Daniel Amen, MD, Offers Advice On Brain Health In New Book

What if the fountain of youth was right in front of you ... on your dinner plate? According to Dr. Daniel Amen, author of the newly released book "Use Your Brain To Change Your Age," that may just be the case. In a recent interview with Huff/Post50, Amen discussed his theory on the importance of restricting calories to achieve longevity and a healthy brain. "The only really proven strategy associated with longevity is calorie restriction," said Amen. "The less you eat, the more you live."

Why do calories have such a big affect on the brain and longevity? According to Amen, "The fat on your body is not innocuous. It produces inflammatory chemicals that damage your brain."

Amen isn't alone in linking calorie count to brain health. A recent study has found that overeating may be linked to memory loss in older adults. As "Daily Mail" reported this week,

Researchers discovered that those who consumed more than 2,100 calories a day were far more likely to have 'mild cognitive impairment' than those who ate less.

The findings suggest that keeping to a low-calorie diet in old age could keep the mind sharp -- and may even prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Decreasing risk for Alzheimer's is another topic that Amen covers in his new book and one that he has received criticism for in the past.

But Amen's advice also extends to general brain health, which he attributes largely to a healthy weight and eating the right nutrients. To lose weight, people should avoid sugar and artificial foods and should eat 500 calories less a day than needed for their body types, he recommends. "It took you a while to get there," said Amen. "Be consistent and do it in a slow, methodical way .... Make these habits part of your life."

So what kinds of foods and habits does Amen recommend for optimum brain health? Check out the slideshow below for some of Amen's surprising tips.

Photo courtesy of S. Diddy

Comments

[03032011EBruce]

05:15 PM on 03/10/2012

Dr. Amen recommends incorporating "fruits like blueberries, apples, oranges, cherries, kiwi, strawberries and raspberries," into your diet instead of high glycemic foods like watermelon.

I would go a step further and say that since fruits like blueberries, apples, cherries, and strawberries are very high in brain damaging pesticides and cancer causing chemicals, to be certain that those lower glycemic foods are certified organically grown RATHER THAN THOSE grown with economic poisons that benefit the manufacturer, and poison not only the fruit, drift enters the air, runoff the soils into the waters and contaminate other foods, as well. I use the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists from Environmental Working Group's Shoppers Guide to Pesticides when I make decisions of which fruits and vegetables to eat.

[pfela6]

01:37 AM on 02/20/2012

Bogus! Watermelon is good for you and coconut increases cholesterol. This guy needs to go back to school.

[03032011EBruce]

06:27 PM on 02/20/2012

It was once thought that coconut increased cholesterol.. But, apparently coconut water does not increase cholesterol. Dr. Andrew Weil said this week that coconut does NOT increase cholesterol. His newsletter said of coconut water: "there are some undeniable benefits of coconut water - it is cholesterol-free, low in calories and rich in potassium.''

[03032011EBruce]

05:23 PM on 03/10/2012

Watermelon is better for you than candy, cookies, and cake. But, because it is high in natural sugar, if you are really concerned with your health, there are more healthful fruits available.

And, coconut was once believe to increase cholesterol, but new studies of coconut have uncovered many attributes. To learn more, go to: http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

[arbybow]

09:49 PM on 02/19/2012

In some cases it won't matter. You might get in a car wreck or get run over by a bus anyway. Never know from one day to the next if you will make it home at night. Some don't, happens every day.

[nohopepope2187]

09:36 PM on 02/19/2012

Bogus! Rather than say "The less you eat, the more you live," the better response would be "Don't eat more calories than you can burn off."

I have a high calorie diet because I burn a lot of calories at the gym. If I were to "restrict" my calories as this article recommends, I would shrivel up with my body eating itself to stay alive.

You want some legit nutritional advice for longevity? Stay away from processed foods and eat as much organic as possible. Processed foods are much harder for the body to digest and use, will bloat you, and the high sodium count will drive your blood-pressure through the roof.

[Bud Reece Sr]

09:29 PM on 02/19/2012

I just finished remodeling a demetia ward and there wasn't anybody in there over weight.

[03032011EBruce]

07:25 PM on 02/20/2012

Body weight does not increase dementia, but there is ample evidence to implicate aluminum as the causative agent for this fatal syndrome. (See TOXNET, HSDB for aluminum compounds)

[randinoel]

08:33 PM on 02/19/2012

sure, juice is toxic....right..

[nohopepope2187]

09:38 PM on 02/19/2012

Tell that to the last 200 kids Jim Jones met...

[03032011EBruce]

07:27 PM on 02/20/2012

Juice can be high in pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides), as well as being high in sugars. So, yes, juice can be toxic.

[Outofnowhere]

11:31 AM on 03/09/2012

Wouldn't that make the fruit it came from high in this stuff also?

[03032011EBruce]

04:55 PM on 03/10/2012

If the fruit is high in pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc., not to mention phosphate fertilizers which contain cadmium) and juice is squeezed from not only that piece of fruit, but others of the same caliber as well, the juice will be more toxic than eating one whole piece of fruit.

