Our brains are always active. It works tirelessly around the clock, even when you’re asleep, to maintain your thoughts, movements, respiration, heart rate, and senses. It implies that your brain needs nourishment all the time. That nourishment comes from the things you eat, and what’s in it makes a huge difference. In other words, the food you consume has a direct impact on your brain’s health. In essence, what you eat defines you.
Nevertheless, how much can you alter your eating patterns to influence your brain? Nutritionist Marina Wright might have some answers.
In an Instagram post, Wright talked about “5 nutritional habits that will transform your nervous system.”
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A post shared by Marina Wright (@marinawrightwellness)
- Managing your blood sugar levels is the first priority. According to Wright, irregularities in blood sugar can cause the nervous system to become disrupted by causing changes in neurotransmitter activity, triggering the stress response and elevating inflammation. So, how do you manage it? She suggests eating a balance of fat, fibre-rich carbohydrates and protein.
- The second is to promote a balanced microbiome in the gut. The microbes in the gut influence neurotransmitter synthesis, inflammatory levels and cortisol via the gut-brain axis, which is critical for nervous system regulation. She advised to include prebiotic foods like onions, leeks, apples, and bananas together with probiotic foods like yoghurt and kimchi in your regular diet.
- Eating meals that nourish your vagus nerve is another step. Many foods have been demonstrated to benefit the nervous system and improve HRV, a vagal tone measurement, including choline, B12, omega-3, probiotics, and polyphenols. She recommends consuming meat and fish for B12, eggs and liver for choline, fatty fish for omega-3 fatty acids, yoghurt and kefir for probiotics, berries, and green tea for polyphenols.
- Reducing intestinal inflammation is the fourth strategy. Dysregulation of the neurological system can result from gastrointestinal inflammation. Eat more foods high in antioxidants, such as berries, leafy greens, fatty salmon, and olive oil. She suggests minimising highly processed foods and those to which you are sensitive and aiming for a diversified, colourful whole-food diet.
- There’s also the mindful eating approach. We activate our parasympathetic nervous system, which fosters a mood of peace and relaxation when we focus on the sensory experience of eating. She recommends that you chew carefully, enjoy each meal and pay attention to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness when you eat mindfully.
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