The top 10 brain-damaging foods to avoid As we age, different parts of our brains start to shrink, which can cause issues such as memory loss, slower learning, and communication problems.
Unfortunately, many foods are toxic to the brain, speeding up the aging process and triggering a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, sleep problems like sleep apnea, hypoxia, and many other issues.
In this article, we'll be talking about the top 10 brain-damaging foods to be aware of so that you can avoid them. To protect your brain at the end, I'll also share some simple lifestyle tips that you can use to help boost brain function. Just a quick reminder that this article is for educational purposes only, so do speak to a doctor if you have any medical conditions.
Table of contents [Show]
The first brain-damaging food to avoid is fish, which are high in mercury. When we consume excessive mercury, it poisons the cerebellum and cerebral cortex, killing brain cells and causing long-term nerve damage. The fish containing the most mercury are bluefish, catfish, grouper mackerel, orange ruffy shark, swordfish, and big-eye orca.
We recommend avoiding these and eating them rarely, less than once per month, to prevent their toxic effects. Consuming cilantro, chlorella, or walnuts regularly can help detox any extra mercury in your body because these foods contain natural ingredients that bind to mercury. Wild-caught codanchovies, salmon, sardines, oysters, and herring are healthy fish to eat that contain less mercury.
Green potatoes are the second most dangerous food on my list. Those that have turned green contain high amounts of solanine. This is a natural pesticide the plant makes to protect itself from insects. However, in humans, solanine has a neurotoxic effect. This can cause nausea, headaches, and severe neurological problems.
Eating only one whole green potato is enough to make an adult very sick. More significant amounts can cause hallucinations. Paralysis, fever, and even death. Be aware that cooking green potatoes do not remove this harmful substance, so make sure you throw them away.
It may be surprising to you. It's vegetable oil. The most dangerous foods we often consume daily are cooked in vegetable oils like corn, canola, soy, safflower, cottonseed, processed olive oil, and margarine. These oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids and cause massive amounts of inflammation in your brain, raising the risk of diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.
Cold-pressed avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil. I recommend cooking your healthy meals at home using raw coconut oil. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides. These can stimulate healing in your brain and improve the connections between your neurons. Be careful as they're used in fast foods—microwavable meals, frozen packaged foods, and even in salad dressing.
in the United States and the United Kingdom. Foods that contain wheat and flour have been fortified with elemental iron. The problem is that this type of iron is toxic to the body and causes a rusting effect in the brain from oxidative damage. Too much of this raises the risk of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and poor brain development in children.
Heme iron is found in animal products and is naturally bound to protein, making it stable and healthy for your body as opposed to the elemental iron in these fortified foods and cheap over-the-counter supplements. Wild fish, whole fruits, and vegetables meet your nutritional requirements. It's advisable to avoid grains as much as possible and instead eat iron-rich meats.
One of the most harmful foods for your brain is sugar. Of all the sugary foods high in carbohydrates, they are converted into sugar in the body. This has the same negative effect as eating pure sugar. For example, a slice of bread resembles eating three cubes of sugar. Cereal bars, biscuits, and cakes are all very high on the glycemic index. Both these cause a massive spike in blood sugar, which can trigger anxiety and depression.
Mood disorders destroy parts of the nervous system that keep your brain fueled and energized. Be sure to avoid these foods and eat healthy fats instead, like avocados. Grass-fed butter and almonds These foods will satisfy you and help you eliminate any sugar cravings. I understand this video has lots of information, so feel free to pause.
Cherries are loaded with antioxidants that are healthy for your body, but make sure to remove the hard stone inside before you eat them. This pit inside the cherry contains pyruvic acid, also known as cyanide.
Too much cyanide can also cause death. This is poisonous for your brain and can cause headaches because it prevents the cells in your body from using oxygen. Don't worry; accidentally eating one or two seeds won't harm you. Try not to chew them, and remember to remove them before eating.
