10 Foods That Are Hurting Your Brain
In our world today, we constantly get bombarded with images and commercials advertising delicious, tempting, unhealthy foods. Our
society seems more focused on making ends meet, even at the cost of
having an overweight, nutrient-deficient, lethargic population. Many of
us work long hours, and don’t feel like making healthy foods when we get
home. We want something quick, easy, and readily available to us, which
usually means TV dinners and fast food.
Staying on track with a diet can seem utterly impossible when you walk
into a store filled with more toxic, chemical-laden, nutrient-poor foods
than healthy, nutritious, nurturing foods. However, even though having
some things in moderation won’t really damage your health, consuming
them on a regular basis can cause serious, even fatal, diseases. To have
optimal health, you should avoid the following foods at all costs, or
at least eat them very sparingly.
HERE ARE 10 FOODS THAT ARE HURTING YOUR BRAIN:
1. TUNA
In a study performed earlier this year, University of Michigan researchers reported that mercury levels in yellowfin tuna had increased almost 4 percent annually from 1998 to 2008. Regular
exposure to mercury can cause serious, sometimes irreversible, brain
and nervous system damage. Our oceans have become contaminated with a
dangerous cocktail of environmental pollutants, which the marine life
inevitably absorb. When we consume seafood nowadays, most of it will
contain several toxic heavy metals which our bodies simply don’t digest
or absorb properly.
An analysis by health experts at the magazine Consumer Reports found
that a 140 pound woman would exceed safe mercury exposure by consuming
just 4.5 ounces of tuna per week. A 48 pound child who eats more than
one-third a can of tuna per week, or the equivalent of the amount on a
single tuna sandwich, could suffer permanent brain damage from mercury
exposure.
If you do choose to eat tuna, go for canned light tuna rather than
albacore, as this kind contains less mercury. Better yet, you could cut
out seafood entirely, or go for shrimp, scallops, sardines, or wild and
Alaskan salmon, which all have low levels of mercury.
2. PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS
If you see hydrogenated oils on a label, please do yourself a favor and
put the product back on the shelf. Hydrogenated oils have no place in
the human body, and some studies have even found that the oils leave
scars on the internal walls of the arteries due to nickel often used in
the hydrogenation process. That’s right; partially hydrogenated oils
contain a catalyst of some sort in order to heat the oil up faster, and
nickel, platinum, or even aluminum are used in the process. Heavy metals
such as these have been linked to Alzheimer’s and other mental problems, so anything with partially hydrogenated oils should be avoided at all costs.
Hydrogenated oil is only one molecule away from plastic, so think about the adverse effects you could experience from consuming this toxic man-made concoction.
3. SUGAR
Of course. naturally occurring sugar from fruits and starches is
perfectly fine to consume, but when it is extracted and added back into
processed foods, then it becomes a problem. Refined sugar, for one,
doesn’t contain any nutritional benefits, so it’s just empty calories at
the end of the day. In various studies,
refined sugar has also been linked to an increase in anxiety,
depression, and addiction, and a decrease in learning and memory.
4. FRUCTOSE
Naturally occurring fructose found in fruit will not harm your health;
it only becomes an issue when you eat fructose out of its natural state,
such as in boxed or canned foods. Consuming too much processed fructose
can lead to insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, a fatty liver, high
blood pressure, and much, much more. Not to mention, fructose can cause neural activity to stagnate for up to 20 minutes, according to a 2011 study on the impact of glucose and fructose on the brain.
5. SATURATED FATS
Most people know that a diet high in saturated fat can clog the arteries
and contribute to heart disease and strokes, but did you know that a
diet heavy in saturated fat can impair cognitive function as well? A
study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology found
that consuming large amounts of saturated fat can lead to reduced
cognitive function and also a dulling of the dopamine reward system,
increasing dependency and addiction to unhealthy foods.
According to Stephanie Fulton, a professor at the University of
Montreal’s Department of Nutrition, “Our research shows that independent
of weight gain and obesity, high-fat feeding can cause impairments in
the functioning of the brain circuitry profoundly implicated in mood
disorders, drug addiction, and overeating — several states and
pathologies that impinge on motivation and hedonia.”
6. PROCESSED FOODS
Processed foods usually have a laundry list of chemicals, some of which
have been linked to mental and behavioral disorders. Aside from the
dangers of the ingredients, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in
2012 found that consuming a diet high in fatty processed foods can even
lead to damage in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that regulates
hunger and thirst levels.
7. FAST FOOD
More and more studies have been published about the detrimental effects
of fast food on the body, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise why fast
foods can cause so much damage. These “foods” have been stripped of
almost all nutrients, and altered drastically from their natural state. A
better way to describe them would be “food like substances,” because
these culinary inventions really don’t resemble food at all. Fast foods
lack many vitamins and minerals, including iron; iron deficiency might
lead to poorer scores on tests in students who regularly consume fast food.
8. MICROWAVE POPCORN
Another highly processed food, this one causes even more damage due to
the way in which one must prepare it. Not only does the popcorn contain
toxic chemicals and additives, but popping it in a microwave strips the
food of any nutrients that might be left, increases white blood cell
levels, and creates carcinogens. Not to mention, the radioactive
emissions generated from the microwave can lead to a slew of mental health problems.
9. COOKIES AND CHIPS
Another form of refined, processed food, cookies and chips have pretty
much zero nutritional benefits, but add on unnecessary calories. If you
want a snack, go for some fresh fruit or vegetables to avoid all the
chemicals and extra sugar in these highly addictive foods.
10. CORN SYRUP
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, consuming drinks or foods with high fructose corn syrup disrupts
the part of the brain that tells us when we’re full, which leads to
eating or drinking unneeded calories. Also, consuming free fructose (not
in fruit) has been proven to be just as addictive as drugs, which means
food marketers all over the place know this, and use this to take
advantage of us.
To achieve optimal mental health, try to avoid these foods or severely limit them in your diet.
source and courtesy: powerofpositivity.com
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