Zija's Uncle Russ

Some foods you might be eating daily can actually DAMAGE your brain over time. In this article, we’ll explore foods that HARM your brain vs foods that PROTECT your brain.

by Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist

Certain foods you eat can indeed harm your brain, both in impaired learning ability as well as impaired memory.  Even worse, the wrong food and drink choices throughout your life can even lead to the terrible and deadly disease of Alzheimers.

A friend of mine just told me that her dad died of Alzheimers recently and it was just a terrible disease where he didn’t even know who she was anymore towards the end.  It’s time our society starts taking degenerative diseases like Alzheimers, cancer, and heart disease more seriously throughout our lives, and not just once it’s too late. Even in our 30′s, 40′s, and 50′s, the choices we make with our daily food can PREVENT these terrible diseases.

So let’s dig in with the topic today of foods that harm your brain, and what you can do about it…
Food #1 that HARMS your brain:  Fructose

In a 2012 UCLA study published in the Journal of Physiology, researchers found that a diet high in fructose over time can damage your memory and learning ability.

Beyond the harm to your brain, it’s well known in the research world that a high fructose diet can also cause insulin resistance in your body over time, and possibly lead to type-2 diabetes and extra body fat.  If that’s not enough, a high fructose diet also detrimentally affects your triglyceride levels in your blood as well as small dense LDL particles that cause plaque in your arteries.

So what we have here is high-fructose intake = impaired memory and learning in your brain, increased risk of diabetes, and increased risk of heart disease. Oh, and we forgot to mention extra belly fat too…  Yum – who wants another can of soda pop or a large bowl of corn syrup sweetened ice cream!

The average person eating a modern western diet of processed food consumes a LARGE quantity of fructose without even thinking about it from all of the soft drinks (high fructose corn syrup typically), sweetened juice drinks, orange juice, processed junk foods such as cakes and candies, as well as the HFCS that’s added to store-bought salad dressings, breads and cereals, and even condiments like ketchup.

Note that many sports drinks, even though marketed as “healthy”, can have large amounts of corn syrup or even crystalline fructose as their main sweetener.  These sports drinks can be equally as bad as a soda for your body and your brain.  Don’t be fooled by the clever marketing showing pictures of pro athletes guzzling this stuff.

Also note that agave syrup (aka, agave nectar) which is marketed as a “healthy” sweetener as well, is one of the most concentrated forms of processed fructose in sweeteners as well.  I personally stay away from agave sweeteners as much as possible unless the amounts are very small.

All of these fructose-laden foods and drinks are easy to avoid though if you choose to eat consciously… for example, make homemade salad dressings from your favorite olive oil and vinegar with added spices, or choose to drink unsweetened iced tea with lemon instead of sweetened drinks or juices.  If you use a lot of ketchup, try to reduce the quantity by mixing with mustard or hot sauce, which typically don’t contain HFCS sweetener in any significant quantities.

Last thing to note about fructose… Yes, natural whole fruits do contain fructose, but generally contain MUCH smaller quantities of fructose than you would consume in a sweetened juice drink, soft drink or sweetened junk foods.  Also, the phytonutrients, antioxidants, and fiber that’s contained in most whole fruits counteracts any negative effects of fructose.  I personally try to keep fruit intake to no more than 1-2 pieces a day due to the sugar and fructose content of larger amounts of fruit.

Here’s a trick:  Did you know that limes and lemons contain virtually zero fructose, and only 3-4 grams of total carbs in a whole lemon or lime, whereas a typical orange contains 6 grams of fructose and 25 grams of total sugar per fruit.  I squeeze lemons and limes daily into either water or teas for a healthy flavorful drink. Fresh lemon juice has even been shown to control blood sugar response from a meal…another bonus!
Other Foods that HARM Your Brain:

You probably already know some of the harmful health effects of these foods, but long term effects on your brain are yet another…

Trans fats — strongly inflammatory in your entire body including damage to cell membranes throughout your body.  Avoid hydrogenated oils in processed foods and deep fried foods.

Mercury — studies show that mercury from pollution (coal burning plants are the biggest source of mercury pollution to air and water) and from fish that are high on the food chain such as tuna, shark, swordfish, tilefish, etc can possibly cause long term negative effects on your brain.  Limit these types of fish to a couple times a month and focus more on fish such as salmon, trout, and many other types of smaller fish to reduce your mercury load.

Wheat-based foods — In the groundbreaking book, Wheat Belly, Dr William Davis makes a very convincing argument that wheat has addictive properties in the brain.  Wheat contains compounds termed “exorphins” that have an effect in your brain similar to opiate drugs.  This explains why people have such a hard time giving up their beloved breads, cereals, pasta, and muffins because these foods are mildly addictive.

