Eat Seafood for Long Life and Healthy Brain

The human brain is one of human evolution’s crowning achievements. It allows us to coordinate with others and plan our lives, manipulate our environment, and work with tools. The human brain is an organ of special distinction in the human body, helping to make sense of the activities throughout the nervous system that snakes throughout the entire human body. We expect this one organ not only to manage the body but also to absorb the stimuli from our environment and assimilate a vast scope of information about human society. The inputs that define how our mind is formed extend beyond nutrients to include what we learn through a lifetime of experience. The role of nutrients in allowing for the basic structural and energetic demands of the human brain and body-system are worth noting.

There are some critical elements for human brain development such as Folate, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Cholesterol, Vitamin A, and more. These are just some examples. A lot of people already know the importance of vegetables for the important mineral, Magnesium. Vitamin A is commonly recognized as important for eyesight and for the function of the nervous system.

This article is meant to give some attention to a nutrient that gets forgotten due, in part, to its source being a little beyond the horizon. The nutrient is DHA and its source, fish. Some of the longest living cultures eat fish as a notable percentage of the meat they eat.(at least 4X per week)  DHA is a valuable kind of fatty acid in the human body. The body can make its cell membranes out of DHA. Different kinds of fats can be used for cell membranes, DHA being among the better ones. DHA actually helps in the process of converting sunlight to Vitamin D. DHA helps the body use sunlight that strikes our skin and eyes and convert that sunlight into useful energy.

Its role in cellular signaling and brain health is significant. Eating fish is one way you can increase your lifespan and prevent neurodegenerative disease. Lightly cooking fish is the best way to consume the DHA without damaging the oils through high-temperature cooking.

Fish also contains Iodine which is a micronutrient that supports children’s growth and development and brain health.

Salmon is a popular option as these fish are thought to be less likely to absorb environmental pollutants that humans are emitting into the air and oceans. Tuna is another common choice but it may contain more Mercury. This could be a good compromise for a portion of the fish you or your family consumes so that you are at least eating more seafood. There are certain foods that can assist your body’s natural detoxification capabilities in dealing with Mercury exposure, such as Cilantro. I would personally recommend you limit Tuna to twice per month.

Oysters are another kind of seafood you can reap health benefits from. Raw oysters really encourage the body to thrive and grow by feeding it some of the most primal hormonal support possible through normal dietary means. Oysters are supportive of young athletes, teens/tweens (puberty), and the development of the brain and nervous system. Oysters also support testosterone in men and sex drive in both men and women.

The regular consumption of seafood will benefit your entire body: heart, brain, your growth. And seafood will help you rise in age with great health and vitality beyond your peers. Cheers to optimization!

Powerful Foods

If you ask a random health enthusiast what the most important part of being healthy is, most people will likely tell you that it's diet. A solid diet means your body has the fuel it needs and also the chemicals or the precursors to chemicals needed to filter out and get rid of toxic metabolites that are produced from cellular metabolism, a fancy word for the 'work' that an organism does, both seen and unseen.

This won't be a long post, I just want to share with you a few of the things I've found help me to be the best man I can be.

Eggs are probably top on my list. They make an excellent breakfast and if you pair this with a little fish, it's a powerhouse combination that delivers healthy fats and oils that the body can use in many important ways such as building cell walls, producing hormones like Testosterone, and building brain tissue. Eggs also contain Acetylcholine so they are great for brain functioning. I like to buy eggs that are from chickens that are free range and fed an organic diet. It's only $1-2 more per dozen eggs and I feel that it makes a big difference both in flavor and in nutrient density.

Another staple of my diet is chicken. Chicken is a good source of protein and not as expensive as some other meats like Beef. I like to cook my chicken slowly on a low heat setting (3-4) on the stove in a frying pan with the lid on. The lid helps trap the steam and cook the meat throughout in a way that I feel makes the meat more tender and juicy. I like to cook the chicken in Coconut fat.

For snacks, I often eat a banana or sometimes have a few handfuls of peanuts. Bananas are a good source of fiber and about 100 calories each so they provide energy but not so much that you need to worry about how many you eat.

And of course, water. Water isn't a food of course but I think it fits in the category of diet because it makes such a difference in how our food is digested and delivered deep into our body's cells. It's important to have a good clean water source. This is especially important because having access to drinking water that you enjoy the taste of means that you'll probably drink more of it: a good thing. While I don't enjoy the plastic waste involved, I have been buying Spring Water in gallon bottles from the grocery store and using that primarily as my water source. I know at least in my city, there have been increased levels of Nitrates in the water, even to the point that they've had to turn on a very expensive filtration system to filter my city's water supply. These nitrates come chemicals that farmers apply to their fields and then they drain into creeks which drain into rivers...

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed my post. There are many different kinds of foods but when a person is trying to improve their diet, sometimes it helps a lot to keep things simple. Start off with a few key foods and just form habits around them. Make it like a personal ritual. I promise that you'll begin feeling different and seeing the results of putting healthy food in your stomach.

I'd love for you to share your personal strategies for health and what some of your favorite staple health foods are! Share in the comments below!