The most rapid brain growth occurs during the first year of life with the infant’s brain tripling in size by the first birthday. During this stage of rapid central nervous system growth, the brain uses 60% of the total energy consumed by the infant. Fats are major components of the brain cell membrane and the myelin sheath around each. So it would make sense that getting enough fat, and especially the right kinds of fat can greatly affect one's brain development and performance especially in the formative first year of life. In fact during the first year, around 50% of infants daily calories comes from fat. And for your information, around 50% of the calories in mother's milk is fat.

There are actually two windows of time in which the brain is especially sensitive to nutrition. The first two years of life for a growing baby, and the last couple of decades of life for a senior citizen. Thus both growing and aging brains need nutritious fats to function and develop properly.

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), is one of the omega-3 fatty acids and is the primary structural fatty acid in the gray matter of the brain which promotes communication between brain cells by allowing synapses to remain soft and functional. DHA helps in the transmission of messages from one cell to the other. It actually helps the brain monitor mood and memory as well. It is commonly found in breast milk and has been found to promote higher intelligence in children.

The most abundant fat in the brain is DHA. Good dietary sources of DHA come from high-fat cold water fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel and trout. DHA made from microalgae can also be a good source.

Linoleic acid belongs to the Omega six fatty acid family and is found in the oils of seeds and nuts. Main food sources of Omega six can include cold-pressed sunflower, safflower, corn and sesame oils.

Eggs and liver contain Choline. Choline is a B complex vitamin that is also a precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter can improve your memory and a deficiency in acetylcholine has actually been linked with Alzheimer's disease.

Niacin, or vitamin B3, helps to increase circulation of oxygen and improves memory. Because Niacin also prevents blood clotting, it may protect the brain against damage from strokes. Vitamin B6 has been linked with learning ability, it also produces neurotransmitters norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine which have been found to help in the reduction of stress. Vitamin B12 creates and maintains the protective sheath around the nerve fibers, this vitamin also produces the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which is implicated in memory and learning. It's also been shown to enhance the action of folic acid which protects against neural tube defects in newborns.

Helpful hint number seven... most people need a true balance of omega-3 and omega six polyunsaturated fatty acids to feel normal. Keep in mind that most of the Western world tends to ingest an overabundance of Omega six and not enough omega-3. It is this imbalance that can directly affect the structure and substance of all the membranes in the brain.

Recent animal research from the University of Massachusetts Lowell indicates that consuming apple juice may actually increase the production in the brain of acetylcholine thus resulting in improved memory.

Vitamins and minerals such as folic acid and selenium are involved in mood related disorders. As I mentioned earlier, a lack of folic acid in the diet may be linked to depression. Oranges, Turkey, asparagus, beets, soybeans and green leafed vegetables like spinach are all good sources of folic acid. Also, too little selenium in the diet can make you grouchy, anxious and depressed. Some good sources of selenium include whole grains, lean meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, legumes, nuts and seeds.

When it comes to caffeine it's best to have it in moderation. A small amount may keep you alert and lift your mood but it can be quite a downer during the withdrawal. Too much may also make you anxious and give you insomnia as well as headaches.

Now that you may have a much better idea of what you should eat, I think it would be sound to help you understand how to eat in order to get the best results for your body and mind.

To that end I would like to present you with 10 good habits that will help to promote optimum digestion, ensure that you get the most out of what you eat and may even help you with losing those extra pounds:).

1) When you're eating, don't read, watch TV or do anything else. Pay full attention to your food and only your food.

2) Keep your meal simple. Do not eat too many different types of foods at one meal.

3) Try not to eat if you're feeling stressed or distracted.

4) Try to chew each mouthful of food between 25 to 40 times before swallowing.

5) Eat small and regular meals and always try to leave the table a little bit hungry.

6) When eating fresh fruit, make sure that it's only on an empty stomach.

7) When eating dinner (or supper as some may call it) in the evening, keep the meal light.

8) If you absolutely have to eat after your last meal of the day, try to make sure that it's at least three to four hours before you go to sleep.

9) When possible you should try to avoid very cold or very hot foods.

10) finally, keep any drinks with the meal to a maximum of half a glass of water, and it's not a bad idea to wait an hour before and after eating before consuming any other fluids.

Here's a partial list of some foods that are good for your brain...

Avocados, bananas, lean beef, brewers yeast, broccoli, brown rice, brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, cheese, chicken, collard greens, eggs, flax seed oil, legumes, milk, oatmeal, oranges, peanut butter, peas, potatoes, romaine lettuce, salmon, soybeans, spinach, tuna, turkey, wheat germ, and yogurt.

Here's a partial list of some foods that are bad for your brain...

Alcohol, artificial food colorings, artificial sweeteners, colas and other soda pops, corn syrup, frostings, any drinks that are high in sugar content, hydrogenated fats, junk sugars such as those found in candy bars and other fast food treats, nicotine, white bread, and any form of over eating.

Please understand that these are simply partial lists and there are many other foods that are both good and bad for your brain out there. It is incumbent upon yourself to do the research and take the responsibility for your own nutrition and health.

WARNING: always consult with healthcare professional before starting a diet or nutritional supplement program, such as taking high doses of vitamins or minerals.

Small changes in diet can have a large effect on your health.

By now you should have a much better idea of how to nurture your brain for optimum performance.

Combining this information with the Quantum Mind Power system can help you optimize the overall performance of your brain and mind and allow you to truly be all you can be.

I hope this has helped.

I'm here for you.

Morry Zelcovitch
Certified Brainwave Entrainment Engineer

Author's Bio: 

As a child I had many problems ranging from thousands of voices in my head to severe depression. I also had a very big mouth, was always getting into trouble and almost unbelievably accident prone (I have dislocated/separated my shoulders alone over 150 times, I won’t even get into the myriad of broken bones, shredded tendons and ligaments, concussions, etc.) As a matter of fact I remember thinking up the phrase... "Life is but a disease, for which there is no cure but death". I often thought about how great it would be, to be... not here anymore, not anywhere anymore.

Something inside me made me start looking into this field when I began to notice that sometimes time seemed to move faster and more pleasantly than other times. I eventually made the connection that when time seemed to move quicker, the sounds I was hearing were more, rhythmic in nature and when time seemed to painfully stand still, the surrounding sounds were far more disjointed in nature.

All of this started me on a multi-decade odyssey of research into the field of "brainwave entrainment".
After many years of using other people’s products with some limited success, I was determined to figure out why these recordings seemed to work, but only in a minor way, with little effect, when all of the research I read suggested the effects should be more dominant than what I was experiencing.

I decided that my best route to understanding might be by learning at the feet of an expert in the field—so I ended up contacting the world's foremost expert in the field of brainwave entrainment and learned invaluable information that could not be gotten anywhere else.

I was trained, and now I am currently the only one in the world who actually can claim to be a "Certified Brainwave Entrainment Engineer"—and I have the education to back it up!

Now I want to help others to be all they can be... naturally. http://quantum-mind-power-system.com/