2. Quality Fats are the Building Blocks of Your Brain

At least half of your brain is made of fat. No, this isn’t an insult. It was true for Shakespeare and Einstein as well. Every bit of this fat that makes up your brain has to come into your body through your diet. All of us are aware that different types of fat have different impacts on the heart health. Well, the same thing holds true for brain health. Our brain cells are meant to be built out of mostly omega 3 fats – the healthy fats found in fish oil. Through most of human history, we ate a diet rich in omega 3 fats, and enjoyed healthy brains as a result.

In recent times, consumption of omega 3 fats has dropped dramatically. Further, many of the foods we eat contain various vegetable oils rich in omega 6 fats, which can actually displace omega 3 fats from our brain cells, compromising their function. Even worse, our diets are full of trans fats. These fats were developed as a healthy replacement for animal fats, which were believed to cause heart disease, but trans fats have turned out to be far more harmful than any animal fat. Consuming these fats, which are abundant in processed foods, will ruin mental and physical health alike. Trans fats provide a great example of how supposed technological advances often have serious negative side effects when implemented without consideration of the fact that our bodies have a very specific design and specific nutritional and environmental requirements. Technology serves us best when designed to work in harmony with our biology.

The best source of brain-friendly fat is cold water fish eaten as sushi or very lightly cooked. Alaskan salmon is a great choice, since it is relatively low in mercury and other toxins. Pan sear Alaskan salmon with a bit of dill and lemon, leaving the inside rare for a wonderfully tasty and nutritious meal that cooks up in minutes. Be careful about the salmon you buy though. Most of the salmon in stores and restaurants is Atlantic salmon (because we've fished teh wild Atlantic salmon near to extinction and it's now protected), which is always farm raised, meaning it is low in omega 3 fat and full of toxins. Farm raised fish is real junk and should be avoided entirely.

If you don’t like fish, we strongly suggest that you supplement with a high quality fish oil containing at least 50% EPA and DHA. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, supplement with flax oil. To further buff up brain health, limit consumption of omega 6 vegetable fats found in fast foods, processed foods, and commercial salad dressings. Saturated fats like animal fat (in moderation) and coconut oil, and omega 9 fats like olive oil (one of the best fats) do not displace omega 3 fats, and should all be part of a healthy diet.