The 5 Biggest Enemies Of Brain Health

Good brain health depends on many factors. The most important are exercise and oxygenation. However, the foods we eat also play a decisive role. They provide us with substances that directly reflect on brain functioning, and some of them are real enemies of brain health.

Healthy eating is based on natural products. It mainly seeks to maintain a balance. Nothing that is eaten in excess is positive. It is also not a good thing to keep processed, highly processed foods in our diet. Especially foods that contain a lot of sugar, salt or fat.

Mood, ability to learn or memory are often affected by the consumption of certain foods. These are products that include components with the potential to affect the nervous system and especially the brain. So it is very important to be careful.

Some components are present in most processed foods but go unnoticed. They are only noticed when looking at the ingredients, whose names sometimes don’t clarify anything about the components. Next, we’ll point out which are five of these foods and components you should avoid for good brain health.

The Enemies of Brain Health

1. Gluten

Gluten is a set of proteins found in several cereals. Despite being different from each other, they receive this generic name because they have many similarities. They are present in wheat and its derivatives, barley, rye and other similar foods.

These proteins adhere to the large intestine and cause metabolic, digestive and immune disorders. Some people are more sensitive to gluten. Others not so much, although basically in all cases gluten causes harm. Gluten is one of the enemies of brain health as it affects the nervous system.

2. Artificial Sweeteners

Sweeteners are substances that replace sugar in foods. There are some natural ones, but most are artificial. They are known to alter brain health. In fact, many people call them “brain poisons” because they make neurons jittery.

Aspartame and saccharin, two artificial sweeteners, are associated with certain nervous system disorders. Among them, depression, anxiety, recurrent migraines and speech difficulties. These substances are present in a wide variety of industrial foods. In general, on all those that have the label “light” or “low sugar content”.

3. Monosodium glutamate

Almost all canned foods have this component. It is an extremely concentrated salt. It is used to preserve food and also to add flavor and aroma to food. Its consumption has been shown to stimulate the production of dopamine in the brain.

Dopamine produces a feeling of momentary well-being. However, monosodium glutamate also has a high content of so-called “excitotoxins”. There is strong evidence that these foods affect brain health. Monosodium glutamate is even associated with serious diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia and chronic fatigue.

4. Refined sugar

Sugar is considered one of the “three white poisons”, along with salt and wheat flour. Currently, it is one of the most used components in various types of food. Long-term consumption of refined sugar gives rise to various difficulties and also puts good brain health at risk.

Refined sugar limits the functioning of a protein called BDNF (an acronym for brain-derived neurotrophic factor ). It performs important functions within the nervous system, such as protecting memory and facilitating the connection between neurons. It has been proven that people with schizophrenia or depression worse when they consume sugar regularly.

5. Fluoride

Fluoride is an element added to drinking water, mainly to maintain its purity and health. Although it is imperceptible, it is in the jet of water that comes out of the faucet. This component has been severely questioned. It is suspected that it may be related to low intellectual performance and the alteration of some cognitive functions.

Organizations such as UNICEF have also spoken out against fluoride in water. It is known to reach higher concentrations in bottled water.

The ideal is to consume fresh food. The biggest enemies of brain health are canned and processed foods. In addition to not having a high nutritional value, these foods cause disease. Without a doubt, it is better to avoid them.