Beat Brain Fog: Why It Happens and How to Fix It

Transcript:

Melanie: Hello, welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. I'm Melanie Beasley, and I'm a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. Let me start today's discussion by asking you, do you struggle with focus? Do you feel mentally sluggish throughout the day or maybe sometimes walk into a room and you forget what you went in there for?

I know that's happened to me, and if this sounds familiar, then keep listening because this episode is for you. I think more and more of my clients are looking for help with brain support.

Britni: I would absolutely agree with that.

Melanie: I think it's a scary world out there. And so if you have these little telltale signs, you wonder, you know, is this something more serious and they want to do their very best to stay sharp as they age and just simply have the mental energy it takes just to get through the day. And I'm so glad that they come to me for help because food does make a difference. Don't you agree, Britni?

Britni: A hundred percent.

Melanie: That’s why we're here talking about this today. It really makes a difference with our brain health and we're going to talk all about it. I'm Melanie Beasley and I'm here with Britni Vincent. You heard her voice and she's also an RD. And welcome Britni. It's good to see you.

Britni: Thank you. I'm happy to be here. And you know, I agree with everything you said. So many of my clients complain of brain fog or mental fatigue and want to have more mental clarity and mental energy to be able to think throughout the day. And brain fog, you know, it's not an official term.

Melanie: Mm-hmm.

Britni: Or, or an official medical diagnosis, but it's very much a real functional symptom. So basically brain fog is your body saying something is off. Think of it as the brain's version of feeling inflamed, overloaded, or under fueled, and several things can cause it. So, not surprisingly, big contributors can be lifestyle factors, like too much stress, too little sleep. But we are here today to talk about how food plays a huge part in brain fog and mental fatigue.

Blood sugar balance is foundational for beating brain fog

Melanie: Yeah. And if you're a regular Dishing Up Nutrition listener, you know, we often start with blood sugar balance. You've heard us say it time and time again, and this is because it is a foundation of how our body functions and how we feel overall, you know, for anything. And under normal circumstances, the brain needs glucose for its main source of fuel. And blood sugar swings, meaning when glucose goes too high or too low, it means the brain can't access steady fuel. It's either flooded or deprived.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: So think of it like this. Stable blood sugar equals stable brain fuel. Well, that being said, think about what you're eating for breakfast. That's where we start off our blood sugar balance and you, you know, is it cereal and skim milk?

I just had a client and she's a long time Nutritional Weight & Wellness client, she knows what to eat. And she suddenly started eating Cheerios for breakfast. Because she was busy. And she was like, I just need something that's grab and go. And I was like, you have to take care of your blood sugar for everything that's going on. And she's like, I know this. This is why I have to talk to you on a regular basis.

Britni: Yeah. We need, we need reminders sometimes, but then that just sets you up for having imbalanced blood sugar all day long.

Melanie: And it's not real food. There's no cereal bush. And you know, I grew up with always the juice glass. There was always a glass of orange juice and then maybe you put some jam or honey on your toast. Well, it is all carbs and it causes that huge swing. Worse yet, if you were grew up in the bagel age of the eighties, you know that low fat bagel, or a pastry, and now you add that sugary drink to it. Well, this time of year you may be hooked on special holiday lattes. Oh boy, are those a blood sugar bomb.

Britni: Yes.

Melanie: They're delicious because they're so loaded with sugar and high carbs. And that's going to put you on that blood sugar roller coaster with the peaks and the valleys and the crashes and the dips. And if you can relate to the late morning or the afternoon crash where you feel like you need to take a nap at your desk, that's a blood sugar issue.

And so simply switching up your breakfast can make a huge difference in your energy throughout the day. You know, my daughter, her husband surprised her by taking her out to Krispy Kreme donuts. So you know, those things are like crack cocaine. They're so fabulous. She had to sleep the rest of the day.

Britni: Oh no.

Melanie: Because of course she had like three or four. Those things are like air puff; sugar. And so she probably had like three or four donuts. And then the coffee, the special coffee. She said, I felt horrible.

Britni: Oh, I believe it.

Melanie: For the rest of the day I bottomed out, had to sleep. Oh, you know, nap when the baby napped, because we, our grandchild is sleeping. Well, she was sleeping too more than the baby was. So, you know, that's an example of a blood sugar crash. And that seems like, you know, we laugh. But that's a stressful event on the body.

