Dr. Steven Masley (www.drmasley.com) is an M.D., a nutritionist, and a chef. He is an authority on the brain and what blood sugar does to it. His latest book, The Better Brain Solution, available everywhere, contains this strong message: “We eat way too many refined carbs.”
Dr. Masley tells us that insulin resistance produces brain fog, memory lapses, dementia, and is a leading cause of Alzheimer’s. The rate of Alzheimer’s is expected to double over the next 10-15 years. When we eat all these carbs, we push our insulin up, and the enzyme that removes insulin is the same enzyme that removes beta amyloid, the sticky, inflammatory protein that forms Alzheimer’s Disease. “We eat extra carbs, we make extra insulin, and we don’t remove the beta amyloid the way we’re supposed to,” says Dr. Masley. “So not only are our brain cells dysfunctional and dying, our brain is shrinking, and blood sugar control is a central player.”
What can we do about it? Dr. Masley has a 5-step program:
1. Foods to Add (green leafy veggies, berries, smart fats like EVOO and nuts, coffee/green tea/red wine [all in moderation], dark chocolate, probiotics [organic keifer or yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh], spices and herbs [garlic, ginger, turmeric, curcumin, curry, Italian spices]).
2. Foods to Avoid (sugar, flour, white rice/pasta/potatoes, all refined carbs, more in his book).
3. Activity (exercise is a must–do something!).
4. Stress Management (meditation, deep breathing, something calming).
5. Toxin Avoidance (pesticides [buy organic], mercury, nitrosamines, BPA plastics.
He even reduces it to three steps: (1) Add the right foods; (2) Eliminate high glycemic foods; (3) Ketogenic diet or some form of it (even if only 5-7 days a month), perhaps fasting two days a week or intermittent fasting. Let’s protect our precious brains!