Keep Fit Program For The Brain

merryprankster writes "New Scientist is running a feature on 11 steps to a better brain. While becoming a nun might be an extreme way to avoid senility, there are lots of other tricks, techniques and habits, as well as changes to your lifestyle, diet and behaviour that can help you flex your grey matter and get the best out of your brain cells." From the article: "First, go to the top of the class by eating breakfast. The brain is best fuelled by a steady supply of glucose, and many studies have shown that skipping breakfast reduces people's performance at school and at work. But it isn't simply a matter of getting some calories down. According to research published in 2003, kids breakfasting on fizzy drinks and sugary snacks performed at the level of an average 70-year-old in tests of memory and attention."

Comments

Re:Breakfast?

[nightskier]

I have been experimenting with the breakfast part For years, I had been skipping breakfast. A month ago, I decided to start eating a daily breakfast high in protein and complex carbs. Subjectively, I feel a lot better. I have more energy throughout the day, I'm less stressed, and my memory has improved. Being a geek, I decided to do some benchmarking. Before starting the diet, I purchase a book of crossword puzzles. I completed half of the puzzles over a period of a few weeks (one a day). I timed how long it took me to finish each puzzle. Two weeks ago I started attempting the puzzles again. My times have improved by more than 20 percent.

Re:Sugary snacks

[Spy der Mann]

Practically no fiber, and corn syrup and hydrogenated fat dominate.

I wouldn't be so sure about it. Right here I have a box of Kellogg's NutriGrain.

Ingredients:
whole wheat, sugars, vegetal fat (doesn't say partially hydrogenated), egg, calcium carbonate, iodated salt, sodium bicarbonate, color, (lots of vitamins go on in here); for the strawberry filling: corn syrup, sugar,maltodextrine,dextrose,strawberries (emphasis mine), water, glicerine, powdered apple, pectine, artificial and natural flavors, sodium benzoate, malic acid, vegetable oil (non-hydrogenated) and soy leticine, red dye 40, sulfites, polisorbate 60.

While it has chemicals, it does contain whole wheat and actual fruits. I think the article referred more to DONUTS, DINGDONGS, SWISS CAKE ROLLS and all those "junk foods" that contain nothing but sugars.

I do eat one nutrigrain a-day (at the job), but I do eat my breakfast at home, too. One glass of milk, 2 scrambled eggs with whole-wheat bread (and maybe some ham), and my orange juice.

Re:Sugary snacks

[srleffler]

Note that, by law, the ingredients are listed by quantity, from most to least. (I'm not sure if it's by weight or by volume.) This means that the filling is primarily corn syrup and sugars. There is less strawberry in that filling than each of the three kinds of sugar listed, and less of each of those than corn syrup. Note that while artificial and natural flavors and red dye #40 are way down the list, it doesn't take much of these to give the red color and the nice strawberry flavor. Altogether, the filling is best characterized as synthetically-flavored sugar syrup. They add a tiny amount of strawberry and apple so that they can claim on the packaging that it contains real fruit, without increasing the cost too much.

If you still have it handy, check out the nutrition information box on the package. Does one serving contain a measurable amount of fiber? I have run into products made with 'whole wheat' that somehow managed not to have even a gram of fiber in them. I'm not sure how they manage that.

Nutrigrain bars are basically vitamin-enriched cookies. They are probably better for you than a regular cookie, or a donut, but they don't really qualify as healthy food either.

Accurate label on your post, there

[ianscot]

And don't miss breakfast. This is why the United States is a nation of fat slobs. Nutritional experts telling everyone they need to eat like an adolescent during his growth spurt. Most people don't need breakfast or lunch either for that matter.

Gee, that's funny, essentially every nutritionist not moaning under a cultish trance over some Atkins variant would say dinner's the one to cut back on, but to get a healthy breakfast above all else. It's a conspiracy of experts, as you say. (Please ignore the obvious fact that Americans have never managed to follow this advice from the nutritionists all that well.)

All that is required is a diet with a reasonable amount of high quality protein.

I understand the appeal of contrarian positions, but you're just an Atkins fanboy. That diet, and all its many corollary marketed materials, exist for nutritionists on the same level that "intelligent design" does for biologists. You've successfully regurgitated your share of the sophisms, so call it a day. Go grill a steak.

Breakfast like a king

[Colin Smith]

"Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper."

Anyway. Eat when you need the energy. Eating in the evening when you don't need the energy just leaves you hungry in the morning. Something with whole grain to provide energy for several hours and maybe fish.

Omega-3 fats have been shown to make a significant difference to heart disease and mental ability. Fish oils or flax seed oils. It seems that the human diet may have contained a lot of fish historically. A kipper for breakfast may not be a bad idea.

This may seem like a wierd one..

[twifosp]

But go to the dentist. Seriously.

I avoided going to the dentist for about 3 years because I didn't feel I needed to. My teeth were straight, white and my gums looked healthy. I flossed 3-5 times a week, brushed twice a day, and used listerine all the time.

I started developing headaches and went to go see a doctor. After trying a few things and nothing helping, he suggested that based on the region of my head pain, I should see a dentist to make sure I wasn't afflicted with grinding, or other teeth issues.

Lo and behold I had an itty bitty bacteria infection on one of my back teeth and gums. It never hurt. It never stank. The dentist remarked for not having been to the dentist in a while, my mouth was remarkably clean of plaque and tartar.

After recieving treatment I noticed an unsuspected side effect. I had more energy. I slept better. It was quite noticable too. My next visit back to the dentist, I inquired and his explanation was quite logical. Your mouth is obviously a breeding ground for bacteria both good and bad. What's in your mouth is basically in your whole body. If you have bacteria in your mouth, your immune system has to work just that much harder to keep you healthy.

An odd anecdote but I'd thought I'd share none the less. It might seem like a no brainer to keep your mouth clean, but even those who follow all the "rules" can experience bacteria spots that affect your overall health and energy levels.

Re:psychology

[Andronoid]

true enough for this article. I guess I'm just commenting on a more general trend I see of bad neuroscience and psychology on slashdot and the mainstream media (as well as in the field). These studies aren't neccessarily bad but the way they are discussed often is.

http://www.jsmf.org/about/s/badneuro/archive.htm

Re:sleep habits vary

[Frank T. Lofaro Jr.]

Edison was also an anti-Semite, an arrogent conceited jerk and liked to take credit for other's ideas.

Also Edison may have invented the light bulb, but he did it, and had his patents protected by the work of Lewis Latimer, an African-American who later improved upon Edison's original invention.

Also, Edison thought DC power was the way to go - but was proven wrong (Tesla's AC power was abetter solution, but Westinghouse gets all the credit, and everyone forgets and ridicules Tesla - history is not fair). Nowadays the only DC power distribution systems are for rail applications.

Once again Modafinil Hype

[The MESMERIC]

When are the irresponsible reporters going to stop hyping this drug?
The brain-miracle theory is simply *not* true.
And being awake for over 40 hours without any ill effects ... that is a blatant and dangerous lie.

For inducing greater intelligent or concentration caffeine still rules.
While some mathematicians still swear the correct amount of beer makes them perform better.
I've noticed matein specially seem to have a better effect on the brain.
So there is no rule for everyone.

A common missed piece

[jonnystiph]

Something I think that is really missing from our diet is plain and simple water. Just good old tap water. Two liters a day make a huge difference in my physical and mental condition.

For the longest time, I got my beverage fill from soda and coffee, then after *MUCH* insistance from my female counterpart (Wife, not Mom ;) I started drinking water. I noticed a difference right away.