- Are you experiencing depression or anxiety?
- Do you have brain fog or do you tire easily?
- Are you suffering from fatigue, burnout, unrestful sleep, or insomnia?
- Have you lost your zest for life or motivation?
If you have answered yes to most of these questions, it may suggest that your brain is not working optimally.
Modern processed diets, stressful lifestyle, poor sleep, lack of social connection, and environmental toxins can all take their toll on the brain and the body.
Maybe we do not yet connect how the behaviours and choices we make every day impact how we feel and our long-term health.
We may use stimulants like sugar, caffeine, and alcohol to medicate and support us through the day. Perhaps we struggle with sleep and social isolation or consistently make suboptimal dietary choices high in refined carbohydrates, synthetic trans-fats, and excitotoxins like artificial sweeteners and MSG.
All these behaviours are damaging to the body and the brain. They can impact our metabolic health, compromise mental well-being and reduce cognitive performance.
A key insight here is that the brain is inextricably connected to all the processes in the body and when these interconnected systems are out of balance, from blood sugar instability to thyroid dysfunction, the brain is extensively impacted.
The good news is that the brain is adaptable (neuroplastic) and can recover and heal when given the right conditions.
Don’t waste another day wondering why your brain is struggling.
Learn what you can do about it with these 5 strategies:
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Eat real food: Real food means whole, organic, fresh, local, and unprocessed food, which honours the way our bodies have evolved to expect the food to look, taste and feel. Such a diet, high in colourful fruits and vegetables, good quality protein and fats, contains powerful anti-inflammatory, detoxifying energy-boosting, and brain-powering properties.
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Eat good quality fat: Good quality fat is essential for the brain. In fact, 60 percent of the brain is made up of DHA – an omega-3 fat that you get from algae and marine sources. Embracing fat (even good saturated fats in avocados, grass-fed butter, coconut oil and MCT oil) can heal the neural pathways and enhance mental clarity.
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Beat the stress: Chronic stress has been shown to reduce the size of the brain, particularly the region called the hippocampus, responsible for recall and memory. Stress undermines the function of the thyroid gland and disrupts blood sugar. Stress management with yoga, meditative practices, or psychotherapy, can go a long way in supporting brain health.
- Community: We are creatures of community. Unfortunately, with the breakdown of the social structures that used to provide us with a sense of belonging, a lot of people are experiencing loneliness and isolation. Think of ways you can connect and support the brain with happy hormones. Hugs anyone?
- Avoid toxins: Eliminate sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, trans-fats, food additives and preservatives, all of which compromise the brain and disrupt its biochemistry. Another big culprit is gluten, found in wheat, rye, barley, as it can inflame the brain and result in tissue degeneration. With the support of a health practitioner, eliminating gluten from the diet can be easier than you think.
Please reach out to our clinical support team at info@mybrainco.com if you need more guidance and support in implementing these suggestions.
If you have given them a go, and still struggle with the symptoms, it is important to dig deeper. It could be heavy metal toxicity, chronic gut inflammation, dysbiosis, insulin resistance or thyroid dysfunction.