5 foods that will demystify why you’re feeling so foggy!
Brain fog isn’t a medical condition – but that doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t have a serious impact on your quality of life. Brain fog is often characterised as a sense of confusion and a lack of focus. You can’t seem to remember small tasks and forming sentences takes more work than usual.
But have you ever wondered what causes brain fog?
In terms of our cells and hormones, brain fog is believed by scientists and researchers to be a symptom of high levels of inflammation. These cellular changes have a huge impact on your mood and can dictate your energy levels, mood and degree of focus.
Symptoms of brain fog
The overarching description for brain fog is that you feel somewhat hazy and heavy-headed. The symptoms, however, can be broken down into smaller symptoms to keep an eye out for.
- Reduced or impaired cognitive function
- Low motivation/drive
- Insomnia
- Mild feelings of depression
- Lack of focus
- Forgetfulness
- Irritability
- Chronic fatigue
Now, whilst most of these happen naturally from time to time, I’m sure we can all agree that you don’t want to be feeling like this on a regular basis. Life is to be enjoyed and if there are things you can do to put yourself in a better space, why not do them?
Discover: 5 Brain Boosting Foods to Fuel Your Busy Days
What causes brain fog?
Before we get to the food side of things, it’s important to know that food (or lack thereof) is not the only driver behind brain fog. In a nutshell, brain fog all boils down to lifestyle. Some of the other causes of brain fog include:
- Stress and overworking
- Food allergies (especially gluten intolerances)
- Early menopause
- Overexposure to technology
- Drugs and alcohol
- A lack of sleep
- Blood sugar imbalances
Foods that cause brain fog
When you take the saying “you are what you eat” seriously, you’ll have no problem seeing why food plays such an active role in mental clarity and focus. Everything you put into your body serves a purpose – to keep you fuelled and healthy enough to get you through the day.
When you put food in your body that serves little to no function (meaning it has no beneficial nutrients), your body reacts by becoming inflamed and exerting energy that isn’t reciprocated. It becomes a tough cycle to get out of, but you absolutely can when you put your mind to it!
1. Sugary drinks and sodas
The consequences of a high sugar diet are endless: obesity, heart disease, diabetes… the list goes on and on. On top of all of that, sugar has a negative impact on our brains. For example, you would have seen how hyperactive and awful young children can get after a few sweets.
Related: No more food fights: 10 tips on fun & healthy food for kids
Your brain is no different – except you may swap the public meltdowns for a small cry whilst you’re at your desk (which doesn’t feel any better, to be honest). The sugar crash after the sugar high is where you’ll really feel the brain fog starting to come in.
2. Highly processed foods
Foods that have been highly processed are going to be high in both sugars and fat – not the combo that your brain wants. A study including 18,080 subjects showed “a diet high in processed meats and fried foods are associated with lower scores in learning and memory.”
3. Aspartame
Despite aspartame being marketed as the healthy alternative for weight loss, some studies have shown that it can seriously impact your brain function. Aspartame is made of phenylalanine, methanol and aspartic acid. Some scientists have seen that phenylalanine can cross into the brain and disrupt the production of neurotransmitters.
4. Fish high in mercury
Fish is a fantastic food to have in your diet – and if eaten correctly, fish will help improve your focus and cognitive function. When high levels of mercury are present in fish, the results will be the opposite.
Even mercury in small doses can have a horrific impact on the body – and it spreads super quickly throughout the entire body. Fish like canned tuna will contain the most mercury, whilst fish such as salmon will still safely provide the nutrients you need.
5. Refined carbs
Refined carbs often have a high glycaemic index (GI) and larger portions have a high glycaemic load (GL). Combined, meals that contain a bunch of refined carbs are going to negatively impact your cognitive functions. Studies have indicated that it only takes one meal with a high GL to impair memory in both kids and adults.
Read next: 6 Symptoms of Poor Gut Health (Plus how to improve it)
At the end of the day, it’s about being smart about what you put into your body. What you put in, is what you get out! We hope this blog gives you some direction on how to smash your day out of the park, with all the natural energy you deserve!
Your Health Insurance Family,
Oneplan
