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Great New Book! Nutrition for the Focused Brain

Monthly Archives: December 2009

Great New Book! Nutrition for the Focused Brain

December 14, 2009 – 4:00 am

My good friend, Dr. Jeff Fortuna, has written a remarkable book about brain healthy eating that I highly recommend. It is called Nutrition for the Focused Brain, and I think it should be required reading for everybody.

Before I tell you about his new book and how it can help you achieve peak brain performance throughout the day, let me tell you a little about Dr. Jeff and his background so you will understand why I trust what he has to say. A Doctor of Public Health, he also has advanced post-doctoral training in neurochemistry, pharmacology, and nutrition. Dr. Jeff is on the faculty in the Department of Health Science at California State University, Fullerton, and he is the Clinical Nutritionist for Newport Academy, a drug and alcohol treatment center for teens.

In his latest book, Dr. Jeff reveals the effects of food on your brain. Here are just a few of the tips you will learn in Nutrition for the Focused Brain.

Foods rich in protein, but low in carbohydrates tend to increase attention. This is why kids with ADD should eat a protein-rich breakfast every morning rather than high-carb fare like cereal, donuts, or pancakes.

Carbohydrate-rich, low-protein meals tend to be calming for men and produce drowsiness in women. They also impair specific behavioral tasks and reaction time, so you don’t want to eat a carb-loaded meal right before you take a big test or are going to take a long drive.

The best types of meals to eat during the day for peak performance?

Breakfast:

Eat high-quality protein at breakfast and lunch since these increase attention and focus when you need it most.

Lunch:

What you eat for lunch is critical to your afternoon performance. In fact, your lunchtime meal may be the most important meal of the day as catecholamine (the fight-or-flight hormones, including epinephrine, norepinehprine, and dopamine) levels peak in the morning at about 6 a.m. and fall dramatically by noon. This naturally puts your body at a more relaxed state at this time, and eating primarily carbs at lunch increases this effect and impairs your afternoon performance. Instead, make sure to include lean protein at lunch.

Dinner:

For dinner, choose meals that are rich in complex carbohydrates and relatively low in protein to promote relaxation.

Americans have it backwards! Instead of starting the day with pancakes for breakfast and having a steak for dinner, we should do just the opposite.

These are only a few of the many amazing findings in Dr. Jeff’s book. You will also discover:

  • Simple ways to curb cravings for sugary snacks
  • Why the foods you eat affect your brain and body more intensely if you are over the age of 40
  • Why you should be eating more foods rich in tyrosine, tryptophan, and omega-3 fatty acids
  • Lists of high-performance snacks and calming snacks
  • Menu options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Pick up a copy of Dr. Jeff Fortuna’s Nutrition for the Focused Brain today. You can find it here.

By Dr. Amen | Posted in Nutrition | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

How One University is Helping Students Avoid the Freshman 15

December 10, 2009 – 4:00 am

Do you remember your freshman year in college? If it was anything like mine, it probably involved a lot of late-night study sessions with pizza, burgers, chips, candy, and sodas. And it probably involved some weight gain “” the dreaded Freshman 15.

For most college freshman, it is the first time in their lives that they are in charge of their own meals, schedules, and activities. Unfortunately, many of them fail miserably when it comes to following healthy habits.

That is why I was so excited to hear about a great new program at the University of Louisville called Fit Into College. This groundbreaking nutrition and exercise program is designed to help incoming students avoid packing on those extra pounds.

For the 10-week program, the university is calling on experts from within the departments of nursing, exercise physiology, campus health providers, and intramural sports.

They will be teaching the freshmen how to shop for nutritious foods, how to cook healthy meals, how to evaluate the nutritional value of food, how to eat well in the cafeteria, and how to exercise.

Way to go, University of Louisville! These are invaluable life skills that will help keep these students healthy for the rest of their lives.

It is about time our schools start teaching students about things like health and wellness. In truth, I don’t think we should wait until college to start.

