Your brain matters
/It's time to talk about our brains... again.
That is because today, September 21st, is World Alzheimer’s Day, and also because recent stats state that one million Canadians will have Alzheimer’s by the year 2050. Hence, I thought it would be timely to kick off my post-summer monthly newsletter by talking about our brain.
As I’ve said on many occasions, Alzheimer’s is a lifestyle disease. Of course there are other contributors… hearing loss and social isolation being two big ones. And yes our genetics play a role, although depending on which genes we have, genetics may not play as big a role as we think.
Today, I want to focus on a key element of lifestyle - the food we put in our mouths.
How does food affect our brain? A quick recap.
There is a direct link between our gut and our brain (creatively known as the gut-brain connection ;-). This link is facilitated by our vagus nerve, along with other pathways between the two.
We have trillions of bacteria in our gut – many good, some not so good. The ones we feed become dominant. And if it’s the bad bacteria that become dominant, they can cause a myriad of issues all linked to inflammation (depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, chronic headaches, memory problems, cancer, auto-immune diseases, and yes, Alzheimer’s).
What we eat not only dictates how we think and feel - it can also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Not only that, women are dealt a double whammy. Perimenopause and menopause also play havoc with our brain, given the big drop in estrogen we experience. So what we eat becomes even more important.
Alzheimer’s disease, from what we understand to date, is a result of a build-up of amyloid plaques in the brain. This build up can start years, even decades, before we see symptoms. In fact, Dr.Rudy Tanzi, a Professor of Neurology at Harvard and the founder of the first AD genetic marker, states that amyloid is to Alzheimers as cholesterol is to heart disease, in that cholesterol develops decades before we have a heart attack. Alzheimer's starts in our brain years, even decades, before we see any symptoms.
How to avoid neuro-inflammation thru eating?
We all know by now that what we put in our body matters. And yet many women still struggle with this. And I understand – there are so many barriers when it comes to eating a healthy diet - cost, lack of time, stress, lack of comfort in the kitchen, long-term negative behaviours around food… the list goes on.
So the best place to start? Just choose one thing. Whether it’s taking something out or adding something in – whatever it is, make sure it's something you can do without crazy resistance or barriers. Over time, feel that success, and then look to tackle something else.
The key is starting, no matter how big or small the change.
The Med Diet Protocol
Richard Isaacson, world renowned neurologist and presently a researcher at the FAU Centre for Brain Health, states the number one most evidence based way to eat for a healthy brain is the Mediterranean style diet – vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, olive oil, with moderate fish, meat and dairy.
Green leafy vegetables
And within that, Dr. Isaacson states green leafy vegetables are the most evidence based brain healthy carbohydrates (yes, vegetables are carbohydrates!) that a person can eat. And the darker the greens, the better for the brain.
Fibre is key
Fibre is food for your good bacteria. If they are happy, they will produce chemicals that make your brain happy. Fibre also helps keep your blood sugar balanced, avoiding the blood sugar spikes which over time increase inflammation and insulin resistance, ultimately accelerating amyloid production and deposition.
For fibre, think vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains. In fact, vegetables should make up half your plate at lunch and dinner.
What else? Diversity.
Our gut microbiome thrives on diversity.
The ultimate goal, outlined by the American Gut Project, is to eat 30 plants a week. And before you scream, “That’s impossible!!!!”, hear me out. Plants include: beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, other soy products, vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices.
Having said that, yes, it’s a lofty goal, so other ways of increasing diversity are:
Eating as many different coloured vegetables as you can
Including both raw and cooked vegetables
Roasting vegetables – an easy way to get many colours in at the same time (and a great way to use up little bits and pieces of vege before they go bad). Toss in olive oil, throw in a bit of rosemary or any other herb/spice (fresh or dried), 400 for 20 minutes, and you’re done
Thinking outside the box
bokchoy and shaved brussel sprouts are great in salads
if you are don’t have greens, make a “salad” out of whatever vegetables you have
add beans, legumes and nuts/seeds to your salads
Make soup more often – you only need onion (a bacteria fave), vegetable(s), broth (or water) and a blender (optional)…easy peezy.
Use frozen vegetables - their minerals and fibre remain intact (although they may lose a few vitamins)
Now before you think it's all about food, it's not. As mentioned, there are a variety of different lifestyle contributors when it comes to Alzheimer's, and for some experts, exercise is actually at the top of the list. Hence, to be continued!
In the meantime, take advantage of the colourful fall harvest at your neighbourhood farmers market... a great way to kickstart whatever you plan to embrace going forward.
Happy eating :)
Gillian x
PS - for those of you in Toronto and surrounding area who want to kickstart your health in a bigger way, my Walk & Talk Wellness Reset is up and running. It's a fantastic way to get the therapeutic benefits of a walk in nature while getting personalized nutritional and lifestyle recommendations. Let me help you set some goals - nutrition, sleep, cognitive health, stress management and/or movement - and put some systems in place to help take you to the next level. You can reach me by replying to this email or at gbwellness.ca.