I know personally from past experience that if I have have a pasta dinner, I’ll go back for seconds and thirds as I just can’t seem to stop eating the stuff.  And then hours after dinner, I’ll get cravings for more carb-based foods or sweets.  But if I pass on the pasta and just have meat, veggies, and salad, I find myself totally satisfied after dinner with no cravings later at night.

High Fructose Corn Syrup, Crystalline Fructose (which is not fruit sugar and genetically modified from corn and therefore proven to be cancer causing also like HFCS) as well as illegally and criminally deceptively labeled “agave” which is hydrolyzed high fructose inulin syrup, are primarily converted in the Krebs Cycle of human metabolization to huge empirical increases in triglycerides. LDL (bad for you) cholesterol and store body fat (adipose tissue).

Cane sugar (a disaccharide, not a chemically created monosaccharide like HFCS) is primary convert to blood glucose in human ingestion.

The JAMA study PRETENDS not to understand the human metabolic mechanisms, that have been proven for decades and are not refutable.

Does chemically refined and genetically modified fructose or HFCS or fake agave harm at and ingestion level in anyone and trigger weight gain, diabetes, obesity, depression, hyperactivity, many other diseases and cancer? YES.

But who benefits? Big Food, Big Soda, Big Pharma ans Uncle Sam at your expense and shortened lives.

~ Uncle Russ

This is your brain on sugar — for real. Scientists have used imaging tests to show for the first time that fructose, a sugar that saturates the American diet, can trigger brain changes that may lead to overeating.

Brain image study: Fructose may spur overeating

Chemicals harm and kill, even at minor exposure levels.

~ Uncle Russ

When pregnant women are exposed to moderate levels of a common pesticide, their children may experience lasting changes in brain structure linked to lower intelligence, a US study said Monday.

Pesticide exposure linked to brain changes: study

There are MANY undeclared scent, fragrance, and food/beverage chain blood additives already in the unregulated/unenforced in safety, seeking to make you crave and consume more (revenue).

LET THE BUYER BEWARE; if you even remotely or consciously think the product is a junk food or beverage, it probably is.

I remind you harmful ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup even are proven to lower your IQ.

High Fructose Corn Syrup and many artificial high intensity or polyol/alcohol distilled sweeteners remain proven harmful substances you should avoid at all cost.

~ Uncle Russ

New research has identified the part of the brain and natural opium-like chemical that can trigger an urge to overeat sweet and fatty treats.

Brain chemical prompts rats to gorge on M&Ms

“This is enzymatically alive moringa olifera found only in Zija® in a standardized bioavailable basis” 

~ Uncle Russ

Woranan Kirisattayakul, Jintanaporn Wattanathorn, Terdthai Tong-Un, Supaporn Muchimapura and Panakaporn Wannanon

American Journal of Applied Sciences
DOI: 10.3844/ajassp.2012.1457.1463
Volume 9, Issue 9
Pages 1457-1463

Problem statement: At present, the therapeutic outcome of cerebral ischemia is still not in the satisfaction level. Therefore, the preventive strategy is considered. Based on the protective effect against oxidative damage of Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves extract, we hypothesized that this plant extract might protect against cerebral ischemia, one of the challenge problems nowadays. In order to test this hypothesis, we aimed to determine the protective effect of M.oleifera leaves extract in animal model of focal cerebral ischemia induced by permanent occlusion of right middle cerebral artery. Approach: Male Wistar rats, weighing 300-350 g, were orally given the extract once daily at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg kg^-1 BW at a period of 2 weeks, then, they were permanently occluded the right Middle Cerebral Artery (MCAO). The animals were assessed the cerebral infarction volume and oxidative damage markers including MDA level and the activities of SOD, CAT and GSHPx enzymes at 24 h after occlusion. Results: Rats subjected to M.oleifera extract at all doses used in this study significantly decreased brain infarct volume both at cortical and subcortical structures in accompany with the elevation of SOD activity in both hippocampus and striatum while only the rats exposed to the extract at doses of 100 and 400 mg kg^-1 BW showed the increased GSHPx activity in hippocampus. No the changes were observed. Therefore, our results demonstrates the potential benefit of M.oleifera leaves to decrease oxidative stress damage and brain infarct volume. Conclusion: This study is the first study to demonstrate the neuroprotective effect against focal cerebral ischemia of M.oleifera leaves. It suggests that M.oleifera may be served as natural resource for developing neuroprotectant against focal cerebral ischemia. However, the precise underlying mechanism and possible active ingredient are still required further study.