Britni: Such a stressful event.

Melanie: Which translates to a stressful event for the brain. So that we have to protect that delicate brain, because we're seeing more and more dementia and Alzheimer's issues.

Britni: Yeah. Yeah. And all of this is, you know, becoming, like we said, a big priority for a lot of people. You know, I just heard from a client last week and she complained about brain fog to me when we first met. And that was one of the things she told me last week, is my brain fog is gone. I feel like I have more mental clarity.

And one of the things that she modified was her breakfast because previously she was either skipping breakfast or eating something quick, something high carb. So now she's prioritizing protein, with a combination of eggs, turkey sausage. She's doing leftover veggies in there and she's feeling so much better because her blood sugar is more stable throughout the day.

Melanie: It's fabulous, it's fabulous. If you're not an eggs and sausage person, I've been making chia seed pudding, protein pudding.

Britni: Me too.

Melanie: So it's, I love that. And it's just a cup of liquid, whether you, you know, you want whole milk or you want almond milk. Two tablespoons of chia seeds, two to three tablespoons of scoop of your protein powder. And then I put blueberries on the bottom. Drizzle a little nut butter on top, but you can, you can make like three or four of those at a time.

Britni: Yes. It's so easy.

Melanie: And then just pour them into little mason jars. Well, that's a grab and go.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: You can even rubber band, you know, plastic spoon on top, you know, if you don't even want to have that trash.

Britni: I've been warming mine up because sometimes a cold breakfast when it's cold outside does not sound appealing. So I warm it up a little bit.

Melanie: Is that good?

Britni: So it's kind of like a porridge in a way. Yeah, I like it.

Melanie: I'm going to try that.

Britni: Yeah, it's good.

Melanie: How do you warm it?

Britni: Sometimes I'll, like, when I'm making it, I'll add hot water.

Melanie: Okay.

Britni: And then my fat on top, I've done that. Or you could pop it in the microwave or warm it up on the stove if you wanted to.

Melanie: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, if you use your microwave, the best way to warm something is on defrost.

Britni: Mm.

Melanie: Little tip. So you don't boil it over and suddenly you've got sticky chia seeds all over your microwave plate.

Britni: That would not be good.

Melanie: I learned that the hard way.

Britni: So I mentioned my client focusing on protein for her breakfast. And one of the reasons why that protein is so beneficial for your brain is you are feeding your neurotransmitters. You're helping to make more neurotransmitters. Amino acids from protein are building blocks for our feel good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine are the most common ones that we hear about, and that's why it's so important to start the day with a higher protein meal.

High sugar foods on the other hand, they're going to create a lot of inflammation in the body, including the brain. Systemic inflammation can slow neurotransmitter signaling, which is pretty scary. So it affects your brain's ability to function, could affect your mood, your overall energy, your motivation.

Melanie: Your anxiety.

Britni: Yes. Yeah. When you're consistently eating high sugar foods, you are creating inflammation in your brain and slowing cognitive function. And maybe some of you have heard, I know we've talked about it on Dishing Up Nutrition previously that Alzheimer's is sometimes referred to as type three diabetes because the correlation to high blood sugar diets and inflammation in the brain is so strongly connected

Melanie: I’m so glad you brought that up.

Britni: And high blood sugar will actually shrink your hippocampus over time, which is the memory center of our brain.

Melanie: So really, if you're someone who's got an elevated A1C, which is a measure of three months of blood sugars or the doctor says you are prediabetic because your blood sugars are, you know, running around a hundred or higher, you are shrinking your memory center of the brain.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: Scary stuff.

Britni: It is scary. But something that is within your control. You can, I mean, I've seen people dramatically improve their A1C just in a few months.

Melanie: Oh yeah. It's amazing. You're not stuck.

Britni: No, not at all.

Melanie: You're not stuck. It's very fixable.

Britni: Yes, absolutely.

Melanie: If you let us be the boss of you.

Britni: Yes, that helps.

Melanie: It does.

Gluten can cause inflammation

Britni: Well, so while we're on the topic of inflammation, something else that causes inflammation is gluten. Gluten can trigger an immune or inflammatory response that creates symptoms throughout the body. So typically we think of it as just causing digestive symptoms, but that is not always the case. A lot of people don't have digestive symptoms, but they may find that their brain does not function optimally when they're eating gluten. It might cause anxiety, depression, this brain fog that we're talking about.

