Survey
It can be done at any age!
The brain controls and manages just about every system and process in the body. Great brain health ensures a well-functioning mind and body.
Importance
The Brain’s Role in Health
The brain does much more than just think. Crucial for all aspects of health and fitness, the brain controls everything from breathing and digestion to immunity and exercise. Even those processes which the brain doesn’t control directly, it still exerts a magnificent amount of influence over.
Because of this, maintaining and increasing the quality of all-around brain function is vital, especially as we age. The brain is constantly renewing itself, so preventing cognitive decline is an ongoing process — one which starts today. Some of the most important known ingredients in this process are:
- Proper sleep.
- Real food.
- Keep learning.
- Varied movement.
Dangers
Causes of Cognitive Decline
Dementia is a disorder of the brain’s mental-emotional condition. It is caused by a variety of brain diseases, most commonly Alzheimer’s along with physical or biochemical injury. Symptoms include memory loss, personality changes and impaired reasoning. The process can start early in life with poor nutrition and chronic inflammation.
Risk factors for brain dysfunction are very similar to those for carbohydrate intolerance —which is why the Online Program addresses them early on. Risk factors also include include low levels of folate and vitamin D, an imbalance in dietary fats and chronic inflammation.
Next step: Take the survey below.
Take the survey
Take the following survey to ascertain whether you are at risk of poor brain health. This survey will provide you with a personalized risk level (low, moderate, or high) that you can use to improve your health.
Disclaimer
A high level of risk doesn’t mean that you have a serious health condition. It means that due to your present situation (lifestyle, health and habits), you have a higher risk for this condition.
Solutions
Good sleep, the right food, and continued learning can help stimulate the brain.
Twelve Ways to Build a Better Brain
Applies to:
High Risk
Moderate Risk
Low Risk
With the right mental activity, blood flow to the brain increases, bringing more oxygen and other nutrients to cells — another key step to better brain function. Practice these suggestions regularly to further build the brain:
- Play a musical instrument.
- Stimulate different tastes and smells.
- Use your non-dominant hand.
- Learn new things about familiar routes and environments.
- Use categories to improve memory.
- Learn a new language.
- Learn how to tell stories.
- Develop loving relationships.
- Live your passion.
- Get 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.
- Change daily routines often.
- Expose the brain to natural sunlight through the eyes (without glasses).
At first glance, most of these seem to be the classic suggestions for helping people live fuller lives. But the stimulation and variety that they bring, which is so important to living a full life, is exactly what helps build a better brain. Click the button below to learn strategies for implementing these suggestions!
Eat for Brain Health
Applies to:
High Risk
Moderate Risk
Low Risk
Unsurprisingly, the same types of foods that make for a healthy body apply to the brain. If you carefully and successfully implemented the first steps of the Online Program, tweaking your diet for optimal brain health should be easy — you’re already most of the way there!
While all natural nutrients are important for the brain, certain ones are particularly important:
- The micronutrients folate and vitamin D.
- Choline, (found in largest amounts in egg yolks).
- As the brain consists of 60 percent fat, eating healthy fats is a must, especially EPA from fish oil.
- The phytonutrients ginger, garlic and curcumin can help control inflammation.
If the survey shows that your risk for cognitive decline is moderate or high (or even if it’s low), consider including the above foods into your diet.
