There are several foods classified as brain foods that enhance your brain performance. They increase the blood flow to the brain and provide nutritional value. On the other side of the spectrum, there are foods that have a negative effect on your brain. Bad food provides little to no nutritional value, and decrease, if not kill, brain cells.
Foods that are bad for the health of your brain are also terrible for your body. Not only can certain foods cause mental health problems, they can manifest other health-related conditions, such as:Â
§        Obesity
§        Type 2 Diabetes
§        Dental Problems
§        Heart Disease
Clogging arteries will naturally decrease the blood flow to the brain, so foods high on the glycemic index that slow down the natural flow of blood to the brain, and fill the arteries with fat, are extremely harmful to the heart and the brain.
Your brain absorbs 20% of all carbohydrates that you take in. It prefers a steady stream of blood sugars without interruptions or extreme changes. Healthy brain foods do not make your body “crash and burn†from temporary sugar spikes (candy bars, sugar loaded food and drinks). They help to maintain a steady and balanced absorption of blood sugars in the pancreas and prevent this effect. Although they may give a temporary “feel good†burst of initial energy, the big fluctuations in your blood sugar is not healthy. Sugar highs lead to sugar lows, and the roller coaster of rapidly changing imbalances cause chemical imbalances in the brain – leading to agitation, sleepiness, depression, etc.
Foods that are bad for the body are usually bad for brain development as well, and they include:
§        Alcohol
§        Tobacco
§        High refined sugar content
§        White Flour
§        Trans Fat and Polyunsaturated Fat
§        Salt
§        Numerous food additives – such as monosodium glutamate and tartrazine
§        Lack fiber, vitamins and other healthy minerals
§        Hydrogenated fats – clog arteries
§        Artificial sweeteners, flavorings, and colorings
Nicotine is included on the list, although it is not a food, because it cuts-off and restricts blood flow to the brain, and restricts the healthy flow of oxygen and glucose. It also tightens your capillaries, which are essential to the delivery of blood and healthy nutrients to your neurotransmitters (messenger cells that allow brain cells and healthy nutrients to interact and communicate with each other).
You need to realize that what you eat affects your brain as well as your overall body. You don’t need to memorize a list of bad foods. You simply have to be conscious of what you are eating and your food choices.
This is Ron White, two-time USA Memory Champion , memory training expert, and memory keynote speaker. I encourage you to take a look at what you are eating in order to put your body and brain in a healthy place.
Sources:
4Mind4Life – Brain Foods: List of Bad Brain Foods: http://4mind4life.com/blog/2008/07/19/brain-foods-list-of-bad-brain-foods/