Keepin’ the Mind Sharp!

Olive oil, salmon, avocado, dark chocolate, walnuts, blueberries, water, broccoli, celery, eggs and spinach.  Turmeric, oatmeal, rosemary…and the lists just keeps going.  What do you immediately notice about all these foods and spices? First of all, they are ALL Godsource Foods™!  And what is a Godsource Food™, you may ask?  Godsource Foods™ are foods that were created to feed and fuel our bodies in the healthiest way possible.  Look closely.  Notice that all the foods and spices on the list are also ONE ingredient.  You don’t see broccoli casserole.  You see broccoli!  You don’t see ice cream with walnuts.  You see walnuts!  And yes, the walnut is shaped like our brains, and is one of the healthiest foods you can eat for brain health.  Hmmmm….another example of a food that actually shows us what to eat for what parts of our bodies.  Walnuts look like our brain and walnuts are excellent for brain health.  What a great tool this Godsource Food™ thing is when helping us decipher foods.

My father was captured by Parkinson’s disease late in life.  It was extremely sad to see this once well-written man and brilliant story teller fall in the areas in which he was so well versed.  I framed one of his many drawings and notes made for me through the years that I keep in eyes range as I write these articles that I love to share.  Unfortunately, Dementia becomes common in Parkinson’s patients and I watched my sweet daddy fight for words when trying to recall those amazing stories he once told so vividly.  Thanks be to our Father, my daddy always knew each of us until his eyes opened no more.

The fascinating thing about brain diseases is that we really don’t know the trigger as to why certain people get them and others don’t.  According to an article on January 2, 2014 from www.alzheimers.net:

“Studies have shown that while some food boost memory, others actually increase risks for Alzheimer’s disease…In fact, research has shown that a poor diet impacts memory and increases a person’s chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

That statement makes complete sense to me!  Since the brain is the mainframe computer of our bodies, doesn’t it seem simple to think that this is the area we should concentrate on keeping the healthiest?  Over the last decade, we have learned, with not so much amazement, that what we eat plays a role —  good or bad — in every part of our bodies.  Nutrition truly is the mainstay of good health and how we feed our bodies through food, and drink is imperative in our overall well-being.

So how do we store up an arsenal of brain-disease-fighting foods?  FOCUS on the foods listed at the beginning.  Think of a race.  When you eat, every part of your body races to the food coming down the tube, so to speak.  Each body part — bones, liver, muscles, eyes, brain, etc. —  run to the source that is being digested and they “look” for something for their area of the body.  If you don’t have any protein, your muscles don’t eat.  Not eating any celery?  Then the bones miss out. What, no spinach?  Then guess what…there goes the food to fuel your brain!

If you will train yourself to think like a runner at the starting line of a race every time you eat, then maybe you will have a better understanding on how important it is when making food choices.  Colors of the rainbow, one ingredient foods and keeping FOCUSED on just how simple it can be to keep the ‘ol thinker thinking! It’s not brain surgery…it’s Godsource Foods™ 101!

Until next time ~ Enjoy!