Moderation Management (MM) group meetings every
Thursday 6PM. To attend contact Linda Scott for details
The
Brain Power Diet
-PsychologyToday.com
Here's how to construct an eating plan that can help
turn your brain into a lean, mean thinking machine and, not incidentally,
help protect against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis,
premature aging, obesity, and other ills.
As a general rule, when strolling the produce aisles, think color.
Anything brightly colored is brain food, loaded with vitamins, minerals,
and phytochemicals that maintain brain health and enhance mental
performance. And if all else fails, just like the ad says, "you
shudda had a V-8."
Protein
Protein contains four calories per gram. It should supply 15 percent
of your total calorie intake.
It is needed to manufacture brain tissue, enzymes, neurotransmitters,
and myriad other brain chemicals. Choose 5 ounces (women) to 8 ounces
(men) animal protein from lean sources: skinless poultry, lean meats,
organ meats; fatty fish such as salmon, herring, tuna, and sardines,
plus other seafood; skim and low-fat dairy products. Increase intake
of soy protein foods such as calcium-fortified tofu, soy milk, and
textured vegetable protein; soy foods contain isoflavones and thousands
of other beneficial compounds animal foods lack.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates contain four calories per gram. They should supply
65 percent of calories.
Fruits and Vegetables
Vegetables and fruit are packed with antioxidant vitamins and thousands
of other powerful antioxidants, minerals, and fiber. Tank up on
dark leafy greens; cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels
sprouts, kale); red/yellow/orange vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots,
summer and winter squash; fruits such as berries, cherries, apples,
apricots, oranges, grapefruit, red grapes, peaches.
The government recommends that you get at least five servings of
fruits and vegetables per day. That's pathetic, say many researchers—yet
more than two-thirds of Americans, especially meat-and-potatoes-and-pizza
men—don't even get that. (Real, smart men do eat salad.) Experts
urge you to eat as much and as many fruits and veggies as you can
pack in—10 servings if you want. Watery, crunchy fruits/veggies
are very low in calories; eat ad lib. (A serving is one whole fruit
or vegetable, a half-cup cooked or 1 cup raw greens.)
Grains and Complex Carbohydrates
Grains, starchy vegetables, and legumes are packed with B vitamins,
antioxidants, trace minerals, and fiber. Whole-grain breads, cereals,
pasta, grains, potatoes, and yams are loaded with energy-boosting,
feel-good complex carbohydrates (and some fat-free protein). Complex
carbs, digested more slowly than simple sugars, keep blood sugar
levels steady and brain energy high for prolonged periods. Refined
flour products won't kill you, but even "enriched" versions
don't put all the good stuff back, and lack fiber. Get 5 to 11 servings
daily (the latter if you're a big guy or female triathlete). A serving
equals one slice of bread, one potato, or half a cup of grain or
beans.
Table sugar (sucrose) or honey is okay if used sparingly, but it
lacks vitamins and minerals; limit to a few teaspoons daily (one
Coke has 10 teaspoons!). Avoid corn syrup and high-fructose corn
syrup, which raise triglycerides more than sucrose; they're in zillions
of prepared foods, including ketchup.
Fat
Fat contains nine calories per gram. Current government recommendations
call for fat intake to supply no more than 30 percent of calories.
But that may not be low enough to keep your brain from clogging
up.
"The same low-fat diet that ensures cardiovascular health
will ensure brain health," contends cholesterol expert Charles
Glueck, M.D. The dietary fat level that reduces or eliminates depression
and boosts cognitive performance is a skimpy 10 to 15 percent.
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