Brain Power Super Foods

Brain Power Foods for Success!

Article by Lyn Craven-Naturopath - Bondi Sydney NSW

Success in anything starts with what you eat.  You need Energy and Drive for Success!

If you don’t eat the right foods on a regular basis your energy levels will be depleted, you will experience mood swings, bowel problems and your over all health will begin to suffer in a myriad of ways.

I like to simplify my assessments of people when they come to see me and bring them back to basics.  Natural foods work wonders on our health and well-being!  A food that is healthy may not necessarily be appropriate for each person so correct assessment will allow me to ascertain which foods are beneficial for your individual health.

Each person presents with their unique profile so any remedies that are administered may differ from person to person. Herbal remedies are always incorporated into a new eating regime.  I encourage everyone to find out their blood type and I then draw on a number of healing modalities, such as Polarity food principles, Galenical Principles used by the old herbalists, looking at the four elements and whether the person is sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic or melancholic, I also focus on Ayurvedic Energetics and take into consideration the different constitutional types such as Vata, Kapha and Pitta.

These modalities offer me a broader perspective in formulating not only your remedies but suggesting the right foods for you.

On some occasions Live Blood Analysis and Allergy Testing maybe required to ascertain the level of disharmony that is present.

If you suffer from:
Bloating, Pain, Discomfort, Flatulence, Diarrhea, Constipation, Reflux, Burping, Itching, Skin Problems, Allergies, Thrush, Candida.

And, if you find yourself with the following habits:

Eating irregularly, eating when you’re upset, drinking excess water, tea or other drinks with meals, eating sugary foods and drinks to gain more energy, eating even though you are full, eating too fast, eating the wrong foods, eating whilst you are reading/working/watching TV.

Do you feel rundown – and take frequent time off work, lack energy, experience poor concentration, anxiety, feel stressed, feel depressed, sleep problems, irritable, short tempered and argumentative?

Herbal/homeopathic remedies can alleviate and resolve many of these disorders safely and affectively.  Some foods you are eating could be causing allergy-based reactions or hindering your digestive/bowel process.  Simple changes to your present diet and supporting supplements/remedies will re-establish equilibrium, balance and energy.

You need a wide variety of foods in your diet examples are:
Grains – brown rice, rolled oats, oat bran, couscous, quinoa, barley, millet, polenta, amaranth, eat a variety of each everyday.

Include a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables daily. 
Nature is clever; the colour in our foods represents different minerals and vitamins that are contained in that food, variety is important.  Eating the same food can increase risk of developing food sensitivities and limits nutritional intake, specifically your mineral profile. 

Good Sources of Protein
Deep sea and cold water fish, poultry, tofu/soy beans/tempeh, legumes – lentils, beans, eggs, sheep/goat cheese/yogurt, milk etc, it is easier to digest – less likely to cause allergies, and lean red meat.  If you have a slow gut motility then it might be better avoiding cheese, since it tends to be a “binding” food, and contributes to constipation, no matter what animal source it is from.

Poor Sources of Protein
Bacon, beef, pork, salami, pepperoni, sausages, canned meats, liver, hard cheeses – from the Cow.  Excess cow products i.e. yogurt, milk, potentially cause digestive problems and allergies.

Red meats take a longer transit time through the colon, eating it too often or at lunchtime can make you feel sleepy and lethargic.  Red meats can contribute towards constipation.  Not everyone tolerates digesting red meats.  Usually one serving every 7-10 days is sufficient for majority of people, unless you are a prime athlete, or trade’s person performing a lot of physical hard work.  Your blood type can assist in ascertaining your tolerance to red meat.  Blood type O is more able to digest red meats since have a higher acidic environment in the Gut. Blood type A’s are the least tolerant since they have less acidity, where B’s and A/B can tolerate small amounts.

Alternatives choices:
Introduce brown rice, rye flour instead of white rice, white flour, white sugar.  Vegetable pasta instead of wheat.  These alternatives are all a good source of fiber for healthy digestion and vitamin B – known as the anti-stress vitamin. 

Brain Power Super Foods

Brain Power Breakfast :

Oats, museli, millet, quinoa, amaranth, seeds: sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds.  Almonds, walnuts, pecan, cashews.
Eggs, soft boil, scrambled, poached, omelet, – not fried.  Whole grain bread, black rye and sour dough breads, yogurt with live bacteria, (goat/sheep), fruit of choice, melon, paw paw, berries, pineapple (fruits should be eaten first on their own not mixed with cereals or yogurt, otherwise they ferment and slow down the digestive process (exception of banana and apple on grains).  Try a hot lemon drink prior to eating; this kick starts the Bowel, Gallbladder and Liver into action!

"Breakfast" means just that: break the overnight fast.  Eating breakfast allows you to restock the energy stores that have been depleted overnight & begin the day with a tank full of the right fuel.  Starting the day without breakfast is like trying to use a cordless power tool without ever recharging the battery.  If you don't refuel your body in the morning after an overnight fast, you then draw fuel from your body’s own energy stores until lunchtime.  The stress hormones necessary to mobilize these energy reserves may leave you feeling irritable, tired, and unable to concentrate and perform well.

How breakfast can improve work performance
Throughout the brain, biochemical messengers called neurotransmitters help the brain make the right connections.  Food influences how these neurotransmitters operate.  The more balanced the breakfast, the more balanced the brain function.  There are two
types of proteins that affect neurotransmitters:

1. Neuro stimulants, such as proteins containing tyrosine, affecting the alertness transmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, and;

2. Calming proteins that contain tryptophan, which relaxes the brain.

A breakfast with the right balance of both stimulating and calming foods starts you off with a brain that is primed to concentrate, learn, and perform well and emotions that are balanced.