Melanie: You know, I've seen so many things improve. I've seen clients’ urinary urgency improve when you remove the gluten. I've seen the brain fog improve when you remove the gluten. I've seen joint pain improve when you remove the gluten. So here's the thing is if this is causing any kind of inflammation in your joints or your gut, it really is throughout the body.

Britni: Yes.

Melanie: It's just the symptom that you're feeling. So for me, it's joint pain. The symptom that I'm feeling joint pain, it means that it's my body's flare gun that says, you are inflamed. That's its flare gun. But really it's inflaming my brain as well as every other system in the body.

Britni: Yeah, absolutely.

Melanie: Because your bloodstream goes throughout the body. So your symptom may be in your joints, but that bloodstream is touching your brain. It's touching everywhere. So you don't have to be diagnosed with celiac disease to react to gluten.

So don't run out and get a test and say, oh, I don't have celiac disease. This isn't a problem for me. It's more common than you would think to have non celiac gluten sensitivity. I would say 90% of my clients, 95% of my clients feel better, when they remove gluten and the primary culprit is wheat.

Britni: Yep.

Melanie: So, personally, I can have barley, but I cannot eat wheat.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: So I don't eat a lot of grains, but still if there's like a beef barley soup, I don't get whipped up over it.

Britni: Because you can tolerate it.

Melanie: Because I don't have celiac disease. But you may have obvious symptoms after eating gluten, but it still sends off something isn't right alarm within your body. My husband gets brain fog. His mood is altered, but it's not immediate. It's a day or two later. So when someone with a sensitivity eats gluten, their immune system gets activated even if they don't feel it.

Think of it like your immune system is a sprinkler system that's putting out a fire every time you eat gluten, and if you keep triggering that immune system, that causes inflammation. And as you can imagine, that puts a lot of stress on the body. That immune activation working on overdrive creates that inflammation.

And inflammation doesn't stay in one spot; like I mentioned, travels through your bloodstream, which reaches your brain. Which is what we're focused on today. You know, an inflammation makes everything feel slower. It's slower to remember things. It's slower to find the right words. And over time that can become a permanent condition. So we want to protect the brain as much as possible, because it's our, it's our everything.

Britni: Yeah. Absolutely. And if you're thinking about going gluten-free, because like you said, the response could be days later, and if you're eating it all the time, you're not going to be able to pinpoint that gluten is a culprit for you necessarily.

Melanie: Mm-hmm.

Britni: So it's really eliminating it all.

Melanie: How long would you say?

Britni: 100%. I would say at least a few weeks.

Melanie: I agree.

Britni: At least three weeks.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: And you mentioned wheat, so that is the easiest way to look on a package. Legally, a package has to say, contains wheat on it.

Melanie: Because it's a top eight allergen.

Britni: Yep. So that is an easy way to look what's naturally gluten-free and what's not. Of course, lots of things are labeled gluten-free. Even sometimes meat is, which is crazy. You know, it's just a marketing thing. Yeah. So that is really going to be the best way to determine how you react to gluten is eliminating it completely.

Melanie: Mm-hmm.

Britni: And we mentioned celiac disease. Just a side note, if you get tested for celiac, for it to be accurate, you have to be eating gluten.

Melanie: And those have so many false negatives.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: And if you do a biopsy, you think about, you know, how long is the small intestine and the large intestine? And if they biopsy a patch over here and you don't have damage, but the damage is over there. So, if it tells you anything how we feel about gluten, if you go to our cookbook or you go to our website, we don't have one recipe that has gluten in it.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: If it tells you how we feel about it, because it's not the gluten I grew up with.

Britni: Yes. It's different.

Melanie: It's, it's different. It's been hybridized multiple times. So it's time for our break. We'll be right back.

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Britni:  Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. I am Britni Vincent. I'm here with Melanie Beasley, and we are talking about brain fog today. And we are just talking about how gluten can create inflammation in your brain and really systemically throughout your body.

Gut health is critical for brain health (more on gluten's inflammatory effect)

You may have heard the term, your gut is your second brain. And that is so true. So when we consume something that creates inflammation in your digestive system, that's going to create inflammation in your brain as well.

