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Basic nutrients for a healthy brain

There are three basic nutrients, besides glucose, that are essential for good learning state. Fatty acids build your brain, amino acids help it communicate, and micronutrients protect it.

Fatty acids build your brain

Each neuron has an outer membrane or skin which defines the cell border. This membrane controls the flow of other materials into and out of the cell. It’s a thin double layer of special fats called lipids. These lipids come from fats in your diet.

Not all fats are bad for you! You need to include the right types of fat in your diet. There are two types of fat your brain needs, and which your body cannot produce from other sources. These fats must come directly from your food:

• Alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, part of the “omega-3” family of fatty acids. This is in flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, green leafy vegetables and sea vegetables. Animals that feed on sea vegetables, such as fish, also contain this nutrient.
• Linoleic acid or LA, part of the “omega-6” family of fatty acids. This is in expeller cold-pressed sunflower, safflower, corn, and sesame oils.

A good balance of essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is important. A good ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids is 1:1, however many western diets contain ratios like 1:20 or higher. This poor ratio is because western diets typically contain high amounts of meat and dairy products, and other omega-6 fatty acids are in these foods. Vegetable oils, like sunflower oil, are increasingly used in fried foods as well.

Change your meat consumption to sometimes include fish. This will help balance out your omega-3 to omega-6 intake. The best fish are high-fat, cold-water varieties like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and trout. Be aware of possible contaminants in your source of fish, and avoid eating the skin. Also, consider reducing your intake of other meats and food fried in oil.

If you choose to use an omega-3 supplement such as fish oil or flax seed oil, be aware that these are sensitive to light and air oxidation. Buy these products refrigerated and in small quantities. Try to use them quickly.

Amino acids connect your brain

The brain stores longer-term memories in the many connections between neurons. While the electrical signal flows through the neuron, it does not jump directly into the receiving neurons. Rather, the electrical signal stimulates the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters, and these pass (or inhibit) the signal to the receiving neurons. These neurotransmitters are essential to the memory and learning process. Yet again, the food you eat every day influences these important chemicals. This time the important nutrients are proteins.

Like fatty acids, there are many varieties of protein. These are “amino acids.” There are eight essential amino acids. The body cannot make these acids and so they must come from your daily food intake. Thankfully though, you don’t need to keep track of all eight. What you do need to be aware of are the two forms of protein—complete and incomplete proteins.

• Complete proteins contain ample amounts of all eight essential amino acids. Fish, meat, eggs, cheese and yoghurt are examples of complete proteins. If you regularly consume these foods, it’s likely you are getting enough essential amino acids.
• Incomplete Proteins only contain some of the amino acids. This includes grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. Correct combinations of these foods can result in proper consumption of all these amino acids, and traditional diets may contain these correct combinations (such as rice and beans together).  If you are a vegetarian, make sure that you are getting the complete set of amino acids.

Micronutrients protect your brain

The use of oxygen in cells also creates unstable bits of oxygen (and other materials) called “free radicals.” Free radicals want to link with other materials to become stable again. Unfortunately, by doing so, they often cause chemical reactions that damage cells. Some theories suggest that ageing is no more than the continuous build-up of damage caused by free radicals.

Above I mentioned the brain uses much oxygen. It can sometimes use more than twenty percent of the body’s intake. This high use of oxygen makes the brain more susceptible to free radical damage.

Naturally, the body has a form of defense against these free radicals, and these are anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants appear more attractive to a free radical than say part of a cell. Anti-oxidants sacrifice themselves to prevent a free radical from damaging your cells. This makes the free radical harmless.

You want to have plenty of anti-oxidants in your body to neutralize these free radicals. Key anti-oxidants include Vitamin E, Vitamin C, glutathione, coenzyme Q10, and lipoic acid.

Again your diet has a big influence on the levels of anti-oxidants in your body. Try to get these from natural foods first. Vegetables and fruit are the best source. You may also want to do more research on anti-oxidant and super-anti-oxidant supplements. This area is receiving much interest at present.