Brain Link. Quality nutrition matters for optimum brain function. Although the body can use proteins, fats, or carbohydrates for energy, brain cells reportedly prefer glucose from carbs almost exclusively as a source of energy. The brain requires minute to minute glucose, especially during periods of intense cognitive processing. Studies on all types of people have shown improved mental ability after a meal high in carbs, which raises concerns about the long-term impact on the brain from “low-carb” dieting. Healthier complex carbs (low on Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load lists) and eaten in as natural a state as possible are recommended. High-sugar foods and beverages can trigger a glucose spike in the brain, usually followed by a dramatic low. This rollercoaster pattern can be deadly for many brain functions, while also triggering low- grade inflammation at the same time, which is linked with multiple chronic diseases.
The best answer to many of our personal, and even national health problems, lies in a change in our lifestyle. One definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” For your health to actually improve, something needs to change. —George E. Guthrie, MD, MPH, CDE, CNS, FAAFP, FACLM
Nutrition provides the raw nutrients required by the brain and body to sustain life. Micronutrients provide enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help keep the brain and body healthy. Macronutrients provide calories in the form of carbohydrates (carbs), proteins, and fats. One gram of carbs contains 4 calories as does one gram of protein. One gram of fat contains more than double that at 9 calories.
Wellness and longevity are linked in large part to your choices related to these three macronutrients—fat, proteins, and carbs—plus when you eat, how much you eat, how fast you eat, and the environment in which you eat.
What you eat clearly impacts not only your risk of developing cognitive disturbances but affects potential longevity. —Norman Relkin, MD
Since there is no room to store glucose in the brain, it depends on receiving glucose from the blood supply. During periods of intense mental processing the brain requires higher amounts of glucose. Studies have shown improved mental ability after a meal high in carbs, which raises concerns about the long-term impact on the brain from low- carb diets and menus. There are healthy and beneficial carbs and some that represent the other side of the coin. The same can be said of proteins and fats. Those that are higher in quality are, of course, healthier and need to be eaten in balanced amounts.
Put good food into your brain each day—you are what you eat. —Daniel G. Amen, MD
Not all foods and menus touted as healthy are truly healthy. Two of the most recently recommended are the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. Not all plant-based food choices are healthy, either. A recent study led by Demosthenes Panagiotakos evaluated what participants ate—either healthy or unhealthy plant-based foods—in relation to cardiovascular disease. Healthy was defined as a higher intake of whole grains,vegetables, legumes, fruits, and nuts. Unhealthy consisted of high consumptions of sweetened drinks and juices, potatoes, sweets, and refined grains.
Compared with males, the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease amongst females was much higher when they snacked on unhealthful plant-based foods. However, a female’s risk for cardiovascular disease was reduced more impressively than males by eating healthy plant-based foods.
Ingesting proper nutrients can have an almost immediate impact on brain cells and brain functioning. —Jean Carper
View the Educational Video #8. If possible, stand and walk in place for at least a portion of the video to increase blood flow to your brain. Does your brain need a glass of water?
The idea that Alzheimer’s is entirely genetic and unpreventable is perhaps the greatest misconception about the disease. —Gary Small, MD
After decades of research without a cure identified for Alzheimer’s Disease, several scientists turned their attention to the possibility that it just might be preventable. Studies are now linking Alzheimer’s with inflammation and insulin resistance in the brain. In fact, Alzheimer’s is being referred to as Diabetes Type 3. Generally, Alzheimer’s is now considered a lifestyle disease.
The good news is that non-genetic Alzheimer’s is likely preventable, and genetic Alzheimer’s can likely be slowed somewhat, allowing for more good years.
The bad news is that preventing Alzheimer’s Disease will require significant life-style changes. It remains to be seen how interested and determined individuals are in making the requisite lifestyle changes to reduce their risk for developing dementia. You can find a summary article “Can Alzheimer’s be Prevented” under Articles at www.Arlenetaylor.org
There is compelling data that Alzheimer’s is deeply influenced by lifestyle choices we make every day, such as, what we eat, how often we exercise, the quality of our sleep, and how we respond to stress. —Padmaja Patel, MD
On average about 75% of the human brain is fluid. However, the solid matter in the brain is about 60% fat. Myelin, the whitish insulation coating of the neuronal axons is 75% fat. There are more myelin-coated neurons in the right hemisphere than in the left. Thus, it is a slightly lighter color than the left hemisphere, which has more gray matter.