That is why I created a high school course called Making A Good Brain Great that is now in 40 states and more than 300 schools. In this course, we teach students about brain health and what they can do to enhance brain function. We teach them about the importance of good nutrition, exercise, and getting adequate sleep. Plus we give them stress-reducing techniques, strategies to take control of their thinking, and tips for developing stronger relationships. You can find out more about the Making A Good Brain Great course here.

Let’s hope more schools decide to add courses on brain health and overall wellness so our young people can live healthier, more productive, more satisfying lives.

By Dr. Amen | Posted in Blog, Exercise and Physical Fitness, Nutrition | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Dr. Amen Answers Your Questions

December 8, 2009 – 2:00 pm

You’ve asked. Now I’ve answered. Every day at the Amen Clinics, we receive questions about our services and how we can help you have a better brain, a better life, and a better body.

On the Amen Clinics new and improved website, there is a brand-spanking new section of Video FAQ where you can see me answer the questions you ask most.

Have you been wondering:

What is SPECT imaging?

What is the evaluation process?

How can you help people with ADHD and learning problems?

How can you help people with Autistic spectrum disorders?

How can you help people with Anxiety, Depression and Bipolar disorders?

How can you help people with addictions?

How can you help people with memory problems?

Are there ways your clinic can help if I don’t get a scan?

Are there any other ways you can help if I don’t have a psychiatric disorder?

If you have these questions or any others about the Amen Clinics and how we can help you or a loved one, visit the Video FAQ section of the website to get the answer.

By Dr. Amen | Posted in ADD, Anxiety and Depression, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Brain SPECT Imaging, Substance Abuse and Addictions | Tagged , , , | Comments (23)

Want to Live Longer? Green Tea Can Add 5 Years to Your Life

December 4, 2009 – 2:34 pm

An extra five years of life? That sounds like a pretty incredible promise. According to a new study in the British Journal of Nutrition, it’s possible. And all it takes is drinking more than three cups of green tea a day.

Scientists studied the green tea intake of 2,006 Chinese men and women over the age of 65. They also analyzed their blood for telomere length. Telomeres are the protective caps located on the ends of the chromosomes in your body. The longer the caps, the more protection they provide. The shorter they are, the less protection provided. Telomeres naturally shorten over time as you age, eventually becoming so short that they trigger cell death and contribute to aging and eventually your mortality.

In essence, the longer your telomeres the longer you are likely to live. In this study, scientists found that men who consumed more than three cups of green tea a day had longer telomeres than men who drank the least amount of green tea. The researchers concluded that the additional length added up to about an additional five years life expectancy.

In this particular study, the link between green tea consumption and longer telomeres was only found in men, not in women.

Even so, there are many other reasons why women as well as men should drink more green tea. Here are some of the benefits:

  • Green tea is a potential energy booster.
  • Green tea has about half the caffeine as coffee.
  • Green tea has theanine, which helps people feel focused.
  • The theanine content in green tea helps to balance the effects of the caffeine.
  • There is scientific evidence that green tea helps keep weight off, boosts exercise ability, helps muscles recover faster from workouts, and improves attention span.
By Dr. Amen | Posted in Nutrition | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

The 30-Second Stress Reliever

December 2, 2009 – 11:22 am

Elias

If you’re feeling stressed, just listen to this. It is an audio file of my new grandson Elias laughing. When I listen to the joyous sounds of his laughter, my stress melts away. It could be helpful for you, too.

Finding brain healthy ways to relieve your stress is critical to your overall well-being. So many of us reach for Rocky Road ice cream, wine, or cigarettes in an effort to calm stress. These things may work momentarily, but they can lead to other problems like weight gain, memory problems, and serious health conditions.

Natural stress relievers “” like the sound of your grandchild laughing “” are a much better way to deal with life’s twists and turns.

Listen to the attached file yourself. I bet it will put a smile on your face.


By Dr. Amen | Posted in Blog, Stress and PTSD | Tagged | Comments (8)
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