Brain Function Boosters

There are many foods which are touted to enhance mental potential. However, it is preferable to select those which are lower in cholesterol.

Food safety by CHIA JOO SUAN

ANIMAL or fish bones are believed to nourish and strengthen bone since bones are a good source of minerals, especially calcium. In the same vein, herbal soup cooked with animal brain is supposedly good for mental health. Does eating animal brain really improve our memory?

While food will not make one smarter, eating the right type of food helps to increase our mental potential when brain power is lagging.

Brain functions are complex. It is, thus, too simple to single out one particular food as being “best” for memory. For the brain to function efficiently, it requires a greater variety of nutrients than any single food can provide.

What are the foods that are best for boosting brain functions? Basically, eating foods that improve blood circulation and the nervous system helps.

Nutritional goodness of eggs
For breakfast, eating a half-boiled or hard-boiled egg and drinking a cup of milk or soy milk may help to boost brain functions as well as general health. Egg, soybean and, to a lesser extent, milk, contain choline, which is particularly important for brain functions.

Do not skip the egg yolk as it contains choline. While eggs were once considered high in cholesterol as a yolk contains about 200mg of cholesterol, recent studies have shown that eating an egg daily would not significantly affect cholesterol levels, even in those who already have elevated cholesterol levels.

The choline in egg is a nutrient that maintains the flexibility and integrity of brain cell membranes. Without choline, many fat-based nutrients and waste products cannot pass in and out of the cells. Choline is also a key component of acetylcholine, which is a neuro-transmitter that carries messages to and from nerves and muscles.

Choline is a new member of the B vitamin that has been identified in recent years. Our bodies can also produce choline. Inadequate choline levels can cause deficiency of other B vitamins, especially folate, or vitamin B6, which also have a supportive role in mental health.

Eggs, soybeans, peanuts, sesame seeds, potatoes, cauliflower, lentils, oats, butter, flaxseed and liver are common foods that supply choline. Commercially-prepared lecithin (or phosphatidylcholine) is another form of choline extracted from soybean. Lecithin is the most common form of supplemental choline.

Fish and fatty acids
Every cell in the body, including brain cells, is surrounded by a cell membrane composed mainly of fatty acids. The cell membrane allows the proper amounts of necessary nutrients to enter the cell and ensures that wastes are quickly removed.

For our brain cells to work effectively, we need healthy fats that supply fatty acids. Fish often tops the list as brain food. There are vital amino acids and fatty acids in fish that support brain functions.

Salmon contains Omega-3, one of the fatty acids that is said to nourish the brain.Within a week, it is best to include fish in at least two meals. If your work or studies require you to burn midnight oil, choose fish for lunch or dinner to ensure your mind can work at its full capacity.

Omega-3 in salmon is one of the fatty acids that is touted to nourish the brain. It maximises the cell’s ability to absorb nutrients while eliminating wastes through the cell membranes. Other than deep-sea fish, foods that supply beneficial fatty acids include walnuts, scallops, shrimps, tuna, soybean, flaxseed and squash.

Furthermore, the amino acids tyrosine, serine and carnitine in fish protein have a key role in keeping us mentally alert and focused.

Plant sources
Do not overlook plants as a source of nutrients for the brain. After studying age-related cognitive change in people above 65 years, scientist Morris M.C. and his team concluded that it is best to eat more vegetables (Neurology, October 2006).

Epidemiological studies have shown those who regularly include turmeric (kunyit) in their diets, such as the elderly Indian population, are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. This is believed to be due to curcumin, the pigment that gives turmeric its bright hue.

Regular consumption of nuts and seeds may also help prevent decline in mental functions associated with ageing. Fat-soluble components such as tocopherols and tocotrienols in nuts and seeds are much sought-after nutrients to boost mental health. Palm oil is the only cooking oil rich in vitamin E – therefore, its use is encouraged.

There are numerous plant phytonutrients that provide the immune system with antioxidants as well as improve blood circulation and nervous system function. All these functions are vital for brain activity.

As a guide, vegetables and fruits that are richly coloured – dark green, deep purple, orange or red – are our best choices.

For example, grapes, blueberries, eggplant and purple cabbage – which contain a dark blue to purple pigment called anthocyanin – are regarded as mental health boosters. Broccoli, sawi, kailan, tomatoes, chillies, papayas and the brightly-coloured sweet potato are highly nutrient-dense food which are ideal for health as well as for improving brain functions.

Herbal brain soup
Brain tissue consists mainly of protein, fats and minerals. There is a large amount of cholesterol in fats. More than 800mg of cholesterol is found in 100g of pig brain and 2,000mg in ox brain. These are high cholesterol foods. The recommended daily intake of cholesterol for adults is about 300mg.

Herbal brain soups use herbs of different colours (which may appear dark brown after drying) for flavouring. Whether it is the herbs or the combination of herbs and animal brain that boosts mental health, is yet to be ascertained.