Now there’s
another good reason to eat healthy. Recent
studies have shown that certain foods improve memory.
Author Dr. David Perl mutter in his latest book, Brain Maker: the Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain
-- for Life, says we need to get smarter at
what we eat.
He
recommends fruit, vegetables and protein. Why the concern? Dr. Perl mutter
contends that food affects the brain’s chemistry. He further explains that our
digestive system can make our brain work better. Our brains, he claims, depend
on the goodness of the bacteria in our intestine.
His theory
is not novel. The Greek physician Hippocrates stated: "All disease begins
in the gut." Dr. Perl mutter goes so far as to call the gut a “second
brain”.
Noting the
high incidence of obesity, Dr. Perl mutter says that the American population
should be alarmed.With two-thirds of the population overweight Dr. Perl mutter
says it is little wonder that things like autism and depression are rising. He
blames these problems on America's poor diet.
When we eat
processed foods, sugary and fatty foods, notes Perl mutter, our guts get
damaged and dysfunctional. Bad
bacteria multiply. The body’s “second brain” is not nurtured. Thus it does not
produce as much serotonin. Since between 80 and 90 percent of the body’s
serotonin comes from the gut, this is worrisome.
In a
previous book Dr. Perl mutter pointed out that a diet high carbohydrates and
gluten is damaging to the brain. This leads to headaches, depression, dementia,
ADHD and intestinal disorders.
Other
research is exploring the link between what we eat and the brain’s capacity to
function.
Dr. Melina
Jampolis, a physician is studying a link between nutrition and fitness. She
notes that the health of the gut and the bacteria or microbes in the gut
arecritical elements of optimum brain health. To produce this state of optimum
brain health, she recommends a Mediterranean style diet. A Jampolis claim that
this diet has anti-inflammatory properties.This diet has also long been
recommended as beneficial to heart health. The Mediterranean diet recommends
drinking red wine. Foods on this diet are high in whole grains, nuts, fruits
and vegetables, legumes, fish.
It seems
that the old adage: “You are what you eat.” has taken on another new meaning.
