Foods To Boost Brain Health

The brain is the most high-powered organ that we have and it requires the right amount and type of fuel to work properly. When we don’t give it the right fuel, it slows us down, decreases our focus, and makes us unhappy and demotivated.
If you want to maximize your brain power to help increase your focus, think more clearly, and live a much happier and potentially longer life, then pay close attention as we’re about to give you the top nutrients that you need to maximize your brain power and what foods to include in your diet in order to get them.

1. Omega-3

Your brain is 60% fat, so if you want a healthy and optimally performing brain, you need to ensure that you’re giving your brain the right building blocks and fat is one of the most important. Fat has been vilified for decades, but in reality, high-quality fat is not only good for you, it’s essential for your brain power and health.
Omega-3 is one of the most important fats to give your brain. In fact, not getting enough omega-3 in your diet can affect normal brain development and cognition. It has also been shown to be implicated in premature brain aging and cognitive decline.
Best sources: Chia seeds, walnuts, sardines, salmon, eggs, fish oil, and flaxseed.
2. Magnesium
Magnesium is essential for brain activity and has been known to calm the brain and the nervous system to the point that it has been called “Nature’s Natural Valium.” Magnesium is essential for hundreds of metabolic processes within the body and brain, yet it’s the second most common nutritional deficiency in the world.
Magnesium helps the brain by:
• Decreasing stress hormones
• Providing anti-inflammatory benefits
• Increasing neuroplasticity
• Helping to lift depression
• Reducing anxiety
• Relaxing the nervous system
Best sources: Spinach, almonds, avocado, black beans, and cashews.

3. Vitamin B1: Thiamine

Many B vitamins are known to be beneficial for brain health and well-being. B1, also known as thiamine, is needed for a large number of metabolic processes in the body including the processes that manage your energy levels. Your brain uses a lot of energy throughout the day, so having low levels of thiamine can rob your brain of the vital energy that it requires.
Thiamine can help to boost your mood, energy, and alertness by providing the energy that your brain cells need to work effectively.
Low levels of thiamine have been associated with:
• Nerve inflammation
• Nerve damage
• Fatigue
• Confusion
• Irritability
• Loss of short-term memory
Best sources: Sunflower seeds, lentils, black beans, macadamia nuts, and seaweed.
4. Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 helps to improve your mood, but it’s also needed to combat mental fatigue. B6 is a critical component when it comes to building the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine.
Serotonin helps to improve your mood while norepinephrine helps your brain to stay focused and alert.
Symptoms of B6 deficiency include:
• Loss of focus and concentration
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Memory trouble
• Muscle pains
Best sources: Tuna, turkey breast, avocado, pistachios, and grass-fed beef.

5. Vitamin B9

Vitamin B9, also known as folate, is especially important for normal brain development. It’s an important component in creating many neurotransmitters that the brain uses to communicate and regulate our immune system. Folate is also an antioxidant and studies have shown that it helps to preserve brain function and memory.
Low levels of folate can be very detrimental to the brain. A deficiency in folate has been shown to lead to increased degeneration in the cerebral cortex as well as cognitive impairment and decline.
Symptoms of low levels of folate include:
• Chronic fatigue
• A lowered immune system
• Increased irritability
• Anxiety
• Brain fog 

Best sources: Broccoli, beef liver, spinach, romaine lettuce, and asparagus.

6. Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is essential for many aspects of our health and wellbeing. This includes building strong bones, skin, hair, nails, immune system, and heart health. B12 is also extremely important for your brain and mental wellbeing.
It’s essential for many aspects of mental performance including being able to memorize and stay focused. It also plays an important role in producing serotonin and dopamine (a motivation and reward neurotransmitter).
Having low levels of B12 can have some serious side effects such as:
• Memory loss
• Brain fog
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Confusion
• Hallucinations
Best sources: Wild salmon, eggs, sardines, beef liver, and nutritional yeast.

