Nuts and Berries for Your Brain

Eating unhealthy food and being exposed to toxic chemicals and pollutants reduces the brain’s ability to protect itself from inflammation and oxidative stress. Research shows that consuming fruits and raw nuts help the brain stay healthy. Fruits such as acai berries, blueberries, strawberries, and nuts, such as walnuts, contain antioxidants and other important natural healing compounds.

This recent study found that berries and walnuts trigger one of the brain’s mechanisms that clears out and recycles toxic proteins that are connected to memory loss and other symptoms of mental decline.

These renegade proteins that accumulate in the brain add to cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. Antioxidants, which are present in berries and in fresh raw nuts, help clean up the proteins, which improves nerve function and help protect the body against heart disease, degenerative brain conditions, cancer, and other diseases.

What Are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that help to protect the body from free radicals. Free radicals are atoms and molecules which can damage cells and lower the immune system, leading to infections and degenerative diseases. Free radicals can be formed in your body by metabolic processes as well as when you are exposed to radiation, toxic chemicals (food additives, rancid oils, cigarette smoke, pollution), and the sun. Some antioxidants are vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, melatonin, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, pycnogenol, resveratrol, grape seed extract, cysteine, glutathione, zinc, superoxide dismutase, methionine reductase, catalase, and components present in ginko biloba and green tea.

Research and Antioxidants

Shibu Poulose, with the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, reported “The good news is that natural compounds called polyphenols found in fruits, vegetables and nuts have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that may protect against age-associated decline.”

Research showed that laboratory rats showed an increase in learning capacity, memory, and nerve function after two months of consuming a diet consisting of 2% high-antioxidant blueberry, strawberry or blackberry extracts.

Add These Foods to Your Diet

Fruits and vegetables that have deep, strong colors such as blue, red and orange contain the most antioxidants, especially berries such as acai berries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and currants. Experts recommend eating a broad range of various colored vegetables and fruits and fresh raw nuts such as walnuts to get a wide assortment of antioxidants. In off seasons turn to foods such as frozen berries, which are available year round and an excellent sources of brain boosting antioxidants. If you are not sure which foods are best for you, find someone who can test you for food intolerances.

Wishing you vibrant health,

Monica