Carbohydrates are the body’s main energy source, but if consumed in excess they are converted to fat and then deposited in all the wrong places. Bread, cereal, rice, pasta, and potatoes are foods that are rich in carbohydrates. For several reasons, vegetables and fruits are among the best types of food. They contain little to no fat, and their carbohydrate content is mainly glucose and fructose, simple sugars that are very easy to digest and convert into energy. Critically, they all contain a large quantity of fiber or roughage, which provides good protection against colon cancer and many other age-related diseases. Many of these fruits and vegetables contain vitamins and essential minerals, but the nutrient composition varies among different categories. Therefore, it is best to eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables.
Maintain Your Fluid Intake
Water is essential for life. But as we grow older, the brains regulation of the thirst mechanism begins to waver, and it sometimes even forgets to signal that we should drink. Talk about a part of the brain itself having a poor memory! This can become a big problem for elderly people living alone, who easily become dehydrated, which in turn leads to severe medical complications and even death. Sound nutrition requires a daily fluid intake between thirty-six to sixty-four ounces (three to five
glasses of water) daily; drink more in the summer and when you’re exercising, less in the winter and when you’re sedentary.
Vitamins: Diet Plus Supplements for a Promemory Effect
The beauty of vitamins is that they are completely natural substances essential for daily bodily functioning, and hence there is little danger in taking extra amounts, with a few exceptions. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides sufficient vitamins and minerals to prevent nutritional deficiencies, but a proactive intervention for memory loss requires supplementation well above the recommended FDA daily requirements. In other words, a healthy diet with proper nutrition is
excellent for maintaining general health, but specific supplements are needed to obtain a promemory effect.
Destroyers of Free Radicals
The free radical theory of aging and memory loss lies behind the use of vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as vitamin A or beta-carotene. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins, whereas the B complex vitamins and vitamin C are water soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins are broken down mainly in the liver, which has a limited capacity to handle these compounds. Therefore, if taken in large amounts, fat-soluble vitamins like A and E can become toxic (vitamin D is needed for bone formation, and vitamin K is part of the normal blood-clotting process; these are not directly relevant to memory). In contrast, the water-soluble vitamins are essentially nontoxic because any excess is promptly flushed out by the kidneys into the urine. You need to understand this distinction if you are taking, or plan to take, massive doses of vitamins.
Taken From: The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss
and Enhance Memory Power
