Scientists discovered 10 years ago that your brain can generate new neurons throughout your entire adult life. A process called ‘Neurogenesis’.
These new cells can take over the function of damaged cells and provide protection against dementia and Alzheimer’s. They will help you learn faster and retain more of what you learn. You can boost or inhibit this process by various habits and techniques. This article is placed in descending order based upon their relative importance.
Action plan for superior brain expansion
Exercise
In addition to the other well known and documented benefits of exercise, we can now add neurogenesis! The best thing you can do to grow and improve your brain is aerobic exercise. This is not in dispute. More info about this here
Eat Blueberries
The ingredient that seems to trigger neurogenesis is anthocyanin. It can also be found in blackberries, black currant, bilberries, and black raspberries. Eat dark berries for your brain! One cup per day of blueberries is enough for the neurogenic effect.
Learn, Learn and Learn
Not only does learning improve as a result of neurogenesis, scientist now believe that learning itself stimulates neurogenesis. Learn a variety of new things that are unrelated to what you normally do. Variety is the key. More info about this here.
Mental Exercises
Exercise your mental abilities to keep them strong. For example, if you think creatively, you will strengthen the connections that you draw upon for creative thought. If you don’t think creatively, then you will eventually lose your ability to be creative. Studies show that by the time we are in are forties, we have lost almost all of our creative abilities. It’s disappearing a little more every day you fail to exercise it. It’s easier to keep your connections than to try and recreate them. It’s easier by far.
Meditation
Practice mindful meditation. Aside from neurogenesis, mindful meditation will do wonders for your positivity. More info on meditation here
Take Care of Your Brain
Anything and everything you do to make your brain healthy will improve neurogenesis. Guard it and cultivate it!
Avoid Caffeine
Its long term impact on your brain is harmful. Take the long-term approach. Your mind will thank you.
Avoid Stress
Because stress is brain poison. Stress inhibits neurogenesis and shrinks areas of the brain including your hippocampus. Your hippocampus is the key to your memory. Stress releases all kinds of neurotransmitters and burns out the generators. Stress kills your brain and body. STOP IT. Do whatever it takes and whatever you like to reduce stress. Meditate, be positive, practice yoga, lead a balanced life, slow down, exercise, or whatever, but do anything and everything you can do to reduce stress. This is critical to caring for your brain. Download free relaxation melodies here
Restrict Your Calories
Calorie restriction is a universally agreed upon method for life-extension. Well, it turns out it is an effective brain extender as well.
Eat A Rainbow Diet
Eat colorful foods; orange, red, blue, purple, and green foods. These are loaded with phytonutrients and antioxidants. The nutrients are important brain food and the antioxidants are critical for your cell protection. When you burn energy you produce free radicals and you need antioxidants to gobble them up before they damage your cells.
Eat Complex Carbohydrates
Eat 80% fruits and vegetables. The more fiber they contain the better. Avoid the white death foods: refined carbohydrates and white grains.
Don’t Eat Trans-Fats
They harden your cell membranes and make your brain slow.
Eat Fish, Chicken, Turkey, and Beans For Protein
These are loaded with the amino acids required for your brain to make and maintain a balanced set of neurotransmitters. Avoid large deep sea fish that accumulate mercury like tuna. Eat small fatty fish like sardines, herring, and wild salmon. You need the fish for Omega 3 fatty acids. Heavy metals in large fish are bad. Take a safe molecularly distilled fish oil supplement if you can’t stand eating the other kind of fish. These fats are critical to your brain.
Eat Seeds and Nuts for Fat and Protein
Almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, and pecans are excellent as are pumpkin, sunflower, flax and other seeds. These kinds of fat do not make you fat. Essential fatty acids are essential because your body can’t make them. Your brain is full of fat and you need the fatty acids for a healthy brain.
Control Your Blood Sugar
Too much glucose will kill your brain and too little will starve it. Your body has a complex glucose-insulin regulation system to control blood glucose levels, but you have to help maintain it. You can destroy it and most developed nation diets do. Too much sugar, whole or refined, is a brain killer. Eat lots of fibers and get your carbohydrates from complex carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables. These will release into your bloodstream slowly and help keep a more constant level of glucose supplied to your brain. Cruciferous vegetables are ideal. Vegetables are better than fruit. Fruit juice is concentrated sugar without the fiber to slow down its absorption, so avoid it. You need to eat protein because your liver will convert protein into glycogen and then when your blood needs more glucose it will get it from your glycogen stores.
Get on the rocket ship of brain cultivation! You and your family will not regret it.
