The brain is arguably our most important organ. Give it good support, and you will think sharply, have good mood and focus, and have good vision (what's good for the brain is good for the eyes) into your latest and best years!
Omega 3 Fats, Water
Your brain is mostly water, by weight, so being well hydrated is key for good brain health. Consume 2- 4 litres of pure clean water and or herbal teas daily for optimum health and brain function. I drink water from huge galss jugs, delivered from Cedar Springs, here in Toronto. It's from nearby Caledon area, which is some of the best groundwater in the world. Cedar Springs is 416.798.7675. If you say I referred you, they'll give me a little bonus action, which is always nice. My customer number is 51979. They also deliver in plastic, but I stick with glass. I don't like water dispensers; I just put the big jug on my counter and tip it to pour. Simple.
Omega 3 fats are second only to water in the make-up of the brain. We need to get all of our omega 3 fats from our diet or supplements, since our bodies cannot make them. The most well known omega 3 fats for brain function are EPA and DHA, but LNA, from a stable source like sage is also healthy.
Krill oil is unique in that it is the only omega 3 supplement that contains phosphorylated omega 3 fats. Your body needs to phosphorylate omega 3's you consume from other sources in order to be maximally useful for brain function. And krill oil fats already are, so they are ready to go. I use doses of 3-5 grams usually of either cod liver or sage seed oil daily.
Here I will say that MOST fish oils are NOT cold processed, especially the big names.
Lately I have been into Green Pastures or Rosita virgin cod liver oil. I also consume sage seed oil which is several times more stable than flax oil, yet loaded with omega 3's, in the form of a "parent fat", linolenic acid (LNA). I use Nature Sage sage seed oil - see my shop page for more on that.
Omega 3 fats are unstable, chemically and physically. Adding a good amount of stable fats to your diet measurably improves brain health and longevity. The most stable fat is the fat-burning, heart health building saturated superstar, coconut oil. I personally am sure to consume more saturates like coconut oil, organic butter and organic meat fat than omega 3's or 6's. See the Fats page on my site for more on that.
Since the brain is unstable, having generous amounts of antioxidants in the diet also measurably aids brain health. Load up on fruits, and vegetables, both excellent sources of anti-oxidants, as well as dark beans, which are also very, very good sources.
For a complete list of the antioxidants I take as supplements, see the anti-ageing page on my site, under the "antioxidants" header.
Stress
Much more available on stress and anxiety specifically on my "anxiety, depression" page
Stress raises levels of cortisol, which is bad for your brain and also adrenaline and noradrenaline, all of which are severely damaging to the brain when levels are elevated chronically. If you feel stressed, be sure to consume plenty of anti-stress nutrients like magnesium and vitamin C. I take 500 to 700mg of magnesium daily because it actually lowers stress hormones. That makes you feel nice :-). Ditto for C; I take about 5000mg per day. Not 500, but 5000. Read more on the anti aging and also detox pages about that.
De-stress! your life depends on it;
-do some yoga
-lift some weights
-walk in a green area (seeing greenery lowers our stress level perception and stress hormone levels)
-have sex
-close your eyes, rub your temples and breathe slowly and deeply
-hug someone
-tell someone you care
-say "I love you"
-make yourself a nice hot tea
-have a "staycation" of a day or more if you need it
-write a 30 minute break in your schedule to hide and be lazy
-pray to your creator and give thanks
-know that you are a spirit, having a human experience which will soon be over (life is short)
Herbs
Saint Johnswort is a wonderful herb for the brain and Ginkgo Biloba is a great all around tonic, probably worthwhile for everyone to take who wants to supports their brain. My preferred brand for Ginkgo is definitely Kroeger. The Himalaya company sells Ayurvedic formula herbal pills in Canada and they make a wonderful brain tonic, called Mentat. I also like their Stresscare formula.
Drugs
Many drugs are brutal on the brain. Steer clear at any cost from cocaine, crack, K, meth, and MDMA. The ultra stimulants like cocaine are the worst.
Marijuana is non toxic to your brain, though it may be toxic to your ambition and motivation. G (gamma hydroxy butyrate) is non toxic to the brain, according to Karch's definitive work on drugs.
MDMA (Ecstasy, E) burns out receptors, particularly serotonin receptors which is bad news for brain function.
Be nice to your brain. If you feel like you need a drug, have one or two drinks of alcohol. Or perhaps use cannabis, but judiciously, only rarely.
Alcohol
The more time goes by, the more beneficial things I hear about moderate alcohol consumption and health, the latest being evidence that it helps to protect the brain from aging degeneration. Moderate means 1 to 2 drinks a day, meaning 1.5- 3 oz hard licquor or 1- 2 glasses of wine (5 oz which is a fairly small glass) or 1- 2 beers. More than that definitely hurts your brain, so never drink more than 2 drinks in one day and you're on the road to some brain protection, as well as reduced heart disease and stroke.
