Veins and arteries (i.e.: those blue lines you see running under your thin-skin areas like hands, feet, etc) deliver blood to-and-from your organs (i.e.: stomach, heart, etc.).
There is a specific, unique group of blood vessels that surround and monitor your your brain & spine called the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB). You can think of them as John-Cena-sized bouncers outside a super elite club (i.e.: your brain), determining who / what gets to pass through the ropes. When John Cena is doing his job impeccably, only the “good” molecules are allowed in, while all of the “bad” toxins and pathogens are immediately denied entry into your body's VIP brain section. However, when John Cena is busy eating dumbbells (or whatever he does for fun?) and not fully guarding the gates, certain contaminants and wastes slip through the cracks.
Despite the fact that your brain is only ~2% of your body’s total size, it consumes roughly 20% of the energy that you create from foods you eat (macronutrients like proteins, fats and carbohydrates) and cellular respiration (source). So in summary...there’s a LOT of stuff constantly passing through here...so we want to make sure those barricades are locked-and-loaded!
How do we keep our BBB impenetrable?
So, why should we care about iron-cladding our BBB? Well, loss of some [or most] of these BBB properties during neurological diseases including “stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), brain traumas, and neurodegenerative disorders, is a major component of the pathology and progression of these diseases” (source).
That lovely brain of yours is made up of nearly 60% fat (source), so be sure you’re:
- Gobbling up all the healthy fats, like eggs, fish, nuts, and seeds
- Consuming adequate amounts of B12 (tuna, salmon, eggs)
- Consuming B5 (chicken mushrooms, avocado)
- Consuming turmeric (source) will be crucial also
MUST TRY RECIPES
Check out my loaded breakfast bagel - containing all the fats like nut butter, seeds & cocao nibs.
