Sight Beyonder|||||Vegan Brainfood!!!!

Disclaimer: This article is meant to be used as information only. As always, please consult the appropriate professionals (your elders, Jah, God, Allah, people in your circle, drifters that have come from afar with herbs in their satchels, most native indigenous peoples, and/or homeopathic scientist) for more information. Never by any means possible, get info from those who offer medications. Sister baring fruit(babies, seeds, yutes) please be wiser!!! Medicine medicates but does not cure. Be kind rewind....your thoughts.

The Building Block of the Brain

Our brain is primarily fat, 60% by dry weight! Few people realize how important fat is to a healthy brain. And DHA, the most plentiful fatty acid in the brain, is crucial to brain health, from infancy to old age.

If we eat excessive sugar in the form of highly refined carbohydrates as well as hydrogenated oils foods, this do not contribute to brain health. Oxidized fats are toxic to the body. Our diet is a critical factor to healthy brain function. A good rule of thumb is this: avoid processed foods. Duh!!!! Natural foods like Olives, cold-pressed olive oil, raw nuts and seeds cold-water fish(by choice), and avocados have Omega-3 essential fatty acids that the body and brain need for healthy function. So, what should you eat? Overall, fish(by choice), nuts, seeds are good brain nutrients.

Even if you look at the shape of most nuts and seeds its a giveaway of its function. Wall nuts look like the brain as well as cashews and other pods. Hence, celery looks like bones and is good for cartilage as does carrots look like the eyes and are good for that. BE WISER folks. Nature tells us everything we need to know.

So are eggs and red meat but there's a downside there. Eggs and red meat are high in choline and initial investigation says "extra choline in the adult diet boosts brainpower," but eggs are high in cholesterol and meat is not good for the intestinal tract. Therefore, you should eat them sparingly or not at all. You can, however, obtain the choline you need through a good supplement. This is doubly important as choline is one of the forerunners for acetylcholine; it's a critical neurotransmitter needed for healthy brain function.

When looking for nuts, look for those with a high Omega 3 content. Almonds are an excellent choice. Which fish should you choose if you ARE NOT VEGAN? Look for cold-water fish like tuna, mackerel, and salmon.

Limit your intake of fish due to high contamination of toxins like dioxins, PCBs, and even mercury! If you eat fish, haring, salmon and sardines are good choices as they are both high in DMAE, a naturally occurring nutrient found fish. This nutrient is important as it helps protect the integrity of our cell membranes. DMAE's primary importance is that it plays a prime role in the manufacture of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a precursor to memory, concentration, and in countering mood swings.

Compounds

Let's now talk about key brain nutrients that can not only stave off brain degeneration but actually significantly improve your brain's function.

Gotu Kola

In one study, when Gotu Kola was given to children with capsicum (cayenne pepper) and ginseng, it increased I.Q. of mentally retarded children. Mowrey, Herbal Tonic Therapies, (New Canaan, Connecticut: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1993) 53. Gotu Kola is ranked, and deservedly so, as one of the greatest herbs. Like most medicinal herbs, its taste is earthy yet mildly bitter and sweet combination. (We also make it as an herbal tea in addition to supplementing our diet with it in tablet form.) Without question, however you take it, Gotu Kola deserves to be ranked with powerful memory supplements such as Gingko and DMAE. Some of the benefits of Gotu Kola are better concentration, memory, improved blood flow through blood vessels, and general better cognitive function.

Gingko Biloba

Gingko Biloba, or Ginkgo Biloba as some spell it, is one of the most powerful brain nutrients on the planet. Gingko Biloba has long been recognized as one of the very best memory supplements known to humankind. Gingko also has an illustrious history as it is considered to come from the oldest tree species on earth -- a species of tree that dates back literally over 200 million years! Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles Neuropsychiatric Institute used positron-emission tomography to study brain regions associated with memory and found that gingko biloba correlated with better brain functioning in these areas.

The herb works by increasing blood flow throughout the body and is thought to support memory recall by repairing circulatory malfunctions in the brain. Ginkgo biloba is the oldest species of tree native to China. Extracts from the leaves of the ginkgo biloba tree has been used medicinally for centuries. Studies showed that ginkgo works by increasing blood flow throughout the body and brain. Especially, ginkgo biloba improves circulation and oxygen supply to the brain. Thereby improves mental alertness by increasing the brain's alpha wave rhythms and overall brain functioning.

Word to The Wise (No Pun Intended)...pregnant and nursing women especially should not take any supplements without a wise opinion. DMAE, Ginkgo Biloba, and Gotu Kola are powerful, but what about side effects? At this time, there are no real known side effects with DMAE. Gingko Biloba, however as it's a blood thinner, when used with prescription medication, there could be some unwanted interaction.

Taken by itself, it is safe if the dosage is small. Gotu Kola actually can cause sensitivity to sunlight.

Be advised if you have the type of skin that can burn easily, you should be mindful of this. Overall, though, it is a very safe herb. Take in recommended dosages with all herbals.