Drinking alcoholic beverages daily damages dendrites. These are neuron endings in your brain and nervous system. This makes it very difficult for brain cells to send messages to each other, causing brain fog and memory loss. Alcohol also depletes vitamin B1, causing a deficiency over time, leading to anxiety and nerve pain.
Cut back on alcohol and save it for special occasions. You can also start eating nutritional yeast, which is high in vitamin B1, to help heal your brain from alcohol damage.
What are these? When you mix a fat or protein with sugar and then eat it, it causes these sticky proteins to build up in your body, which we call advanced glycation end products or ages. An example would be eating a burger covered in ketchup or donuts made of butter, flour, and sugar, with sweetened sauces, cheese, and meat on top, and ice cream, which is loaded with milk, sugar, fat, and protein.
When you mix sugar with these foods, especially under a heat source, ticky proteins begin forming, sticking to your nerves, damaging your brain, and blocking the standard signals from flowing through them. Consuming anti-aging foods such as blueberries, leafy green vegetables, and salads can help reduce brain tissue inflammation and clean out these harmful proteins.
If you want to protect your body as you age, you want to cut out soda drinks as much as possible, including both diet and regular varieties. Soda drinks have added phosphoric acid. It's put in there to prevent the growth of mold or bacteria in them. However, the problem is that too much phosphorus prevents your body from absorbing calcium and magnesium. A deficiency in these minerals prevents the mitochondria from generating energy in your brain cells.
The neurons become deprived of energy, which causes a loss of density in the synapses of your brain. People who drink lots of soda will notice that they have inferior sleeping patterns and memory loss. Poor learning and brain fog Regular soda drinks are also loaded with fructose as a sweetener, which inflicts liver damage and insulin resistance, which causes the brain to starve for fuel.
As you can see, eating the wrong foods too often can damage your brain. They may cause harm to your brain. Nutmeg. It contains a toxin known as myristicin. As little as two teaspoons of nutmeg can cause toxic effects such as a fever, increased heart rate, blood pressure, hallucinations, drowsiness, and loss of consciousness.
You are improving brain health Now that you're aware of some of the worst foods for your brain. Although you may not notice these effects immediately, people start to experience the symptoms as they get older, such as developing dementia, having strokes, etc. You can start by cutting back on some foods and replacing them with healthy whole-food alternatives and
Let's explore a few lifestyle tips you can follow to improve the function of your brain. One should start consuming at least one liter of mineral water each day. This helps to hydrate your body, carrying oxygen and nutrients to your brain, helping to clear out toxins and waste, and improving concentration and memory.
Two, start intermittent fasting to help stimulate the growth of new brain cells called neurogenesis. This is where you eat all your calories for the day in a four-hour window and fast for the remaining 20 hours. This stimulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a molecule that helps repair your brain cells' DNA and improve electrical communication.
Number three is that aerobic exercise promotes blood flow to the brain, boosting oxygen levels. Four, consider taking one to two teaspoons of MCT oil after your first meal of the day. This provides ketones, a powerful fuel for your brain that bypasses damaged tissue and helps improve overall brain function. Lastly, get at least eight hours of sleep per night to enhance your memory, spatial navigation, and decision-making abilities. Be sure to nap if you need to, or use herbs like Rhodiola to improve sleep quality.
Following these five key steps and avoiding many of the junk foods mentioned in today's video will rapidly improve your brain's health and help protect it against age-related diseases.
As we get older, different parts of our brains start to shrink. This can cause memory loss, slower learning, and problems with how we communicate. Many foods are toxic to the brain, so here are some top brain-damaging foods to be aware of to avoid them. Sugary foods are high in carbohydrates that are converted into sugar in the body, which destroys parts of the nervous system that keep your brain fueled and energized. Iron-fortified grains and refined carbohydrates are harmful to the body and cause a rusting effect in the brain from oxidative damage.
Drinking alcohol damages dendrites, which are the nerve endings in your brain. This makes it difficult for brain cells to send messages to each other, causing memory loss. Consuming anti-aging foods such as blueberries, leafy green vegetables, and salads can help reduce inflammation in the brain.
