Brain Food
Baby brain development is affected greatly by a baby's nutrition intake. Children who are
malnourished will resulted an inadequate brain growth that showing lower IQ, slower language
and fine motor development. Before we talk about the kind of food that we need to 'feed' the brain.
We probably want to ask ourselves, what is our brain made of?
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.
DHA
Many parents today already heard about the brain food - DHA. If you have not, you may want
to pay attention to this.
DHA is shorthand for docosahexaenoic acid. This omega-3 long chain fatty acid is the primary
building block of the brain and retina of the eye. The brain is 60% fat, and DHA is the most
abundant essential fatty acid (EFA) in the brain, comprising 25-35%. DHA is found in even greater concentrations
- 50-60% - in the retina. DHA is critical for infant development. Compelling research links DHA
to the rapid cerebral cortex and eye development that occurs during pregnancy and in the first
few months after birth.
DHA passes through the placenta to the fetus during pregnancy, and to the nursing baby
through breast milk. Optimal levels of DHA in the bloodstream of pregnant women and the
breast milk of nursing mothers are crucial to babies. In fact, DHA's presence in breast
milk may explain why
breast-fed babies have demonstrable IQ
advantages over babies fed formula without DHA. This is proved by the 21-year study by a
research team at Brisbane's University of Queensland. They found that the breastfed children
ended up with an intellectual advantage of eight IQ points. One of the explanation by Prof.
Najman, the research team leader was "that omega fatty acids found in breast milk may be
giving breastfed children an intellectual advantage."
Once we understood the important of DHA presence in breast milk, one must also realizes that
the level of DHA vary widely from mother to mother. In fact, the DHA levels in the breast milk
of American women rank among the lowest in the world. Why? Because the level of DHA in the
breast milk is very much depending upon the food intake of the mother. To produce high level
of DHA in the breast milk, the mothers should try to eat as much seafood as possible on the
regular basis. And try to breast-feed their children if at all possible.
With the finding of the importance of DHA in brain development, the World Health Organization
(WHO) has recommended that DHA be included in infant formulas at levels comparable to
those of mothers' milk. Today, you can find many infant formulas are fortified with
DHA such as Frisogrow, Anmum Essential, Enfapro ... and many more! Just look for DHA next time when you are buying infant formula.
In addition, you can find DHA
packaged in liquid formula or softgel for older children and
pregnant/breastfeeding mom. You can find these products in major
pharmacies.
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Here is a fish oil that provides
highest quality of essential
fatty acid with complete daily source of Omega 3/6/9. Best of all, it
has a natural lime taste in liquid form that most children will find it
easy to eat.
>>
Nature's Way EFA Blend, 8 oz Liquid, formula
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You can also ensure your children (and yourself) obtain DHA from the diets. The richest sources
of DHA are red meats, animal organs, and eggs. Deep-water fish obtain their DHA from
microalgae like salmon, striped bass, rainbow trout, halibut, tuna, sardines, mackerel or
fish oil supplements for those whose fish intake is very low. You can also find DHA in
plants like green leafy vegetables, soybeans, walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil.
DMAE
DMAE normally found in small amounts in our brains, DMAE (dimetheyaminoethanol) has been shown
to remarkably enhance improvement in learning, mental alertness and clarity of thinking.
A study conducted by Dr. Carl Pfeiffer of Princeton, N.J. showed significant improvements
in behavior, learning ability, and attention span with 108 boys and girls. Irritability
was decreased, scholastic ability was improved and intelligence was actually elevated in some
cases. With its ability to improve attention span, DMAE is also alleviates behavior
problems and hyperactivity such as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).
DMAE is often given credit for having to elevate mood and improve memory and learning. People
who have taken DMAE for a period of a few weeks often report an increase in physical
energy and less of a need for sleep.
(Caution: DMAE may be ill advised for people subject to seizures
according to some authorities. Although few side-effects have been
reported, confusion, headache, drowsiness and muscle tension are
possibilities.)
Occurring naturally in fish (sardines), you can also find DMAE in tablets/capsule form in major
pharmacies. Here is
eVitamin's DMAE supplements, Vegetarian Formula.
Why is DMAE important? Because, it also increases the levels of the neurotransmitter 'acetylcholine' in the brain. Next...
Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALC)
Acetyl L-Carnitine facilitates both the rerlease and synthesis of
Acetylcholine. Acetylocholine' was the very first neurotransmitter to be identified back in the early 1900s.
Acetylcholine is found in the brain and the peripheral nervous system and is an critical element in brain development
and it proved to enhance spatial memory and mental focus.
Choline is the usual pre-cursor of acetylocholine and
choline influences levels of acetylcholine. Acetyl L-Carnitine helps to improve deteriotating
memory and appears to function as a powerful antioxidant within the brain, stabilizing cell
membranes and improving energy production within brain cells.
eVitamin's Acetyl-L Carnitine, 100 capsule, 500 mg
Brahmi
Brahmi, also known as bacopin, bacopa monnieri or Indian Pennywort, is a
type of herb that grows in Asia and Australia. Studies revealed at
prestigious World Neurological Conferences, show that Brahmi is an
effective 'brain food' as it nourishes the brain and improves
intelligence and memory. Brahmi is popular especially among students as
it enhances the minds ability to learn and focus under stressful
conditions. Other studies have shown that Brahmi has a calming effect
and has since become the herb of choice for Attention Deficit Disorder
(ADD) children. Moreover, Brahmi is also recommended for middle age
people who find their memory starts to fade.
In short, the benefit of Brahmi including improves learning and mental
performance while helps to relieve the stress of a learning or study
environment. For best results, adults can take 300mg as a dietary
supplement. Typically, you can expect to see improvements within four
weeks. Find
Nature's Herbs Bacopin, 50 capsule, 100 mg from eVitamin
Ginkgo biloba
The last food for brain in this article (there are many others, make sure you follow the
ezine subscription instruction below to receive more information in the future) is Ginkgo biloba.
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. You can buy
Liquid Ginkgo Biloba here.
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