June was Brain Health Awareness Month. I’m here with some interesting and important info for you. A lot of caring for your brain (and for your mental health) involves your diet. I’m going to tell you about the worst culprits and why! Then we’ll talk about the good stuff.

In my reading, I narrowed it down to four main culprits of damage to your brain. Yeah, literally brain damage! And as we age, we want to be aware of keeping that brain as active and sharp as possible.

diet soda - particularly those with aspartame

• First of all, they don’t help you lose weight - quite the contrary - they can help you gain it. Artificial sweeteners game your brain. If you have three or more diet drinks a day, you double your chances of being overweight or obese. You can google all sorts of studies, some saying that it actually reduces your metabolism. Your sweet tooth is never satisfied - these substances are 100 to 20,000 times sweeter than sugar, dulling your taste buds to naturally sweet foods, like fruit.

• Artificial sweeteners contribute to chronically high insulin, which raises your risk of all sorts of health problems.

• Artificial sweeteners have been associated with toxicity to the gut, and leaky gut syndrome has been linked to dementia.

• Aspartame, also known as Equal, is particularly damaging to the brain. It is used in lots of sugar-free foods. There has been controversy surrounding it over the years, but every article about it I’ve ever read, says the same thing. It overstimulates your neurotransmitters, turning into a neurotoxin that damages the neurons in your brain. If you see “phenylalaline” on the list of ingredients, it’s got aspartame in it.

High Glycemic Foods - the white stuff

• This means your body digests them very quickly. This includes white rice, white flour and sugar. Foods that have a high glycemic load impair brain function.

• These foods can inflame the hippocampus and inflammation is a risk factor in degenerative diseases of the brain, including Alzheimers and dementia.

Trans Fats and Highly Processed Foods

• Possibly the most wonderful food on the earth, french fries, is also one of the worst things you can eat for your brain. Sad Face. They are cooked in trans fats - aka hydrogenated vegetable oil. Trans fats are found in margarine (butter is much better for you), packaged frosting, snacks and baked goods.

• For years studies have found that foods high in trans fats are linked to increase risk of Alzheimers, poor memory, lower brain volume and cognitive decline. The studies on saturated fats are mixed, but I am reading more and more that they are good for you in small amounts. Omega3’s are good for you - they are unsaturated fats.

• Highly processed foods have all three of the baddies - sugar, salt and fats. This is chips, sweets and anything ready made. These are associated with increased body fat and brain tissue damage. The processed food in the Western diet is notoriously bad for you.

vegetable oils and seed oils

• These include soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, safflower oil and grapeseed oil. These are loaded with linoleic acid, which is toxic in excess. Seed oils are very inflammatory and cause oxidation in the body.

• These are used in fried foods and fast foods. Restaurants use them as they are cheaper than butter or olive or avocado oil. They are also found in dressings and sauces.

• It takes years to clear them from your body and they get incorporated into tissues in your brain. To make a long story short, they are really bad for your mitochondria.

Now for the good stuff…

These things are GREAT for your brain’s health!

• Fatty fish - includes salmon, trout, and tuna - these are filled with Omega3’s and that helps slow mental decline. Omega3’s are a building block of the brain.

• Coffee! YAY! Two of the main components of coffee are caffeine and antioxidants, which can support brain health. Coffee drinkers are associated with less risk of neurological diseases. Loving this situation…

• Blueberries. They deliver anthocyanins, which have anti-oxidation and inflammation properties. They specifically are good for the brain, accumulating in the brain and helping cells communicate. They may delay aging and improve memory.

• Turmeric. This is the main ingredient in curry powder. It is SO good for you. I tried to drink turmeric chai tea for about a month. Couldn’t do it. It contains curcumin and that can be absorbed directly into the brain. It is a potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, and is now being studied to determine if it helps delay age-related mental decline. Good stuff.

• Broccolli. It’s packed with antioxidants and Vitamin K. This fat soluble vitamin is essential in forming a type of fat that is densely packed into brain cells. It also contains a number of other compounds that may protect the brain.

• Pumpkin Seeds. They have the following which are important for brain function - iron, copper, magnesium, and zinc.

• Dark chocolate. Woo hoo! This contains flavonoids and anti-oxidants which help protect the brain.

• Nuts. They contain a bunch of brain boosting compounds, including Vitamin E, antioxidants and other plant based compounds. I’m an almond fanatic. Almond milk, almond butter, and almonds…..all good.

• Oranges. I did not know these were good brain food! Foods high in Vitamin C can help protect your brain from free radical damage.

• Eggs. They are a good source of several B vitamins and choline, which are important to regulate mood and proper brain function and development.

• Green Tea. It has some caffeine which definitely boosts brain function, including alertness, performance, memory and focus. It also contains L-theanine, which helps alpha brain waves help you to relax. It also contains polyphenols and anti-oxidants.

Also good ideas for brain health are …

• Practice intermittent fasting. When your body is not busy metabolizing food, it does its’ repair work.

• Try to exercise each day for 30 minutes.

• Sleep! Restorative sleep is essential for brain health.

• Make your own salad dressing! It tastes better and is not swimming in damaging oils.

…Much of this information came from MindBodyGreen and Healthline.

And lastly a few healthy sweets for the sugar addicted…

• Dates dipped in unsweetened almond butter. They are delicious and better for you than a candy bar.

• Cut up fruit drizzled with honey and sprinkled with flaxseed or chia seeds. Delicious.

Now, nobody’s perfect. We all eat and drink things that aren’t great for us. I myself have a wicked sugar addiction. What’s your downfall?

But knowledge is power! “The more you know….” I think we will all live longer than our parents did, so it behooves us to take care of the most important organ in our body.