Vitamins
I would say that a good B complex, vitamin C and E, as well as magnesium, zinc, selenium and manganese are particularly important and beneficial brain nutrients.
I take
Every day except fasting days.
Omega 3 Fats, Water
Your brain is mostly water, by weight, so being well hydrated is key for good brain health. Consume 2- 4 litres of pure clean water and or herbal teas daily for optimum health and brain function. I drink water from huge galss jugs, delivered from Cedar Springs, here in Toronto. It's from nearby Caledon area, which is some of the best groundwater in the world. Cedar Springs is 416.798.7675. If you say I referred you, they'll give me a little bonus action, which is always nice. My customer number is 51979. They also deliver in plastic, but I stick with glass. I don't like water dispensers; I just put the big jug on my counter and tip it to pour. Simple.
Omega 3 fats are second only to water in the make-up of the brain. We need to get all of our omega 3 fats from our diet or supplements, since our bodies cannot make them. The most well known omega 3 fats for brain function are EPA and DHA, but LNA, from a stable source like sage is also healthy.
Krill oil is unique in that it is the only omega 3 supplement that contains phosphorylated omega 3 fats. Your body needs to phosphorylate omega 3's you consume from other sources in order to be maximally useful for brain function. And krill oil fats already are, so they are ready to go. I use doses of 3-5 grams usually of either cod liver or sage seed oil daily.
Here I will say that MOST fish oils are NOT cold processed, especially the big names.
Lately I have been into Green Pastures or Rosita virgin cod liver oil. I also consume sage seed oil which is several times more stable than flax oil, yet loaded with omega 3's, in the form of a "parent fat", linolenic acid (LNA). I use Nature Sage sage seed oil - see my shop page for more on that.
Omega 3 fats are unstable, chemically and physically. Adding a good amount of stable fats to your diet measurably improves brain health and longevity. The most stable fat is the fat-burning, heart health building saturated superstar, coconut oil. I personally am sure to consume more saturates like coconut oil, organic butter and organic meat fat than omega 3's or 6's. See the Fats page on my site for more on that.
Since the brain is unstable, having generous amounts of antioxidants in the diet also measurably aids brain health. Load up on fruits, and vegetables, both excellent sources of anti-oxidants, as well as dark beans, which are also very, very good sources.
For a complete list of the antioxidants I take as supplements, see the anti-ageing page on my site, under the "antioxidants" header.
Stress
Much more available on stress and anxiety specifically on my "anxiety, depression" page
Stress raises levels of cortisol, which is bad for your brain and also adrenaline and noradrenaline, all of which are severely damaging to the brain when levels are elevated chronically. If you feel stressed, be sure to consume plenty of anti-stress nutrients like magnesium and vitamin C. I take 500 to 700mg of magnesium daily because it actually lowers stress hormones. That makes you feel nice :-). Ditto for C; I take about 5000mg per day. Not 500, but 5000. Read more on the anti aging and also detox pages about that.
De-stress! your life depends on it;
-do some yoga
-lift some weights
-walk in a green area (seeing greenery lowers our stress level perception and stress hormone levels)
-have sex
-close your eyes, rub your temples and breathe slowly and deeply
-hug someone
-tell someone you care
-say "I love you"
-make yourself a nice hot tea
-have a "staycation" of a day or more if you need it
-write a 30 minute break in your schedule to hide and be lazy
-pray to your creator and give thanks
-know that you are a spirit, having a human experience which will soon be over (life is short)
Herbs
Saint Johnswort is a wonderful herb for the brain and Ginkgo Biloba is a great all around tonic, probably worthwhile for everyone to take who wants to supports their brain. My preferred brand for Ginkgo is definitely Kroeger. The Himalaya company sells Ayurvedic formula herbal pills in Canada and they make a wonderful brain tonic, called Mentat. I also like their Stresscare formula.
Drugs
Many drugs are brutal on the brain. Steer clear at any cost from cocaine, crack, K, meth, and MDMA. The ultra stimulants like cocaine are the worst.
Marijuana is non toxic to your brain, though it may be toxic to your ambition and motivation. G (gamma hydroxy butyrate) is non toxic to the brain, according to Karch's definitive work on drugs.
MDMA (Ecstasy, E) burns out receptors, particularly serotonin receptors which is bad news for brain function.
Be nice to your brain. If you feel like you need a drug, have one or two drinks of alcohol. Or perhaps use cannabis, but judiciously, only rarely.