Foods and beverages can be a fast freeway to self-medication and addictions. They can trigger the Brain Reward System (BRS) to release a cascade of substances that help you temporarily feel better. Just as with tobacco, alcohol, street drugs, sex, and sugar—the BRS likes them all. Substances released such as dopamine, adrenalin, and endorphins can be addictive.
Rather than compulsively counting and tracking calories, concentrate instead on what, when, why, and how much you eat and drink. —David S. Ludwig
Highly sugared foods and beverages can trigger a blood-sugar high in the brain, usually followed by a dramatic low. Much like a rollercoaster, this fluctuating pattern of glucose highs and lows can be deadly for many brain functions while also causing low-grade inflammation. Studies have shown that people who regularly consume substantial amounts of added sugar may have poorer memories and lower brain volumes than those who consume less sugar. A study involving more than 4,000 people found that those with a higher intake of sugary beverages like sodas had lower total brain volumes and poorer memories on average compared to people who consumed less sugar.
You can never, ever, use weight loss to solve problems that are not related to your weight. At your goal weight or not, you still must live with yourself and deal with your problems. You will still have the same husband, the same job, the same kids, and the same life. Losing weight is not a cure for life. —Dr. Phil McGraw
Studies by Paul Thompson, PhD, UCLA Professor of Neurology, evaluated the brains of overweight and obese study participants as compared with the brains of normal-weight individuals. Several findings are listed below.
Obesity is such that this generation of children could be the first, basically in the history of the United States, to live less healthful and shorter lives than their parents. —David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital, Boston
One secret to help maintain your weight in an optimum range is cutting out highly refined carbohydrates that typically contain considerable amounts of white flour, sugar, and fat.
Being obese is like being 20 years older than you really are. It does more damage to your quality of life, causes more chronic medical conditions, and incurs more healthcare expenditures than either smoking or alcohol abuse. —Roland Sturm
Carbohydrates have been given a bad name. The truth is all carbs are not created equal. Just as differing types of fuel have differing octane ratings, carbohydrates have differing levels of nutrition. Bottom line? The quality of the carbohydrate is key. Some carbohydrates are simply more nutritious than others. Complex carbs found in fresh vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains, raw nuts and seeds, and legumes, are healthier, especially those that contain fiber.
Glial or neuronal glucose sensors are present all over the brain. Carbohydrates are the preferred energy source for the brain. —Great Lakes Functional Neurology
Aim for healthier complex carbs, i.e., relatively low on the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load lists. Eat these in as natural a state as possible. Minimize simple carbs from sugar, white flour, fats, candy, desserts, highly refined and/or processed foods. Although the body can use proteins, fats, or carbohydrates for energy, the brain’s thinking cells or neurons prefer glucose from carbs almost exclusively as a source of energy.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines recommends 45-65% of one’s total calories should come from carbohydrates—preferably from healthier carbs. Carbs are important because they are:
1) The body’s main source of fuel and can easily be used for energy by all tissues and cells. They can be stored in the muscles and liver and later used for energy.
2) Necessary for the brain, central nervous system, kidneys, and muscles (including those of the heart) to function properly. They are actually preferred by the brain.
3) Important for gastrointestinal health and the timely and appropriate elimination of waste.
It is more important to eat some carbohydrates at breakfast. The brain needs fuel right away, and carbohydrates are the best source.—Andrew Weil, MD
Listen to Chapter #10 of Just the Facts. If possible, walk around the room while you listen. At least walk in place. It may be time to drink another glass of water, as well.
Trans fat is considered the worst type of fat a person can eat. —Mayo Clinic
Much like carbs, not all fats are created equal, either. Both the brain and body need some fat. However, there are healthy and less healthy types of fat. All types of fat add more than twice the calories per gram compared to carbs or protein. Therefore, it is wise to use even the healthier types of fat judiciously. Unhealthy fats raise cholesterol levels that may increase a risk of cardiovascular disease. Be careful to check ingredient lists for non-fat and low-fat products. To make them palatable and maintain shelf-life, manufacturers often include salt, sugar, flour, and thickeners that add calories. There is some concern about the nutritional quality and how healthy non-fat and low-fat foods really are.
Healthier fats include monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and omega-3 fatty acids. Foods consisting mostly of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids are found in plant-based foods such as olives, avocados, and walnuts. The oils from these foods are liquid at room temperature. These types of fat can improve cholesterol levels that may decrease a risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids include raw nuts such as walnuts and butternuts, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and oils such as flaxseed and soybean. Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines, and herring. Wild fish species are recommended rather than those that have been farmed.
Unlike other dietary fats, trans fat—also called trans-fatty acids—raises your undesirable or bad cholesterol and lowers your desirable or good cholesterol. A diet laden with trans fats increases your risk of heart disease, the leading killer of adults. —Mayo Clinic
Of the many amino acids in nature, only 20 are utilized by the human body. The body can manufacture 11 amino acids. The other 9 are known as essential amino acids that the body cannot manufacture and that must be consumed through the food you eat. The body breaks down the protein you eat into individual amino acids. Then it rearranges them into the unique proteins that are required by the body.
For more than 40 years, Dr. T. Colin Campbell has been at the forefront of nutrition research. His legacy, The China Project, is said to be the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted. His new book picks up where The China Project left off. “Whole” is said to be a marvelous journey through cutting-edge thinking on nutrition, led by one of the masters of the science.
There is a mountain of compelling research showing that plant protein allows for slow but steady synthesis of new proteins and is the healthiest type of protein. —T. Colin Campbell, PhD Whole
Proteins are used in many ways in the brain and body. For example:
1) Building muscle tissue which is about 20% protein.
2) Forming neurotransmitters that facilitate movement of information along neuron pathways and across synapses, the spaces between neurons.
3) Producing hormones such as insulin and growth hormone that help to coordinate biological processes among cells, tissues, and body organs.
4) Working as enzymes to carry out thousands of chemical reactions that take place inside cells and assist with building new molecules by following genetic information stored in DNA.
5) Creating antibodies in the immune system that bind to harmful organisms and help protect the body.
Advocacy of leaf protein as a human food is based on the undisputed fact that forage crops (such as lucerne) give a greater yield of protein than other types of crops. Even with conventional food crops there is more protein in the leafy parts than in the seeds or tubs that are usually harvested. —Norman Wingate Pirie
Foods known as complete proteins contain all nine essential amino acids. Examples include the following.
1) Animal-based complete protein foods include fish, eggs, dairy, lean red meat, some seafood, and poultry.
2) Plant-based complete protein foods include quinoa, tempeh, edamame, and buckwheat (also gluten free). The website www.cornucopia.org suggests minimizing use of highly processed soy products as in some meat-substitutes and Bars, especially if prepared with chemicals such as Hexane—a neurotoxic chemical solvent that is a byproduct of gasoline refining. Many other plant foods also contain protein, including avocados, beans, grains, hemp, legumes, lentils, nuts, peas, and rice. Some foods make a complete protein when they are eaten together. For example: hummus with whole wheat pita bread; lentils, chickpeas, or beans with rice (providing a protein value on par with meat); and organic peanut butter with whole wheat bread.
People eat meat and think they will become as strong as an ox, forgetting that the ox eats grass. —Pino Caruso
Plant sources of protein are said to place less strain on the kidneys and liver—especially when compared with processed meat products that have been salted, cured, smoked, fermented, or undergone other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation.
A study in 2016 evaluated plant-based proteins with animal proteins and concluded: a high animal protein intake was positively associated with cardiovascular mortality, while a high plant-protein intake was inversely associated with all-cause cardiovascular mortality, especially among individuals with at least one lifestyle risk factor. Substitution of plant protein for animal protein, especially that from processed red meat, was associated with lower mortality, suggesting the importance of the source of one’s dietary protein.
Compared with other countries, Americans are said to ingest more protein than they need. The USDA recommends 12% of total calories in protein. Harvard Health suggests that 15% of total calories needs to be in protein. Negative consequences from eating too much protein include weight gain; high cholesterol levels; stress to the liver, kidneys, brain, and nervous system; bloating, bad breath; fatigue, and gout, a type of inflammatory arthritis where uric acid crystals are deposited around the joints.
Gout may be triggered by foods that are high in purines found in red meat, organ meat, and seafood. Also, from alcohol, particularly beer and hard liquor. —Mayo Clinic
An international team of researchers led by Dr. Vered Padler-Karavani has identified a direct molecular link between consuming meat and dairy products and the development of antibodies in the blood that increase the chances of developing cancer. This may explain the higher incidence of cancer, especially colorectal cancer, among those who consume substantial amounts of dairy products and red meat.
As with most things in life, there can be too much of a good thing and if you eat too much protein, there may be a price to pay. For example, people that eat high protein diets have a higher risk of kidney stones. Also, a high protein diet that contains lots of red meat and higher amounts of saturated fat might lead to a higher risk of heart disease and colon cancer, while another high protein diet rich in plant-based proteins may not carry similar risks. —Harvard Medical School
Insulin is a powerful hormone that plays a key role in metabolism, the way cells use digested food for energy. Made by the pancreas insulin move glucose from the blood into cells in muscle, fat, and liver, where it’s used for energy. Think of insulin as the key that unlocks the doors of specific types of cells to let energy enter and subsequently be stored as fat.
Foods with a high Glycemic Load that quickly spike blood sugar (such as simple carbs and many highly refined and processed foods) trigger a rise in insulin levels. With continually high insulin levels, the body becomes less and less responsive to the glucose-moderating effects of insulin. To compensate for this, the body must secrete more insulin. Elevated levels of insulin direct your body to store more of the calories as body fat. Excess insulin can increase the percentage of body fat, which can lead toward eventual weight gain.
The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. —Ann Wigmore
According to Mark Hyman, MD, skipping breakfast (or reaching for something super sugary and starchy), perhaps only snacking for lunch, and subsequently eating a huge dinner is all too common in this modern world. Unfortunately, this leads to a cascade of hormonal damage that increases dangerous belly fat and causes insulin resistance and pre-diabetes. Letting your blood sugar get out of control is the quickest way to mess up your metabolic health and keep you chronically fatigued.
Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond well to insulin and can’t easily take up glucose from your blood. As a result, your pancreas makes more insulin to help glucose enter your cells. —NIDDK (nih.gov)
Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. The cause of prediabetes is the same as the cause of Type 2 diabetes—mainly insulin resistance.
Prediabetes usually occurs in people who already have some insulin resistance or whose beta cells in the pancreas cannot make enough insulin to keep blood glucose in the normal range. Without enough insulin, extra glucose stays in your bloodstream rather than entering your cells. Over time, this can lead to type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes means your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes usually occurs in people who already have some insulin resistance or whose beta cells in the pancreas are making insufficient amounts of insulin to keep blood glucose in the normal range. Without enough insulin, extra glucose stays in your bloodstream rather than entering your cells. Over time, this can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Estimates are that more than 84 million people aged 18 and older have prediabetes in the United States. That is 1 out of every 3 adults. Individuals with genetic or lifestyle risk factors are more likely to develop insulin resistance or prediabetes. Risk factors include the following.
1) Overweight or obese
2) Aged 45 or older
3) A parent, brother, or sister with diabetes
4) High blood pressure and/or abnormal cholesterol levels
5) A history of gestational diabetes, heart disease, or stroke
6) Polycystic ovary syndrome, also called PCOSA
7) Sleep apnea
8) Metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, and large waist size)
9) African American, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander American ethnicity
10) Physical inactivity
Although you cannot alter risk factors such as family history, age, or ethnicity, you can change lifestyle risk factors around eating, physical activity, and weight. These lifestyle changes can lower your chances of developing insulin resistance or prediabetes.
When it comes to prediabetes, knowledge is power. This includes knowing if you have prediabetes and knowing how to make changes to reverse or curb it. —Cleveland Clinic
Research suggests that the three best eating styles for brain-body health, high-level wellness, and longevity are vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian, in descending order.
1) A Vegan is a type of vegetarian who does not eat any animal products. Some also have an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals and the cruelty shown to them. As George Bernard Shaw put it, animals are my friends—and I do not eat my friends. According to Chris Hedges, becoming vegan is the most important and direct change we can immediately make to save the planet and its species.
2) A Vegetarian is an individual who does not eat meat, fish, or fowl. Some do eat animal products such as dairy, cheese, and eggs.
3) A Pescatarian (Pesco) vegetarian is a person who is a semi-vegetarian. Fish and seafood are included in their food choices.
Plant-based menus are good for the human body and good for Planet Earth, along with the creatures that call it home. Some believe that creatures know when they are going to be slaughtered, which creates stress, and their bodies pour out hormones including adrenalin. Therefore, when you eat adrenalin-laced meat, you may get some adrenalin- boost momentarily. Animals fed antibiotics are believed able to pass those along to those who eat their meat, which may destroy healthy bacteria in their large intestine.
You have to feed the brain. —Steven Magee
Dieting does not work In the long term. When dieting, hunger-inducing neurons in the brain start eating bits of themselves. This act of self-cannibalism turns up a hunger signal to prompt eating. Experiments with mice at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine show similar self-cannibalism. When the brain neurons were starved, the brain cells begin to eat parts of themselves (cannibalize) to send out hunger distress signals.
Short term dieting—especially fad and radical—can result in the loss of a few pounds initially. Studies showed that within about three years most people gain it all back, often as fat rather than muscle tissue, often gaining back more than they lost on the diet.
Intermittent fasting is not dieting. It has been shown to enhance cardiovascular function, sleep, digestion, cell repair, and management of one’s weight. It gives the gastrointestinal (GI) system a break, allowing it to have rest periods rather than continuously working around the clock 24/7 trying to digest food delivered to it at all hours of the day and night.
Intermittent fasting can also reduce the risk of inflammation, which is now believed to contribute to many types of chronic diseases, illnesses, the process of aging, and
Alzheimer’s Disease. If you eat an early dinner at 5:00 pm and do not “break-fast’ until 8:00 am, you will have fasted for about 14 hours and given your GI system a break. Intermittent fasting does not include water. Keep drinking pure water.
Avoid digging your own grave with your own knife and fork. —English Proverb
View the short Birds ‘n Brains video #8. If possible, stand and move around or walk in place for at least part of the video.
Came from a plant, eat it; was made in a plant, don’t. —Michael Pollan
Some foods tend to trigger addictive-like behaviors. Sugar triggers the release of opiates in the brain which can urge you to eat. Many simple carbs in the form of sugar, white flour, and products made with them (often combined with dairy and fat) do this. During digestion, the casein in cheese breaks apart, releasing morphine-like opiate compounds known as casomorphins, that make you crave more dairy cheese.
Brown chocolate contains theobromine—toxic to dogs and sometimes even to bears—that is analogous to caffeine in the human body. In combination with sugar and fat, chocolate can trigger the Brain Reward System to push you to eat more—and more—and more! Chocolate supposedly reaches its point of maximal irresistibility when made with a 50-50 mixture of sugar and fat. When a company advertises, “Bet you can’t eat just one” (whether it is pizza, chocolate, or fries), there is clearly a reason.
According to the FDA, adults should consume no more than 50 grams of added sugar per day—based on a 2,000 calorie intake per day. Unfortunately, studies show that the average American consumes more than three times that amount each day—nearly 1/3 of a pound of sugar. When you do the math, that is nearly 100 lbs. (45.3 kg) of sugar per year!
In May of 2024, an article by Mark Hyman, MD, and Ron Gutman titled “It’s Time to Treat Sugar Like Cigarettes” was published by Time. It reported that 74% of packaged foods in the US contains added sugar. Hyman indicated that sugar is biologically addictive, pointing out that “studies indicate it (sugar) is 8 times more addictive than cocaine.”
The increase in consumption of HFCS has a temporal relation to the epidemic of obesity; and the overconsumption of HFCS in calorically sweetened beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. —Barry M. Popkin, PhD
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average American consumes more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) per year. It is widely used in many processed foods, soft drinks, desserts, and candy because it is so inexpensive. HFCS is metabolized in the liver and has been linked with increased belly fat, increased weight, resistance to insulin, and metabolic disease.
Both sugar and HFCS raise blood sugar levels. Higher blood sugar levels have been linked with an increased risk of gaining weight, fatty liver disease, diabetes, heart disease, and brain shrinkage in areas associated with memory and cognitive thinking. Reportedly, HFCS is now sold under a dozen or so new names, which makes it more difficult to recognize that the product actually contains HFCS.
If you can’t convince them, confuse them. —Harry Truman
Be aware that craving for comfort foods (“so-called”) may be explained in part by the fact that these foods increase levels of serotonin, a compound found in the brain that may be present in reduced amounts in depression. In addition to foods, behaviors such as gambling and other high-risk activities (e.g., unsafe sex, fixation on another person, excessive time on social media waiting for messages) can release adrenalin. As adrenalin levels rise, so do levels of the feel-better chemical, dopamine—all linked with the Brain Reward System (BRS).
The doctors of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition. —Thomas Alva Edison
Most people burn fewer calories in the evening so eating heavy meals or snacking late in the evening can easily contribute both to restless sleep (as the digestive system keeps working) and to weight gain, because the calories are not being used. Ingesting 3,500 unneeded calories can result in a gain of 1 pound (0.45 kg)—often around the middle and thighs. Similarly, expending 3,500 calories can help you drop a pound. Simply reducing your caloric intake by even 100 calories per day can reduce your weight by a pound each month.
Study participants who ate early versus those who ate four hours later were compared. Results revealed that eating later had profound effects on hunger and the appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin, which influence our drive to eat. Specifically, levels of the hormone leptin, which signals satiety, were decreased across the 24 hours in the late eating conditions compared to the early eating conditions. Participants who ate later also burned calories at a slower rate and exhibited adipose tissue gene expression toward increased adipogenesis and decreased lipolysis, which promote fat growth. —Harvard Medical School
Remove everything from your place of residence that you no longer wish to eat—less temptation that way. When you crave a snack, drink a big glass of water. Notice whether you are still hungry 30 minutes later or simply in the habit of snacking or your brain is asking for some emotional eating (self-medication).
Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness. —Edward Stanley
Figure out how much you need to exercise to work off the calories in a specific beverage. Most processed foods must list the number of calories in one serving. An article in the American Journal of Public Health revealed that those who identified the number of minutes they must exercise to burn off even one soda drank less of it overall. Make water your beverage of choice and stay hydrated.
Research has pointed out that shedding just 5% to 10% of your body weight is often enough to get blood sugar levels back into the normal range and avoid diabetes or at least delay its onset. —WebMD
Researchers increasingly are recommending moving toward a plant-based menu for health and longevity. If you are concerned about protecting Planet Earth—to say nothing of reducing your risk for colon cancer and other cancers—can be beneficial. What you put into your body in terms of foods and beverages will impact the quality of brain-body function. It is also linked with not only high-level-wellness but also longevity.
You must decide between short-term taste treats (as you define them) and the long-term treat of better health, prevention of obesity, the 50 diseases linked with it, and a potentially increased life span. Eating wisely will not only help you be wiser, but it is also the wise thing to do. —Unknown
Absolutely anything that you potentially stand to be as a human being stems from nutrition. End of story. —Topaz Page-Green
Concentrate on Module 8 during this entire week. Reread the sections; review the videos, and relisten to the audiobook excerpts. It takes the average adult four times of exposure to information to really absorb the material and turn it into a new behavior. If you want positive results, rushing through the material just because you can, may not provide the desired outcome.
Choose quality nutrition. Get plenty of sleep so your brain has time to consolidate or transfer what you are learning from short term to long term memory. Drink plenty of water to keep your brain hydrated and able to generate the mental energy you need. Read labels—especially of any refined or processed foods and avoid those with additives ending in ‘ate,’ or that contain hydrogenated fats or high fructose corn syrup or trans-fat. The fewer the ingredients on the label the more likely the food is healthier.
Think carefully about your choice of animal products and the immense suffering those creatures experience both during life and at time of death. Each person will need to make a personal decision about animal cannibalism.
When you want to hurry something, that means you no longer care about it and want to get on to other things. —Robert M. Pirsig
