Eliminate Trans fats

Fats are food groups that contain different fatty acids. The brain needs specific types of fatty acid in order to function at its peak.  You need polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), saturated fatty acid (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), more or less in right amount in order to have good brain health.

When you are getting too much animal-sourced saturated fats and trans fats and not enough of the PUFA and MUFA in your brain, you may suffer from problems such as:

• Depression
• Dementia, Alzheimer’s
• Schizophrenia
• Allergies
• Attention deficit disorder

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Polyunsaturated fatty acids include DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that helps boost brain power.  Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown in research to help improve intelligence.  This is especially true when infants and young children are given these fatty acids.

Most people have more of the polyunsaturated omega-6 fats in their diets than omega-3 fats.  Omega-6 AA fats come from meat, corn, and dairy sources.

For most people, the answer is to add more omega-3 fatty acids.  You can do this through your diet by more Omega-3-rich fatty fish, nuts and seed oils like flaxseed oils.  Many people find that they have better mental health and mental clarity when they restore this type of balance.

Saturated fat is the type of fat that’s mostly solid at room temperature.  This is usually found in animal fats.  You can find saturated fat in lard, butter, milk, beef, chicken, and pork.  You don’t have to totally eliminate these foods from your diet, but it’s important to make good choices about them.

You don’t have to throw out meat from your diet altogether.  However, you should try to minimize red meat and look for lean meats when you purchase them for you and your family.

It’s also a good idea to limit red meat to once a week on your family’s menu.  The other days can include poultry and fish or vegetarian meals.

So, here are the good guys– the Good fats!

Coconut Oil 

One good source of saturated fatty acid that is good for overall wellness and the brain is coconut oil, which is the best cooking oil. It is more stable in heat with higher flash point. One can also add coconut milk in cooking to enhance the saturated fat content of the meal.

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids

Monounsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature.  This is found in plants and plant-based oils.  With this type of fat, you actually reduce your risk of disease and improve your health.  MUFA is found in olive oil, moringa seed oil, flaxseed oil, nuts, avocado and other plant foods. It is believed that MUFA is the healthy fat in Mediterranean diet.

Supplements for Brain Health

If you’re struggling to eat enough healthy fat in your diet, supplements can help make up the difference.  There are a few different supplements that will improve your brain health and help you get the right type of fat.

First, fish oil supplements can be very helpful.  They’re full of omega-3 PUFA and can help you have better heart health in addition to helping your brain.  If you choose fish oil supplements, it’s important to make sure that they are high quality.  Avoid inexpensive generics that don’t contain enough quality omega-3 acids to help you.

Flaxseed oil is another supplement that can really improve your brain health.  Flaxseed oil is so useful for every part of your body that it won’t be stored as fat if you add it to your diet daily. 

Try Oleia Softgels dietary supplement, a blend of Omega-5 & Omega-9 monounsaturated fats, good for brain health.

Oleia Softgels also help balance-off the pro-inflammatory diet, which is linked to depression.

Depression and Inflammation

While it is not certain that Major Depressive Disorder (Depression) is a pure ‘inflammatory’ disease, research shows that patients with inflammatory diseases are more likely to show greater rates of depression; that a large number of people with major depression show elevated peripheral inflammatory biomarkers, even in the absence of a medical illness.

Who wants Fats? 

When we hear the word FAT, the reaction is usually unappealing and displeasing. Nowadays, we are living in a more health-conscious society (because of so many diseases  that are suddenly developing) and no one doesn’t want to get fat, to be labeled as fat, or to eat fat.

But over the years, there are numerous studies that slowly proved the mistaken belief of the “all fat is bad” argument. Fats are important part of the diet. The body actually needs fat for energy and to process certain vitamins and minerals. However, not all fats are created equally. They don’t have the same effects on our health. In everything, there is always the good and the bad, even when it comes to fats.

Good fats can actually lower cholesterol levels, boost brain function and promote meal satisfaction while packing up on unhealthy fats can contribute to chronic disease and weight gain.

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA)

MUFAs have gained a reputation as being one of the “good fats”—that is, fats that are beneficial to health. Recent evidence tends to indicate more favorable effects to general health as well as to reducing risk of cardiovascular diseases and other inflammation-related diseases. This has been strongly supported by many experts.

