http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1147181,00.html

You (and Your Brain) are What You Eat

Sunday, Jan. 08, 2006 By ANDREW WEIL, M.D.

We know that what you eat, and don't eat, can affect your health. But is it possible, as the White Rabbit advised Alice, to "feed your head"? Is there such a thing as brain food? I'm convinced there is. The evidence for some foods, such as fish, is stronger than for others, like turmeric and brightly colored vegetables. But none of those foods is bad for you, and they certainly won't make you any less smart.

The reason fish is so good for the brain is the so-called omega-3 fatty acids it contains. Oily fish, like salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, bluefish and black cod, are the best sources of those special fats. One of the omega-3s—DHA—is the main constituent of cell membranes in the brain, and a deficiency of it can weaken the brain's architecture and leave it vulnerable to disease.

Diets associated with longevity and good health, like the Mediterranean and traditional Japanese diets, are high in omega-3 fatty acids from fish. The North American diet is not. I have long recommended that people in the U.S. eat more fish—at least two servings a week—but I have been concerned lately about reports of increasing levels of mercury, PCBS and other contaminants in certain fish species. In my diet I stick to sardines, herring, Alaskan black cod and Alaskan sockeye salmon. All sockeye (red) salmon are wild—fish farmers haven't yet been able to domesticate them—and since those fish are less carnivorous than other types of salmon, they have lower levels of the environmental contaminants that accumulate as you work your way up the food chain. Canned sockeye, available in most supermarkets, is a perfectly good source of omega-3s.

But for some people it may be easier and safer to rely on fish-oil supplements. The best are distilled and certified to be free of mercury and other toxins. Some are flavored, and some even taste good—or at least a lot better than the cod-liver oil I was forced to take as a kid. One product I recommend is Antarctic krill oil, made from the tiny crustaceans that abound in southern seas and are consumed in great quantities by whales and other marine mammals. Krill oil is red from carotenoid pigments, which have high antioxidant activity, and it doesn't cause those fishy burps. A good starting dose of fish oil of any kind is 1g a day. Higher doses, up to 10g a day, have been used, with varying results, to treat such diverse conditions as depression, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder and even autism.

Vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as walnuts, flax and hemp, are good additions to the diet but not so reliable as fish. They supply a short-chain compound (ALA) that the body must convert to long-chain DHA, and the efficiency of that conversion can vary. Some people don't do it well, and those eating mainstream diets top-heavy in the omega-6 fatty acids found in processed food and prepared meals are at a disadvantage because omega-6s interfere with the conversion of ALA to DHA. For vegetarians and vegans, there is one nonfish source of long-chain omega-3s: supplements made from algae. (Algae is the source of the omega-3s that fish store in their fat)

my mom has been telling me this for the past 10 years

I would like to see some updates on the benefits of cod-liver oil.
I think a lot of us remember taking this when we were kids.
Although my mom didn't cite brain health as one of the reasons for taking it, she did promote the healthy immune system aspect.

I still take capsules to this day. Never got out of the habit.

Cod liver oil has many good things in it including omega 3 which has been linked to numerous health benefits. It also contains vitamin D which some people are lacking. I would say take it but also take a good multivitamin. I take a general fish oil capsule, 3 per day. I also take a good multi and many other things, too many to mention here.

you are right, but i have a doudt, is it better to take capsules or eat the fish??
i mean which has most vitamins?

reyra, there are different schools of thought about that. Eating fish is good but there is a risk of mercury contamination. Fish oil is highly refined and does not contain heavy metals. Also, it's a lot cheaper to take the capsules. As far as vitamins go, fish does not contain many. The omega 3 is what does the good work in fish and fish oil.

Fish is probably the single best food you can eat for brain health.

Here are my top five brain foods:

1. Fish
2. Blueberries
3. Walnuts
4. Spinach
5. Hard-Boiled Eggs

Why hard boilled eggs?

high in protein content.

I prefer soy milk--high in protein, no cholesterol, not to mention the moral aspects--soy is simply put amazing. All of your food choices correspond with the "Super Foods Rx" reccomendations. It is an interesting read; in combination with "The Brain Chemistry Diet" it has really shaped my eating habits.

I like all five. Whole eggs have cholesterol. 80% of the dry weight of the brain is cholesterol. It's an electrical insulator.

Soy is no doubt one of the best sources of protein out there. I have been eating dried soy nuts lately- pretty tasty.

Oh boy for soy! To get even more quality protein try mixing soy products with eggs and some other meat source or milk.
Haven't animal protein sources been proven to be a major cause in a lot of health issues, including cancer, world-wide; especially when consumed in excess amounts? The brain will perish along with the body...and all that remains...is a shell...and a ghost. Ghost in the Shell!
Sorry. Love that anime.
What is the best supplier for fish oil capsules?

I have recently been evaluating spirulina as a protein source. Spirulina is approximately 60% protein by weight- really quite phenomenal.

The taste is a bit much for me, but recently I have found hemp seeds to be a good alternative.

I have not tried hemp seeds (at least not intentionally). I will have to check them out as a protein source.