You are what you eat? Well, not literally, but the brain is impacted by your diet. While a healthy diet will keep blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol at reasonable levels, it will also benefit the brain. Much like some foods, the brain is composed of proteins, some fat, glucose and amino acids. These brain contents all perform some vital function, without which, the brain would not operate properly. All of these ingredients in the brain have to come from diet. The food you eat is the best for your brain to get fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6.
Amino acids are also necessary because they help to form neurotransmitters that carry messages throughout the brain. The brain releases feel-good hormones like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine when certain foods are consumed but it's the amino acids that allow nutrients to get to the brain. Like any part of the body, the brain needs fuel. While it only weighs approximately 2 pounds, it needs 20% of the body's intake of food to power itself. If the food we eat doesn't have the proper nutrients, the brain will not perform at its optimum level.