7. Vitamin C

Your brain consumes a lot of energy and oxygen when it’s doing its job and antioxidant such as vitamin C help to protect the brain from any wear and tear. Vitamin C is also needed to produce important neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These neurotransmitters are important regulators of your mood, so without adequate vitamin C to produce them, your mood may suffer.
Best sources: Citrus fruits, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, and watermelon.
8. Vitamin D
Vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin, is arguably one of the most important vitamins that many of us miss out on. It’s usually associated with bone and heart health, but it has been shown that it also plays a critical role in your brain performance. Several studies have proven that low levels of vitamin D can impair cognitive function and performance.
Fewer people are getting out in the sun leading to more cases of vitamin D deficiency than ever before. The best part about vitamin D is that you can get it for free. Just a couple of minutes of natural sunlight each day can make a huge difference to your vitamin D levels.
Best sources: Natural sunlight or buy a vitamin D supplement.

9. Vitamin E

This is a very powerful antioxidant. Oxidative stress is a metabolic process that causes wear and tear to our cells. Antioxidants help to fight against this wear and tear to keep our cells youthful and working their best.
Vitamin E is an often overlooked vitamin for brain health. It prevents oxidative stress from damaging important components of our brain cells. DHA forms the outer membrane of our brain cells and vitamin E works to prevent oxidative stress from damaging it, ensuring that our brain cells stay healthy and productive.
Symptoms of a vitamin E deficiency include:
• Cognitive impairment
• Balance issues
• Muscle weakness
• Diarrhea
Best sources: Kale, Swiss chard, almonds, olives, and parsley.
10. Zinc
Zinc is very important for neuron growth and performance. The highest concentration of zinc in our body is located in our brain, particularly in the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in regulating your limbic system, the region that regulates emotions. Neurons need zinc in order to communicate effectively with one another.
Low levels of zinc are associated with:
• A lowered immune system
• Attention and focusing issues
• Diarrhea
• Acne
• Rashes
Best sources: Grass-fed beef, spinach, mushrooms, cashews, and pumpkin seeds.

source- lifehack
 
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                
 PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                               
     https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                     
  FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                              https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com  

Halth Benefits of Mandarins

Mandarins 
1) are a great source of Vitamin C which provides a number of health benefits.  Vitamin C helps to fight a number of unstable molecules in our body known as free radicals through its antioxidant properties. We all are aware of the fact that free radicals in the body can lead to infectious disease and cancer. The antioxidants present in mandarins disarm free radical and prevent cellular damage.

2) Fights liver cancer-

Research has revealed that mandarins can lower the risk of developing liver cancer. The carotenoids present mandarin oranges due to high Vitamin A have shown to reduce the risk of liver cancer. Mandarin juice given to hepatitis C patients failed to develop liver cancer because of its high beta cryptoxanthin content. Mandarin has a high level of limonene which has anti-cancer effects and also helps to prevent breast cancer.

3. Cholesterol Problems:

Mandarins produce synephrine which curbs the production of cholesterol in the body. The antioxidants present in Mandarin help to lower bad cholesterol and promote good cholesterol. Mandarins combat the free radicals that oxidize the cholesterol which makes the cholesterol to stick to the artery walls. Further they contain soluble and insoluble fiber like hemicellulose and pectin which prevents cholesterol absorption in the gut.

4. Blood Pressure:

Mandarins also help to lower blood pressure levels. They consist of nutrients and minerals like potassium that lowers the blood pressure. Mandarins keep the blood flow move smoothly through the arteries which keeps the blood pressure normal.

5. Weight Loss:

Mandarins are a substantial source of fiber. Fiber rich foods keep the stomach full for a longer period of time and reduce the desire or need to eat more food, assisting in weight loss. Doctors have found that eating mandarin oranges benefits to lower insulin, thus instead of storing sugar and converting them to fats, it uses it as a fuel that leads to weight loss.

6. Healthy Immune System:

Vitamin C in Mandarin is instrumental in preventing cold and is vital for the proper functioning of a healthy immune system. Mandarins have anti-microbial properties that prevent wounds from getting septic and from viral, fungal and bacterial infections.  Mandarins prevent spasm in the digestive and nervous system thus prevents cramps and vomiting. Mandarin is a natural blood purifier that helps to flush out toxins and unwanted substances from the body.

