How to compose a diet to keep your brain in good shape

Introduce prebiotics

Above all, gastrointestinal health depends on the regular consumption of both prebiotic and probiotic foods.

These bacteria-friendly carbohydrates are found in foods that are not particularly sweet, but have a certain sweet aftertaste, such as onions, asparagus, artichokes and burdock root. You will also find many prebiotics in bananas, garlic, oats, and milk.

Lisa Mosconi

Some oligosaccharides are gaining attention not only for their beneficial properties for the friendly microbiome, but also for their ability to lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, and eliminate toxins. These include beta-glucans found in mushrooms (reishi and shiitake mushrooms are increasingly being studied) and glucomannans, which are abundant in aloe vera juice. I'm a huge fan of both, so I'll be sure to cover them in more detail in the next chapters.

Eat fiber

In addition, fiber-rich foods are essential for the well-being of our microbiome, as they support the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Healthy digestion is the key to getting rid of waste products, harmful toxins and bad bacteria, anything that can damage your gut flora in a timely manner.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, fiber-rich fruits and berries, all types of leafy greens, along with legumes and unsweetened whole grains are excellent sources of fiber we should eat regularly to keep our gut healthy.

Lisa Mosconi

Buy fermented foods

In addition to prebiotics and fiber, our gut microbes greedily attack probiotic foods. They contain live bacteria (probiotics) that, once in the GI tract, join the ranks of our microbiotic good guys. Probiotics are obtained naturally during the fermentation of foods, including the fermentation of milk, which results in yoghurt and kefir, but also found in sauerkraut, such as cabbage. For more specific guidance on this topic, see Chapter 12.

Stop taking antibiotics if possible

It is important to know not only which foods to include in your diet, but which ones to avoid. Any food or substance that impairs gut health (be it inflammation or leaky gut) can equally damage our microbiome.

occupy the first line in the list "Armed and very dangerous." The microbiome reacts extremely negatively to an overdose of antibiotics, since these guys are famous killers and indiscriminately destroy both beneficial and harmful flora.

Until World War II, when illnesses such as pneumonia or wounded infections were almost always fatal, antibiotics seemed like a great victory. However, this was considered only as long as the craze for antibiotics did not provoke a pandemic of infections resistant to them. At the same time, an additional complication arose due to the instability and depletion of the intestinal microflora caused by these medications.

I am by no means encouraging you to give up antibiotics when you need them. However, many people abuse them as an emergency measure or just take them just in case. So, I constantly hear: "I have the flu, I need to take antibiotics." Contrary to popular belief, this is not at all the case, since the flu is caused not by bacteria, but by viruses. Remember that many doctors in Europe recommend eating (or taking probiotic supplements) before or during antibiotics to protect your GI tract and support your microbiome.

After medication, food is the second important factor affecting digestion. Antibiotics enter the body only sporadically, but food constantly affects the status and health of the intestinal flora. Of all the foods that have a negative effect on the microbiome, industrially processed meat is considered the most harmful.

Lisa Mosconi

Believe it or not, meat can be the main source of the most dangerous "superbugs." Animals raised on mega-farms receive low doses of antibiotics in the course of routine care to prevent infections that are inevitable when kept in cramped and unsanitary conditions. In fact, of the total sales of antibiotics in the US, 80% is purchased for livestock and not for humans! The problem is that by eating such meat, we also receive antibiotics. And as a result, this leads to an overdose.

Worse, half of the meats sold in the United States are contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can cause severe foodborne infections. Antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella and Campylobacter have been found in 81% of manufactured turkey meat, 69% of pork steaks, 55% of industrial beef, according to a recent study by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). farms and 39% of chicken throughout the country. Even more discouraged by federal data, 87% of all meat tested tested positive for the bacteria Enterococcus and Escherichia coli (E. coli). This suggests that the meat has had direct contact with fecal matter at least once.

This is just one of the many reasons why I recommend eating only naturally fed meat, and dairy products and eggs only from those animals. Organic standards prohibit manufacturers from using antibiotics without a medical indication.

Limit processed foods

Processed foods are another major threat to our digestive tract. Not only are they abundant in unhealthy ones (like high fructose caramel syrup or refined white sugar), but they tend to contain emulsifiers that are especially harmful to the microbiome.

Emulsifiers are food additives that improve the texture, appearance and preservation of many foods and are used almost everywhere: from ice cream production to baked goods, salad dressings, sauces and dairy products (yes, even your favorite “healthy” almond milk can be harmful if it contains emulsifiers).

Lisa Mosconi

It turns out that these substances can increase the permeability of the intestinal wall, allowing harmful bacteria to enter the bloodstream. This, in turn, is fraught with colitis and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as metabolic dysfunctions leading to obesity, high blood sugar, and insulin resistance.

Next time you shop, pay close attention to the labels of your favorite pre-packaged foods: are there lecithin, polysorbitols, polyglycerols, carboxymethylcellulose, carrageenans, xanthan polymers, propylene, sodium citrate, and mono- or biglycerides in the ingredients list? These are all red flags on the road to optimal mental performance.

In this book, you will also find out what level of nutrition you are at now, how food is decomposed into individual nutrients, and what exactly to cook to take care of your brain.