Caring for the all important brain!

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life- caught my attention too! The brain is one of the most misunderstood organs in our body. Until just recently we had very little insight into how to detect and change malfunction in the brain. Technology today using brain-imaging techniques have opened up a whole new world seeing how your brain patterns either help you with your marriage, parenting skills and how to interact with others or how the wires have gotten crossed and have caused you and those around you grief.
Let us start out by understanding what the brain is.
The weight of your brain is about 3 pounds. Very small in comparison to the huge job it has as the hardware of your soul. Skin weighs twice as much as your brain. Your brain is made up of about 75 percent water. A few hours without a good drink of water and the brain begins to dehydrate. Your brain consists of about 100 billion neurons. There are anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 synapses for each neuron. Synapses are the junction across which a nerve impulse passes from an axon terminal to a neuron, muscle cell, or gland cell. There are no pain receptors in your brain, so your brain can feel no pain. There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in your brain. When these blood vessels lose their elasticity, they begin to break down and stop carrying fresh blood cells to intricate parts of the brain. Your brain is the fattest organ in your body and may consist of at least 60% fat. This is the number one reason that people who live on low fat no fat products tend to have what is termed the spacey feeling and those taking cholesterol meds are at a greater risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Is it any wonder why with declining whole foods consumption in the American diet we are seeing so many problems that are ultimately brain related? Now we can use a myriad of drugs to trick our brains into increasing the neurotransmitters serotonin, nor epinephrine and dopamine. These drugs have yielded some successes and some major side effects that many are still reeling from including lowered function in day to day details and in many cases of suicide. However if we learn how to properly feed the body and brain we can eliminate so many of the causes of ADD, OCD, ODD and on and on the list goes.
High protein, low carbohydrate diets are best for those suffering with ADD. When we use low fat, no fat products, sugar is used to replace the fat for flavor. High sugar consumption is one of the main culprits of ADD. Breakfasts that consist of sugary cereals start you out on a sugar high and you will find yourself searching out more simple carbs to pull you out of the fog and the cycle just goes on from there. OCD and ODD are when the brain gets stuck in a pattern and as it keeps going around and around, you will repeat what has many times already been taken care of. Feeding the brain good fats, lean protein and complex carbohydrates kicks neurotransmitters into gear to give proper messaging.
Good farm fresh eggs and turkey sausage is a great start to anyone’s day. A small glass of 100% fruit juice and this breakfast will keep you and your brain in focus till lunch time and beyond. An ideal lunch is tuna or chicken on tossed greens with a sprinkle of cheese and olive oil based dressing. Dinner should consist of a small piece of protein, steamed vegetables and rice, legumes or potatoes.
These meals are relatively easy to prepare, however, we have been tricked by good marketers that we need to use the prepackaged stuff in order to have the time to do what we want to do in our day. Shouldn't our family’s health be the number one priority in our day? We run at breakneck speed all week long and then when we should take time to relax and enjoy each other’s company on the weekend we are running to several different sports activities, and on the way we drive thru our favorite fast food restaurant to grab that which will not feed or nourish one single cell in our already deficient system. The more we can understand how delicate yet resilient are these amazing bodies that we have and we learn how to keep them running optimally, we have the best chance to teach our children and those we are around in decision making skills that will allow them to live vital lives without the drugs or regrets from poor choices due to cross wired under nourished brains.
I learned about the penguin approach from this book also. Too many times the only response that others get from us in our busyness and stressed out emotions is when they are doing it wrong and how it does not fit in our tight world. Penguin trainers only respond when things are done right. If we learned to spend more time on the positives instead of the negatives we would not have those around us in need of anti-depressants or anxiety meds.
There may be times that we do need to integrate meds into our regimen, however too many times we have been taught to reach for the quick fix which has proven itself over and over to lead to yet another symptom that leads to another medication and complicates what was meant to be so much easier. Eating good whole foods and treats in moderation will lead to a satisfying and fulfilled life.
Teaching ways to listen to one’s own body and getting valued information both medically and naturally and making an informed decision will change our lives for the best.