“You may have witnessed the short-term effects of food on your brain: a sugar rush after too much candy or mental fog from hunger. But what we eat also affects us in the long term. Starting in the womb and continuing into old age, our diets don’t just shape our bodies, but our brains as well.” ~ Society for Neuroscience
Western Diets & Nutrient Deficiency
A synonym for bad health is the term “Western Diet” and for a good reason. Earning their reputation for devouring cheeseburgers, hot dogs, ice cream cakes, among many other foods, the Westerners are here to continue that trend.
During a study in the 20 most obese countries in the world, more than half consume “Western Diets”. This means less fresh vegetables and fruits, more processed foods along with preservatives and additives.
Our bodies being deprived of natural nutrients begins to respond to craving anything in its path, a state that occurs the most in Western countries. The “quick fixes” are dollar menus and fast foods. While it might be good for McDonald’s, it certainly isn’t good for us.
The answer to this problem is healthy foods. In other words, “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial to the well-being and health.”
Here are the reasons why our bodies need them:
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
- Fighting off hunger strikes (aka “quick fixes”)
- Stabilizing our blood sugar
- Generally feeling good about ourselves
- Last but not least, feeding our brain!
One such superfood is spinach.
Megan Ware, a private practitioner and registered dietitian, tells Medical News Today:
“Popeye was definitely on to something. Spinach is a super food loaded with tons of nutrients in a low-calorie package. Dark, leafy greens like spinach are important for skin, hair, and bone health. They also provide protein, iron, vitamins, and minerals.”
Having established the importance of spinach for our overall body’s health, lets talk about five cerebral benefits of eating spinach.
Five Reasons you should Eat Spinach
1. Boosting your Memory
A diet being deficient in folate, one of the B vitamins (B9), could cause a lot of problems. Depression, fatigue, confusion, forgetfulness, anxiety and many more. The B vitamins are critical to the function of the brain, especially for a healthy memory.
Filled with unhealthy fats and refined sugars, the typical “Western Diet” can be devastating for both short and long term memory. Meanwhile, one of the most powerful boosters of the memory is exactly spinach. Containing 65% of the daily recommended value (RDV) of folate and more than 20% of your RDV for vitamin B6 in just one cup of spinach is mindboggling.
2. Enhancing Focus
L-tyrosine, an amino acid, is necessary for combining (synthesizing) the neurochemicals norepinephrine and dopamine. Motivation, drive and stress-resistance are of special importance for focusing and concentrating. That’s why dopamine is essential for the drive and motivation, while the norepinephrine is needed as the brains natural stress deterrent.
Just one cup of spinach contains 20% RDV of tyrosine. Other foods rich in tyrosine are meat, tuna, poultry, seeds, salmon, walnuts, avocadoes and beans.
3. Preventing Inflammation Harmful the Functioning of the Brain
Many diseases are cause by high levels of inflammation. While we relate chronic inflammation to conditions of the body, it can immensely after our brain functions. Homocysteine, an inflammatory agent, is greatly reduced by folate, which according to the American Journal of Psychiatry, dampens the activity of the neurotransmitters located in the brain.
4. Helps Sharpen Cognition
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, published a study where a group of older adults were given a diet high in dietary fiber, scored higher on cognitive tests than the group who didn’t had this diet.
An essential nutrient for a healthy functioning of the gut as well as easing and helping with digestion is what the dietary fiber is good for. There are many confirmed relations between the functioning of the brain and the health of the gut. In fact, scientists refer to the gut as the “Second Brain”, since they are so tightly connected. 17% of the RDV for fiber is in just one cup of boiled spinach.
5. Slows Cognitive Decline
Regarding your long-term brain health, the best thing you can do is simply eat right. We explained why spinach is one of the best foods for the job, containing all the valuable minerals and vitamins needed for promoting cognitive development.
As it has been confirmed, the superfood is fighting against age-related cognitive decline. The high amounts of antioxidants in the vegetables are what scientists are pointing their fingers at. Along with other antioxidant-rich foods, spinach “(has) rather hopeful implications for prevention of neurological disorders in our increasingly aging population.”
Final words
We know that the brain is “plastic”, meaning it can develop and grow new neural connections throughout life. This phenomenon is known amongst scientists as neuroplasticity, hence the brain being “plastic”.
Extraordinary as it may sound, we can only take so much advantage of neuroplasticity through eating right and “exercising” our brain, meaning keep it busy and active.
Spinach, as well as other leafy greens are capable of fighting age-related decay of mental health and expanding our cognitive capabilities, so we should try to do everything we can to introduce and keep them in our regular diets.