Brain health is a hot topic these days, and for good reason. The incidence of Alzheimer's and other dementia rose nearly 148% from 1990 to 2019. With almost 55 million people living with dementia in 2020 and that number projected to nearly triple to 139 million by 2050, it seems like serious concern about brain health is justified.
Join us the hear more.
Like the heart, which we spoke about last week, the brain is a real workhorse, running 24/7 and involved with almost every part of our body and physiology.
The brain controls all of our bodies' functions, from movement, breathing and heartbeat to digestion, blood sugar levels and insulin needs. In fact, about 80% of the brain's activities support the body's regulation, coordination and survival.
And all this is happening automatically and unconsciously. Isn't it nice that we don't have to be involved in regulating our breathing or blood pressure? We wouldn't have time to do anything else. Even when resting, the brain is managing millions of body processes like digestion, immune response, and hormone levels every second.
Along with controlling our bodies' functions, the brain processes information from our senses, leading to the decisions we make and the emotions we feel. It stores and accesses our memories and is the seat of our creativity and problem-solving.
One of the aspects that is most fascinating to us, is that it is the portal through which we connect to our deeper awareness within, what we often refer to as our wisdom and consciousness. Our wisdom within takes us beyond the linear, rational thinking of the personal mind, allowing us to think "outside the box".
There are lots of benefits of a healthy brain. Clear thinking, sharp memory, and good judgment come easily along with emotional stability and resilience when are brains are working well.
With a healthy brain we have strong coordination and motor skills along with a lower risk of depression, anxiety, and dementia. We naturally feel a greater sense of presence and vitality.
But this isn't everyone's experience. There are a number of brain-related conditions affecting a large part of the population today.
Cognitive decline affects 22% of those over 65 in the US, with another 10% facing dementia, so roughly 1 in 3 have noticeable cognitive issues these days. That's a little discouraging.
Stroke is another major brain-related condition that is the #3 killer in the US, right after Heart Disease and Cancer.
Going down the list, Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety affect about 25% of adults in the US.
If you add all this up, over half the population is suffering from a brain-related condition, which we find rather shocking. With so many brains not functioning particularly well, there is a huge loss of quality of life and productivity in our communities. This is so unfortunate.
Our concern about health challenges is always to look to address the root cause rather than trying to just manage a condition.
What medical science is pointing to today in terms of impairing brain health is the following:
The first is inflammation. It's a major contributor to most neurological conditions, as well as probably 80% of all other chronic conditions prevalent in our culture today. And inflammation is tied to what we eat, especially highly processed foods, saturated fats, and sugar. Ironically, the same foods that cause inflammation also lack the nutritional excellence our bodies need to function in the way they were designed to. So the Standard American Diet (SAD), which is about 60% processed foods, 10% saturated fat, with an average of 17 teaspoons of sugar each day, clearly contributes to inflammation that is at the root of impaired brain health and other inflammation related conditions.
And we can't overlook toxins that have become so prevalent in our environment these days, particularly pesticides, heavy metals, and micro-plastics.
On a lifestyle level, chronic stress impairs memory and emotional regulation. And lack of movement and poor sleep contribute to poor brain health, as both are vital for brain cleansing.
Looking at these as root causes, then what actually heals and supports the brain?
The first on the list is a Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) diet. This is the diet that we have been promoting and helping people restore their health with for over 35 years. It's a diet rich in antioxidants, fiber, omega-3s, and phyto-nutrients (nutrients found in plants) like polyphenols that we get from leafy greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds.
After the nutritional piece, one of the most impactful things we can do for our brain health is movement. Things as simple as regular walking, dancing, or any aerobic exercise. All of these things contribute to a healthy blood flow to the brain and cleansing, and they also increase neurogenesis, which is the creation of new neurons in the brain.
Until the late 20th century, it was believed that neurogenesis only happened during early development and that the adult brain was "hardwired". But that all changed in the late '90s when a research study showed new neurons forming in adult humans. We've come such a long way in our understanding. It's amazing what science is showing us these days about how our bodies work.
What has been shown to increase neurogenesis is a WFPB diet, aerobic exercise, and restorative sleep: 7–9 hours to support memory consolidation and detox.
Also, there are activities that support neuroplasticity, which is the brains amazing ability to change, adapt, and rewire itself throughout life. These include learning new things like music, languages, and games.
Meditation and mindfulness have also been shown to be helpful in maintaining good brain health and they even increase gray matter.
And connection and purpose, that is, having strong relationships and a sense of meaning stimulate brain activity.
Lastly, we can't overlook the connection we all have between our brain health and gut health. The microbiome-brain connection is being shown to be incredibly powerful and we'll talk more about this next week.
From this information, we hope you can see that keeping our brains healthy is so much more than just having good memory ability. A healthy brain influences almost every aspect of maintaining a high quality life. And, like health on all levels, it's how we're designed to function when we give our bodies what they were designed to function with, healthy foods, exercise, good sleep and loving relationships.
If you have any questions or would like to book a free consultation with us, just leave a comment in the section below.
The recipe for this week is a Creamy Primavera Pasta. It has the freshest primavera sauce we have ever tasted. Give it a try. We think you'll like it.
To your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Creamy Pasta Primavera (Serves 6-8) *Adapted from Heather McDougall
Pasta
- 16 ounces uncooked spiral pasta
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 red bell pepper, diced large
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced large
- 1-pound mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Sauce
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups cashews
- 1/3 cup tightly packed parsley
- 1/3 cup tightly packed cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons chili paste
- 1 tablespoon No Salt Seasoning
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 5 minutes.
Add mushrooms and peppers to pasta and cook an additional 4 minutes.
Add broccoli and cook another 2 minutes, then remove from heat and drain.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce by adding broth, cashews, parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic, No Salt Seasoning, pepper and chili paste to a high-speed blender. Blend for 1 minute or until very smooth.
After draining the pasta, place in a large bowl, pour sauce into pasta and veggies and toss to mix. Add tomatoes and mix again.
Serve warm or chilled.
Note: Chili paste gives heat. It can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. It is also called Sambal Oelek.