Balancing Working At Home and Family: Brain Food, Blog Post From FitLife.tv's Drew Canole

Added by Drew Canole on 2012-10-16

These three foods are packed with antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that are essential for a healthy brain and body.

1. Elderberry

Elderberry

Elderberry has been used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, improve vision, boost the immune system, improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsilitis. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 1995. You can find elderberry juice in your local health stores or you can buy the extract as well.
2. Beets
These ruby-red root vegetables are packed with nutrients such as fiber, folate, potassium, and phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and sponins. Beets have betacyanin which is a type of plant pigment which is being studied for its tumor fighting compound. Preliminary studies also suggest that betaine may be helpful in lowing homocysteine, which is an amino acid that is associated with increased risk for heart attack. Other nutrients that are found in beets are folate, which helps fight against heart disease and cancer and saponin. Saponin is known for binding to cholesterol in the digestive tract and thus lowering cholesterol levels.
Beet juice is especially vital for a healthy lifestyle. The benefits of beet juice is that it helps in purifying blood and also the creation of red blood cells because of this many detox recipes include beets. People who go on the Alpha Reset have seen dramatic weight loss and they love to add beets to their juices because it really does detoxify your body. According to Mikhail Tomak, Ph.D., beet juice improves blood structure and helps with diseases that are associated with the circulatory system, large intestine, and digestive system.

Great to drink while on a juice fast!

Beet juice is also a great pre or post workout drink.

3. Pecans

Pecans are amazing! They are packed with unsaturated fatty acids which can help reduce LDL (bad cholesterol). Pecans also contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B, and E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. Just one ounce of pecans provides 10 percent of the Daily Recommended intake of fiber.

Pecans are especially good for your brain. Vitamin E, an antioxidant found in pecans, may provide neurological protection. Antioxidants help fight against Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, cancer and heart disease.