Explore the relationship between our gut and brain, and the impact food can have on our alertness, mood, and memory. Learn about the importance of balanced eating, omega-3 fatty acids, and various nutrients for brain health. Discover the foods that aid in brain injury recovery and the power of incorporating brain foods into our diets. Hear about the benefits of cooking fresh meals at home and the need for more public health messaging on the connection between brain health and nutrition.
Eating a balanced diet with essential micronutrients is crucial for optimal brain function and can be achieved by including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vegetables, grains, and dairy.
The gut-brain connection allows for two-way messaging, highlighting how food can impact mental health through the gut-brain axis, and incorporating nutrition into mental health treatments can bridge the gap in healthcare settings.
Deep dives
The Importance of Balanced Nutrition for Brain Health
Eating a balanced diet is crucial for brain health, as the brain requires essential micronutrients that it cannot produce on its own. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals act as cofactors for enzymes in the brain, helping it produce neurotransmitters and function properly. A balanced diet that includes proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and a variety of vegetables, grains, and dairy can provide the necessary nutrients for optimal brain function. Daily intake of brain foods, such as nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and spices, can also enhance brain health.
The Gut-Brain Connection
There is a close connection between the gut and the brain, with both arising from the same cells in the human embryo and remaining connected throughout life via the vagus nerve. This connection allows for two-way messaging between the gut and brain, highlighting how food can impact mental health through the gut-brain axis. However, discussions about nutrition and its role in brain health are still lacking in many healthcare settings. Nutritional psychiatry aims to bridge this gap by incorporating nutrition and lifestyle measures into mental health treatments.
The Impact of Diet on Brain Function
What we eat plays a vital role in nourishing and protecting the brain. Micronutrients obtained from food, such as omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish, provide energy to brain cells and support their proper functioning. Incorporating brain foods and nutrients into meals can improve mood, reduce inflammation, and promote neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to change and adapt. While healthy eating cannot replace medical interventions, it can significantly contribute to brain health and overall well-being.
Our brains require 20% of our body’s energy intake, despite making up, on average, only 2% of our body weight.
There are nutrients that are needed for brain health and development, yet many of us don’t think about specifically eating for our brains.
In this programme Ruth Alexander learns about the relationship between our gut and our brain, and the impact food can have on your alertness, mood and memory.
And just why oily fish, and other foods containing omega 3 fatty acids are so good for your brain.
Ruth speaks to Dr Reeta Achari, a neurologist specialising in nutrition in Texas, United States and Dr Uma Naidoo a nutritional psychiatrist and author of ‘Calm Your Mind With Food’, in Massachusetts, United States. They are joined by Michelle Munt in the United Kingdom, whose blog ‘Jumbled Brain’ talks about recovering from a brain injury following a car accident in 2014.
Presented by Ruth Alexander.
Produced by Julia Paul and Beatrice Pickup.
(Image: a selection of foods collected in the shape of a brain. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)
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