Eat smart to live a smart life
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Smart eating is essentially healthy eating and this is necessary because the food we eat does not just have a major impact on the body but also the brain and how it functions. All the tissues in the body, the hormones that enable essential bodily functions and the fuels that provide energy to each cell of the body are basically furnished by what you eat. The past two decades have especially seen an enhanced awareness of healthy eating and the relation between the performance of elite athletes and the food they eat. As a result a lot of literature is being published regarding the smart and healthy eating habits. On the other hand an interest in nutrition has moved from the fringes of society into the mainstream as more and more people are becoming health and food conscious.
As mentioned above the food we eat also has a major impact on the brain and its functions. Hence the right foods can help in enhancing concentration, tuning sensorimotor skills, enhance motivation, improve memory, improve the speed reaction times, relieve stress and even prevent the aging of the brain. According to the research done in the subject of nutritional neuroscience some important findings have come to light, let us look at them.
- A diet that has high fat content and is low on fruits and vegetables is not just bad for the heart and linked to some cancers, but it can also cause aggression and depression as has been found in North America. This kind of diet is especially common among men.
- The brain health of a person depends not only on the amount of fat in the diet, but also the type of fat. The Omega fats found in fish are especially good for enhancing intellectual performance. In your diet even if you adhere to the recommended amount of fat, but if it is the wrong kind of fat it can have a detrimental impact on the intelligence levels.
- You can enhance memory, alertness and resistance to stress by eating foods that are the precursors of necessary brain neurotransmitters. However, so far most studies have been conducted on people who were suffering from nutritional deficiencies.
- Carbohydrates when they are eaten without protein or fat can be soothing for the brain.
- The B vitamins are known to influence the mood and mental performance in a powerful manner.
Unfortunately most of the food we eat is processed and refined to the extent that it loses most of its nutritional value. Apart from this due to the hectic lifestyles there is less time to cook healthy balanced meals and there is an increasing reliance on fast and junk foods. As a result we are unable to consume the required nutrition required by our body or brain.
The best solution to this problem is to opt for nutritional supplements which are now easily available in the market. The best part is that now many companies have come up with supplements which are made from 100% natural products. This ensures that there are no harmful side effects like the ones associated with chemical based supplements. If you want to know more about these supplements click here.