When we eat right and exercise we know we are improving our physique but does it really make that much of a difference in our brains? The answer is YES! Choosing the right fuel for our brains is as important as choosing the right foods for weight loss and a healthy heart. Our brain accounts for 2% of our body weight but uses roughly 20% of our daily calories to function. When the brain is given the right fats and nutrition it will perform optimally, stave off depression and effectivly calculate it’s daily tasks. B-vitamins and Omega3 fats are the key ingrediants to a healthy brain. B vitamins can be found in eggs, brown rice, leafy greens, mushrooms, beef, avocados, nuts, seeds etc. Omega3 fats can be found in cold water fish especially sardines and salmon (wild-caught, please), olive oil, avocado and alfalfa. Pregnant women, children and people recovering from TBI’s (traumatic brain injuries) should pay special attention to their intake of these nutrients especially because the reconnection of neurons is essential to brain development and recovery. This is also good advice for students and most people who want to walk around with a clear head instead of a cloudy one. Remember, your body is like a car. You drive it around all day long and if you put the right fuel in your tank you’ll be able to go for miles and miles!
Posts Tagged ‘pregnancy’
Feeding the Brain
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010How Can It Be That Spending More for Your Vitamins Can Cost You Less
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010By Wilma Young
I had a pregnant client in the store today to get her fish oil supplements. She proceeded to tell me how tired she is (of course, who wouldn’t be when you are 2 weeks away from delivering) and her eyesight has been blurry. She asked her doctor about the blurry vision and he said “it was because of the baby taking all of the vitamins and nutrients from her body for it’s own growth”. I agree that this is what the baby needs right now but not at the expense of Mom’s eyesight. I asked if she was taking her prenatal vitamins and she said yes but she was using a drug store vitamin. Hearing this made me concerned for her and for the baby knowing that the cheap vitamin will not break down well, provide inferior nutrients and basically become “bedpan bullets”. This is not the foundation to a healthy and happy baby! In my usual mischievous tone I asked her why she would be using such poor quality vitamins and a high quality fish oil supplement. “I need to save money right now and thought the fish oil was more important to spend the money on”. “I completely empathize with your economic ordeal but the drug store vitamin isn’t giving you what you and the baby need. You HAVE to invest in the health of your baby AND you and skimping on vitamins right now is not the way to go. Spending the money now to help your baby develop his brain and body is like saving for his college fund. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The only time you will have 100% control over what he ingests is right now while he is inside of you, Let’s look at the cost!” We then went to the Prenatal Vitamin packs from Metagenics to calculate the dollars. The packets have the fish oil (which she was already going to buy), the multi vitamin and the added bonuses of choline, calcium/magnesium and added DHA, critical to brain development. Taking into consideration the drug store vitamin cost and the fish oil she was already going to buy the difference came out to @ $5.00. This didn’t take in to account the extra nutrition she was getting in the packets with the added DHA etc. “Isn’t it imperative for your own mental and physical health during this phenomenal and monumental time to invest the extra $5.00? You and your baby’s body and mind are worth it! Cutting cost now will only make you pay dearly in the future”.
Isn’t our next generation worth the investment.? Can we change our world by bringing healthier children into it? I say Yes!! What do you say?
P.S. She did start on the Metagenics Prenatal vitamins…who wouldn’t after a badgering like that!