EAT SMART: how to eat to improve brain function

Do you want to feel more energised? How about more resilient to stress? The answer could be as simple as changing your diet. We explore how nutrition can help to improve energy, mood, cognitive performance and even sleep.

‘Nutrition provides the building blocks and fuel for our brain, as well as our bodies’ (1)

The brain may only account for 2% of your body weight however it is the most energy hungry organ in the body and uses 20-30% of the calories you consume and 20% of the body’s oxygen. It is very sensitive to shortfalls in energy caused by blood sugar imbalances, nutrient deficiencies and toxins (2). Eating the right foods and boosting your intake of certain nutrients can help increase your energy reserves, leaving you better equipped to deal with the challenges of modern life.

Balance blood sugar to boost energy (3)

• Eat three meals a day and don’t skip breakfast - this will help you keep your blood sugar even. Blood sugar dips either from not eating or immediately after the ‘sugar high’ that comes from eating something too sweet or starchy.

• Eat protein with every meal – this will increase satiety and sustain your energy levels throughout the day. Good examples of quality proteins are eggs, yoghurt, salmon or kippers with breakfast, and meat, fish, dairy foods, soya, grains or legumes for lunch and dinner.

• Choose slow-releasing carbohydrates over refined foods – avoid processed and refined foods and opt for brown rice, wholegrain bread, quinoa and oatcakes.

• Reduce your dependence on stimulants – such as coffee, tea, fizzy drinks, energy drinks and cigarettes. Rather than giving you energy, these deplete energy over time, and contribute to blood sugar imbalances.

• Have healthy snacks to hand – if you have an energy dip, avoid sugar-loaded treats and opt for energy-sustaining fresh fruit and nuts, oatcakes with cheese, nut butter, paté or hummus, natural yoghurt and berries, or a sugar-free protein bar.

Optimise nutrition to enhance brain function

‘You are what you eat’

Studies have shown that healthy diet interventions (increasing intake of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, good quality protein, dairy, fish, nuts seeds, and olive oil and decreasing refined carbohydrates, sugar, fatty or processed meats and soft drinks) can reduce the symptoms of depression in as little as 3 weeks (4).

Sugar is very damaging to the brain

Excessive sugar intake is associated with mental health issues including anxiety, depression, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, slow cognitive function, aggressive behaviour and insomnia. If you remove all processed, high sugar foods from your diet (including artificial sweeteners) and replace them with unprocessed, real, natural whole foods you will be doing your brain (and your body) a huge favour (5).

The more antioxidants you eat, the better chance your brain has of staying healthy.

Antioxidants are molecules that prevent oxidative stress (the ageing process that occurs naturally in the body, but which is also sped up by daily exposure to pollution, stress, inflammation and poor diet). They are mainly found in abundance in colourful vegetables and fruit, as well as dark chocolate (1).

Fat is not the enemy

Our brains are made up of 60% fat, so fat is an important component of our diets. Eating and cooking with good quality fats, such as those high in omega-3, helps to support healthy brain function. Omega-3 rich foods include oily fish (mackerel, herring, sardines, wild salmon), linseeds, walnuts and their oils (6),

Stay hydrated

As water accounts for 75% of brain mass, dehydration can have an adverse effect on cognitive performance and mood. Aim to drink 1 - 2 litres of water per day not including tea, coffee and alcohol which are diuretics (7).

Increase levels of Vitamin D, the ‘sunshine vitamin’

Adequate levels of vitamin D are an important factor in maintaining cognition during ageing. Although the sun is by far the best natural source of vitamin D, fish (tuna, sardines mackerel, salmon), shitake mushrooms and egg yolk all contain vitamin D (8) (9).

Aside from nutrition, mental wellbeing is dependent on many other factors, such as lifestyle, sleep, exercise and genetics, so it’s important to take all of these into consideration on your journey to improving mood and cognitive function (1).

Prioritise sleep to support brain health

Studies have shown that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with cognitive impairment and that the less sleep is obtained, the more cognitive performance is reduced (10).

Aside from having a good sleep routine, magnesium, also known as ‘nature’s tranquiliser’, helps our muscles to relax and promotes sleep (11). Unfortunately, many of us are deficient in this important mineral. Magnesium can be found in foods such as green leafy vegetables, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sesame seeds, black beans and avocados (1).

References

(1)    Brain Bio Centre, 2020. Ten Foods to Boost Mental Health. Brainbiocentre.com [online]. Available at: https://brainbiocentre.com/

(2)    Pei, L and Wallace, DC, 2018. Mitochondrial etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Biological psychiatry, 83(9), pp. 722-730

(3)    Food for the Brain, 2012. Action plan for becoming more resilient to stress. Foodforthebrain.org [online]. Available at: https://www.foodforthebrain.org/nutrition-solutions/stress/

(4)    Francis, HM, Stevenson, RJ, Chambers, JR et al, 2019. A brief diet intervention can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults – a randomised control trial. PloS one, 14(10), p.e0222768

(5)    Jacka, FN, Cherbuin, N, Anstey KJ et al, 2015. Western diet is associated with a smaller hippocampus: a longitudinal investigation. BMC medicine, 13(1), pp.215

(6)    Amen Clinics, 2020. About your brain. Amenclincs.com [online]. Available at: https://www.amenclinics.com/the-science/about-your-brain/

(7)    Zhang, N, Du, SM, Zhang, JF and Ma GS, 2019.  Effects of Dehydration and Rehydration on Cognitive Performance and Mood among Male College Students in Cangzhou, China: A Self-Controlled Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 29, 16(11), pii: E1891.

(8)    Pearce, SHS and Cheetham, TD, 2010. Diagnosis and management of vitamin D deficiency, BMJ. 340, pp. 142-147

(9)    Anjum, I, Jaffery, SS, Fayyaz et al, 2018. The Role of Vitamin D in Brain Health: A Mini Literature Review. Cureus, 10(7), e2960.

(10)Alhola, P and Polo-Kantola, P, 2007. Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance. Neuropsychiatric Disease Treatment, 3(5), pp.553–567

(11)Eby, GA et al, 2011. Magnesium and the central nervous system, University of Adelaide Press, Adelaide