Fork Power

“What you find at the end of your fork is more powerful than anything you’ll find at the bottom of a pill bottle.” ~ Dr. Mark Hyman

Young Forever, Dr. Mark Hyman

This week, I’ve been watching the 2024 Food Revolution Docuseries, which brings forth information from many experts in the fields of medicine and nutrition. I’ve enjoyed all the presentations, but especially yesterday’s session on Brain Health. This episode discussed the latest scientific information regarding prevention of Alzheimer’s, memory loss and other brain related disease. Those who follow me, know this is a major driving force behind the personal work I am doing on this blog and in my life. Having witnessed first hand what Alzheimers does, to both the patient and the family, I am determined to do anything in my power to prevent this disease. One quote stood out to me during the summit, “you have the power at the end of your fork to delay, or prevent this disease.” The quote, I believe, is attributed to Dr Mark Hyman, well known functional medical doctor and author. His book, Young Forever, provides a simple blue print to live a healthier life, including nutritional changes.

When my grandmother and mother contracted Alzheimer’s, doctors said there was nothing we could do. It was uncurable and would run it’s normal course. When I started researching Alzheimer’s, too late for my mother, I learned that nutrition indeed plays a major role in the onset of the disease. For far too long, research has focused on the treatment of the disease, once the patient is diagnosed. Current research, shared in this docuseries, looked more at prevention of the disease, which is where success may be found. The staggering facts are that women in their 60s are twice as likely to get Alzheimer’s. And, the primary determinant is their diet and lifestyle, yes genetics play a role, but studies now show that diet and lifestyle have more impact than ever thought. Alzheimer’s is not inevitable!

We can all agree that food is a powerful tool in our health journey. Everyone agrees that poor nutrition has an impact on cardiovascular disease, diabetes and overall health and wellness. We now know that the brain is also heavily impacted by poor nutrition. Saturated fats have been linked to high LDL levels and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. Polysaturated fats (not coconut oil) have been shown to lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease. Here are some of the takeaways from this episode.

Fork Power

Plant strong whole foods have been shown to improve brain health. Eating foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids are needed by the brain on a daily basis. Best plant based sources are chia seeds, hemp seeds, kale, flax and walnuts and these should be eaten daily. When eating nuts and seeds, you don’t need more than a handful a day. Healthy fat, such as avocado, is considered a brain health food. They shared that diets high in meat, especially red meat, have been linked to Alzheimer’s, followed by eggs and high fat dairy products. I’ve shared a lot about my personal journey to whole food plant based eating in past posts found here Change Our Thinking About Food and Sugar Sugar.

Supplementation

I am a vegan, so I do take a supplement to ensure I am getting enough Omega3 fatty acids, Vitamin B, D, Zinc, Magnesium and Iodine. I love the Essential Vitamins brand and take Complement multivitamins daily. I recently put my husband, who is not vegan, on them as well and he speaks often of the increase in energy that he feels. I highly recommend these and love that I don’t have multiple jars of separate supplements anymore.

Hydration

There was a discussion about the importance of hydration for brain health. Specifically, they discussed studies that showed the brain shrinks when dehydrated. We have a greater capacity for mental focus and wellness when we are properly hydrated. They listed water as the best choice for hydration, followed by green tea and coffee, but without dairy, or sugary add ons. I try to drink 80 ounces of water a day, I’m not always successful, but am definitely drinking more than I used to. I fill my 80 ounce container every morning with intention to finish it. I do use the water from this container when making tea. They also said it was more important to hydrate throughout the entire day and not to drink large amounts at one time.

Sleep

Sleep is most overlooked when it comes to its impact on our brain health. Many of us, myself included, struggle with sleep. When at my worst, I definitely became worried by my brain fog and began to question if it was something more. Sleep is the main means for our body to cleanse our organs, including our brains. Restorative sleep is critical to brain health and the major reason I started tracking my sleep. I can see the difference in how I feel on days when my sleep was interrupted vs days when I’ve had a deep and restorative sleep. You can read about my sleep routines on these past blog posts, found here Sleep Your Secret Weapon and Sweet Dreams.

Meditation and Mindfulness

Engaging in a regular yoga and meditation practice can help us manage stress. Living in a chronic state of stress has major impacts on our mental health and wellness. Yoga practices can deliberately activate our parasympathetic nervous system and ease our stress response. I can attest to this personally, as I have shared the negative impact my high stress career, couple with the pandemic had on my health. Living in a chronic state of stress, caused weight gain, brain fog and lack of sleep. I was likely one step away from a breakdown. You can read more about the impact of stress on my health in this post I shared, Stress.

Overall, the docuseries on brain health and research, was insightful and provided validation for life changes I have made. I found it uplifting and inspiring and motivated me to keep on this path I’ve chosen. Hearing the researchers say that Alzheimer’s is not inevitable, provided me hope that through dietary and lifestyle changes, I can indeed delay or prevent this memory robbing disease. I hope you too will spend some time learning about the power found at the end of your fork and on your plate. Your future self will thank you, as will your family.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or comments, about this week’s blog. I do provide links to products I use and recommend, available at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon associate, I may receive compensation for any purchase made, which offsets the cost of running this blog. Thank you for reading and for your continued support of this blog. You can reach me via email at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog, on Instagram or Facebook, or in the comment section below.