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7 Foods That Are Harming Your Brain: How Diet Affects Brain Function
23.11.2024 02:40
In everyday life, we often associate nutrition with our appearance.
But we rarely think about how certain foods affect brain function.
In fact, food has a direct impact on how the body's cognitive functions work, such as memory and attention.
Eating healthy helps support brain function by promoting the growth of new neurons and ensuring proper neural communication. But there are foods that interfere with this process, which can lead to poor overall mental health.
There are many different foods that negatively affect brain function. For example, this applies to all products that undergo many stages of processing. They are usually oversaturated with trans fats, sugar and artificial additives.
Here are 7 foods that are best to give up once and for all.
Instant noodles
When there is no time to cook a home-cooked meal, your hand just reaches for some fast food.
One of the options for such a snack could be instant noodles. But this product should be excluded from your diet.
These noodles contain a lot of salt. Excessive consumption of salt can lead to high blood pressure, which worsens cerebral circulation and cognitive function, which increases the risk of dementia in the future.
Popcorn
This product is also on the list of those that have a negative effect on the brain. The whole problem is in the large amount of trans fats, thanks to which manufacturers increase the shelf life and taste of corn grains.
Trans fats disrupt the integrity and function of cell membranes and increase inflammation and oxidative stress in the body.
Chips and other snacks
Potato chips are tasty, but their composition leaves much to be desired. High levels of salt and acrylamide do not bring any benefit to the body.
In addition, the latter substance is a carcinogen that has a neurotoxic effect and leads to cognitive dysfunction.
Jelly candies
Sweets have never been the number one healthy food. And when it comes to industrially produced jelly candies, forget about the benefits as such. It's not just sugar and gelatin, but also various artificial additives.
Questionable ingredients in gummy sweets affect gut function. An unhealthy gut microbiome is linked to numerous health problems, including cognitive dysfunction due to the gut-brain axis.
Canned products
We are talking about industrially produced canned products, including a variety of soups and other complete meals.
The main problem is the composition of such food, usually saturated with salt, food additives, colorings and preservatives. Due to this, the shelf life of canned food can be very long. But, unfortunately, such products have a negative impact on brain health.
Also pay attention to the amount of sauces in the diet. You will not get any benefit from such products. Instead, you can prepare homemade preserves from seasonal vegetables.
Carbonated drinks
Sweet carbonated drinks are among the top sources of added sugar.
Moreover, these drinks will displace healthy foods from your diet, leading to a lack of nutrients. This can lead to oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain in the long term.
Margarine
Margarine is often used in baking as a cheap substitute for butter. But it is another source of trans fats.
They increase the level of "bad" cholesterol in the body, which increases the risk of various cardiovascular diseases.
High cholesterol levels can reduce blood flow to the brain, impairing cognitive function and increasing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Watch your diet because your mood, appearance, and clarity of mind depend on it.
For reference
Nutrition is the process of the body receiving and assimilating substances necessary to cover energy and plastic costs, building and renewing parts of its body.
