Your brain is a maze of chemistry and creative power. It needs to be nourished properly for you to think, feel, and behave optimally. The things that are important questions to ask to determine how your brain and neurotransmitters are functioning.
- What are your moods like?
- What are your behaviors?
- Do you have any weird obsessive/compulsive behaviors, habits, or tics?
- Do you have strange cravings or cravings for certain foods?
- How is your memory power?
- Do you have difficulty focusing?
Your answers may indicate that you have a particular neurotransmitter imbalance. In this segment, you’ll learn about the main neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and acetylcholine. You’ll learn how to choose foods, supplements, and herbs to nourish your brain and keep you focused, alert, happy, and clear-headed.
Eating for Brain Health Action Plan
Complete a brain health assessment.
Brain and Neurotransmitter Assessment: This health assessment will examine your general brain function, serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and acetylcholine.
Follow the suggested lifestyle protocols below. I am not a fan of neurotransmitter testing, so pursuing lab work should only be done if working one-on-one with a practitioner.
Identify your deficient nutrients.
Fat, Protein and General Nutrient Balance Assessment
Vitamin Balance Assessment
Mineral Balance Assessment
Get familiar with the nutrients that nourish your brain
Brain and Neurotransmitter Balancing Nutrients – List of Most Important: Print this list of important vitamins, minerals, and amino acids for brain and neurotransmitter health.
Cross-reference the results of your nutrient assessments to the brain and neurotransmitter nutrients. Make a list of the top nutrients you suspect are deficient and look up foods strong in them on whfoods.com. Add these foods to your diet on a regular basis.
Consider supplementation if you can’t reliably access the nutrients you need in food form. Liquid ionic minerals are a good way to replenish depleted minerals. I’ve found that liquid and non-synthetic forms are best. Some brands I’ve used successfully are:
- SunWarrior Liquid Vitamin Mineral Rush – a good natural vitamin supplement.
- SunWarrior Liquid Light Fulvic Acid – a good combination vitamin and mineral supplement.
- Good State Liquid Ionic Trace Minerals – a good brand of ionic individual minerals.
Optimize your Omega-3 essential fatty acids intake and balance and avoid heated and trans fats.
Be sure you have a reliable source of omega-3 fat in your diet and that you monitor your omega-6 fat intake. The ideal ratio is 3 parts or less omega-6 to 1 part or more omega-3 (minimum 3:1). For plant-based sources of omega-3, aim to include a variety of flax seed, hemp seed, chia seed, walnuts, purslane, and blue-green algae or algae oil supplements. Fish and fish oils are non-vegan sources of omega-3.
Avoid heated and processed fats. See “Give Your Body an Oil Change” for more details. Trans and heated fats can cause inflammation, and interfere with proper brain and neurotransmitter function.
Optimize your protein intake and absorption.
Make sure you are getting enough and digesting enough protein as the amino acids are important for brain and neurotransmitter health. Use protein powder supplementation if necessary.
Refer to the Brain and Neurotransmitter Balancing Nutrients – List of Most Important handout in Step 3 for a list of the most important neurotransmitter related nutrients. Consider getting blood levels of BUN, total protein, albumin, and globulin to look for signs of protein deficiency.
Incorporate basic foundational nutrition and lifestyle protocols to restore balance.
These lifestyle protocols will be helpful in restoring and optimizing your brain and neurotransmitter function.
- Hydrate your body; drink 1/2 of your body weight in fluid ounces of pure water daily.
- Eat a whole foods, antioxidant-rich diet that is high in greens, fruits, and vegetables.
- Supplement with neurotransmitter feeding amino acids as needed; see the Brain and Neurotransmitter Balancing Nutrients – List of Most Important handout.
- Avoid environmental toxins.
- Keep your blood sugar in balance.
- Avoid unnecessary medications; many interfere with nutrient uptake and neurotransmitter functions.
- Manage stress.
Commit to eating a gluten-free diet and avoiding processed grains.
Processed grains deplete B vitamins, which are important for proper brain chemistry. Gluten can cause inflammation in the brain, and lead to depression, ADD, anxiety and even schizophrenia. Use thee gluten-free resources for information and support.
Eliminate The Gluten & Accelerate Your Health Resource Guide: Includes articles, recipes, and more to help you understand the effects of gluten and find resources to change your diet.
Gluten – Cross Reactive Foods: Certain foods cross react with gluten.
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Eat organic and grow your own food as much as possible, especially sprouts.
Eat organic as much as possible – make sure all foods from the Dirty Dozen list are all organic. Pesticides and toxic chemicals can interfere with brain health
Avoid food ingredients that are neurotoxic.
Avoid food ingredients that are neurotoxic: red and yellow dyes, butyrates, MSG and many more.
Avoid caffeine – it contributes to anxiety and depression.
Avoid caffeine – it contributes to anxiety and depression.
Get enough sleep.
Get enough sleep, preferably 7 – 9 hours each night. Sleep deficiency puts you at higher risk for Alzheimer’s, psychosis, depression, ADD, learning and memory problems, and weight gain. Sleep loss affects your ability to utilize neurotransmitters properly.
Avoid or minimize alcohol.
Avoid or minimize alcohol. Alcohol contributes to dementia, damages brain cells, and depletes your B vitamins, in particular, vitamin B1 (thiamin), which is a really important nutrient for your central nervous system.
Avoid top food allergens.
Avoid gluten, dairy, and food allergens; they cause inflammation of the brain.
Avoid sugar.
Avoid sugar; it depletes B vitamins and creates blood sugar imbalances. You should also avoid high fructose corn syrup. Alzheimer’s is considered to be insulin resistance of the brain.
Move your body.
Move your body. Studies show that exercise is better than drugs at controlling depression.
Investigate brain exercises.
Investigate brain exercises. Try Brain Gym, Brain Metrix , and Brain Time to start.
Reassess your progress in 3 months.
After following the suggested protocols for at least 3 months, complete the assessment again to reassess your function. Continue to follow protocols as needed.
