Have you ever heard about the book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life?
Written by the psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, founder of the Amen Clinics, the book explains
how you can optimize your brain to reach your full potential.
Dr. Amen believes that like every specialist studies their organ of focus, his function
as a psychiatrist is to investigate brain health.
For that, he says, it is not necessary to know if the patient is sleeping, exercising,
or even if they are sunbathing enough.
What he really needs to know is how the patient is eating.
For Amen, to treat the brain, you need to investigate the patient's diet.
Did you know that?
When we eat healthy foods, we strengthen our bodies and favor the prevention of many diseases
and health conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension.
Did you know that the brain, just like any other organ, needs specific nutrients to work
at its full potential?
According to Dr. Amen, the imaging exam created by him, called SPECT (single-photon emission
computed tomography), helps identify precisely the underlying brain issues that may contribute
to health issues.
For Dr. Amen, the brain images clarify that "mental health" conditions are actually "brain
health" issues.
Dr. Amen says to avoid oxalate, lectin, and solanine if you want to have good mental health.
Have you heard these names before?
Known as antinutrients, they can be found in:
Oxalate (or oxalic acid) is the end product of the metabolization of amino acids and ascorbic
acid.
Both substances can't be metabolized by the human body and are excreted in the urine.
The increase of oxalate in urine may cause its saturation, which causes the formation
of crystals and kidney stones.
We should avoid eating foods rich in oxalates, such as spinach, beet leaves, okra, cocoa
powder, chard, rhubarb, black tea, and mate tea.
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Lectins are found in all food plants, especially seeds, legumes, and grains.
Some lectins may be harmful when in high amounts and interfere with the absorption of nutrients.
Did you know?
Beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, soy and soy products and peanuts are sources of protein
and fiber and give a feeling of satiety.
However, these foods also contain lectins, which aren't processed by the human digestive
system.
Since we can't digest lectins, we end up developing antibodies against them, with varied responses.
Some people develop an intolerance to these legumes and have stomachaches and get bloated
if they eat them.
However, for most people, the issue isn't much more than indigestion.
If you love beans, lectins can be destroyed by soaking the beans and then cooking them
at high temperatures, as we taught in this video being suggested to you.
Many other plants that we usually eat also contain lectins, such as carrots, corn, garlic,
peanuts, beets, tea, parsley, oregano, and even some fruits, like cherries.
To avoid issues, we must not eat foods high in lectins if they are raw or only slightly
cooked, and be careful to not eat too many legumes (like beans) and cereals (like wheat).
Solanine: this is another antinutrient highly toxic for the body.
Do you agree that potatoes, either baked, fried, or mashed, are great side-dish for
any meal?
Hugely popular in the world, potatoes are one of the foods that contain solanine, together
with eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes.
Solanine, or glycoalkaloid, is a natural toxin with fungicide and insecticide properties
to defend itself against animals, insects, and fungi.
It is highly poisonous in excess.
It can even cause symptoms that range from gastrointestinal issues to hallucinations,
paralysis, and even death.
Did you know?
Avoid eating a potato if its skin is green.
To prevent your potatoes from turning green, keep them in a cool, dark place.