7. Skin Health:

Vitamin C present in Mandarin is very good for skin both when consumed internally and applied topically on the skin. Regular intake of mandarin juice makes the skin glow and improves the skin tone to a great extent. The antioxidants present in Mandarin protect the skin from harsh UVA rays and help the skin to resist the damage caused by the sun and free radicals. It also reduces the sign of ageing like wrinkles, fine lines and blemishes.

8. Antioxidant:

Mandarin comes packed with antioxidants. It can provide 80% of your total daily vitamin C requirement. They help neutralize the harmful toxic effects of free radicals. This makes your skin look younger and healthy.
The antioxidant properties of mandarins help fight pollution. Hence they protect your hair by conditioning them.

9. Glowing Skin:

Mandarins come with a lot of dietary fiber. This makes it easy to cleanse the system. It flushes out all harmful toxins from one’s body. This gives a healthy and natural glow to your face.

10. Improved Skin Tone:

Mandarins are a good source of vitamin C and E. Both these are essential for a healthy looking skin. Regular intake of mandarins greatly improves the complexion. It also gives you flawless and blemish-free skin.

11. Fights Wrinkles:

Mandarins are popular for fighting signs of ageing like wrinkles and fine lines. They can be either consumed raw or as juice, and can be applied topically as well.

12. Heals Wounds:

Mandarin oil (extracted from mandarins) is found to be helpful in growing new cells and tissues. This helps in healing wounds faster.

13. Shine And Bounce:

You can topically apply mandarin juice to your hair and rinse it thoroughly thereafter. Instant shine and bounce will be visible in your hair. Make sure you apply the mandarin juice only after adding it to your hair oil.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                       PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   

 
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                                https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              

FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

These Amazing Home Remedies Will Help You Treat Cataracts

Known to be most common causes of loss of vision in people above the age of 40, cataract is the most common cause of blindness around the world. Apart from causing complete blindness, cataract makes a person have a fogged up vision. Common causes of cataract include aging, living a poor lifestyle and chronic health conditions. It takes years for a cataract to develop in the eye. The way it impacts vision depends on its density and location in the eye. While eye operations and surgeries are the conventional methods of treating cataracts, in this article, we will talk about effective home remedies for treating cataracts.

Symptoms of cataract

In its initial stages, a cataract changes only a small area in your eye. A person might not even notice a change in vision loss in such a case. As it grows larger, it affects more area off your eye lens. This is the time when symptoms of cataract become more noticeable. Common symptoms of cataract include blurry vision, seeing halos around lights, experiencing sensitivity to lights, fading away of yellowing of colours, frequent change in eye glass and contact lens prescription, experiencing difficulty in reading because reduced black and white contrast.

Following are a few home remedies which will help in preventing cataract:

1. Diet
As mentioned above, diet plays an important role in preventing cataract and symptoms of cataract. Eating fruits and vegetables which are rich in antioxidants is important to keep cataract development at bay. A diet rich in antioxidants can help in protecting eyes from oxidative stress which causes cataract. Antioxidants also play the role of maintaining enzymatic pathways that prevent formation of cataract.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are good sources of antioxidants. Phytonutrients in fresh fruits and vegetables have phytonutrients which delay development of eye diseases like cataract.
Foods rich in Vitamin A are known to prevent loss of vision because of degenerative conditions such as cataracts. Being deficient in Vitamin A can cause possible damage to retina, which is another contributor to blindness. Foods rich in Vitamin A include carrots, dark leafy green veggies and sweet potatoes.
Including foods rich in Vitamin C in your diet can also reduce risk of developing cataract. Citrus fruits, peppers, berries, broccoli, tomatoes and tropical fruits are all instances of foods rich in Vitamin C.

Foods rich in Vitamin E are also known to reduce formation of cataract. Wheat germ, sweet potatoes, almonds and spinach are all foods rich in Vitamin E.

Zinc is another important mineral which is required to prevent cloudy vision and poor night vision. Zinc helps bring Vitamin A from the liver to the retina. Kefir, yogurt, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds are all rich sources of zinc.