The gut and the brain are connected through nerves, hormones, and neurotransmitters. And most of your body's serotonin, which is one of our feel-good neurotransmitters, actually comes from the gut. I believe it's something like 90% is made in our gut.

Melanie: Holy buckets.

Britni: I know. Yeah, it is wild to think about. So if gluten causes gut disruption, your brain may feel unfocused, moody, or fatigued. And this is where gluten sensitivity may not be obvious, and like we talked about earlier, you just might need to pull it all out and see how you feel.

Melanie: You know, I'm glad you said that about the gut permeability, because for many gluten can increase intestinal permeability. What does that mean? Basically, it's like holes and gaps in your intestine, making the lining something that is not this tight junction that prevents toxins, parasites, rogue bacteria entering into the bloodstream, and that's what we call leaky gut.

So for someone who suffers from brain fog, even if they feel like they're getting adequate sleep and not overstressed, I'll have them try a strict gluten-free diet for a few weeks, maybe give them some things to tighten up that gut junction that might be gappy. And the best way to find out if you're gluten sensitive, like we said, do that trial removal for two weeks.

You don't have to run out and buy a bunch of processed gluten-free foods. Because remember early in the show we were talking about blood sugar. So those processed gluten-free foods are really convert rapidly to sugar and now you're doing the peaks and valleys.

So it's hard to know. Am I having brain fog from the peaks and valleys, or I having brain fog from the gluten? So just remove all of that situation by eating real foods. Don't substitute gluten-free processed foods.

Britni: Yes, and the beauty is meat, eggs, dairy, veggies, fruit.

Melanie: Beef. My favorite.

Britni: Nuts, seeds, butter, olive oil. It's all naturally gluten-free. So there are tons of things to eat.

Melanie: Lots of options.

Britni: Both of us are gluten-free. I know we eat delicious food.

Melanie: We eat delicious food. I love a pork chop. So all of those things, some salmon, all of that is going to be a great way to offset brain fog and blood sugar dips and valleys.

Britni: Yep. So, you know, you mentioned leaky gut. A leaky gut from gluten sensitivity or any number of dietary or environmental causes can also cause vitamin deficiency. So you're not going to be able to absorb all your vitamins and minerals if your intestinal tract is damaged.

Melanie: You know, I have a client I just saw today and chronic anemia, and I find that people with chronic anemia, it's almost an indication of a couple things going on, but one of them being a gluten sensitivity.

Britni: Yes, I agree. I find that too.

Melanie: Yeah. That darn gluten.

Common deficiencies that tie into brain under-functioning (First: B vitamins)

Britni: Yes. There are several common deficiencies we see clinically that tie into brain under functioning. A major one I think of as B12 deficiency. All B vitamins in general, but B12 is essential for nerve health, energy production within the brain and low levels cause memory issues, poor concentration and fatigue. We can, in theory, get adequate B vitamins from a variety of foods, both animal and plant sources. Meat is one of the best sources.

But you know, there are some people that do need to supplement to get optimal amounts, or if your B12 is low, supplementing is helpful to get it up. But we also, like you mentioned, the iron deficiency, we want to figure out why is this even happening to begin with.

Melanie: Right, right. You know, and the other thing I want to say is if you're, you got tested. And your B12 is normal range or maybe elevated. Ask yourself, was I off of all B vitamins three or four days prior to testing? Because what happens is, and I know this happened to me, is I got tested, oh, your B12 is, you know, way above normal range. And I use quotation right there, “normal range”. But I hadn't been off B vitamins. So when I got retested I was off B vitamins for about three days and I was deficient.

And I was having memory issues. So if you decide you're going to supplement with B12, be aware of that for testing, but also make sure your B12 or your B vitamin are methylated. So they should say methyl B12.

Britni: Yep. And you know we have just a Methyl B12. That's B12 and folate. Like I take our methylated B complex.

Melanie: I do too.

Britni: To get some extra Bs every day. Because the B vitamins really are so important.

Vitamin D: critical for the brain

Melanie: Everything: cardiovascular health. Just memory, brain, energy. Huge deal. And when I think of brain fog or low moods in regard to vitamin deficiency, my thought also goes to vitamin D. So we talked about iron, and so many people are low in vitamin D.

Britni: Yes.

