Hello everyone this is Monica Reinagle and you're listening to the

nutrition diva quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous.

A listener recently wrote with a question about how nutrition affects the brain,

and I thought it would be a great topic for a podcast.

Laura wanted to know whether certain foods or nutrients are important for good brain function,

particularly for memory and critical thinking.

Much of my job, she writes, involves thinking about difficult logical problems.

So are there any nutrients or foods I could add to my diet

to help me think better?

The truth is, your brain is a nutrition hog.

It needs a lot of different nutrients in order to develop and

function properly. Nutrients like Colleen, which is found in egg yolks, liver, and

wheat germ, and DHA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid that's found in fish and breast milk,

are particularly important for proper brain development early in life.

And then throughout life, you need Tyrosine, which is found in protein foods, as well as

Vitamin C, in order to produce the neurotransmitters that carry the signals back and forth between

your brain cells.

Ant antioxidants and essential fatty acids also help to protect your brain cells from everyday damage,

as well as age-related decline.

Now your brain is also an expensive date in terms of energy.

Of all the energy it takes to power your body's

many functions and activities, your brain sucks up about 20%.

...