MUFAs are one of the two types of unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fats primarily come from plant foods, such as nuts and seeds, and are liquid at room temperature. The two types of unsaturated fatty acids are MUFA, which have one double bond in the chain; and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which have two or more double bonds.

The most common MUFA found in food is oleic acid, a fatty acid that occurs naturally in vegetable and animal oils, especially olive oil. Olive oil is 70 – 80% oleic acid. Many studies described its health benefits, such as reducing cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation, and protecting from breast cancer. MUFAs are found often in foods like olive oil, nuts, avocados and whole milk.

Aside from eating healthy and eliminating animal-sourced saturated fats and trans fats in our diet, incorporating Oleia Softgel MUFA Supplement into our daily routine will help you gain these benefits as Oleia softgel contains natural anti-inflammatory nutrients, giving optimal health benefits. Oleia softgel is recommended for the adjunct remedy for many chronic inflammatory diseases.

It is really important to be cautious about what we eat as it affects our overall health. Choosing the healthy fat over the bad ones will reap you amazing health benefits.

So friends, stay healthy, MUFA more!

About The Author

Andrea Daguno is a full time home maker. When she is not busy taking care of her husband and kids, she goes out giving financial management talks. She is a proud breastfeeding mom for four years running and an avid Oleia user.

With this busy– almost no time out lifestyle that we have these days, there are many food choices made for our convenience. We can just dial any fast food for delivery if we are stuck in our office desk… Or we can just shoot that packed food from the grocery shelf  if we want to indulge into a well-deserved easy meal after an exhausting day.

But do you ever consider checking on the labels of the food from that nearby store or even bothered to research what’s in it you just ate from your favorite fast food chain? I bet not.. or maybe you just forgot. Yay! FORGOT? This may make you remember to look on the label first before even thinking of picking that food for your next meal.

Beware of Trans Fats

Trans fats can make food taste good, last longer on grocery-store shelves, but they are hazardous for your health. These fats can be identified in the list of ingredients as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. They can even sneak into foods labeled “zero trans fat” (because some may still contain 0.05 grams!). However, even a small amount will cause great damage to health. This is a man-made, artificial “fat” that the body is not well equipped to break down, utilize, or eliminate.

Transfat prolongs the shelf life of processed foods, but it reduces the shelf life of people.

Trans fats are often found in processed foods. They are commonly found in fried foods, store-bought salad dressings, pie crusts, muffins, chips, baked goods and other processed and convenience food.

Trans Fat and Mental Health

Regularly eating trans fats can lead to diseases like dementia and depression.

The World Health Organization says that 47.5 million people around the world are living with Dementia.

Dementia is a group of symptoms that affects mental cognitive tasks such as memory and reasoning. It is an umbrella term that Alzheimer’s disease can fall under. It can occur due to a variety of conditions, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease (Healthline). Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for about 50 to 70 percent of all cases of dementia.

A recent study that looked at the diets of people at-risk for Alzheimer’s has revealed that a balanced diet high in vitamins and low in trans-fats is good for you. Specifically for your brain, and could possibly be a check against the debilitating effects of aging on your thinking organ.

There are many studies in the past about brain health and diet which relied on self-reporting questionnaires but this recent research that was carried out by Oregon Health and Science University’s Gene Bowman, is a significant one because it  used blood work from 104 people who are over the age of 87 and are at risk for Alzheimer’s. Once the blood was drawn, the subjects were then given a series of cognitive tests to see how they performed.

The researchers found that subjects with high levels of vitamins B, C, D and E had higher scores, as did subjects with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Conversely, people with high levels of trans fats had lower scores.

Researchers also carried out brain scans on 42 of the participants and discovered that the subjects whose blood was brimming of vitamins and healthy fatty acids also had more brain mass than their trans fat laden counterparts. They’ve found out that a diet high in trans fats shrinks the brain and increases the risk of dementia.

Our brain is made of about 60 percent of fat and this comes from the fats in our diet. When trans fats become part of the cells and nerve sheaths they replace vital brain fats, such as DHA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid. As a result, cellular communication suffers, the cells degenerate, brain volume shrinks, and memory and cognition suffer.