Depending upon the fruit, it may take several pieces to make a half cup of juice. While that fruit may contain nutrients needed for a healthy diet, it also (depending upon how it is grown) may contain lots of pesticides --herbicides to kill weeds, insecticides, fungicides, stabilizing agents, carrier ingredients, systemic ingredients that go all the way to the core (of apples, peaches, or strawberries for example), not to mention fertilizers made from mining wastes which contain cadmium, sewage sludge (a.k.a. biosolids) and other contaminants on fruit that are not certified organic. Certified organic is not allowed by law to contain or be sprayed with those toxins, therefore IF the law is enforced, it is not on the fruit and therefore not in the juice.

[ColoMtnLvr]

08:31 PM on 02/19/2012

All food is good ... in moderation; not overdoing it ... along with exercise. Pretty simple. Science has to try and/or does want to complicate it. This year X is bad. Next year X is good. Scientists and doctors are just like politicians ...

[markinmissouri]

10:02 PM on 02/19/2012

NOT SHT!!!! i agree. remember when coffee was bad. then good, oh, wait bad again, now good. thats been going on forever. i take meds for a rapid pulse rate. so coffee isnt so good for me. it didnt used to be. then it was eggs. what amazes me is that im pushing 50 and i still have a grandma thats going to be 96 this years and lives on her own. her husband and brothers lived into their 80s as did her mom. same on the other side of my family. that grandma died at 87 and where milk was concerned, she refused anything but whole milk. the greatest generation ate bacon and sausage and steak and pancakes with syrup for breakfast. one thing i remember about them and dinner time, there was always a stack of bread and sliced onions at every dinner. i dont even listen when the next dr pulls some diet stuff out the air.
ONE LAST THING. SCREW that grass fed beef. if you want a good steak, go with grain fed. yes its fattier but it tastes WAY better. die happy not healthy.

[03032011EBruce]

07:48 PM on 02/20/2012

Not All food is good. Some foods including vegetable oils are made from herbicide tolerant genetically engineered soy, corn, cotton, and canola oils where every cell in the DNA comes from a different kingdom, such as a soil pathogen or bacterium. Soy and corn are fed to livestock, not eating organic. This genetically engineered grain and (alfalfa--hay) is not healthy for either the animals nor for you. It's better --far better to eat organic unprocessed foods and eat low on the food chain. Glyphosate, dicamba, glufosinate, and soon Agent Orange's 2,4-D are or will be all used on GE crops including sugar to kill every last weed. But, the more that is sprayed, the more superweeds are created. And the same will happen with 2,4-D that has happened with Roundup, it will rain dioxin herbicides --all will be poisoned.

Unsuspecting consumers by the tens of millions are being allowed to purchase and consume unlabeled genetically engineered foods, despite the fact that FDA undertakes no testing of its own, instead relying only on a voluntary consultation with industry and confidential industry data to assure safety.

Nearly 50 countries around the world including the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, China, New Zealand have mandatory labeling, but we do not. Call your U.S. Senators and Representative and urge them to join the Boxer-DeFazio letter in support of labeling of GE foods!

[MichaelMcKLA]

08:25 PM on 02/19/2012

Long life is overrated. What should I eat to have a short life?

;)

[johns123123]

08:45 PM on 02/19/2012

If you eat a bullet, I am pretty sure will be very short life :)
In reality, it is not how long the life is but the quality of that life.
Please, I was joking about the bullet.

[MichaelMcKLA]

09:07 PM on 02/19/2012

And I was joking about a short life. Have a cool weekend.

[murphytarhealer]

09:08 PM on 02/19/2012

Not sure what you are meaning here....

[MichaelMcKLA]

09:51 PM on 02/19/2012

It's just a joke.

[joejoegolfn]

08:16 PM on 02/19/2012

Sometimes I wonder if the body know what to do with all these synthetic foods and processed meats. Butter is natural, as with pure sugar when used in moderation is a lot better than sugar substitutes and margerines. The best secret I found by accident was lemons. This is the most amazing fruit. They have cured my ulcers and I no longer have any heartburn. My cholesterol went from 240 to 90 and my bloodpressure dropped from 145/100 to 120/70, just by adding bananas to my diet. I eat at least 4 lemons a day and every 4 months I drink 10 to 12 10 oz drinks of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and pure maple syrip for 10 days. I usually lose 10 to 20 pounds but the cleaning of my body is amazing. In 3 years I've lost from 285 to 200 and now keep it off. Love fruits and vegatables but lemons are the best!

[03032011EBruce]

07:55 PM on 02/20/2012

Pure sugar? There is no such plant in the USA. Sugar cane is grown with atrazine, which is linked to cancer of the breast and other organs, and nearly 90% of sugar beets are GE to be herbicide tolerant --drinking Roundup, and soon to drink dicamba as well.

