Research shows that seeds and
nuts
are "brain foods" that can also
stabilize your mood
Can some foods make you smarter?
Research shows that nuts and seeds just might boost your brainpower and
balance your moods.
That's right, everything from the most common nuts -- such as walnuts,
hazelnuts, cashews and almonds -- to the more exotic seeds and nuts can
clear up that "brain fog" and
enable you to think clearer and be happier than you ever imagined.
Both figuratively and literally speaking, walnuts are "brain food." As Rebecca Wood
points out in her "New Foods
Encyclopedia," the walnut looks remarkably like the human brain.
"The thin, outer green husk,
which is removed before the walnuts are marketed, is likened to the
scalp. The walnut's hard shell is like a skull. The thin envelope
inside, with its paper-like partitions between the two halves of the
nut, is like the membrane. The convoluted nut itself represents the
human brain's two hemispheres."
Now, you might not like to remember this resemblance while you're
eating a handful of them, but you will want to remember that walnuts
are made up of 15 to 20 percent protein and contain linoleic (omega-6
fatty acids) and alpha-linoleic acids (omega-3 fatty acids), vitamin E
and vitamin B6, making them an excellent source of nourishment for your
nervous system.
A healthy nervous system means both clearer and happier thinking,
according to research. In fact, according to Readers Digest's "Fight Back with Food,"
under-consumption of omega-3-rich foods may actually lead to
depression. The same walnuts that you can find in the baking aisle of
just about any grocery store, may be able to boost your mood in a way
similar to the famous antidepressant drug Prozac.
As is the case with Prozac, walnuts' potential antidepressant effect
pertains to serotonin, the important brain chemical that controls both
your moods and your appetite. Like Prozac and other selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitor drugs (SSRIs), walnuts may influence the human
brain's serotonin levels, according to Professor James Duke's book "Anti-Aging Prescriptions." That
means that you may be able to relieve the disorders commonly treated
with antidepressant drugs -- insomnia, depression, overeating and other
compulsive behavior -- without the dangerous side effects.
Walnuts aren't the only nut with mood-boosting omega-3s, either. Gandhi
praised flax seeds as a wonder food, and many nutritionists and health
food fans everywhere agree. In fact, at a recent visit to the Canyon
Ranch Health Resort, flax seeds were all the rage. Guests just couldn't
get enough flaxseed bread and whole flax seeds as a garnish, and with
good reason. Flax seeds are an excellent source for omega-3s, making
them a viable source for those who don't like to eat fish, the most
common source of omega-3s.
Like walnuts, flax seeds may offer an alternative to antidepressant
pharmaceuticals, which are often loaded with side effects. However, as
the editors of Bottom Line Health point out in their "Uncommon Cures for Everyday Ailments," the
effectiveness of walnuts or any other emotion-boosting seeds and nuts
depends on the severity of your mental disorder. Furthermore, boosting
your moods with nutrition should not be used as a substitute for the
care of a medical specialist.
Walnuts aren't the only common nuts that can boost your moods and your
brainpower. According to Professor James Duke, many varieties of seeds
and nuts contain tryptophan, an important amino acid that the brain
converts to serotonin. Roasted pumpkin seeds and dry sunflower seeds
are an excellent source of tryptophan, making them a safe, natural way
to relive mild depression and insomnia. Additionally, sunflower seeds
are high in thiamine, an important B vitamin for memory and cognitive
function.
While you're in the nut aisle shopping for walnuts, pumpkin seeds and
sunflower seeds, be sure to pick up some cashews, almonds, pecans and
peanuts too. Each can improve your mental health in its own way.
Cashews are high in magnesium, which can "open up" the blood vessels in
your body, including those in your brain. When more oxygen-rich blood
nourishes your brain, like any organ, it operates better. By providing
your body with phenylalanine, adding almonds to your diet can do
wonders for your mental and neurological health.
According to "Off the Shelf Natural
Health: How to Use Herbs and Nutrients to Stay Well" author Mark
Mayell, phenylalanine has the rare ability to cross the blood-brain
barrier, where it then stimulates your brain to produce "the natural pain-killing and
mood-boosting neurotransmitters dopamine, adrenaline and
noradrenaline." Accordingly, phenylalanine-rich almonds can
drastically reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, a neurological
disorder that is always debilitating and often eventually deadly.
Additionally, almonds are high in riboflavin, which may boost your
memory. Peanuts and pecans provide another important nutrient for
optimal brain function, choline. According to "Permanent Remissions" by Robert
Haas, choline aids in both memory and brain development.
When you look at our history as a species, the knowledge that some
seeds and nuts may enhance brainpower and moods makes perfect sense. As "Origin Diet" author Elizabeth
Somer writes, seeds and nuts were an essential part of our ancestors'
diets: "Up to 65 percent of our
original diets were fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and other
plants. Our ancient ancestors ate pounds of produce every day. The
other 35 percent came from wild game, low in saturated fats and rich in
polyunsaturated fats called the omega-3 fatty acids. Hundreds of studies spanning decades of
research show that diets based on these foods are also the ones that
lower disease risk, prevent obesity, boost energy and mood, improve
mental function, and slow aging."
Seeds and nuts are essential to a healthy, well-functioning brain and,
if they're high in omega-3, essential to the brain development of an
unborn fetus and growing child. It is worth your efforts to make them
part of your diet, and that of your family.
http://www.NewsTarget.com
See also
Hardening of Arteries
Significantly Reduced by Vegetable Diet
Guidance on snacks and
meals for youngsters
Memory and memory loss
Haggis - a very Scottish dish
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