One of the most debilitating conditions that affect our brain health in this country is dementia.
Our nutrition should not be taken lightly and so much of what we eat today is not real food. It is man-made-ready-to-go microwaved nonsense that gives our bodies little to no nutrition and keeps our brains operating in poor health.
Many of us don’t even realize just how poor our nutrition has been as a nation and still is today.
The truth is our country spends a lot of money on preventable diseases every year because we refuse to recognize that convenience ruins our body and ultimately shortens our lifespan.
One of the major reasons so many Americans live with declining brain function is because they eat foods that cause inflammation in the body.
Inflammation causes substantial brain damage and increases our risk of dementia. When compared to the nutrition of other countries, America is the anomaly. We could all learn a whole lot if we looked at other cultures and their relationships with food.
One substance that we consume regularly in large amounts as Americans that inflame our bodies and our brains is sugar.
AMERICANS EAT MORE SUGAR THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY ON THE PLANET.
In order to really understand how much sugar we consume you have to
remove the picture in your mind of sugar just being a condiment on a table.
In this country, sugar is fed to us in many different forms and it is present in large amounts, in more food than most people realize. It is important for us to note this because sugar, unfortunately, has a very negative impact on our brains. Many forms of sugar are in fast foods and processed foods that we eat. It is also hiding in plain sight in many less suspecting foods like yogurt, salad dressings, and pasta sauces.
There are at least 61 different names for sugars listed on food labels varying from sucrose, dextrose, rice syrup, and barley malt.
Therefore, those of us who eat fast food sandwiches, fries, and sweets more often than not are putting ourselves at risk for dementia or specifically Alzheimer’s disease. Our brains are amazing organs made up of billions of cells sending signals throughout our entire body 24 hours a day.
Many of us pride ourselves on using the best products for our clothing, education, our cars, and other aspects of our lives but when it comes to our nutrition we fall short.
Sugar is everywhere in America. The USDA estimates that the average American consumes close to 150-170 pounds of sugar each year. A typical 20-ounce bottle of sugar-sweetened pop has 15-18 tsp worth of sugar.
When we eat foods that are rich in sugar we damage the cells of our precious brain.
So it is no wonder that in America, 1-9 Americans over 65 have
Alzheimer’s disease, which means 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease right now and unless a cure is found more than 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s by the year 2050.
While we continue to search for cures, however, it is important that we also understand the power of prevention. Learning how to prevent certain illnesses requires us to understand just how we function on the inside.
As human beings, we are all made up of many different cells and each cell in our body has its own special function.
Just like all the other cells in our bodies, our brain cells use a form of sugar called glucose as our fuel. So basically if you think of a cell as a car, the glucose is the gas.
So the most important first step toward being more kind to our mind is to feed it the right foods.
The FDA recommends that Americans consume no more than 50 grams of added sugar a day. This is something that we should all focus on doing.
Dementia has a new name in this country and it is
Diabetes Type III. Obesity, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s are all linked. In order to fix one, we need to fix all three.
Keeping our blood sugar stable is one of the core keys to total health. We need to start pumping the brakes on sugar consumption. If we want our brains to survive we have to change our diets.
As a culture, we have historically adopted many practices and habits that don’t serve us well. The key to making the change is creating awareness, educating, freeing our minds from it.
Our mental health doesn’t have to decline as we age. We can take better care of ourselves and enjoy more years on this earth with mental clarity and awareness.
As always be well and remember that sometimes a changed mind is all we need in this world!
Dr. Gettings is a double board-certified adult and child psychiatrist. Dr. Gettings’ mission as a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry is to bring mental health awareness to the mainstream and dismantle the misconceptions and stigma associated with it. Through preventative medicine and integrated wellness education, she empowers individuals to make the conscious decision to live their healthiest life. Dr. Gettings’ platform includes domestic violence advocacy, mind-body medicine, and disease prevention.
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