Melanie: And B12, vitamin D, iron, they all contribute to energy, cognitive function because it's not a typical part of the blood panel that's done is routine in the doctor's visit, but low vitamin D is linked to low mood, impaired cognitive performance, slow thinking. Here in the north, I always recommend a minimum of 5,000 international units of vitamin D daily. And if you're taking that on the regular basis and it's not being tested, you're covered.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: But here's what happens is a lot of people are tested now and they'll say Over 60 is toxic. I want to ask, since when?

Britni: Yes.

Melanie: I've been doing this for 35 years. Never ever have I seen anyone have toxicity symptoms because of a high vitamin D.

Britni: Me neither.

Melanie: And I think you have to get between over 300.

Britni: It's high.

Melanie: Very high before you start seeing toxicity. So, you know, be aware of that.

Britni: Yep. And optimal: 50 to 80.

Melanie: 50 to 80. Good. And if you're up to 80, 90, a hundred.

Britni: Don't worry about it.

Melanie: Nobody has burst into flames.

Omega-3 fatty acids are critical for brain health

Britni: Yeah, no. You know the same goes with omega-3 fatty acid deficiency. EPA and DHA are two forms of omega-threes, and they are literally structural components of brain cell membranes. Fats provide the insulation that connects the electrical messaging between brain cells.

So without adequate fats, the brain cannot communicate efficiently. And unless you're eating good quality fatty fish a few times a week, which most people do not, you are probably not getting adequate omega-threes without supplementing.

And when you supplement, you want to look at the amount of actual EPA and DHA in the supplement, you know, a lot of the omega-threes at the big box store, you need to take like nine of them a day to get a therapeutic dose, which nobody wants to take.

Melanie: So the money you're saving; get a quality one. And you want to make sure it's mercury distilled. It's from a wild caught source. It's sometimes easier to go for the third party tested.

Britni: Yes, absolutely.

Melanie: You know, Nutrikey is a good brand. There are a lot of good brands out there, but there you got to make, you're not going to get in a big box store or a department store or a grocery store or a drug store. It is just not; they're in it to make money.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

More on iron deficiency in regard to brain fog & energy

Melanie: So another big one when I, when a client comes to me concerned about brain fog and just low energy all around, I think to check for, as I mentioned, iron deficiency. This client I just mentioned that I saw earlier today, she had chronic restless legs.

That is a big tell of iron deficiency. So if your iron is low, the brain doesn't get enough oxygen leading to fogginess, fatigue and poor memory. So I would have them check their ferritin level, don't run out and get an iron supplement, because iron can build up to toxic level.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: So you want to be testing that, but you can get your ferritin level checked because that's your iron stores, how much is stored. And you can have a low ferritin, but a normal hemoglobin and hematocrit.

Britni: Yes.

Melanie: So the ferritin store is very important. And low iron is especially common among women menstruating age, but I am seeing it more and more and more in women that are menopausal.

Britni: I agree.

Melanie: And it links back to this leaky gut situation, gluten, and poor stomach acid.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: You know, as we age, we just don't make that stomach acid. So, I find that more often than not, women aren't getting optimal protein in their diets, especially the red meat. So it's easy to become iron deficient.

Zinc: important for brain function & immunity

Animal protein also gives us zinc, which is another mineral important for brain function and our immunity. And a zinc deficiency is associated with poor focus, depression, neurological decline. So eating a variety of animal proteins consistently with each meal may provide enough iron and zinc, or you might need a supplement.

Alcohol: another culprit of brain fog

Britni: Well, let's talk about other culprits of brain fog. Alcohol is a big one. If you are on social media, you've probably read this information already because it's everywhere, but you know, we are in the thick of the holiday season and alcohol…

Melanie: Cocktailing is about.

Britni: Yep. Alcohol consumption really goes up in the holiday season. So if you partake in drinking alcohol, you may be able to relate to feeling brain fog the next day. And some people, it's a couple days that it really affects them and you just might not feel as sharp as usual. Alcohol dehydrates the brain. It disrupts sleep, it inflames the brain. You know, depending on what you're mixing it with, you know, a lot of times you're getting a lot of sugar as well, so it's that double whammy.

Melanie: Even tonic water, people.

Britni: Yes. Tonic water is very high in sugar.

Melanie: And I fructose corn syrup.

Britni: It does not taste sweet. Look at the label. You will be shocked. I think it's like 30 grams of sugar in a serving or something.

Melanie: Yeah. And it's almost always high fructose corn syrup. Which is the worst for brain health. Another thing about drinking alcohol is it suppresses the production of neurotransmitters in the digestive system. What does that mean is the neurotransmitters that make you feel good: dopamine, serotonin, that help you feel calm and relaxed;

So if you're suppressing the neurotransmitters that make you feel good, it's also suppressing the ones that help your brain communicate. And so, you might feel depressed, anxious. My daughters call it post-party depression, you know?

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: The Sunday scaries, the Monday blues. You know, after a weekend of holidaying and having cocktails, you might find that that brain fog is at an all time peak on Monday. And so is your mood is at an all time low on Monday?

Britni: It's not a good combination.

Dehydration reduces cognitive function

Melanie: No. And it affects your gut health. So we're back to that leaky gut situation. Another item I want to bring up is dehydration. Even mild dehydration reduces cognitive function. Water makes up three quarters of your brain's mass, so even slight dehydration can throw it off balance. And according to research from the American College of Sports Medicine and Health and Fitness Journal, even a one to 2% drop in hydration is enough to cause decline in cognitive performance.

Your brain just needs proper hydration to help you stay mentally sharp. Drink that water, water, water, water, water, water, water. Just one of the many reasons that we want to prioritize. So if you’re sipping a little all day, I want you to get a water bottle that you love. You love how it fits in your car. You, it's easy to wash.

You think it's great. It's not made of plastic. And then what I want you to do is put the number of rubber bands at the top that you need to fill that water bottle to get half your body weight in ounces. Every time you fill the water bottle, you roll a rubber band down. All the rubber bands are at the bottom, you get to go to bed. That's how you ensure hydration. But just carrying a water bottle does not ensure hydration.

Britni: Yeah, it's true. It's so true.

Melanie: It's so easy to sip, sip, sip all day and think, whoa, I got my water in. You, you got to, it's, you got to work at it. Really.

Britni: You do. And I think a lot of times we underestimate the power of water. I mean, you can feel so much better just getting enough water in and drinking it throughout the day is very important. You can only absorb about eight ounces in 15 minutes, so chugging your 20-ounce water bottle in one sitting, you're not actually absorbing all of that.

Melanie: Yeah. It's really like, a huge rainstorm on a dry hill. It's going to flow, it's going to wash right off and you're going to run in the bathroom. So a slow trickle rain, rainfall is much readily absorbed, so I love that sip all day. I'm so glad you said that.

Hormonal fluctuations in women can cause brain fog

Britni: So the next, topic is probably going to be relatable for many of our listeners, and this is hormonal fluctuations in women, including PMS, perimenopause and post menopause, pregnancy, postpartum. All of these times in which your hormones may be fluctuating can cause brain fog. If you're of menstruating age, you may notice brain fog in the days leading up to your period. If you've been pregnant or recently had a baby, you may have experienced pregnancy brain or postpartum brain. That is a very real thing.

Or if you're in perimenopause or menopause, you might feel like you're just not as sharp as you used to be. And this is because of the hormonal fluctuations during these times, namely a drop in estrogen in the cases of PMS, postpartum, menopause and a decline in estrogen can make thinking feel sluggish, scattered, or foggy.

And the same principles apply when battling brain fog from hormones, focusing on blood sugar balance, getting adequate protein, healthy fats, antioxidant rich vegetables, and avoiding sugar and alcohol.

Melanie: You know, I have a dear friend and she had been vegan for years and years. And when she went through menopause, she had horrible brain fog.

Britni: Oh no.

Melanie: Just couldn't function. Horrible brain fog. She has five children, so various ages.

Britni: Oh goodness.

Melanie: So it was really a struggle. Well, circumstances were such that she started eating meat. She needed to start eating meat and it was for her bone. She had osteoporosis, so she started eating a lot more meat. Magically the brain fog went away. So she was getting that zinc. She's getting magnesium. She’s getting that protein and it helped balance out her hormones. So food is magic.

Britni: It really is magic.

Melanie: And I find a lot of my female clients who suffer from menopause related brain fog are also living with maybe some high stress levels. They might have an ailing parent, they might have adult children with issues, but did you know that a high cortisol, which is your stress hormone, is a symptom of menopause.

