Boost Your Brain Power in 60 Seconds Read online

  Milk Myths and Dairy Dangers

  Got milk? If so, you might want to rethink your decision to eat dairy products. While dairy marketing boards spend millions to convince us that we need milk for a healthy body, there are many reasons to avoid dairy products such as milk, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, butter, and cheese. Dairy products cause inflammation in your body. Some of the reasons dairy products are inflammatory are linked with current ranching, manufacturing, and commercialization practices. Today’s dairy products differ greatly from those made even a century ago. Now they contain hormones, antibiotics, and other harmful ingredients, so they are best avoided as much as possible, unless you’re choosing organic options. But even organic dairy causes inflammation in many people.

  Dairy product consumption has even been linked to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a meta-analysis study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology. According to the research, the more dairy consumed by study participants, the greater their likelihood of experiencing Parkinson’s. The risk of Parkinson’s increased by 17 percent for every 7 ounces of milk consumed per day. In other words, the more milk people drank, the greater their risk.2 Don’t forget that milk is an ingredient in many baked goods, pastries, breads, and beverages and is found in other unexpected foods, as well.

  Here are several more reasons why it is best to eliminate or significantly reduce your dairy intake.

  1.Cow’s milk is intended for baby cows. We’re the only species (other than those we domesticate) that drinks milk after infancy. And we’re definitely the only species drinking the milk of a different species. Baby cows have four stomachs to digest milk. We have one.

  2.Dairy products contain hormones. Not only are the naturally present hormones in cow’s milk stronger than human hormones, the animals are routinely given steroids and other hormones to plump them up and increase their milk production. These hormones can negatively impact your delicate human hormonal balance.

  3.Most cows are fed inappropriate food. Commercial feed for cows contains all sorts of ingredients, including genetically modified corn, genetically modified soy, animal products, chicken manure, cottonseed, pesticides, and antibiotics. Can you guess what that feed becomes? The milk you drink.

  4.Research shows that the countries whose citizens consume the most dairy products have the highest incidence of osteoporosis, contrary to what dairy bureaus try to tell us.

  5.Research links dairy products with the formation of arthritis. In one study of rabbits, scientist Richard Panush was able to produce inflammation in the joints of animals simply by switching their water to cow’s milk. In another study, scientists observed more than a 50 percent reduction in the pain and swelling of arthritis when participants eliminated milk and dairy products from their diets.3

  6.Most dairy products are pasteurized to kill potentially harmful bacteria. During the pasteurization process, vitamins, proteins, and enzymes are also destroyed. Enzymes assist with the digestion process, and when these enzymes are destroyed, the milk becomes harder to digest, which puts a strain on your body’s enzyme systems.

  7.Most milk is homogenized, which denatures the milk’s proteins, making it harder to digest. Many people’s bodies react to these proteins as though they are “foreign invaders,” causing their immune systems to overreact, which ultimately results in inflammation.

  8.Pesticides in cow feed find their way into the milk and dairy products that you consume. Pesticides are neurotoxins that can be harmful to your body.

  The Whole Grain and Nothing But the Grain

  White flour bread, pastries, and other baked goods are best avoided altogether during the 4-Week Brain Health Challenge. That’s because white flour acts the same way as sugar in your body and is replete with all the problems of sugar that you learned about earlier in this chapter. And while many people think that whole wheat products are health foods, they aren’t. Many whole wheat breads, pastas, and pastries contain white flour along with a small amount of whole wheat flour or a multigrain mix. Both white flour and whole wheat flour, and therefore the products made with them, tend to be inflammatory in your body once eaten.

  Additionally, some people react to the gluten these products contain. Gluten is a particular type of protein found in some grains and is highly inflammatory to some, but not all, people. If you have unexplained health problems for which your doctor can find no cause, or you have many seemingly diverse health issues, I recommend a visit to a naturally minded health practitioner who can test you to determine whether you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity. Additionally, there are many grains and grain product alternatives that do not contain gluten and are delicious. You can also switch to these gluten-free alternatives to see if you experience improvements. Keep in mind that if you have a gluten sensitivity or a full-blown allergy, it is imperative that you eliminate gluten altogether. Even cheating once in a while will negate any benefits of eating gluten-free the rest of the time. Also, keep in mind that while gluten can be extremely dangerous for some people, it is not something that needs to be entirely avoided by most people. If you don’t have a gluten allergy or sensitivity, simply reducing the number of gluten-containing foods in your diet goes a long way toward reducing inflammation.

  In addition to white flour and whole wheat flour, other gluten-containing grains to reduce your consumption of (or avoid altogether, if you are allergic) include rye, spelt, kamut, and some oats and oatmeal. If the label on the oats or oatmeal does not say that it contains “gluten-free” oats, then the product probably contains gluten. Try reducing your consumption of these gluten-containing foods as much as possible, with the goal of significantly reducing or eliminating them completely. Instead, choose gluten-free grains or seeds such as buckwheat, quinoa, millet, brown rice, wild rice, and black rice (also called forbidden rice), and use the flours made from them for baking.

