I have started reading “Brain Food - How to Eat Smart and Sharpen Your Mind, The neuroscience behind the foods that will improve your mental fitness” by Dr Lisa Mosconi, Associate Director, Weill Cornell Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“At which point someone in the audience asked: “How about olive oil?” My neuroscience-trained brain was baffled. Olive oil?”
“More often than not, it’s true that the drug worked ... but in a population of ten mice. So that’s great news if you are one of those ten mice. Whether or not those findings are relevant to people is a whole different story.”
“I’m hoping to make clear that science is never a result of one person’s opinion, but always involves a collective of doctors, scientists, and even you, the population itself, in an ongoing, educational exchange that unfolds over time.”
“Finally, we can track the development of diseases like Alzheimer’s as they unfold, and use that knowledge to identify people at risk many years, if not decades, before clinical symptoms emerge.”
“If that weren’t enough, eating for your brain isn’t just a powerful preventative against disease - it actually helps you achieve peak performance in every part of your life.”
“Taking care of our brains is a lifelong process, mostly due to the very nature of our brain cells. In fact, our brain cells, or neurons, are literally irreplaceable.”
“We cannot see our brains. But even more to the point is that we cannot feel them. ... As opposed to everywhere else in the body, there are no pain sensors in the brain. As such, there is no way to feel “brain pain.””
“The truth is, we have more power than we realize. The power of our personal choices often remains untapped because of conventional Western medicine’s tendency to treat symptoms with drugs or surgery before considering less risky and oftentimes more effective approaches instead.”
“What many of us have only begun to grasp is that the actual health and quality of the foods we eat has dramatically diminished. ... What has gone unnoticed until now is the discovery of how, of all the organs in our body, the brain is the most easily damaged by a poor diet.”
“Industrial food reflects roughly two hundreds years of human innovation and research into nutrition, manufacturing, and optimization for human consumption. Natural foods, by contrast, reflect thousands of years of evolution and adaptation for life on the planet.”
“As the brain loses neurons, the space is replaced by fluids, which show up as black on an MRI. As you can see, there are more black areas present in the brain that has been fed a typical Western diet than in the brain that consumed a Mediterranean diet.”
The blood-brain barrier: “It is quite moving to think that parts of the very planet we live on-its rivers, valleys, oceans, and skies-are routinely becoming part of our brains with every breath we take and every meal we consume.”
“While a basic tenet of the so-called Paleo diet is that early humans did not eat grains, new evidence has emerged that people enjoyed their carbs well before the Paleolithic era (which is long enough to evolve the capacity to digest them).”
“Since the late 1700s and early 1800s humans have radically changed their lifestyle and dietary habits ... though not for the better.”
“Where our ancestors ate mostly vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, many Americans today barely touch these foods. ... the modern Western diet is a disastrous combination of refined grains, processed meats, and dairy products that have been stripped of any nutritional value.”
“Personally, I find that much confusion is due to the fact that few healthcare professionals know how the brain actually works, and fewer yet have the advantage of having studied brain chemistry.”
“The brain is just as conservative when it comes to importing food. Whatever the brain can make locally is made locally. Yes, you read correctly. The brain has the capacity to supply its own nutrition. ... Now for a very distinctive difference between our bodies and brains.”
“If you don’t think of water as being nutritious, think again. ... brain cells require a delicate balance of water and other elements such as minerals and salts to work efficiently at all.”
“most people don’t drink nearly enough water to start with. ... This is particularly disconcerting, as dehydration was shown to accelerate the brain shrinkage that occurs with aging and dementia.”
“We all need more water as we get older. For reasons yet unclear, aging alters thirst and drinking responses, making older people more vulnerable to fluid imbalance in their brain”
“The longevity and well-being of both your brain and your body are critically dependent upon your consumption of what we call hard water. This refers to plain water that is high in minerals like calcium and magnesium.”
“Most Italians drink their water at room temperature as it’s easier on the stomach ... To this day, I abide by that priciple.” True!
“In conclusion, simply drinking more water and eating water-rich foods could be one of the healthiest changes you make to bring about better health as well as greater cognitive power in your life.”
“Fat accounts for about 11% of the brain’s weight. ... The problem is that many people, including several journalists and even a few doctors, believe that eating fat is good for the brain ... On the other hand, the vast majority of scientists will tell you exactly the opposite.”
“But when patients are asked what a high-fat diet should consist of, it turns out that many, if not all, are suggesting a sizzling slice of bacon, a nice piece of cheese, perhaps a scoop of sugar-free whipped cream. Are these foods really good for your brain? The answer is no.”
“Whatever fat is found in our brains is a totally different kind of fat called structural fat. ... If you’re wondering which foods contain these fats, here’s another surprise. Just because these fats are present inside your brain doesn’t mean you have to eat them.”
Saturated fats, unsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats (or PUFAs): “Saturated and unsaturated fats are an excellent example of how, even though the brain contains both, it doesn’t actually need all of them replenished.”
“So what are these fats that the brain needs? PUFAs, of course. The rarest and most precious of brain-essential fats.”
“Omega-6s are regarded as being pro-inflammatory... Omega-3s are regarded as being anti-inflammatory... By eating too many omega-6-rich foods and too little omega-3s, we are putting ourselves at risk for many diseases that are associated with excess inflammation in our bodies.”
Natural sources of omega-3s:
“A large body of epidemiological studies identified omega-3s as the number one nutrient to fight age-related cognitive decline and dementia. ... The goal is to eat at least 4 grams of our brains’ coveted fat every day to keep our brains young and working to the fullest.”
“Eat foods rich in phospholipids ... the egg yolk in particular packs the biggest punch ... When we talk about eggs, ... I recommend that you explore all available options, as diversity is key in neuro-nutrition.”
“Monounsaturated fats such as those found in olive oil”:
THE BAD: SATURATED FAT “If you’re wondering which meat and dairy products are safe, here’s my rule of thumb. Fresh, organic fatty foods are much better for you than processed foods of any kind.”
THE UGLY: TRANS FAT “The bottom line is this: the more packaged and processed foods you consume on a regular basis, the more hidden trans fats you are probably consuming, and the higher your risk of getting sick.”
“What are we to do to keep our cholesterol in check? ... it is consuming saturated and trans fats that seems to affect cholesterol levels more than consuming cholesterol itself. ... Again, mind the old adage: “Everything in moderation.””
“Each electrical impulse traverses many synapses as it makes its way through the nervous system. This “neurotransmission” is carried out by neurotransmitters ... What could be causing this depletion of our neurotransmitters? You guessed it - a poor diet.”
Serotonin and the amino acid tryptophan: “Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning it cannot be produced in the body at all. Consequently, the only way we can make it available to our brains is through the foods we eat on a daily basis.” And tryptophan-rich foods.
Dopamine and the amino acid phenylalanine: “Tyrosine needs to be produced from another amino acid called phenylalanine, which happens to be an essential amino acid, meaning it must be obtained from our diet.” And phenylalanine-rich foods:
“Our ability to initiate an action, to refrain from doing something, and to form long-term memories are all dependent on the amino acid glutamate... The brain needs glucose to make glutamate... This makes most of our mental activities highly dependent on our intake of carbs.”
While on Twitter practically everyone seems to think that carbs are the Devil!!😉
“While the body can use both fat and sugar for energy, the brain relies exclusively on a sugar called glucose. ... From a neuro-nutrition perspective, carbs like glucose are far from being the enemy, as they are essential for proper brain activity and cognitive performance.”
