GUEST BLOG: Nutrition and the brain

Here is to a Healthy Brain!

As a Speech Language Pathologist, Educator, Parent and owner of Early Insights, I am thrilled to be doing collaborative work with Brain Insights. Due to my deep commitment to provide information on healthy brains, it is great to have the opportunity to share a guest blog. My desire is to help parents know how to ensure they are doing all they can for their own brains as well as for their children. When we take care of ourselves we are better able to take care of our children. Both adults and children are going to function optimally when understanding and implementing knowledge of the impact nutrition has on the brain.

Brain Insights provides education to parents on the importance of brain development for babies...The Healthy Foundations Program of Early Insights is committed to helping educate those babies who have grown into young children (and their families)...on the importance of brain health. Brain Insights and Early Insights share a passion for supporting parents, babies and families on this journey.

Taking care of your brain now (whether you are a new parent, grandparent, child or teen) will pay off in later years. This is pretty much a guarantee. What we eat now, along with our overall lifestyle (i.e., stressed out or cool as a cucumber, or somewhere in between) will affect our health in the years to come. Your baby deserves YOU to follow a brain health protocol too! Children pick up on our habits, what we do is imprinted on their brain...You know the saying "actions speak louder than words"...well, it's true. If you're a good role model for your child, s/he too, will learn to take good care of her/his brain.

Wishing you all healthy choices and positive thoughts. Thanks for this guest blog opportunity. Here are some brain healthy thoughts:

Nourish Your Brain with a Healthy Diet ...

Like any high-performance machine, the brain needs top quality fuel.
A few brain healthy tips shared by the brain team:

1. Your brain needs a well-balanced, low cholesterol, low saturated (animal fat) diet.

2. Timing is significant in nutrition. Research supports the importance of a good breakfast...for everyone, not only children.

3. Protein and unsaturated fat is especially important for developing brains.

4. Fish, a rich source of protein and "healthy" fat is often referred to as the brain vitamin, otherwise known as Essential Fatty Acids (Omega Fatty Acids).

5. Your brain needs vitamins and minerals; they come from your diet.

6. Eating a natural rainbow each day, comprised of fruits and vegetables provides important antioxidants (which will help keep you healthy and help ward off colds and getting sick)

7. Research suggests antioxidant vitamins E and C protect the brain.

8. Avoid excess food. Reducing calories can help slow age-related brain changes.

9. Get out into nature...it does a brain good!

10. Studies suggest that sleep is essential for the maintenance of proper immune function, and it also serves as a mental "down time" during which neurons can repair themselves and memories can be organized into long-term storage.
As a general rule, good nutrition for the body, is good nutrition for the brain.

With positive, healthy and happy thoughts,

Lauren
 
 
Lauren Zimet, M.S.,CCC/SLP, N.D.T. Certified, is a recognized expert in speech language pathology, specializing with medically involved children with oral motor/ feeding and communication issues, as well as neurotypical children supporting healthy development and enhancing self esteem. She is the founder of Healthy Foundations, an Atlanta based education program geared for infants and children of all abilities. Healthy Foundations facilitates brain health awareness and all that relates to caring for a healthy brain and body. Lauren has been published in a variety of publications: Parenting Magazine, Advance Magazine for Audiologists and Speech Pathologists, and contributed to The LCP Solution by Dr. Jacqueline Stordy and The Late Talker, by Dr. Marilyn Agin. She holds a B.S. from the University of Maryland in Communications and a M.S. in Speech Language Pathology from Nova Southeastern University, FL. Lauren is thrilled to be collaborating with braininsights on promoting brain health awareness for babies, children and adults. Please visit http://www.earlyinsights.com/ for more information.