  Prescription Meds Linked to Brain Diseases

  There is a silent brain disease culprit that few people know about: prescription medications. Some medications have been linked with symptoms of brain diseases, and worse, brain diseases themselves, so it is imperative to check the prescriptions you’re taking if you are experiencing any memory or cognitive problems. Some prescription medications may be mimicking brain diseases or actually causing brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. New research in the British Medical Journal shows that there are strong ties between some popular medications—namely a class of drugs called benzodiazepines (BZDs)—and dementia. The main culprits are antianxiety and insomnia medications such as diazepam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax), both of which are BZDs, since research has found that taking these drugs more than doubles a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease.4

  Other smaller-scale studies had already identified a possible benzodiazepine–dementia link, but the BMJ study strongly supports the connection. And while discontinuing these drugs is a good place to start (with the help of your doctor, of course), the study found that having taken these drugs for 3 months or longer at some point in the past increases your risk for Alzheimer’s disease by 51 percent compared to people who were never prescribed BZDs. According to the study results, the longer a person used BZDs, the higher their risk of Alzheimer’s. While international drug guidelines for BZD use call for their short-term use only (less than 3 months), many people, under the guidance or neglect of their physicians, have used these medications for much longer periods.

  If you choose to stop taking these brain-damaging drugs, and I believe that is the best option for most people, it is important to work with your physician, because quitting them cold turkey can lead to potentially scary symptoms, including panic attacks, headaches, and even suicidal thoughts. Your doctor can help to gradually wean you off the medication, thereby avoiding uncomfortable or serious withdrawal symptoms.

  While you will experience brain health benefits from this program even if you’re taking these drugs, obviously the results will be superior if you remove serious obstacles
to brain health, such as BZDs.

  THE PRINCIPLES OF THE 4-WEEK BRAIN HEALTH CHALLENGE

  Let’s get to work building a strong and healthy brain that is resilient against brain diseases, memory loss, and cognitive impairment. Even if you’ve already started experiencing a serious brain disease, you can benefit from following the principles of the 4-Week Brain Health Challenge. To build a sensational brain, you need to eat a diet that is high in brain-building nutrients, including amino acids found in protein, healthy sugars found in healthy complex carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids found in healthy fats, as well as a mix of vitamins and minerals. When you eat a healthy, brain-building diet like the one I outline here, your body will break down the foods into these components, which act as the building blocks of a healthy brain.

  Brain Health Principle #1: Cut back on red meat and dairy products. As you’ve already learned, red meat and dairy products contain saturated fats that tend to increase blood cholesterol levels and encourage your body’s production of beta-amyloid plaques in your brain, increasing your risk of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. In the Chicago Health and Aging Study, people who consumed the highest amounts of saturated fat had three times the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.5 Eat no more than one serving of meat or dairy products (½ cup of dairy or 6 ounces of meat) no more than five times weekly. On the days you avoid red meat, you can eat up to 6 ounces of lean poultry or fish. Ideally, you should be having a couple of vegetarian days a week, as well. Some people already occasionally have “meatless Mondays,” and if you’re among them, you’re halfway there.

  Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When you eat protein-rich foods, your body breaks them down into amino acids and other nutrients that your brain cells can use. While amino acids are required by your brain for optimal health, you need to be sure that your body is able to break down the protein foods to extract those amino acids, and from this standpoint, not all protein-rich foods are created equally. While meat and poultry are fine in small amounts, most people eat far too much of these foods, and that contributes to excess amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, and worse, excessive amounts of saturated fats that break down into inflammatory arachidonic acid. As you learned earlier, omega-6s are fine when consumed in a healthy ratio to omega-3s, but most people eat excessive amounts that contribute to inflammation. Similarly, saturated fats are healthy and safe in small amounts, but the amount most people eat exceeds the upper limit.

  Some foods that are high in digestible and highly usable protein include avocados, legumes such as lentils or kidney beans, nuts, nut butters, almond milk, soy milk, tofu, bean sprouts, and alfalfa sprouts. Also, when bean sprouts are eaten raw, they are loaded with highly absorbable protein thanks to enzymes they contain that allow for quick-and-easy digestion. You’ll learn more about plant-based sources of protein in 60-Second Brain Health Tip #5.

  We need to stop equating “protein” with “meat.” Thanks to the high-protein diet craze, I get so many people asking how they will get adequate protein in their diets—even though I counsel that most foods contain protein, and many vegetarian sources of protein are actually superior, due to their digestibility.

  Brain Health Principle #2: Avoid refined grains and enjoy whole grains, instead. Emphasize gluten-free options like quinoa, brown rice, millet, wild rice, amaranth, teff, tapioca, arrowroot, and sorghum.

  Your body breaks down healthy carbs into the natural sugars that your brain needs for its energy supply. I can almost hear some readers justifying their sugar addictions with that statement. However, your body has specific sugar needs. Refined or concentrated sugars, such as those found in sodas, ice cream, cakes, cookies, or other sugary foods, provide a quick sugar rush that just as quickly causes blood sugar levels to plummet. That kind of sugar roller coaster is detrimental to your brain health, not to mention your immune system.