Now, let me ask you: How’s your brain? Don’t fret! If you feel it is still at least the same size, there is still hope to avoid your brain from shrinkage— go for brain-friendly diets!

Better Food, Better Brain.

As the opposite of brain food, you can eliminate trans fat by avoiding processed food and those food that has ”hydrogenated oil” or ”partially hydrogenated oil” on their labels. 

Instead, consume those healthy natural fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, nuts, and butter which are better for your physical and mental health.

Diets high in vitamins B, C, D, and E, and  Essential fatty acids (EFA’s such as Omega 3 and Omega 6) protects the brain from shrinkage and promotes a healthy brain. These EFA’s assist with brain and nerve tissue development, reduce inflammation, regulate mood and strengthen the immune system. It is important to ensure that you are getting EFA’s in your diet, as your body cannot produce them by itself. 

Good thing there is Oleia softgel!

Oleia softgel contains good fats from good oils like moringa seed oil & olive oil that can give optimal wellness to the brain. The good fats in Oleia softgel help correct brain fats balance for better mental health and function. Oleia softgels have faster and longer lasting effect than other brain health supplements.

So check out Oleia softgel today, it has all the excellent source of fats that will not let  your brain shrink!

About The Author

Andrea Daguno is a full time home maker. When she is not busy taking care of her husband and kids, she goes out giving financial management talks. She is a proud breastfeeding mom for four years running and an avid Oleia Topical Oil user.

Have you ever indulged in ice cream or cake when you are feeling down or upset? How about being stuck in traffic on your way to work without breakfast and suddenly felt “hangry” (Hungry+Angry)? Did you know that your energy level, your ability to think clearly and to handle stress is all affected by what you had at your last meal? Our mood can affect our food choices. But at the same time, our food choices can also affect our mood. Put simply: Food and mood have an effect on one another. Like what I shared with you on my previous blog, the mind and the body is a single entity, what you put in your stomach affects your mood and vice versa. It all begins with what kind of foods and drinks we intake that determine the nutrients in our system and how quality our physical, mental, as well as emotional well-being functions.

Having known that, have you ever considered which of your current eating habits and food choices are worth keeping that can make you feel happier and healthier? And how about the ones you should ditch?  Here are some positive suggestions you can make to improve your eating to manage your mood and can also support your overall health.

1. Eat regularly

Eating regular meals and snacks at the same times every day and choosing foods that release energy slowly will help keep your blood sugar levels steady. If your blood sugar drops you might feel tired, irritable and depressed. But having a regular eating schedule helps ensure that your body has a continuous source of fuel, and this may assist in keeping your mood stable.

Balance your mealtimes and try eating smaller portions spaced out more regularly throughout the day. Avoid skipping meals as it actually makes your body less able to take in food, and you are more liable to overeat at the next meal—aside from you getting “hangry” when you try to prolong the growling of your stomach. Eat foods like pasta, rice, oats, wholegrain bread and cereals, nuts and seeds– those that slowly release energy. On the other hand, avoid foods that make your blood sugar rise and fall rapidly, such as sweets, biscuits, sugary drinks, and alcohol.

2.     Keep yourself hydrated

Drinking enough fluids daily is important for health and well-being. Dehydration can affect brain structure and function because it is also involved in the production of hormones and neurotransmitters. If you don’t drink enough fluid, you may find it difficult to concentrate or think clearly. It can also lead to digestive problems such as constipation and an overly acidic stomach.

It is recommended to drink at least 8 glasses of fluids daily. Water is the cheapest and healthiest option. Drinking tea, coffee, juices, and smoothies all count towards your intake but be aware that these may also contain caffeine or sugar.

3. Get your “Five a day”

What is five a day? It is simply the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of the minerals, vitamins, and fiber we need to keep us physically and mentally healthy.

What do five servings of fruits and vegetables look like? In general, a serving of whole fruit equals the entire fruit, while a serving of cut-up fruit is one cup, or about the size of a small fist. A serving of vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned) is a cup, and a serving of raw green leafy vegetables is two cups. Measure, measure! Nah! Experts say don’t stress about keeping track of numbers. Instead, simply focus on adding more fruits or vegetables into every meal and snack. Devote half of your plate to fruits and vegetables.

