| What you eat today is not what your ancestors | | | | worse. Due to increasing industrialization and |
| used to eat. Therefore, you must change your | | | | state-of-the-art technology in farming, the meat, |
| mentality when it comes to food choice, which | | | | poultry, fish, and dairy products are responsible |
| ultimately affects your brain health. | | | | for about as much as 80 percent of chemical |
| Food choice affects your physical health, and, | | | | pollutants in the American diet that may damage |
| more importantly, your brain health. | | | | brain health. |
| The average human brain weighs about three | | | | In addition to neurotoxic pollutant loads in animal |
| pounds. Although composed mostly of fat, the | | | | products, red meat is loaded with iron. Excess iron |
| human brain regulates human basic behaviors - | | | | in the blood increases heart disease and dementia. |
| eating, feeling, moving, sleeping, and thinking. Your | | | | Unlike women who can lose their blood through |
| brain health is important because the brain is the | | | | menstrual cycles, men can unload excess iron only |
| center of your emotions, fears, hopes, and | | | | through blood donation. This explains why men are |
| personality. Despite the critical importance of brain | | | | more prone to heart disease and dementia than |
| health, the human brain is most vulnerable to | | | | women are; however, after menopause, women |
| damage that can be sustained through poor | | | | have similar risks of heart disease as men have. |
| nutrition and neurotoxic pollutants, both of which | | | | Accumulation of excess iron in areas of the brain, |
| can impair brain health and the nervous system. | | | | where dopamine (a brain messenger for |
| Remember, unlike most other body organs, your | | | | communication and coordination) is manufactured, |
| brain cannot repair itself. Research studies have | | | | can result in brain cell loss - one of the causes of |
| shown that Parkinson's disease, a nervous system | | | | brain diseases and dementia. Excess iron may |
| disease, is caused by foreign chemicals and | | | | adversely affect brain health. |
| neurotoxic pollutants. According to an article | | | | Your ancestors ate mostly natural food. Today, in |
| published in the Journal of the American | | | | the supermarket, we have an array of processed |
| Association, environmental chemicals and | | | | food loaded with chemicals, preservatives, food |
| neurotoxic pollutants are responsible for many | | | | colorings and taste enhancers, which are enemies |
| cases of Parkinson's disease. | | | | of brain health. For example, baking soda, baking |
| Food choice is important to brain health because | | | | powder, and commercially baked food items are |
| the food you eat today is different from that | | | | all loaded with aluminum, which is a toxic metal |
| consumed by your ancestors. What was healthy | | | | that damages the human brain. Heavy metals, |
| in yesteryears may not be healthy today. The | | | | such as aluminum, lead, and mercury, are toxic to |
| food you eat today contain not only foreign | | | | brain health. Your ancestors ate fresh deep-sea |
| substances in the blood that may injure the brain, | | | | fish, while nowadays most of the fish are farm |
| but also hormones and brain messengers that | | | | raised, which are loaded with toxic chemicals and |
| may disrupt brain activities and hence damage | | | | neurotoxic pollutants. |
| brain health. | | | | So, you have to change your mentality about |
| Therefore, your food choice should be based on | | | | your food choice: milk is a cocktail of chemical |
| not just availability, taste, and cost, but, most | | | | toxins, and man-made hormones; meat is not the |
| importantly, on the absence or presence of | | | | high-protein meat your ancestors consumed; fish |
| neurotoxic pollutants - an important factor in brain | | | | is not deep-sea fish caught by your ancestors. |
| health. | | | | The food you eat may taste better, but not |
| Your ancestors used to derive their source of | | | | necessarily healthier. Think before you eat. Your |
| protein from meat and dairy products. Today, the | | | | food choice has a direct impact on your brain |
| nutrition landscape has completely changed for the | | | | health. |