MANCHESTER You may have heard about eating heart healthy, but have you ever heard about eating brain healthy? The foods we eat affect our brains just as much as our hearts, and according to some specialists, its something we should be paying attention to.
The evidence is mounting that no matter what age you are, elementary school or even living into your 90s, the way we live our lives impacts our body and our brains every single day, saidCC Donelan.
Donelan isdirector of education atthe Brain Health and Wellness Center in Acton, which offers educational programs, consulting and coaching to individuals, families, and organizations in how to improve and care for the human brain. She will be speaking at the Manchester Community Center at a free event on Thursday, March 23, at 7 p.m. asthe second in a series of workshops that deal with memory loss.
The studies she will be presenting look at how lifestyle choices influence thinking and memory skills and how simple changes can prevent slow cognitive decline and possibly reduce the risk of Alzheimers disease.
Were all concerned about our brains these days, Donelan said. What we chose to eat and activities we chose do impact us.
Donelan first learned about the program after her father was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease in 2010, and it changed the way she lives her life. At the time I was taking care of my three children, buying fresh foods almost every day, thinking that was the key. Ive learned so much and my pantry has changed, Donelan said.
Im using mostly whole grains now. Nothing refined, she said. She also uses a lot more spices. This program highlights the incredible benefits of spices, she said.She is also supplementing animal proteins with plant foods in her diet.
You should really eat fish at least three times a week. It doesnt have to be wild-caught salmon top of the line you can get wonderful canned salmon that is very affordable, she said. Sardines are also heart- and brain-healthy, she said.
The big change is to cut refined sugar. The whole effort is to reduce sugar over all, she said. You dont have to give up desserts completely; she offered dark chocolate as a healthy alternative.
People should be aware of how much sugar they consume daily, according to Donelan. In many studies it is directly found to impact your brain, thinking, memory, and shrinks you hippocampus, Donelan said. The hippocampus,the center of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system in the brain, seems to bewhere Alzheimers disease begins. It also impacts your heart and overall body functioning.
Its not a diet, its a lifestyle, Donelan said. Its about coming back more in line with how we should be eating.
Becoming more aware of how food and lifestyle choices effect your brain can result in more energy, clearer thinking, and can help fight against cold and flu, she said.
I never really thought too much about what I eat affecting my brain until my dad was diagnosed and a whole new world opened up, Donelan said.
Mary Markos may be contacted at 978-675-2708 or mmarkos@gloucestertimes.com
If you go
What: How to eat brain healthy, a talk withCC Donelan of theBrain Health and Wellness Center in Acton.
When:Thursday, March 23, at 7 p.m.
Where:Manchester Community Center, 40 Beach St.
How much: Free.
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Talk to explore brain-diet connection - The Salem News