To start, stick with your favorites, as you are more likely to eat them on a regular basis. If you want to keep it simple, focus on the “big three”: leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, and berries. Fresh, frozen, tinned, dried and juiced (one glass) fruits and vegetables all count towards your 5 a day.

4. Look after your gut

Your Gut is your second brain. Good gut health is not just for your physical health, but for your mental health as well. It’s not only what food you put in your stomach, but it is also important how you break down that food and absorb the nutrients for you to utilize all the vitamins and minerals from your food. Sometimes your gut can reflect how you are feeling emotionally. If you’re stressed or anxious or eating on the run, this can make your gut slow down or speed up, hence,  you can’t digest well. If you’re feeling stressed and you think it is affecting your gut, try some relaxation techniques or breathing exercises.

For healthy digestion, you need to chew your food slowly, have plenty of fiber, fluid and exercise regularly. Adding fiber-rich foods and fermented foods like yogurt can promote the growth of good gut bacteria that have a positive impact on mental health. Avoiding processed foods, high-fat foods, and foods high in refined sugars is extremely important to maintaining a healthy microbiome, as these foods destroy good bacteria and promote the growth of damaging bacteria.

Healthy gut foods include fruits, vegetables and whole grains, beans, pulses, live yogurt, and other probiotics.

5.     Get enough protein

Protein contains amino acids, which make up the chemicals your brain needs to regulate your thoughts and feelings. These chemicals are responsible for whether you are calm or agitated, alert, tired, happy or depressed. Protein also helps keep you feeling fuller and alert for longer. Eating protein with every meal helps the food last longer in your stomach and bloodstream, prevents blood sugar crashes and also keeps you up and alert for several hours after eating.

Smart protein food choices are lean meat, seafood, eggs, cheese, legumes (peas, beans, and lentils), soy products, nuts, and seeds.

6.     Manage caffeine

Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant- an important part of which is the brain.  People usually take it to get a quick burst of energy, however, it can also make you feel anxious and depressed. Moreover, if it keeps you awake at night, definitely it can affect your mood the next day. It will also give you withdrawal symptoms if you stop suddenly. Caffeine affects everyone differently, so if it negatively impacts you, avoid drinking it or try opting for caffeine-free or low-caffeine beverages.

Manage your caffeine intake as overconsumption is being linked to an increased risk of depression. Drinking many caffeinated beverages can also cause adverse effects going beyond your mood including insomnia, an upset stomach, and muscle tremors.

You can find caffeine in tea, coffee, chocolate, cola, and other manufactured energy drinks.

7.     Eat the right fats

Your brain is composed of about 70 percent fat. It needs essential fatty acids from your diet to keep it working well. Omega-3s and other healthy fats help improve brain chemical activity by assisting brain cells in communicating with each other and reducing inflammation that can damage brain cells. This anti-inflammatory component of healthy fats helps prevent depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. So rather than avoiding all fats, it’s important to eat the good ones.

Healthy fats are like the ones found in oily fish, poultry, nuts (especially walnuts and almonds), olive and sunflower oils, seeds (such as sunflower and pumpkin), avocados, milk, yogurt, cheese, and eggs. These essential fats can also be found in Oleia softgel dietary food supplement–this is an excellent choice especially to those who are suffering from this dietary shortfall.

Small steps in changing your dietary habits can make a big difference in the long run. Next time you’re feeding your body, don’t forget that you’re also feeding your brain. Embrace healthy eating and enjoy happy living!

References: Harvard Health Publishing, Healthline, Mind and Mental Health Charity

About The Author

Andrea is a full time home maker. When she is not busy taking care of her husband and kids, she goes out giving financial management talks. She is a proud breastfeeding mom for four years running and an avid user.

Eating healthy food for the brain can help improve cognitive function, including memory, decision-making ability, mental response time, and mood. High-quality foods contain lots of vitamins and minerals that nourish the brain. They also provide essential fatty acids that stimulate and strengthen brain cells. On the other hand, if we fuel up with anything other than healthy food, such as heavily processed or refined foods containing artificial additives, it can surely bring harm to our brain. These foods promote inflammation and oxidative stress which can damage brain cells and can even worsen symptoms of mental disorder, such as depression and anxiety.

