Your brain is the most important organ in your body. It makes your heart beat, your lungs breathe, and all systems in your body work. For this reason, it is very important to keep your brain working at an ideal level with healthy eating habits.
Some foods have negative effects on your brain. It affects your memory, mood and increases your risk of dementia. However, you can help reduce the risk of disease by eliminating certain foods from your diet.
List of foods you should exclude from your diet:
Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks; includes beverages such as fruit sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, and juice.
Consuming sugary drinks too often not only increases your waist circumference, type 2 diabetes and heart disease risk, but also has negative effects on your brain.
Excessive consumption of sugary drinks increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, which has been shown to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, high blood sugar levels can increase the risk of dementia, even in people who do not have diabetes.
The primary ingredient in many sugary drinks is high fructose corn syrup, which consists of 55% fructose and 45% glucose.
High fructose intake can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, high blood fats, diabetes and arterial dysfunction. These aspects of the metabolic syndrome can lead to an increased risk of developing dementia in the long term.
Among the alternatives that can be preferred instead of sugary drinks; water, unsweetened iced tea, herbal teas, vegetable juice, and plant-based dairy products.
Refined Carbs
Refined carbohydrates include sugars and highly processed grains such as white flour.
These types of carbohydrates usually have a high glycemic index (GI). This means your body digests them quickly, causing a spike in your blood sugar and insulin levels. Also, when consumed in larger quantities, these foods often have a high glycemic load (GL). GL refers to how much a food raises your blood sugar levels, depending on the serving size.
Foods with high GI and high GL have been shown to impair brain function. Studies have shown that even a single meal with a high glycemic load can impair memory in both children and adults.
Therefore, low GI carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, legumes and seeds should be preferred in the daily diet.
Foods Rich in Trans Fats
Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat that can have a detrimental effect on brain health. Trans fats are found naturally in animal products such as meat and dairy products, and they are not a major concern. The problem here is industrially produced trans fats, also known as hydrogenated vegetable oils.
These artificial trans fats can be found in shortening, margarine, cream, snack foods, ready-made cakes and prepackaged cookies.
Studies show that when people consume higher amounts of trans fats, they have an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, poorer memory, lower brain volume and cognitive decline.
It also has negative effects on many other aspects of health, including heart health and inflammation.
In a study of 38 women, those who consumed more saturated fat than unsaturated fat performed worse in memory and recognition function.
It is known that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids protects against cognitive decline. Omega-3s increase the secretion of anti-inflammatory compounds in the brain and have a protective effect, especially in older adults.
You can increase the amount of omega-3 fats in your diet by eating foods such as fish, chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts.
Processed Foods
Highly processed foods are high in sugar, added fats and salt. It includes foods such as chips, smoothies, instant noodles, microwaveable popcorn, grocery store sauces, and ready meals. These foods are generally high in calories and low in nutrients. These are foods that cause weight gain and negatively affect brain health.
The nutritional composition of processed foods in the Western diet may adversely affect the brain, contributing to the development of degenerative diseases.
A study involving 18,080 people found that a diet rich in fried foods and processed meats was associated with lower scores in learning and memory.
Animal studies have shown that rats fed a high-fat, sugar-rich diet for eight months developed impaired learning ability and adverse changes in brain plasticity. Another study found disruptions in the blood-brain barrier in rats fed a high-calorie diet.
One of the ways that processed foods negatively affect the brain is by reducing the production of a molecule called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This molecule is found in various parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, and is important for long-term memory, learning, and the growth of new neurons. Therefore, any reduction can have negative effects on these functions.
Therefore, it is beneficial to stay away from ready-made and processed foods and to consume healthy and natural foods instead.
Alcohol
Chronic alcohol use causes a decrease in brain volume, metabolic changes, and a breakdown of neurotransmitters, the chemicals the brain uses to communicate.
Excessive alcohol consumption can also have adverse effects in non-alcoholics.
One-off episodes of heavy drinking are known as "binge drinking." This can cause the brain to interpret emotional cues differently than normal. For example, people are less sensitive to sad faces and more sensitive to angry faces. These changes in emotion recognition are thought to be a cause of alcohol-induced aggression.
Also, alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have devastating effects on the fetus. Given that the brain is still developing, the toxic effects of alcohol can cause developmental disorders such as fetal alcohol syndrome.
Alcohol use in teenagers is risky because the brain is still developing. Abnormalities in brain structure, function, and behavior have been observed in young people who drink alcohol (compared to non-drinkers).
Another negative effect of alcohol is that it disrupts sleep patterns. Drinking large amounts of alcohol before bed reduces the quality of sleep.
In short, you should avoid excessive alcohol consumption, especially if you are a teenager or young adult. If you are pregnant, it is best to avoid alcohol altogether.
