While improving heart health has been studied for decades, attention is turning recently to brain health, too.
Some of the ways to keep your heart healthy, also are good for the brain.
I appreciated a program this week on National Public Radio on brain health.
Jacob Harth, neuroscientist in the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia, on the program On Point, discussed using the term Be SWEET to remind yourself to about brain health daily.
S for sleep
Sleep is the time the brain cleans up from the activities of the day and encodes those memories. Get at least eight hours and go to bed at the same time every day.
I’m good on this one.
W for water
The brain needs proper hydration.
I need to improve here. I don’t like drinking water very much, but I’ll make it more of a priority to help my brain.
E for eating
Good nutrition includes eating whole foods such as fruits and vegetables. In addition, healthy fats are essential for brain performance, learning, and memory. Avoid saturated fats and trans fats.
Since I’m on the Dean Ornish heart health food plan, I’m doing well here. I’ve lost 20 pounds and my AIC, a 3-month measure of blood sugar important in diagnosing diabetes and blood sugar maintenance for diabetics, is now normal instead of hovering at the pre-diabetes level.
However, I could do better in eating greens. Rip Esselstyn and his father Caldwell Esselsytn, M.D., plant-based food advocates for heart health, recommend eating greens six times a day. Greens include kale, lettuce, broccoli, arugula, cabbage, purslane, alfalfa sprouts, collards, parsley, spinach, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and more. They recommend chewing them because if you put them in a smoothie, the bacteria in the mouth doesn’t have to interact with the leafy greens.
I tried eating some kale, raw, from my garden Saturday. Not very tasty, but it’s easier than cooking it. Maybe I could get used to it.
E for exercise
Aerobic exercise gets oxygen into the brain and circulatory system. Mental exercise is important, too, such as learning a new skill or a foreign language. Social interactions also help the brain. Research shows that social isolation for older adults can cause cognitive decline.
I need to improve here. Most of the year, I walk a half hour a day. During the late spring and summer, I do one to three hours of yard work a day. While that activity is helpful, it’s not as beneficial as walking. Then, I need to do some weight lifting, too.
T for time
Be SWEET can’t be accomplished in a few days or weeks or even a year, because it’s a life plan that needs to be carried out continually.
So, Harth said in the interview, Be SWEET to yourself and Be SWEET to your brain.