Alcohol
The more time goes by, the more beneficial things I hear about moderate alcohol consumption and health, the latest being evidence that it helps to protect the brain from aging degeneration. Moderate means 1 to 2 drinks a day, meaning 1.5- 3 oz hard licquor or 1- 2 glasses of wine (5 oz which is a fairly small glass) or 1- 2 beers. More than that definitely hurts your brain, so never drink more than 2 drinks in one day and you're on the road to some brain protection, as well as reduced heart disease and stroke.
Vitamins
I would say that a good B complex, vitamin C and E, as well as magnesium, zinc, selenium and manganese are particularly important and beneficial brain nutrients.
I take
- 5000mg vit C
- 400- 800iu vit E
- 500- 700mg Mg
- 5-10mg of Mn
- 200- 400mcg Se
- 30- 50mg Zn.
Every day except fasting days.
Focus better, whether or not you have ADD/ ADHD
B complex and omega 3's are absolutely essential for focus and a lack of them would definitely impair focus and even cause ADD! Now, if those are being done already and more improvement is desired, a look at the overall diet is in order, or at least eating better. See my eating right for dummies page.
Blood sugar powerfully affects brain function. To ensure your blood sugar is stable, AVOID sugary drinks and artificial sweeteners. And eat a good source of protein every 3-4 hours max! Going longer will cause blood sugar wonkiness and therefore brain wonkiness!
As a success story, I had a student at George Brown where I teach who did quite poorly in her first test and complained to me that she had trouble focusing and also remembering. I suggested a tablespoon of Nutra Sea fish oil daily, and on her next test she got mid-70's, an over 20% improvement! And she reported feeling more focused and noticing better memory.
Heavy Metals
The brain and kidneys attract and hold heavy metals. Bad news if you want good brain function. Avoid heavy metals in any way you know how, including never ever getting metal in your mouth. Mercury fillings are brutal sources of mercury and other toxic metals. If you have them, seek out a natural-minded Dentist who can remove and replace them intelligently, without exposing you during the elimination process to toxic mercury vapours. Cook with glass or ceramic pots. I do, and they are wonderful (except when I dropped one and it smashed into a thousand pieces, lol).
We have other sources of toxic metals in our lives- so simplify your life, see the body care page on this site and visit the heavy metal detox page to find out how you can flush heavy metals out of your system so your brain can be more clear and more healthy!
B complex and omega 3's are absolutely essential for focus and a lack of them would definitely impair focus and even cause ADD! Now, if those are being done already and more improvement is desired, a look at the overall diet is in order, or at least eating better. See my eating right for dummies page.
Blood sugar powerfully affects brain function. To ensure your blood sugar is stable, AVOID sugary drinks and artificial sweeteners. And eat a good source of protein every 3-4 hours max! Going longer will cause blood sugar wonkiness and therefore brain wonkiness!
As a success story, I had a student at George Brown where I teach who did quite poorly in her first test and complained to me that she had trouble focusing and also remembering. I suggested a tablespoon of Nutra Sea fish oil daily, and on her next test she got mid-70's, an over 20% improvement! And she reported feeling more focused and noticing better memory.
Heavy Metals
The brain and kidneys attract and hold heavy metals. Bad news if you want good brain function. Avoid heavy metals in any way you know how, including never ever getting metal in your mouth. Mercury fillings are brutal sources of mercury and other toxic metals. If you have them, seek out a natural-minded Dentist who can remove and replace them intelligently, without exposing you during the elimination process to toxic mercury vapours. Cook with glass or ceramic pots. I do, and they are wonderful (except when I dropped one and it smashed into a thousand pieces, lol).
We have other sources of toxic metals in our lives- so simplify your life, see the body care page on this site and visit the heavy metal detox page to find out how you can flush heavy metals out of your system so your brain can be more clear and more healthy!
Anxiety
Anxiety is associated with increased blood lactate - slow down breathing, with complete close-to-100% exhalations to reduce blood lactates. Try counting to seven in your head for your exhale and 7 for your inhale then 7 for a breath hold, then repeat. really takes the edge off a panic state.
Also noticed in blood chemistry in a panic/ anxious state is lower magnesium.
Magnesium is your mineral Messiah if you have panic or anxiety! I am serious! Get bisglycinate by Trophic or CanPrev or the citrate by Inno-Vite. they are all awesome magnesiums, and take 200- 300 twice a day. That's what I would do; so that's 400- 600mg daily. Natural Calm powder form magnesium is good too, but I find it gives me loose stools if I take more than just a bit. The previous mentioned forms have always been fine with my gut.
GABA is another supplement you can safely take, any time as often as you wish that does calm the nerves. An anxious student of mine who tried magnesium and felt she wanted more on top of that tried GABA and reported that along with magnesium, she felt great relief. I'd dose 500mg or more as often as needed. You may find GABA in a powdered form, which is fine- 1/4 teaspoon, as needed.
