“Healthful whole foods improve our brain function as well.” — Marilu Henner
Affirmation: Today I will make mindful plant-based food choices, knowing that what I eat not only fuels my body, but has a direct impact on my mood and mental clarity as well.
Smarter Food Choices = A Smarter Brain
When Optimum Health Institute (OHI) opened its doors 40 years ago, the raw, organic plant-based diet at the heart of the holistic healing program was widely viewed with skepticism. Today, scientists, medical doctors and nutritionists agree OHI has the recipe not only for a healthy body, but also for a healthy brain.
Adhering to a food plan of mostly vegetables, seeds and nuts, with very limited animal products, sugar and saturated fat, is shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 53%. Here are some of the healthiest food choices to protect and nourish your brain:
Underneath that dimpled green skin, the flesh of the avocado serves up both vitamin K and folate, helping to prevent strokes while improving memory and concentration. Their high monosaturated fat – the good kind – helps keep blood sugar levels in balance, and gives your skin a healthy glow. They’re also high in protein.
Consider making beets a regular addition to your meals. While they boost blood flow to the brain, they also reduce inflammation and raise performance levels.
As a garnish, in a smoothie, or just by the handful, blueberries are hard to beat. This delicious super food packs in more antioxidants than nearly any other vegetable or fruit. With high levels of gallic acid, blueberries are especially good at keeping our brains stress-free and high-functioning.
To keep your memory sharp and fill up on healthy fiber, choose broccoli . Just one cup serves up 150% of your minimum daily requirement of vitamin C, too.
For a vegetable that uses more calories to chew than it has in a whole stalk, celery is a nutritional powerhouse. Besides bursting with vitamins, minerals and nutrients, celery is loaded with high levels of antioxidants and polysaccharides, natural anti-inflammatories that help alleviate symptoms related to inflammation, like joint pain and irritable bowel syndrome.
Leafy greens help keep dementia at bay with vitamins A and K. A single cup of kale has more than 684 percent of your recommended daily serving! Those are the vitamins you require to fight inflammation and keep bones strong
Just a few walnuts a day provide high levels of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals for mental alertness. The vitamin E in the nuts can also help ward off Alzheimer’s.
Boost your brain health with a week, or two, or ideally three, at the Optimum Health Institute holistic healing missions in San Diego and Austin, Texas. Come help us celebrate 40 Years of Holistic Healing with special OHI Summer Retreat savings. Visit our website at www.optimumhealth.org , and call us at (800) 993-4325 to make your reservation.
