Boost your Brainpower

Boost your brainpower

Missed my recent Breakfast interview? Watch it here and get some really helpful tips on how to look after your brain as we head towards those wintery months.

Boost your brain
Get my top tips on what to eat to keep your brain in great shape and reduce your risk of depression. As these interviews are always short, here is some extra info for you too:

About the brain
It is the command centre for the nervous system and centre of regulation of all your bodily functions as well as enabling thoughts, memory, movement, and emotions. The brain is approx 2-3% of your body weight but burns through 20% of the energy from the food that you eat, more than any other organ in the body! Neuroscientists reckon about a quarter of that energy is needed to keep brain cells healthy and in working order, but a massive three-quarters of the energy the brain uses is for electrical communications between brain cells. What we eat and drink is the fuel needed to produce all the right neurotransmitters, hormones and enzymes that keep our body systems running smoothly.

Make sleep a top priority!
I didn't get to this part of the chat in the interview, but it really is what to focus on first! When you are able to sleep well your brain works better, your mood improves, it reduces the risk of chronic diseases and you will find it much easier to manage your appetite hormones too and manage what you eat! Here is what to do to sort your sleep out.

Oily fish and omega 3
There is increasing interest in the role with omega 3 and mental health, it appears that people with lower levels of omega 3 are more likely to suffer from depression, so it appears that there is a link there and certainly there is no downside to having more omega 3 rich foods for all its other benefits too. When you are buying salmon, be sure to look out for NZ King Salmon as it is higher in omega 3 than the imported Atlantic Salmon.

Nuts and seeds
Check out my recipe for seedy crackers on the table in the video here.

Eggs
Eggs are a good source of several nutrients' links to brain health including B vitamins and choline which is important for the synthesis of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, in the brain. Really quick, easy affordable meals. My mini egg frittatas on the show can be found on my Facebook feed.

Also here is another really similar recipe to try.

Give your brain a break
I now manage extreme nuero-fatigue and I HAVE to listen to my body signals and take a brain break.

I realise now though that before, even without my brain issue, that I used to get tired and information overload but just pushed though, because that is what we all do. We just keep going. But it is exhausting for us all and we need to stop making this normal!!

We need to embrace the fact that brain rest fuels productive and better work/life outcomes!!!

Microbreaks – these are gaps in the day without adding more data to your brain e.g. stand at the bus stop without getting your phone out, standing in a cue and just be there, going to the kettle and leaving your phone behind. This is something I really encourage you to start doing as often as you can during the day at every opportunity just to grab a minute of calm.

It is so common these days to struggling with brain overload, which can result in anxiety... and if you aren't feeling good, you often don’t eat well, don’t sleep well and it all goes round in a circle.... What do you do to take care of yourself? 

Looking to get your healthy habits on track and get the results you have been looking for? Check out  'It's a beautiful day' planner, the perfect tool to help you look and feel your best!