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can reduce risk of cataract development and their progression. Salmon and chia seeds are good instances of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Lutein and zeaxanthin: These are essential carotenoids which have been proven to prevent cataract. The two are together found in eye lenses. They are responsible for filtering high-energy blue wavelengths of light which helps in protection and maintenance of healthy eye cells. Broccoli, kale, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens and corn are good instances of foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin.

2. Protection from sun
Exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun can contribute to development of cataract in the eye. UV light can oxidise proteins in the eye. The more your eyes are exposed to sun's UV rays, the more is the risk of cataract. Preventing eyes from getting exposed to the sun can be done by wearing sunglasses or a hat which blocks sunlight from reaching your eye. This can help in delaying formation of cataract.
3. Lifestyle
Some habits in your daily lifestyle can contribute to increasing your risk of cataract formation. These habits include alcohol consumption and amoking. Studies say that people who consume 1 or more alcoholic drink have moderate risk of cataract. The risk is more in those who drink more on a regular basis. Similarly, smokers are at higher risks of cataract than non-smokers.

4. Eye drops
Lanosterol, an organic compound in eye drops can help in improving vision. It dissolves clumped proteins that lead to the formation of cataracts. Eye drops have been considered to be an effective treatment for cataracts. However, eye drops might not be so successful in dealing with aggressive cataracts.

But, please your ophthalmic specialist first. If cataract is in early stages, you may try the changes mentioned.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                           PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                              https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://my crochet creations.blogspot.com  

5 Nutrients To Help Your Eyes Stay Young

To help prevent things like glaucoma, cataracts, or AMD (age related macular degeneration), and to keep your vision sharp, Andrea Thau, OD, President of the American Optometric Association (AOA), recommends a diet rich in 5 types of vision-boosting nutrients.

Here are the 5 nutrients considered essential for your eye health, and the foods that contain them.
 Note: A heart-healthy diet containing fish twice a week and 5 daily fruit and veg servings is considered sufficient, though Thau warns that because everyone is different, it’s advisable to discuss your eye-related diet with your doctor. If, for example, you are prone to certain nutrient deficiencies, you may need supplements.

1.Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids in your eyes that have antioxidant properties. The Glaucoma Research Foundation believes that these two are able to prevent eye damage, by stopping the oxidative stress which damages the optic nerve and leads to problems like glaucoma. These can be found in dark green leaves, which are also rich in nitrate, another nutrient that is essential for reducing oxidative stress.

Eat the following foods: Brussels sprouts, collard greens, squash, nectarines, eggs, corn, broccoli, kale, papayas, romaine lettuce.

2. Omega-3 fatty acids
You have probably heard that Omega-3s are great for your heart, but did you know how important they are for your eye health? In particular, there are two omega-3s, DHA and EPA that we need to pay attention to. DHA is found in the retina, and EPA produces DHA from the body. AOA has found that low levels of these can cause AMD and related vision problems. Omega 3 is also, according to Thau, able to moisten dry eyes, thanks to its status as a natural inflammatory.

Eat the following foods: Walnuts, tuna, sardines, salmon, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, halibut. 

 3. Vitamin A
 Vitamin A is the reason why we all remember that carrots are said to help with our sight. Just like lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin A is an antioxidant nutrient that works against the vision damage caused to your eyes by oxidative stress.

Eat the following foods: Sweet potatoes, mangoes, spinach, raw red peppers, ricotta cheese, apricots, cantaloupe, carrots.

 4. Vitamin C

Amazingly, most of our body cells require the powerful antioxidant qualities of vitamin C to protect themselves from damage. AOA research seems to suggest that by getting your daily amount of vitamin C, you are substantially lowering the risk of cataracts occurring. So, it’s always a good idea to grab yourself an orange (or another vitamin C rich food)!

Eat the following foods: Strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi. 

5. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is probably the least understood of all vitamins. Nevertheless, it is very important. Rather like vitamins A and C, E is a powerful antioxidant that around 70% of people (in their 30s in particular) aren’t getting enough of. Thau says research has convinced her that vitamin E combats the free radicals which break down our healthy tissue. This means that vitamin E could be helpful in preventing cataracts and AMD.

Eat the following foods: Yogurt, red meat, Chickpeas, oysters, pork chops.

 this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations

https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement