Eating for Memory

Memory loss is often considered 'normal' as you age, particularly throughout the menopause, but 'brain fog' also hits those with chronic fatigue or adrenal burn out, and might have a lot more to do with what you eat than you imagine.

If you can't remember where you parked the car, or what you went upstairs to get, keep reading, because it sounds like you need a little extra brain food; and what our brain likes to eat is a good dose of healthy fats.

There is one component of fat I want to focus on today though, and that is choline.

Choline isn't considered a vitamin or a mineral, but it is an essential micronutrient that is required for many processes in the body, and makes up a critical part of cell membranes, including the brains. Choline enables B-vitamins and essential fats to make it into the interior of the cells. Once they are inside the cell, good fats can serve not only your memory, but also the health of your skin, the reduce inflammation and overall metabolism.

Choline is also a precursor to acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter used by the nervous system for muscle control, recollection, arousal and alertness. As we age, we need more choline than we did when we were younger, so it's vital to include more of these foods.

One of the richest sources of choline is egg yolks. In fact, the link between egg yolks and cognitive function is so well accepted that they are regularly used in medical trials with Alzheimer's patients. You should buy the best quality eggs you can - or better yet, raise your own chickens! - to get the most nutrition from them. It really does make a difference to the nutritional content if the animals were well cared for and happy, besides just being the right thing to do ethically.

What if you can't eat eggs?

Vegetarian? Have an egg allergy? There are other good sources of choline available to you to.

• Beef Liver (has even more choline than egg yolks, but I struggle to convince clients to eat it daily!)

• Chicken

• Salmon

• Avocado

• Non-GMO, organic Soybeans (miso and tempeh are great)

• Brussel Sprouts

• Broccoli

• Peanuts

The richest sources are near the top of the list, and as you can see, that's not great new for vegetarians, but it doesn't mean you can't get enough to choline from the foods further down the list, just remember that you need to be intentional about eating a lot of them.