Anxiety is associated with increased blood lactate - slow down breathing, with complete close-to-100% exhalations to reduce blood lactates. Try counting to seven in your head for your exhale and 7 for your inhale then 7 for a breath hold, then repeat. really takes the edge off a panic state.
Also noticed in blood chemistry in a panic/ anxious state is lower magnesium.
Magnesium is your mineral Messiah if you have panic or anxiety! I am serious! Get bisglycinate by Trophic or CanPrev or the citrate by Inno-Vite. they are all awesome magnesiums, and take 200- 300 twice a day. That's what I would do; so that's 400- 600mg daily. Natural Calm powder form magnesium is good too, but I find it gives me loose stools if I take more than just a bit. The previous mentioned forms have always been fine with my gut.
GABA is another supplement you can safely take, any time as often as you wish that does calm the nerves. An anxious student of mine who tried magnesium and felt she wanted more on top of that tried GABA and reported that along with magnesium, she felt great relief. I'd dose 500mg or more as often as needed. You may find GABA in a powdered form, which is fine- 1/4 teaspoon, as needed.
Stroke
Stroke is caused by an interruption in blood flow to a part of the brain (usually from a clot stuck in an artery) or a ruptured brain blood vessel (hemorrhagic). Women and men are both susceptible to stroke, with too many in their 40's dying from this unpredictable and often quickly fatal disease.A stroke can also be short, and resolve itself, usually from a clot which becomes lodged in a brain artery and then either quickly dissolves or moves back into circulation, hopefully filtered out by the spleen or liver. Those are the lucky cases.
There are things I do in my daily health regimen which have a "side effect" of powerfully preventing ever getting a stroke. I take magnesium, ginkgo and vitamin E all of which help prevent blood clots. The high doses of vitamin C I take daily helps strengthen my blood vessels, optimising their function. Blood vessels are alive and actively dilate and contract to aid and regulate blood circulation. Vitamin C and other antioxidants help them function well. of course my intense exercise habit probably goes the longest way in my health and freedom from disease. Some athletes have been known to inexplicably drop dead from a heart or vascular incident, which i discuss in my sports nutrition pages, which I suspect is caused at least in part by our societal profound magnesium deficiency, which athletes are at higher risk of.
Stroke is caused by an interruption in blood flow to a part of the brain (usually from a clot stuck in an artery) or a ruptured brain blood vessel (hemorrhagic). Women and men are both susceptible to stroke, with too many in their 40's dying from this unpredictable and often quickly fatal disease.A stroke can also be short, and resolve itself, usually from a clot which becomes lodged in a brain artery and then either quickly dissolves or moves back into circulation, hopefully filtered out by the spleen or liver. Those are the lucky cases.
There are things I do in my daily health regimen which have a "side effect" of powerfully preventing ever getting a stroke. I take magnesium, ginkgo and vitamin E all of which help prevent blood clots. The high doses of vitamin C I take daily helps strengthen my blood vessels, optimising their function. Blood vessels are alive and actively dilate and contract to aid and regulate blood circulation. Vitamin C and other antioxidants help them function well. of course my intense exercise habit probably goes the longest way in my health and freedom from disease. Some athletes have been known to inexplicably drop dead from a heart or vascular incident, which i discuss in my sports nutrition pages, which I suspect is caused at least in part by our societal profound magnesium deficiency, which athletes are at higher risk of.
BRAIN SUPPLEMENTS
Antioxidants are massively effective at supporting brain health and function every day, as well as slowing, preventing and possibly even reversing deterioration and brain ageing. Particularly well proven are vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as fruit and vegetable intake, in human research. Zinc or Magnesium deficiency can cause depression and sub par brain function. Lithium, which I explain in greater detail on the Anti-ageing page holds a lot of promise as a mineral brain tonic.
Part of my personal supplement health program which happens to be wonderful for the brain includes;
vitamin C 4000 mg (yes, 4 grams)
vitamin E 400- 800 iu
Zinc 30- 50 mg
Magnesium 400 mg
Lithium 75 mg
Boron 3-10 mg
Iodine 500 mcg
note that Iodine and Boron help remove toxic fluoride from the brain and body.
Antioxidants are massively effective at supporting brain health and function every day, as well as slowing, preventing and possibly even reversing deterioration and brain ageing. Particularly well proven are vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as fruit and vegetable intake, in human research. Zinc or Magnesium deficiency can cause depression and sub par brain function. Lithium, which I explain in greater detail on the Anti-ageing page holds a lot of promise as a mineral brain tonic.
Part of my personal supplement health program which happens to be wonderful for the brain includes;
vitamin C 4000 mg (yes, 4 grams)
vitamin E 400- 800 iu
Zinc 30- 50 mg
Magnesium 400 mg
Lithium 75 mg
Boron 3-10 mg
Iodine 500 mcg
note that Iodine and Boron help remove toxic fluoride from the brain and body.
