We’re going to finish this month’s look at living life instead of just being alive by talking about brain health. The brain is the command center of the body, telling it what to do 24/7 without you having to think about it. Be honest: when was the last time you consciously told your heart to beat? It also handles conscious requests from you. Probably the most important part of our brain is our ability to think and recall memories.

In the past 10 to 15 years, a lot has been written about how to keep our brains healthy. For all we think we know, we really don’t know all that much, but there are three things that we need to do. I’ve already talked enough about exercise; what was good for the heart, muscles, joints, and balance is also good for the brain. But another type of exercise involves using the brain, such as reading, doing puzzles, listening to music, and learning new skills. For more on this topic, see How to Have a Healthy Brain.

Second, what we eat can impact brain health, as well as what we shouldn’t eat. This will come as no surprise: your diet should start with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and nuts. Whole grains are good as are quality oils such as olive oil and flaxseed oil. What we should avoid are overly processed foods, especially limiting refined carbohydrates and sugars.

Hand in glove with that, the majority of us need to eat less. Eating too much not only exposes us to usually highly processed foods, it contributes to being overweight and type 2 diabetes. Both can contribute to poor brain function over time.

We’ll finish this month’s look at living every day on Thursday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet