Author: Sahed

Trying to do a lot of things at once is supposed to be a sign that you’re smart and productive. But new research shows that multitasking—doing more than one task at a time—has very big drawbacks. First, your brain can’t actually multitask. What it does is switch from one task to the other, back and forth, back and forth. The problem? Your brain doesn’t perform as well when it is constantly distracted this way. It’s likely that the quality and efficiency of your work will suffer. For the vast majority of people, it’s actually quicker for them to do tasks sequentially—plus they’re less likely to make mistakes. A small percentage of people are actually good multitaskers—their brains are capable of handling more than one task at a time—but you’d be wise not to count yourself among them. In fact, one study showed that people who thought they were good at multitasking were actually the worst at it. Another study showed that people trying to deal with several tasks at once had significantly more problems paying attention and remembering information than those who did one task at a time. Habitual multitaskers actually train their brains to be less efficient. They have trouble organizing thoughts and focusing on what is important. As a consequence, they end up being slower, cumulatively, than those who do one thing at a time. Give your brain a break by giving up your multitasking ways!

Folklore says green tea helps you achieve deeper states of consciousness, especially during meditation. Science says green tea contains an amino acid called thea-nine, which aids in increasing concentration and attention while reducing fatigue and stress. 

The most popular and potent version of green tea is called matcha. To create matcha, the plant is shaded from the sun for about three weeks before harvest. Shading the plant increases the levels of theanine. The ground powder made from these shaded green tea leaves is mixed directly into hot water to create the drink. (Tea is usually made by infusion, where the leaves are strained from the drink.) Drinking a mixture rather than an infusion allows your body to absorb more nutrients. 

Green tea contains antioxidants and nutrients that improve your brain’s performance. Green tea also contains polyphenols, which may improve memory, learning, and cognitive function. 

You know that volunteering is good for your community. Did you know it’s also good for your brain? Researchers have known for a long time that helping out others makes you feel better. Your brain produces dopamine and endorphins and other feel-good chemicals when you reach out to help. But a recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health showed even longer- lasting benefits than that momentary glow of goodness. The study found that people who volunteered maintained or increased the size of their memory centers (which usually decrease over time). Volunteering also helped women in particular improve their physical health, which of course is crucial to brain health. Re- searchers theorize that these physical improvements could help improve executive function (decision making). Another study showed that volunteers have lower blood pressure, which means less likelihood of stroke and other health problems.

Key elements of brain-boosting volunteering include working in teams (socializing helps the brain), problem-solving (practice makes perfect), and sharing knowledge (having a purpose makes your brain happy). In other words, simple tasks you perform by yourself are unlikely to boost your brain as much. 

Your brain loves carotenoids, which, among other things, help chase away free radicals before they can do too much damage. And tomatoes have lots of carotenoids, so eat up! In recent research, people with cognitive problems and those with Alzheimer’s all showed higher levels of carotenoids in their blood after eating tomatoes. When you cook down tomatoes, you actually make it easier for your body to absorb the carotenoids, so ladle on the marinara. Since carotenoids are fat-soluble, a little olive oil in the sauce helps your body absorb even more of these do-good chemicals. But don’t skin them! That’s where much of the nutrition hangs out. 

Everything your body does, from warding off infection to digesting your dinner to sending blood to your brain, occurs through a process called metabolism. During metabolism, cells break down chemicals and nutrients to generate energy and form new molecules, like proteins. Metabolism in brain cells affects how information is signaled, according to a recent study by McGill University and University of Zurich researchers. Researchers concluded that this is why a special diet can help some individuals with seizure disorder control their seizures. In other words, there is a link between how brain cells create energy and how they communicate. Brain glucose metabolism also affects brain function, particularly memory. Research shows that maintaining stable glucose concentrations in your brain is healthier for your brain, and that levels that are too high or low have a negative effect on brain function.

To fast-track your metabolism: 

• Start off your day with breakfast. This wakes up your metabolism. 

• Graze with small meals and snacks throughout the day to maintain a more stable metabolism. Avoid the peaks and valleys associated with eating large meals less frequently.

• Eat enough—but not too much. Under eating and overeating both damage your metabolism.

• Skip artificial sweeteners. These may interfere with your body’s metabolism.

• Sip a cuppa. A cup of coffee helps boost metabolism. 

If you’re like most people in the world, you have a dominant hand—one hand that handles most tasks. Call it your go-to hand. If we had to guess, we’d say you’re right-handed (about 90 percent of people are). Only a tiny percentage—about 1 percent—of people use both hands equally (this is referred to as being ambidextrous). This is because your brain is lazy. For one-handed tasks, such as writing a note, it defaults to same-old, same-old. One way to ward off cognitive decline is to get out of this rut. You need to stimulate your brain—make it do something in a new way. Since the left side of your brain controls the motor function on the right side of your body (and vice versa), by switching which hand you do a task with, you’ll light up a different part of your brain. For example, brush your teeth with your non dominant hand. Put your fork in your non dominant hand and eat your dinner that way (bonus points for not spilling all over your shirt). The fact that these tasks likely feel awkward is a sign that you’re engaging your brain in a new way. 

Any exercise is good for your brain, but walking in particular has some significant benefits. Researchers at New Mexico Highlands University found that “the foot’s impact during walking sends pressure waves through the arteries that significantly modify and can increase the supply of blood to the brain”

Furthermore, walking elevates your mood, which is good. And when you’re wrestling with a knotty problem, a long walk can stimulate the creative centers of your brain, helping you to figure out a resolution. There’s also evidence that walking improves your memory skills. So put on those walking shoes and get started. 

For all the good that connecting with old friends on social media can create, it can also do bad things for your brain. You’ve probably had that experience where you go to check Facebook for just a few minutes and three hours later wonder what happened to the time. (Look at the kitties!) Or you anxiously await your friends’ “Likes” and ponder when you turned into a lab rat pressing the lever for pellets. A German study showed that one in three people say they feel worse after spending time on Facebook than they did before, with “worse” meaning lonely, frustrated, and/or sad. Another study showed that the more people used Facebook, the worse they felt. Researchers call this “Facebook depression.” So much for the joy of connecting with friends. And that thing about the lab rat? It’s true: being on social media can feed your brain’s tendency toward addiction. It wants rewards, and what’s more rewarding than seeing a thumbs-up on your post? One study at Stanford University showed that people who spent a lot of time on social media have trouble filtering out unimportant information and have more trouble remembering things. But that doesn’t mean you have to quit social media cold turkey and go live in a cabin in the woods. In moderation, connecting with others via social media can help you stay informed, help you express yourself, and help you become part of a greater community. The key word is moderation.

Did you know that exercise has been shown to help combat major depression? It’s true. Exercise produces feel-good chemicals, such as endorphins, that help boost mood. Endorphins are neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that help your nerve cells send signals. Endorphins protect you from feeling pain and help elevate your mood. Exercise isn’t the only way to prompt your brain to reward you with those beneficial chemicals, though. You can also stimulate their production by smelling certain aromas, like lavender. Or you can eat something spicy. The burning sensation, caused by capsaicin, prompts the brain to release endorphins. Not a fan of spice? Any of your favorite foods can help move your happiness needle up a notch.

Although raw food proponents claim that when you cook food you destroy its nutritional value, research shows that sometimes the opposite is true. Several studies show that cooking food actually helps people access the nutrition in it. For example, one carotenoid, lycopene, is hard for the body to absorb from uncooked food. One study showed that people who ate raw diets had low levels of lycopene. Cooking also allows other antioxidants to become more freely available. Carotenoids and antioxidants are essential to brain health. 

However, it is true that some vitamins are lost during the cooking process, such as vitamin C and some B vitamins. But overall, cooking improves the bio availability of nutrients. By occasionally eating raw food you can balance the nutrition you’re getting. Steaming and boiling are the healthiest choices, although if roasting is what it takes to get you to eat your veggies, then do it!