ABOUT WATER CRISIS? SINCE WE ARE IN THE BRAIN ODYSSEY SERIES…

Did YOU know that your brain is 85% water?

and that it needs plenty of liquids to keep it from becoming dehydrated, something that can decrease your thinking and impair your judgment. And also…two of the best and cheapest beverages you can drink are skim milk and water. Skim milk is low in fat and high in protein and calcium, and fortified with vitamins A and D that can provide you with a nutritional punch.

Again water is one of the best things for your brain and body health. Fortunately, you don’t need to buy pricey bottled water. With a water filter that fits on your kitchen faucet, you can drink from the tape and get healthy, filtered water that will keep your brain and body hydrated for optimal performance. And You WANT  a more flavorful beverage, fill up a jug with filtered water, add a few orange slices, and keep it in the refrigerator for easy access.

WE SAID THERE IS A FOOD AND FOOD PRICE CRISIS:

There is an interesting story about Dr. Amen, a physician, child and adult psychiatrist who appeared on MSNBC’s nationally televised forum About Our Children, hosted by Bill Cosby. Bill asked him a very intriguing question. They were talking about how important good nutrition is for optimal brain performance and physical health when Mr. Cosby asked…:

“How do we teach poor people to eat right when bad food is so cheap?”

Dr. Amen with the help of Dr. Jeff Fortuna, the author of Nutrition for the Focused Brain came up with ….the following 10 tips to help people living in poverty, as well as those…. who are simply strapped for cash during these tough economic times, to eat healthier without spending a fortune.

I’ll summarize the 10 TIPS here:

First of all: Go for Satisfying Grains: Give your children oatmeal for breakfast  (make sure it is the old-fashioned kind, not the instant kind). They are loaded with soluble and insoluble fiber, they moderate blood sugar for hours, which helps keep you feeling full longer.

Also, buy Vitamin-Rich Vegetables : frozen vegetables such as broccoli, and carrots. The freezing process does remove some of the vitamin content, but frozen vegetables are still a great source of brain-boosting, anti-aging, disease-fighting nutrients.

You can boost with Antioxidants such as Apples, Oranges, and Bananas: Just one orange can provide more than 200 percent of the daily vitamin C requirement . Eating an orange is so much better for you than drinking orange juice – and cheaper.

You should eat Cottage Cheese: It is a dietary protein that primes dopamine, a brain neurotransmitter that is involved with attention span.

You can Pump Up Protein with Affordable Eggs : Eggs are a great source of protein. If you have high cholesterol, toss the yolks and just eat the egg whites, the only food source that is a perfect protein.

Now think about it…there is a way to Fill Up on High-Fiber: Low-Cost Beans: beans are loaded with fiber and high in protein, they should be a staple in any household struggling financially. To be extra economical, choose uncooked black beans, red beans, lima beans, garbanzo beans, white beans, or any other variety rather than canned beans which are more expensive.

Finally…you should Stock Up on Canned Tuna: Eating fish like tuna is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to improve heart health, reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, reduce depression, and lower blood pressure.

SOME FACTS ABOUT YOUR AMAZING BRAIN…

Did you know…

• The average human brain weights about 3 pounds. Compare that to the brain of a sperm whale brain (17 pounds), dog (2.5 ounces), cat (1 ounce=about 30 grams), and goldfish (1/333 ounce).

• The human brain may not be the largest of all brains, but it is the biggest when compared to body size.

• During waking hours, the brain generates between 10 and 23 watts of power—enough to light a light bulb.

• Information in the brain travels at speeds of up to 268 miles per hour, faster than the racecars in the Indy 500, unless of course you are drunk, then things really slow down.

• Your brain is approximately 85% water.

• Your brain is estimated to have more than 100 billion neurons (also called nerve cells or brain cells), which is about the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

• Each neuron is connected to other neurons by up to 40,000 individual connections called synapses.

• Your brain has more connections than there are stars in the universe? 1 followed by 15  ZEROS more than stars in the universe.

• A piece of brain tissue the size of a grain of sand contains 100,000 neurons and 1 billion synapses all “talking” to each other.

• Sorry FOR THE FACE LIFT INDUSTRY…A wrinkled brain makes you smarter! Yes!  The brain’s wrinkles, and grooves give it more surface area and more processing power.

• Your brain represents only about 2 percent of your body weight, but it consumes about 25% of the calories you consume, 25% of the total blood flow in your body, and 20% of the oxygen you breathe.

• The idea that we only use 10% of our brains is a MYTH! You may not use every neuron in your brain at the same time, but each is important.

• Your brain doesn’t fully mature until you reach about 25 years of age.

• Your brain NEVER turns off or even rests, not even while you sleep. Your brain is very active at night, especially during dreaming.

• And finally contrary to popular belief, your brain never stops changing and can continue to form new neural connections throughout your lifetime.