are putting in your mouth. If it is in a package, it may not be healthy. If it is fresh, it probably is.

Brain Foods: Getting Fats & Liquids

Dr. Amen completes his list of 24 healthy foods you must have in your weekly diet. For more on his recommendations, look in his book, Making a Good Brain Great.

Fats
20. Avocados
21. Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
22. Olives
** Salmon (also listed under protein)
** Nuts and nut butter, especially walnuts, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, pecans and almonds (also listed under protein)

Liquids
23. Water
24. Green or black tea

Brain Foods: Complex Carbohydrates

Here's Dr. Amen's list of healthy carbs for your brain in the 6th step series. This is the middle part of his list of 24 healthy foods you should incorporate each week into your diet.

Complex Carbohydrates
9. Berries -- especially blueberries (brain berries), raspberries, strawberries, blackberries
10. Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit
11. Cherries
12. Peaches, plums
13. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
14. Oats, whole wheat, wheat germ -- oatmeal needs to be the long cooking kind as instant has a higher glycemic index since the manufacturer has broken down the fiber to speed cooking time and basically make it a refined carbohydrate. Same goes for bread, look for at least 3 grams of fiber. Remember unbleached wheat flour is white flour, it must say whole wheat.
15. Red or yellow peppers (much higher in Vitamin C than green peppers)
16. Pumpkin squash
17. Spinach -- works wonderfully as a salad, or a cooked vegetable, adds fiber and nutrients
18. Tomatoes
19. Yams
** Beans (also listed under proteins)

Healthy Brain Foods: The Proteins

Which proteins are particularly good for your brain? This list continues Dr. Amen's recommendations for step 6 in his series on promoting healthy brain through food and nutrition.

Lean Protein

1. Fish -- Salmon (especially Alaskan Salmon caught in the wild, farmed fish is not as rich in omega-3-fatty acids), tuna, mackerel, herring (also listed under fats)
2. Poultry -- chicken (skinless) and turkey (skinless)
3. Meat -- lean beef and pork
4. Eggs (enriched DHA eggs are best)
5. Tofu and soy products (whenever possible choose organically raised)
6. Dairy products -- low fat cheeses and cottage cheese, low fat sugar free yogurt and low fat or skim milk
7. Beans, especially garbanzo beans and lentils (also listed under carbohydrates)
8. Nuts and seeds, especially walnuts (also listed under fats) -- Great recipe: soak walnuts in water and sea salt overnight, drain and sprinkle with cinnamon (natural blood sugar balancer) and low roast 4 hours at 250 degrees -- makes them easier to digest.

Healthy Brain Foods: Think Rainbow

This is a great list of the best foods for your brain I have seen yet. Dr. Amen and his book Making a Good Brain Great have done the research for you; now it's up to you to eat right for a healthy brain. How hard can it be?

6. Pick Your Top 24 Healthy Foods and Put Them in Your Diet Every Week

In order for you to stick with a “brain healthy” calorie restricted nutritional plan you must have great choices. I am fond of the book Super Foods Rx by Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews. It lists 14 top food groups that are healthy and reasonable in calories.

I am going to add several other choices that are especially good for the brain. Choose between these 24 foods each week. They are healthy, low in calories, and help us reach the goals of consuming powerful antioxidants, lean protein, high fiber carbohydrates and good fat.

The American Cancer Society recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Mixing colors (eating from the rainbow) is a good way to think about healthy fruits and vegetables. Strive to eat red things (strawberries, raspberries, cherries, red peppers and tomatoes), yellow things (squash, yellow peppers, small portions of bananas and peaches), blue things (blueberries), purple things (plums), orange things (oranges, tangerines and yams), green things (peas, spinach and broccoli), etc.

Healthy Brain: Get Off the Fad Diets!

This 5th step from Dr. Amen is my favorite, because he tells it like it is, or should be, and puts fad diets in their place. It's all about balance if you want a healthy brain.

5. Balance Protein, Good Fats and Carbohydrates

Given the weight issues in my family, I have read many of the diet programs popular in America. Some I like a lot, others make me a little crazy. The idea of eating protein and fat only, avoiding most grains, fruits and vegetables may be a quick way to lose weight, but it is not a healthy long term way to eat for your body or your brain.

The best thing in my mind about the Atkins Diet and its many clones is that they get rid of most of the simple sugars in our diets. Diets high in refined sugars, such as the low fat diets of the past, encourage diabetes, tiredness, and cognitive impairment. Yet, to imply that bacon is a health food and that oranges and carrots are as bad as cake seems silly.

The more balanced diets, such as The Zone by Barry Sears, Sugarbusters by H. Leighton Steward and a group of Louisiana based physicians, the South Beach Diet by cardiologist Arthur Agatston, and Powerful Foods for Powerful Minds and Bodies by Rene Thomas make sense from a body and brain perspective.

The main principles to take away from these programs is that balance is essential, especially balancing proteins, good fats, and good carbohydrates. Having protein at each meal helps to balance blood sugar levels; adding lean meat, eggs, cheese, soy, or nuts to a snack or meal limits the fast absorption of carbohydrates and prevents the brain fog that goes with eating simple carbohydrates, such as donuts. At each meal or snack, try to get a balance of protein, high fiber carbohydrates, and fat.

Your Brain Needs Vitamins Too

This 4th step in eating for a healthy brain from Dr. Amen's book, Making a Good Brain Great, explains why you must eat your fruits and vegetables.

4. Lots of Dietary Antioxidants

A number of studies have shown that dietary intake of antioxidants from fruits and vegetables significantly reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment. The research was done because it was theorized that free radical formation plays a major role in the deterioration of the brain with age.

When a cell converts oxygen into energy, tiny molecules called free radicals are made. When produced in normal amounts, free radicals work to rid the body of harmful toxins, thereby keeping it healthy. When produced in toxic amounts, free radicals damage the body's cellular machinery, resulting in cell death and tissue damage.

This process is called oxidative stress. Vitamin E and Vitamin C and beta carotene inhibit the production of free radicals.

The Best Antioxidant Fruits and Vegetables (from the US Department of Agriculture): Blueberries, Blackberries, Cranberries, Strawberries, Spinach, Raspberries, Brussels sprouts, Plums, Broccoli, Beets, Avocados, Oranges, Red grapes, Red bell peppers, Cherries and Kiwis