Eating complex carbohydrates along with proteins helps to usher the amino acids from these proteins into the brain, so that the neurotransmitters can work better.  Complex carbohydrates and proteins act like biochemical partners for enhancing concentration, learning, performance and behaviour.  This biochemical principle is called "synergy," meaning that the combination of two nutrients works better than each one singly.

Breakfast skippers are more likely to show erratic eating patterns throughout the day, eat less nutritious foods, and give into junk-food cravings.  Cravings for a mid- morning sugar fix because they can't make it all the way to lunchtime on an empty fuel tank.

Brain Power Lunch

Lunch:  Cold water fish, salmon, tuna, trout.  Deep sea fish, Perch, Snapper, Mackerel, bream, Barramundi etc Salads of choice – including avocado, olive oil for dressing.
Sandwiches, using whole grain/rye /sour dough breads are preferable, unsalted butter, tahini, houmos, lentil burgers, stir fries, fresh prepared soups.  Eggs, poultry are also good choices.  Avoid Red Meats they make you sleepy, they take much longer to digest.  You need to be alert in the afternoon!

What you eat for dinner affects the function of your Brain and good quality sleep that nourishes your body at a deep cellular level.

Brain Power Dinner

Dinner:

Fish:  Cold water fish, salmon, tuna, and trout.  Deep sea fish, Perch, Snapper, Mackerel, bream, Barramundi.  Salads of choice – including avocado, Olive oil for dressing. 

Poultry:  free range chicken, turkey, pasture fed lean beef, lamb and 5-6 vegetables with your meal!  Yellow, Orange, Red, White, Green – give yourself plenty of colour and variety!  Steam and grill rather than bake, (unless dry baking – then drain off any residue fat at half time).  Home made soups, containing several vegetables, lentils, beans, herbs.

Snacks:  Fruits, rice crackers with tahini/nut spread, nuts, houmos, tuna/salmon crackers, and vegetable juice.  If you have eaten a nourishing dinner you should not require late snack, which slows down your digestion prior to sleep.

Good Fats:
Olive oil/flax see oil/fish, oils/evening primrose oil
Good fish – tuna, salmon, sardines, trout, bream, mackerel, halibut etc
Avocado, tahini, nut pastes, unsalted butter
Bad Fats:
Bacon bits/rind, cream, margarine, sour cream, fat off all meats, salami, lard, cooking oils such as, hydrogenated oils

Not enough Water can cause:
Lack of concentration, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, dry skin, tired and aching muscles constipation – creating irritability and short temper.  You need to consume around 1.5 – 2 litres per day.  Add a slice of lemon for flavour.  Filtered/spring water, not direct tap water!

The Vitamin B family is vital for concentration, energy and ability to manage deadlines and stress.  Found in wholegrain cereals, dark green leafy, vegetables, tuna, salmon, nuts, eggs, yeast.  It is important to include Omega 3 Oil in your diet for brain function

Foods containing Omega 3 Oils:
Cold water oily fish:  tuna, salmon, trout, sardines, some deep sea oily fish:  bream, mackerel, herring.
You don’t like fish? Then, include Cod Liver Oil and Omega 3 Oil supplements for optimum health.  Avocado contains Omega 3 oil!  Tofu, soybeans, walnut and flaxseed, and their oils contain alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), which can become omega-3 fatty acid in the body.

Omega-3 in fish is high in two fatty acids crucial to human health, DHA and EPA.
These two fatty acids are pivotal in preventing heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases.

The human brain is also highly dependent on DHA low DHA levels have been linked to depression, schizophrenia, memory loss, and a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Researchers are now also linking inadequate intake of omega-3 fats in pregnant women to premature birth, low birth weight, and to hyperactivity in children.

Plant sources of Omega 3

Leafy Green Vegetables
Which you could combine with walnut, spinach and other dark greens in a salad.  
Nuts
Walnuts, Brazil Nuts, Hazelnuts, Pecans. 
Seeds
Especially sesame seeds. Sesame seeds complement any slightly sweet or spicy chilli dressing.  They contain calcium.
Tahini
Tahini is a sesame seed paste used as a dip, and as a base for some Middle Eastern sauces i.e. curries, excellent spread on bread.
Hummus
A great tasting chickpea dip – made with tahini base!
Oils
Soya Bean Oil, Sunflower Oil, Linseed/Flaxseed Oil.
Eggs
Egg yolks, chicken and duck, all good sources of omega 3 fatty acids.

If you include all of these foods in your diet you will become more focused, mentally active, confident and experience more drive and ambition to create your success!

The digestive system is looked upon in polarity therapy as the “Internal Fire”, this Fire needs to be stoked, it needs more fuel to keep it burning.  An efficient digestive system will burn off everything in this Fire so you can place more fuel to generate further energy.  One does not put any more fuel onto the Fire until the embers are almost down, otherwise the Fire often goes out, or far too much residue is left behind, i.e. fermentation in the digestive system.

I help people manage Stress & resolve Repetitive Painful Injuries, achieving greater Balance, more Energy and Healthier Lives! Improve your Digestion And Loose Weight !

Learn how easier this is, consultations available by appointment.

Article provided by:

Lyn Craven

Lyn is a Practitioner of Naturopathy, Bowen Therapy and Energy/Reiki Therapist, as well as a Corporate Health Facilitator and Presenter for Health Expos.  She has written articles on a variety of topics over the years and runs a private practice located in Bondi, Sydney.