How Iron and B Vitamins Improve Brain Activity
Iron deficiency has been found to be a major problem in people of all ages.
Iron is the center of our red blood cells, which allow oxygen to be carried throughout your body and into your brain, which needs more than 20% of the oxygen available in the blood.
A lack of oxygen has a major impact on your brain’s health and in the formation of diseases like Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
How It Works:
The actual ability to absorb iron into your body is dependent on the amount of acid you have in your stomach.
If you have acid reflux or heartburn and are using drugs or antacids to get relief, you are affecting your ability to absorb iron.
To absorb iron, the pH in your stomach has to be normal, 1 – 2 pH.
Under these conditions, iron in your stomach chemically reacts with other chemicals and is prepared for absorption in the small intestine.
When you take drugs to reduce the acid in your stomach, the iron does not chemically react and change for proper absorption in the intestine. The result is iron deficiency.
Get More Iron In Your Diet:
The best way to get Iron into your system is through the foods you consume each day.
Some of the best foods you can eat that contain high amounts of Iron include:
- Kidney
- Liver
- Wheat Bran
- Ovaltine
- Cocoa Powder
- Spinach
- Parsley
- Radish
- Peas
- Leek
- Carob
- Sesame Seeds
- Pistachios
- Dried Coconut
- Cashew Nuts
- Muesli
- Cornflakes
- Oatmeal
- Brown Rice
- Cereal
- Baked Potato
You can also use 25 to 50 mg of an iron supplement daily.
However, before taking supplements, it’s best to check with your doctor first, to see if you really need them.
While on the surface it looks like everyone should be getting more Iron in their diets, be careful. Taking excessive Iron can result in poisoning.
Benefits Of B Vitamins:
The B Vitamins folic acid and B12 have also shown to be a contributor to your brains activity.
B12 specifically, has been consistently found deficient in people with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Folic acid and B12 work to produce neurotransmitters and replace nerve cells.
The lack of neurotransmitters is responsible for the loss of a good memory.
To make sure B vitamins work for you in keeping your mental capacities intact, start making sure you are getting them in your diet or taking them as a supplement.
B Vitamin Rich Foods:
- Fish and Seafood
- Whole Grain Bread, Cereals, and Oats
- Chicken, Beef, and Eggs
- Most Leafy Green Vegetables – especially Avocado
- Dairy products – specifically Cheese, Milk, and Yoghurt
- Beans and Peas
- Citrus fruits, such as Oranges, Lemons and Grapefruit
- Various UNSALTED Nuts
Conclusion:
It is always best to get your minerals and vitamins in food. In food, minerals and vitamins are combined with other chemicals that allow your body to absorb them better than supplements.
So in short, getting the right foods in our diets and maintaining a healthy balance really can help to improve your brain activity.
Simply by making small adjustments to what we eat is proven to have a long-lasting impact.
What are some of the foods we’ve listed here that you’re going to consume more of every day?
Do you have any “questionable” foods you might be consuming daily, that you’d like to ask us about?
Feel free to leave a comment below, or send us an email to info@brainfitresorts.com.
Our expert Nutritionist will give you the right advice.
If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to optimum nutrition for brain health, check out some of our other feature articles by clicking on the links below:
- Apricots. A Daily Nutrition Booster
- How Vitamin C And E Can Help Prevent Dementia
- We Are What We Eat
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