The link between poor mental health and nutritional deficiencies has just been established decades ago through the scientific studies conducted within the field of Nutritional Psychology. This is a growing discipline that focuses on the use of food and supplements to provide essential nutrients as part of an integrated or alternative treatment for mental health disorders. By doing thorough studies, they’ve found out that there are many correlations with what we eat, how we think, feel, and behave and the kinds of bacteria that live in our gut.

Photo by Joshua Coleman

“The Second Brain” produces “The Happy Chemical”

Most of us if not all have experienced “butterflies in your tummy” when nervous, or “just go with your gut feeling” when making a decision. Actually, you may be getting signals from your second brain, the Gut.

Scientists call this little brain the enteric nervous system (ENS). Ironically, this little brain is composed of two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells or neurons lining our gastrointestinal tract where 95% of serotonin is being produced. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that influences mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and some social behavior. It is sometimes called “the happy chemical” because it contributes to wellbeing and happiness. As it helps relay messages from one area of the brain to another, the widespread distribution of its cells is believed to influence a variety of psychological and other body functions. Of the approximately 40 million brain cells, most are influenced either directly or indirectly by serotonin.

Moreover, the function of these neurons and the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin are highly influenced by the billions of “good” bacteria that make up our intestinal microbiome. These bacteria play an essential role in our health. They protect the lining of our intestines and ensure they provide a strong barrier against toxins and “bad” bacteria; they limit inflammation; they improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food, and they activate neural pathways that travel directly between the gut and the brain. The gut doesn’t seem capable of thought as we know it, but it communicates back and forth with our big brain—with profound results.

Photo by Lidya Nada

How food affects how we feel

Serotonin is one of our system’s neurotransmitter that has the most significant impact on our diet. Healthy foods contain vitamins and minerals that assist the activity of serotonin. Depending on our intake of these foods, serotonin may become less or more active. That makes sense that if our diet lacks such nutrients, it stimulates imbalances that can lead to mood disturbances/swings, irritability, and depression.

High levels of serotonin boost our mood, curb our cravings, increase our pain tolerance ,and help provide us a restful sleep; whereas, low levels of such can cause food cravings, insomnia, depression, increased pain sensitivity, aggressive behavior, and poor body temperature regulation.

Photo by Brooke Lark

Healthy eating prevents mental disorders

Eating healthy is rarely easy, especially if you’re trying to move away from the convenience of processed food that we get used to. But of course, if we want to live longer with better cognition and outlook in life, we have to be intentional with our eating habits. There is one popular diet that you may have already heard of and you might consider trying. Hailed as the best overall and easiest to follow, the Mediterranean diet promotes traditional healthy living practices that centered on eating large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish and olive oil—these are foods considered as ”anti-inflammatory foods”, coupled with the vital element of daily physical activity and sharing meals with friends and family—can reduce your risk of serious mental and physical health problems.

It is now recognized that many mental health conditions are primarily caused by inflammation of the brain which ultimately causes our brain cells to die– which leads to mental illnesses like depression, aneurysm, and Alzheimer’s disease. There is a major study that finds the Mediterranean diet has a positive effect on our mental health because it helps fight inflammation. This is because of the essential fats, Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), the central component of the Mediterranean diet. This healthy fat is also present in Oleia soft gel, a dietary food supplement that contains anti-inflammatory MUFA or MonoUnsaturated Fatty Acids. Taking Oleia soft gel daily is recommended by many health experts to prevent the risk of inflammation-related diseases. Oleia softgel MUFA supplement is an excellent companion on your way to healthy eating such as the Mediterranean diet– a realistic and the most sustainable way to live longer, reduce diseases and genuinely feel good inside.

Do you have the guts? Dare!

So, are you ready to live happier and longer? With a curious mind, why not try to start noticing how you feel and behave after eating certain food hours after you eat it until the next day? Then try to experiment by eating healthy (You know it when I say ‘healthy’ right? Avoid processed food –those high in sugar or high in salt foods!) Top it up with Oleia soft gel dietary supplement daily for 2-4 weeks and compare how different it can make you feel. If you feel good and more energized, then it looks like you’re on the right track. 

About The Author

Andrea is a full time home maker. When she is not busy taking care of her husband and kids, she goes out giving financial management talks. She is a proud breastfeeding mom for four years running and an avid Oleia user.