  Instead, your brain requires sustained energy from healthy carbs such as fruits, whole grains, and legumes. Legumes are high in both protein and carbs, making them an excellent food choice for brain health.

  As you learned earlier, many grains contain gluten, a sticky substance that causes an immune response in gluten-sensitive individuals. Like other sensitivities, gluten sensitivity rarely causes the same symptoms as pollen and environmental allergies. Instead, gluten may contribute to low-grade inflammation throughout your body. Since inflammation is linked to many brain diseases, it is best to avoid gluten-containing grains as much as possible. The main ones include wheat (which includes whole wheat and white flour, as well as anything made with them), rye, kamut, and spelt.

  According to archaeological evidence, humans didn’t start eating grains until the onset of the Agricultural Revolution about 10,000 years ago. Prior to that, we subsisted largely on fruits, nuts, seeds, wild vegetables, herbs, and possibly some meat, although experts differ in their opinions. Some experts believe that this is why so many people have difficulty handling many grains, particularly those containing gluten. While we’d like to think of our bodies as adapting quickly, when it comes to their nutritional needs and digestive capacities, they don’t.

  Additionally, it is important to choose whole grains over refined grains. Refined grains cause rapid blood sugar fluctuations that are linked to energy deficits in the brain, as well as inflammation. Dana Carpender, author of 500 Low-Carb Recipes, once told me in a private interview, “Enriched-flour products are typically grain products that have had all the fiber and some 35 or more nutrients removed and 5 added back in. Enriched-flour products are comparable to being robbed of all your clothes, money, shoes, and personal belongings while walking to the bus stop. Then the thief gives you your shoes and a quarter for the bus and tells you that you’ve been ‘enriched’ by the experience. Not likely.”

  Better sources of gluten-free whole grains and carbohydrates include brown rice, wild rice, black rice, almond flour, tapioca flour, amaranth, arrowroot, and quinoa. Brown rice is more nutritious and a better option than white rice. It offers vitamin E and is high in fiber. Quinoa, a staple of the ancient Incas who revered it as sacred, is not a true grain, but rather a seed. It is a complete protein and is high in iron, B vitamins, and fiber. Amaranth is an ancient grain that is packed with important nutrients and devoid of gluten.

  Not a true grain, wild rice is actually a type of aquatic grass seed native to the United States and Canada. It tends to be a bit pricier than other grains, but its high content of protein and its nutty flavor make wild rice worth every penny. It is an excellent choice for people with celiac disease or who have gluten or wheat sensitivities. Add wild rice to soups, stews, salads, and pilafs. It is important to note that wild rice is black. There are many blends of white and wild rice, most of which tend to consist primarily of refined white rice. Be sure to use only wild rice, not the blends, to avoid refined rice.

  Brain Health Principle #3: Go gluten-free if you are experiencing depression or another mental illness. A recent study in the journal Biological Psychiatry found that gluten sensitivity and celiac disease may be linked to schizophrenia and psychosis. Scientists at the Department of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine studied 471 people, including 129 with recently developed psychosis, 191 with mild schizophrenia, and 151 with neither condition to act as controls for the experiment.

  The scientists measured levels of various types of antibodies to determine whether people with either schizophrenia or psychosis had any greater sensitivity to gluten than people without mental illness. Less than 1 percent of those with mental illness showed signs of celiac disease—a disease characterized by an inability to digest gluten and many resulting disabling symptoms. However, a significant number of people with schizophrenia and psychosis had high levels of antibodies to gluten.

  The people with mental illness exhibited many of the same symptoms as people with celiac disease, but they had a different immune response. Those with mental illness also differed substantially in their reactions to gluten compared to t
he control group without mental illness. This study suggests that an abnormal immune response to gluten may be involved with these forms of mental illness. Of course, further research is needed, but this study gives people an important dietary factor to consider when dealing with mental illness.

  Brain Health Principle #4: Eat three square meals and snacks. Be sure to eat at least three meals daily with healthy snacks in between to help keep your blood sugar levels stable. Blood sugar is the fuel your brain requires for optimal performance. And it needs a slow and steady supply, which is the exact opposite of the way most people eat: skipping meals, lots of sugar or sweets at certain times of day, and lots of sugar highs and crashes. The best part of eating three meals and a couple of snacks every day is that you don’t have to count calories, grams of protein, or other information! As long as you follow the guidelines in this book, you’re all set.

  Brain Health Principle #5: Eliminate trans fats, hydrogenated fats, and all foods that contain them (margarine, shortening, pastries, biscuits, etc.). Completely avoid all products that contain trans fats or hydrogenated fats. Stanford-trained research scientist J. Robert Hatherill, PhD, found that diets containing trans fats make brain cell membranes excessively permeable, allowing viruses greater access to the brain, disrupting brain signals, causing brain cells to become dysfunctional, and promoting cognitive decline. As if that wasn’t bad enough, trans fats also incorporate themselves into the myelin sheath—the protective coating of nerves and brain cells. This changes the electrical conductivity of nerve and brain cells, thereby negatively affecting the body’s communications. Trans fats have also been shown to increase the risk of stroke (and heart disease, too).6