If you want pure organic sugar, you'll need to go to Brazil or some other country that is not spraying as many herbicides as the USA.

Sugar, even in moderation, may increase the risk of an ulcerated esophagus.

[joejoegolfn]

09:15 PM on 02/21/2012

Sorry, die in misery then I quess.

[Little Weed]

07:50 PM on 02/19/2012

I am a student of Nutrition and I agree with my mentor and professor that there is no reason to completely "avoid" any food. For example, how often does anyone truly eat watermelon that it would even be an issue (if it truly is an issue which a high glycemic score is really pertinent to those who need to avoid excess sugar intake.) My professors philosophy is that ALL food has value...and foods that bring us pleasure, or are nostalgic in some way, have a place in our lives. It's knowing how to regulate ourselves in a way that is healthy overall is key. And I agree.

[armybrat46]

08:33 PM on 02/19/2012

Not necessarly true. For example people with TBI should avoid Tofu or soy milk at all costs. Soy beens are okay. People with TBI produce a chemical in the brain that causes severe headaches. Whenever you it a food that was processed from its orignial form in to something else, like tofu, it causes the brain to release even more of that chemical and since the TBI brain already has too much of it the headaches can become severe. Just a little can cause sever enough headache to land the TBI patient in the hospital. And in the medical community only neurosurgeons seem to be aware of this. To much of the attitude a little can't hurt is going around. As far as watermelons go, it could be an issue because people who are acidic can reduce their acidity greatly by eating watermelons and drinking lemon juice in large amounts. I went from a 9 acidity level to a 4 by doint exactely this. You need to do more research and less relying on your teachers. I had a nutrition proffessor years ago who told me that there was no difference between corn syrup and honey. And it is proven that corn syrup causes inflammation and honey is anti-inflammatory.

[Mary Thompson]

01:47 PM on 02/20/2012

In order for me to regulate myself, I need lots of fiber. Whole grain all the way...

[letsnotbestupidnow]

07:38 PM on 02/19/2012

What if you want to add muscle? I thought adding muscle burns more caloires. And do add muscle you have to consume more caloires than your bod burns. Well that is what I'm doing, got up to eating 4,000 caloires a day gradually and I'm gradually putting muscle size on. Who would want to starve themselves... that's plain stupid! It's called exercise, with compound exercises and interval training. It's proven to work and proven to keep you happy :)

[nohopepope2187]

09:44 PM on 02/19/2012

Without knowing your age, gender, metabolism, body-type, ect. I can't really dish out any advice.

I will say that calories don't give you muscle, though. Calories give you the energy to do everything from sit and breath to working out. Taking in more calories than you burn causes your body to store the excess as fat.

Protein is what builds muscle, but, since your apparently new to this, talk to a nutritionist before you start any major diet.

[Wsprsweetly]

07:28 PM on 02/19/2012

Right now I am enjoying a big slice of my neighbors little girls birthday cake with Justin Bieber printed in part of the icing, Lavender and black, looks like a bit of newsprint..and very tasty if not too pretty. I WAS having a good day.
Wait! I just remembered when they told us that nursing our babies was not good for them back in the fifties and the way to go was the "bottle!" Lord, but it's good to be old and remember how wrong the experts can be! So..back to that sinful, unhealthy chocolate cake and enjoying my day!

[schnellsalem]

08:25 PM on 02/19/2012

ALL in moderation is good :)

[03032011EBruce]

08:00 PM on 02/20/2012

Wishful thinking!

[eyeforeye42]

07:13 PM on 02/19/2012

Might want to stick away rice grown on old cotton farms where arsenic pesticides were used!

[03032011EBruce]

08:04 PM on 02/20/2012

Rice in Louisiana has been grown with Agent Orange chemicals from the Vietnam era --both 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T have been used to grow rice. Banned in March, 1984, 2,4, 5-T is still in the soil and the microorganisms that once lived in that soil. Both herbicides, are contaminated with the most toxic form of dioxins ever inadvertently created by mankind.

I recommend that you eat organic rice from California, if you can still find it.

[jimmy1965]

07:10 PM on 02/19/2012

so bottom line is if you eat right youll live long enough to be put in an old age home and die naturally. have you been in one latley. were all going to die so just enjoy life but dont be a pig.

[dennisphnx4]

07:30 PM on 02/19/2012

LOL Lets go out like Thelma and Louise.

[venturamickey]

08:22 PM on 02/19/2012

trust me getting old sucks even if your healthy
Come Lord Jesus

[trowgotn]

07:06 PM on 02/19/2012

I love avocados, but I don't eat them every day.I try to balance with other fruits and vegs. I have UC so I am careful what I eat. Watermelon may not be good for my UC but I treat myself to it and take a extra streroid the day I plan on eating some. I'm on the fence about the pineapple. And foods like lemon can wear away enamal and also cost you big bucks down the road. It will always be a balancing act for each person eat what they need at anytime of there life because of highs and lows of what your blood levels are other factors are. But try to eat what your body needs not what you want is a rule I live by.