Eat Well, Think Well

Eat Well, Think Well

One of the best things you can do to help your brain stay healthy and perform well is to eat well. Nutrition supports the brain as well as the rest of the body. Bad eating habits can be devastating to the human brain. I have researched and written about global poverty issues for many years, and one of the most disturbing aspects of this topic is what poor nutrition does to intelligence and overall brain development. Unforgivably, our world squanders an immeasurable amount of intellectual potential every moment of every day because poor people, children in particular, don't get enough good food. But this is not exclusively a problem with those living in poverty. The connection between food and brains doesn't go away when income or Gross Domestic Product figures rise above a certain level. The biology remains the same. A brain is helped or hindered by the quantity and quality of its fuel, and this is true for every human. Chronic hunger is terrible for the brain, of course, but an 8,000–calorie per day, junk-food-based diet causes serious problems, too. Consider this. People are forever saying things like: Thanks, Ma, but I think I'm done. I probably shouldn't eat another bowl of your lard pudding because it's bad for my heart. Or, I'm gonna ease off a bit on the fried butter this month. Don't wanna end up with a bum body that can't do nothin'.

But we never seem to hear: I'm skipping fast-food fries from now on because they're bad for my brain. Or, No more soft drinks for me, dude, I don't wanna end up with a brain that can't think well. But this is precisely how we should be thinking. A nutritionally trashed brain is no less important than a body ravaged and bloated by poor food choices.

You need to know and never forget that your brain is very needy, perhaps even greedy. This organ that lives in your head receives some 20 percent of the body’s blood flow to operate properly. This is a lot for an organ that weighs only about three pounds, which is less than 2 percent of a typical adult's body weight. If you are dehydrated, calorie deficient, or protein deficient, your brain will struggle. It will not think, create, solve problems, or be as alert as it can be. It will be more prone to bad moods. All this matters to the good skeptic, to anyone who wants to think well and think often, because if you mistreat your brain with bad eating habits, forget figuring out if it was the Loch Ness monster you just saw or a floating log; you won't be able to walk or do simple math as well as you otherwise could.

Try not to forget the obvious: Your brain is an intimately connected part of the overall system that is your body. It is linked to everything that happens to you. If you make the decision to consume too much of the wrong stuff (junk food, alcohol, high-sugar soft drinks), then your brain is going to feel that choice. Don't just worry about that second piece of cheesecake having eventual repercussions on your thighs and butt. Know that poor food choices show up in your brain, too.

It is unfortunate that nutrition in many societies these days is so often associated with, first and foremost, how fat one is. The first concern for most people seems to be how food affects the way we look rather than the way we think. Things more important than physical appearance like diabetes and heart disease may come to mind at some point, but brain health and performance are rarely thought of at all. Relatively few people maintain good eating habits or make the decision to improve their eating habits primarily because they want the best for their brain. But given what our brains do for us, they should be the first motivation.

So what should we eat to give our brains what they need to work well? There are plenty of unproven pills and potions that promise to make you a genius and hold off age-related diseases forever. There are many compelling scientific studies about specific foods that seem to support both short-term and long-term brain health. I believe, however, that it is more productive for most people to start by adopting an overall philosophy of eating well for general body fitness and brain health rather than chase behind every new study that hints at the discovery of a new wonder food. Keep this simple, and there is a better chance it might work for you over the long run.

Try to do the basic and obvious good things, such as eating lots of vegetables and keeping the total amount of food consumed reasonable on a daily basis. For example, a study published in the journal Neurology found a strong link between the regular consumption of leafy, green vegetables (such as spinach) and slower rates of cognitive decline in old age.1 You don't have to be perfect or view eating as a burden. The trick is to make smart choices over the long haul. Your habit and pattern most of the time needs to be smart eating. If you are a meat eater, then eat more wild salmon and less red meat, for example. Eat more baked chicken and fewer hamburgers. It's probably best to pass on hot dogs and sausage every time. Sugary soft drinks are never a good idea. If you must indulge, keep them to a minimum. For snacking, try to eat fruit and nuts more than candy. Find or create a trail mix concoction with quality ingredients that appeals to you and keep a bag of it handy throughout the day. I do recommend blueberries and blackberries specifically, as they appear to be good for the brain.2 So stock up and start nibbling. Don't mistake healthy eating for magic. Consuming spinach, broccoli, and berries alone won't be enough to get you accepted into Harvard or make you cancer-proof. This is about making wise choices most of the time over a lifetime so that you at least give yourself a fighting chance to be fit, healthy, and smart.

Don't overcomplicate this or make yourself suffer. Just figure out which of the good foods you like best, then stock up on those. It's not a big deal. If your eating plan regularly leaves you hungry or makes meals unpleasant, reconsider how to make it sustainable. Small changes to planning and shopping can be easier to maintain than a complete overhaul. The goal is simple but profoundly important to the quality of your life: Eat well to build and maintain a body that is strong and healthy so that your brain gets what it needs for optimal daily operation.