THE MOUNTAINEER

Memory food for the not so young?
Edison L. Baddal

For want of something to do, I casually browsed through a lifestyle section of an old newspaper one dull afternoon during a weekend. As I flipped uninterestingly through the worn-out pages in which some spots were even discolored, my attention was suddenly riveted to a certain article about good diet. Curiously, I read the contents eager to know what it has to say or pontificate about proper diet and the like.

Obviously, my curiousity was precipitated by the fact that my body size is bulky and my weight is quite heavy for my height. This was the assessment of my nutritionist-dietician sister when she paid me a visit several years ago. Hence, my eagerness was aroused being fully aware of my abnormal heft. All along I thought that it offers suggestions on how to havea proper diet so as to maintain a
wholesome physical figure as what previous related articles I read on the subject usually delved on.

However, I got excited when the tone of the article seem to dwell on something novel and not
the run-of-the- mill theme such as avoiding fatty, too acidic or sugary foods. The article dwelt
on keeping one’s brain young in a not-so-young body, especially those past productive age
where memory loss is a hallmark. The pervading theme is having a proper diet for maintaining
a good memory despite dotage with the consumption of nutritious food. The article lifted some
noteworthy passages from the book tiled “The Memory Bible” authored by an American psychiatrist named Gary Small.

He concluded that, based on collective evidence which he accumulated through studies and researches, the brain could be kept in shape even when no longer young by eating right. He
enunciated that “eating right helps keep the brain young.” At this, some curious thoughts
penetrated my mind as regards the relevance of the aging of the body with the unending flux
of time. and the concomitant wear and tear of the mind with the dynamic changes that occurs in one’s life, let alone lifestyle, as one goes through the rigors of living. Based on common observation, the debilitating conditions of the body due to aging also occurs simultaneously with weakening of the brain cells which consequently suffers memory loss. It is thus that a trite remark or grouch could be usually heard from aging people which goes: “

Am not young anymore so I my memory is not as strong as it used to be.” Generally, as one ages, one’s responsibilities also increases so that it requires a maximum use of the cells of the body and the mind. As one coasts along through life, the need to maintain the necessary balance between a strong body and a strong mind is inadvertently left out. The cares of life usually increases in intensity and keeps flooding and streaming through one’s consciousness with age as one tries to overcome the hassles of living.

The result is that it renders the maintenance of a well-cared body and an efficiently working
mind the least priority, especially if one has a big family to nurture. On a philosophical standpoint though, none can stop the constant ticking of time which gradually chips away at the optimal
capacity of the body and mind simultaneously with the ticking of the biological clock which also weakens as one ages. However, as nutritionists aver, it is eating that literally helps facilitate the
degeneration of the capacity of the mind and body as one ages.

Though the natural course of things is for the body and mind to get worse than better as one advances in age, a big part of the blame for facilitating aging is improper diet. They point to the saturation of the body with useless fats that increases the production of free radicals. The latter are the foreign toxic, oxygenated substances that invade the healthy cells in the body and give rise to life-threatening diseases.

Modern lifestyle, particularly the urban lifestyle, is characterized with patronizing fastfood outlets which serve food that are not so nutritious. To think that some 33,000 chemicals are utilized in food processing and commercialized food seasoning, those fastfood chains churn out foods that increases the presence and movement of free radicals in the body. These food which are merchandised and eaten due to easy access and availability hastens the degeneration of the body and mind.

To talk turkey on it, they are the flotsam and jetsam which are poured into the body and debilitate it in the process. The affirmation of the nutritionists’ advocacy then on proper eating by the above said Psychiatrist is a cause for shifting one’s eating habits if one cares about the constant productivity of one’s body and mind. Proper diet obviates the deleterious effects of aging
in the capacity of the body and mind and therefore maintains the productivity of the body
and mind even as one advances in age. On the principle of keeping the brain young through proper diet, Gray Small, enumerated the nutrients and the sources of such accompanied by its
mechanism on how those nutrients enhance memory and reverse memory loss for the not
so young.

These are intended for those on the threshold of old age and those who are already in old age. But they are also intended for the middle-aged people (like me) who are the most productive
sectors of society and most vulnerable to the various hassles of life.

First on his list of memory-enhancing nutrients are the Omega-three fatty acids. These are
fatty acids but they are healthy acids. These type of acids are found in salmon, shellfish, trouts and anchovies. According to Small, these acids “improves communication between nerve cells by
maintaining the fluidity of cell membranes.” In effect, as one ages, the fluidity of thecell membranes
is reduced so that its capacity to process and store information is also weakened. It may be also that the drying up of cell membranes lessens the capacity of the brain to perceive matters and
the analytical capacity is numbed.

Second on the list of nutrients are the anti-oxidants. These are found in fruits and vegetables. These nutrients are very helpful in destroying the damaging effects of free radicals. These
destructive cells are described as unstable oxygen molecules which wrecks the healthy cells
of the body making it susceptible to the onslaught of illnesses. Aside from its damage to the flesh, it also damages the brain cells which leads to memory loss.

Thus, an aging body is not only susceptible to various diseases but to memory loss and other
mental illnesses like Alzheimer’s Disease. It should be emphasized here, though, that what’s recommended are the fresh fruits and vegetables and not those processed and merchandised in cans. Third on the menu is the choline. These are sourced from eggs, milk, beef liver and peanuts.

These nutrients help in memory storage. It is believed that “it may improve development of
brain function of a fetus when added to a mother’s diet.” In effect, not only is the physical development of a fetus enhanced but also its intellectual capacity. Most assuredly, this nutrient could also boost the mother’s general health and well-being. In effect, this is a big boost to the achievement of one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
which is improvement of a Women’s Reproductive Health. Fourth type of memory-enhancing nutrients are the carbohydrates. These are sourced from fresh fruits and whole grains.

So aside from being an anti-oxidant, fruits are also sources of anti-oxidants. These nutrients
increase blood sugar and “indirectly regulates a neurotransmitter associated with memory.”
Of course, too much sugar in the blood is a matter of concern as it is an indicator of diabetes so that whole grains,i.e. rice, should be taken in moderate amounts.

As such,too much blood sugar might stultify said neurotransmitter and memory loss might result as it will surely give rise to free radicals, the main culprit for all physical and mental ailments. Fifth on the line is alcohol. Again, it should be stressed that this should be imbibed in small
amounts as it is commonly known that too much alcohol in the bloodstream triggers a lot of
diseases. These are usually sourced out from wine and spirits. Taken literally in small amount per day, Small concluded that “it may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementia.”

There was also that finding conducted by a certain doctor in the United States about the effect of
alcohol taken in small amounts to the body some three decades ago. He concluded that one beer a day improves the rate of heartbeats/palpitations and thus improves the workings
of the heart which is involved in the pumping and circulation of blood in the body. All told though, it is not the nutrients that heal or preclude disease. These nutrients, though they are affordable to everybody, including the poor ( although it may not be so to the dirt poor),are not meant to be taken
excessively. They should be ingested in proper amounts.

The Carnegie principle of “always avoiding the acute angle” is applicable also in the nutritional field
and/or gustatory/alimentary matters. In a similar vein, the bible admonishes that “if you find
honey, eat just enough for too much of it triggers vomiting.”

In a way, coming full curcle in life is not only doing right and what’s expected in any stage of life. It also points to the proper noursihment of one’s potential and capacities even as one advances in age. It not only refers to having the right dose of character, gumption, enough resources and the natural right to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor as one ages but also having the discipline to “eat right.”