Who doesn’t love Dr. Oz and all the information he shares?? His television show DR. OZ covers a myriad of topics, most of which affect us personally or someone that we know. When I go to the healthy grocery stores (EarthFare, Whole Foods) I hear customers asking about certain products that were shown on a recent episode of Dr. Oz. Everyone wants to be healthy so they can age gracefully. If you haven’t signed up for the Dr. Oz Newsletter, I highly suggest it! Lots of great info delivered to your inbox… for free! Here is one of those topics that most people truly care about… this came from a post of his called “5 Tips to Keep Your Brain Young” – click the link for the entire article, but here is the gist of it…

Take FISH OIL – it contains high levels of Omega 3 which is known to help heart health, and more recently cognitive health… Studies show that those who take Omega 3 have less age-related brain shrinking. Omega 3’s also can lower blood pressure, which is good for the brain.

Eat a handful of ON THE GO ANTI-AGING TRAIL MIX – they suggest  a mixture of walnuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, along with dried goji berries, apricots and blueberries. Mix those together and put in a container. Have a handful each day to bump up your Omega 3 for the day.

Eat MICROALGAE – good for the brain – try adding blue green algae, chlorella and spirulina to your smoothie. These are high energy, high protein supplements that support cognitive function.

USE your brain – and use it differently… challenge yourself. In addition to puzzles, reading, games, learning a new language or how to play an instrument, try using your non-dominant hand to do everyday functions. I can tell you from experience, you can feel the pathways in your brain opening up… for about a month I had to use my left hand to do everything because of a wrist injury. Talk about slowing down! I was fortunate that my left handed writing is surprisingly legible (I think I may really be left handed’ish!), but tasks like eating and brushing my teeth took actual THOUGHT. You take for granted how easily everything is with your dominant hand, but widen those brain pathways and use your other hand on occasion! Bonus… when you eat with your non-dominant hand you will slow down significantly and you might even get full before you finish, woohoo!

EXERCISE – now I knew exercise was very good for your brain (and basically every other body part) – its kind of like insurance that you will live a healthier life as you age, you have a better chance if you exercise (not occasionally) but always, make it part of your daily routine. If you can possibly do it earlier in the day, that’s best so that you actually get it done… here’s the blip from the Dr. Oz blog:

More good news about exercise: New studies suggest that exercising your body can help fuel your brain. During exercise, we’re rapidly activating and stimulating neurons in our brains, which send and interpret the messages that enable our bodies to move. Also, new studies with animals have suggested that when starved of blood sugar, neurons are actually able to maintain their energy levels by absorbing glycogen, a stored carbohydrate, from helpful neighbor cells. In these studies, after rats worked out on treadmills, they immediately ate, and the food seemed to go right to their brains – asometimes increasing brain glycogen levels by 60% in the areas of the brain associated with learning and memory. After 24 hours, the glycogen levels returned to normal, unless exercise was repeated every day. In the rats that ran for four weeks, these special stores of glycogen built up in the parts of the brain that support memory and learning.

Translation: You may be developing a sharper brain by increasing your glycogen stores through regular exercise that is immediately followed by carbohydrate consumption. What this looks like: Exercise daily, and after your workout, feed your brain with a healthy carb, like a banana. Then reap the brain benefits!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

IMAGE via Dr Oz Blog