Constant cortisol, which is your stress hormone, and that constant cortisol bathing the brain makes it harder for the brain to store new memories. So think if you're always in fight or flight, your brain is focused on quick thinking to get to safety and a calm space. It's not focused on deep thinking or storing memories. It's in survival mode. So if you are in that state of stress, then you realize that you're on autopilot the whole time.

And don't even remember, you know how you got to a place when you're driving. And that's because you've got so much going on and that cortisol's, again, bathing the brain. And when your mind is thinking about a million little things, you're really not in a focus state. I've heard multitasking is just doing a lot of things poorly.

So when you can keep cortisol at a healthy level, we're protecting your memory. So I know that we've had a couple presidents that got Alzheimer's and they thrived on a minimal amount of sleep, and of course they were living in a high stress environment. So for those clients, I'll always recommend supplementing magnesium daily.

That helps decrease stress to help regulate that stress. You know, magnesium is essential mineral. So again, we get back to, are we absorbing well? Do you get leg cramps, Charlie horses, high anxiety, high blood pressure? These can be magnesium deficiencies. To calm that nervous system, there's a lot of natural tools like L-Theanine, which is a supplement or you know, simple lifestyle practices: deep breathing, calming visualizations, things that give your brain a break from stress. I don't recommend if you're living in a stressful environment, that you're watching scary, stressful shows at night.

Britni: Yeah, it's a good point.

Melanie: So things that bring you joy, bring you happiness, deep breathing, read calming books and put your face in the sun and smell a flower. Listen to the crunch of snow when you walk. All of that being present calms the brain.

Recap

Britni: That’s so important. You know, so as you can see, brain fog is so multifactorial. It's rarely just one specific thing. So let's recap some solutions. How can you get rid of brain fog? Like we mentioned at the start of the episode, focusing on balanced blood sugar to give your brain steady energy throughout the day. This means meals rich in animal protein, healthy fats, and vegetable carbohydrates. And remember, protein gives us the building block to make our neurotransmitters in our body.

So every meal should include around four ounces of animal protein or more, like eggs, turkey, chicken, beef, fish, yogurt, cottage cheese, or even a good quality protein powder to just get a little extra boost.

Melanie: And you want to include a tablespoon of healthy fat. Remember, our brains are made of fat, you know, primarily. So have fat, healthy fat at every meal. And that can be avocado, olives, olive oil, grass fed butter, ghee, nuts and seeds. Just remember the brain is 60% fat, so we have to protect it by eating healthy fat.

Britni: Then carbohydrates from lots of colorful vegetables and fruits like berries, which are loaded with antioxidants. By getting a variety of colors, you're getting a variety of nutrients. So for a simple formula of what a meal should look like to support your brain, about four ounces of animal protein

Melanie: Or more.

Britni: A couple cups of vegetable carbohydrates, and about a tablespoon of healthy fat about every three closer to four hours throughout the day.

Melanie: Yeah. So if you focus on four ounces at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you know, you're getting that 12 ounces in. That's a really good place. You know, sometimes like I have salmon, which is a fatty fish for lunch, and it was six ounces. So, you know, you definitely can go over on the protein.

Britni: Absolutely.

Melanie: Don't be afraid of it. And don't forget the other lifestyle pillars we talked about, such as sleep, movement, stress reduction, you know, diet is a foundational pillar. It's so healing, but the whole system matters for your brain to work its best. And if you're struggling with brain fog, we hope that you have learned some takeaways to try and help you feel sharper, more focused, more relaxed, and energized in your day-to-day life. I challenge you, trust the process.

It works. Just do it. Listen back to the podcast. Take some notes. What are you going to be eating? What are you going to remove? Because when you remove foods and lifestyle factors and chemicals that are assaulting the body, and then you nourish the body with what it needs, the body's designed to heal itself.

Britni: Absolutely. And I think it's very realistic to notice a difference in brain fog in even a few weeks after making some of these changes,

Melanie: Be a whole new person. So if you love this podcast, we encourage you to share it with a friend, share it with someone. And remember, the best help is to come and see us with a one-on-one appointment if you feel overwhelmed or lost.

Schedule Nutrition Counseling

But brain fog: multifaceted, really takes sitting down with a dietitian like Britni or myself or one of our other fabulous dietitians. Give us a call at (651) 699-3438 or visit us at weightandwellness.com to learn more. We thank you for listening. Have a great day.

Britni: Thank you.