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BODY - NUTRITION

The Benefits of Tea:

• I understand some kinds of tea are higher than others in antioxidants, which are good for brain health. What types of tea are best?
• I’ve been told I should not put milk in tea. Why is this important?

In our Healthy Brain worksheet, drinking green tea (without milk) is for Gold level objectives; this is because of its anti-oxidant properties. The higher the quality, and the fresher the tea, the greater the brain boost. Jasmine tea has the greatest amount of antioxidants, and is part of the Okinawa lifestyle.

• Click here to print the Healthy Brain worksheet
• Click here to learn more about the Okinawa Program

Herbal teas do not have the antioxidant benefits of ‘conventional’ tea, which is made from camellia, the tea plant used to produce white, green, oolong and black teas. The treatment of the tea leaves to produce black tea is believed to reduce the quantity of antoxidants.

There are antioxidants in two alternatives to conventional tea:

• Rooibos (or red tea) - A non-caffeinated infusion made from a legume native to South Africa. It is an excellent evening drink for tea drinkers because it won’t keep you awake.
• Mate - A South American infusion brewed from the yerba mate plant, it should be noted that mate is a stimulant. Beware of drinking this in the afternoon or later in the day if you have difficulty sleeping.

The antioxidants in tea may be neutralized or diminished by the addition of milk.

Eating Fish:

• Should I be worried about toxins, like mercury, in fish?
• Do cod liver oil pills count nutritionally as cold-water fish?

The benefits of eating fish are seen as too great to recommend that we eliminate fish from our diet. Fish such as salmon and tuna, are an excellent source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

However, the advice being widely given is that we limit the amount of certain kinds of fish in order to limit the risk of consuming dangerous amounts of mercury. If you are worried about eating fish, make sure that you get the important Omega 3’s from walnuts and spinach.

Cod liver oil pills do count nutritionally as ‘fish’, but because the liver is a filtration organ and because cod often swim in polluted waters, a fish oil capsule not restricted to the cod’s liver might be better.

Vitamins and Herbs:

• Are vitamin supplements useful?
• Is there any herbal remedy that you would consider beneficial to alertness and memory?
• What is the daily requirement of vitamin B-12?

For brain health, we advocate that you have a healthy balanced diet that follows the Canada Food Guide.

For comprehensive advice and nutritional information review the 2007 Canada Food Guide.

If your diet is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids or vitamin B12, consider taking supplements but check with a registered dietician or your doctor to determine which dosage you should be taking.

Pollutants:

• What specific pollutants should be avoided?
• Is there any correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and aluminum?

No pollutant is good for your body or mind. Some of the many that have been found to affect brain health and performance are: motor vehicle exhausts, glues, solvents, and lead based paints - but this is not a complete list.

There is no proven link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease and it is not currently at the centre of any significant research into the causes of the disease.

Can you comment on the book The Brain Diet, by Alan C. Logan?

Those who want to know more about the "good", "bad" and "ugly" of nutrition and how it affects our brains will find this book an interesting resource.

The author reviews the scientific literature, bringing together what is well established as well as new and sometimes surprising research findings.

The book will probably only appeal to the nutritionally minded. It brings together useful research information and offers recommendations in an area (nutrition and its effect on brain health and function) that is complex and continually evolving as the knowledge base expands.