What do you not get about the word “JUNK”, as in waste, not good for you, harmful chemistry, poison, disease, early death, etc.?!

I do not know about you, but I would not allow my kids, family, community, or anyone I care about, including everyone in my country, near “JUNK FOOD”, without informing them as to the DEADLY & PROVEN ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES, at any consumption level.

Want real wellness?!

GOT ZIJA?!®

It’s YOUR moral responsibility to inform those harming themselves there is a safe and free alternative to real nutrition (at little or NO cost)!

~Uncle Russ

The sight of unhealthy food during a period of sleep restriction activated reward centers in the brain that were less active when participants had adequate sleep, according to a new study using brain scans to better understand the link between sleep restriction and obesity.

Brain scans show specific neuronal response to junk food when sleep-restricted

The brain appears to be wired more like the checkerboard streets of New York City than the curvy lanes of Columbia, Md., suggests a new brain imaging study. The most detailed images, to date, reveal a pervasive 3D grid structure with no diagonals, say scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Brain wiring a no-brainer? Scans reveal astonishingly simple 3D grid structure

So, not only is High Fructose Corn Syrup consumption, at any level, literally the leading cause of obesity, as well as diabetes, intestinal disease, many cancers, depression and cardiovascular disease, now HFCS also is the culprit in diminished mental capacity!

Early onset Dementia and Alzheimer’s did not exist in the pandemic current numbers prior to HFCS flooding the processed food and beverage chain from 1971 forward.

Big Pharma, by the way, is plotting to falsely make up a new disease called “Diabetes 3″, to sell you more harmful and dangerous drugs, linking diminished mental function, as well as brain capacity, with diabetes, hypoglycemia, and insulin resistance.

IT’S THE HFCS, STUPID!

Literally each HFCS product you consume (fast food, soda, confectionery, center aisles supermarket food and beverages, etc.) IS A SELF ADMINISTERED CHEMICAL LOBOTOMY!

~ Uncle Russ

(Medical Xpress) — New research from Uppsala University shows that a specific brain region linked to appetite regulation is reduced in elderly people who are obese. Poor eating habits over a lifetime may therefore weaken brain function that helps us to control our desire to eat. The findings are published in The International Journal of Obesity.

Obesity reduces the size of your brain

Sound Sleep Is Essential To Proper Weight Loss Along With The Proven Zija Permanent Weight Loss System.

~ Uncle Russ

New research from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that a specific brain region that contributes to a person’s appetite sensation is more activated in response to food images after one night of sleep loss than after one night of normal sleep.

Lack of Sleep Makes Your Brain Hungry

This is but one of many thousands of harmful and dangerous chemicals regularly used in soaps, creams, moisturizes, lubricants, sanitizers, detergents, skin care, household fragrances and scents, cleaning products, perfumes, colognes, lipsticks, make up, eye mascare, coloring agents, shampoos, hair care products, nail care products, deodorants, mouth washes, rinses and spray, mints, chewing gum, toothpastes, and many more cosmetic law brands.

You will find no harmful ingredients in the Zija Gen M Skin Care Line!

~ Uncle Russ

Scientists, health officials, and manufacturers already know that a chemical preservative found in some products, including cosmetics, is harmful to people and animals in high concentrations, but a new Brown University study in tadpoles reports that it can also interrupt neurological development even in very low concentrations.

Cosmetic chemical hinders brain development in tadpoles

Overeating may cause brain aging while eating less turns on a molecule that helps the brain stay young.

Study: Eating less keeps the brain young

Glia Cells THRIVE on efficacious bio available moringa found only in ZIJA!

~ Uncle Russ

Glia cells, named for the Greek word for “glue,” hold the brain’s neurons together and protect the cells that determine our thoughts and behaviors, but scientists have long puzzled over their prominence in the activities of the brain dedicated to learning and memory. Now Tel Aviv University researchers say that glia cells are central to the brain’s plasticity — how the brain adapts, learns, and stores information.

Brain’s connective cells are much more than glue; they also regulate learning and memory

Zija®, fuel for the brain.

~ Uncle Russ

The scientists exchanged one last look and held their breath.

Decoding the Brain’s Cacophony

I am dyslexic and was able to read the attached with ease.

What is more fascinating is the power of the mind to compensate and over come, dyslexic or not.

DRINK LIFE IN!

~ Uncle Russ

If you can read this you have a strong mind:  

7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15.    PL3453 F0RW4RD 1F U C4N R34D 7H15.

GOT ZIJA®?!

~ Uncle Russ

ScienceDaily (May 29, 2011) — Johns Hopkins scientists say that a newly discovered “survival protein” protects the brain against the effects of stroke in rodent brain tissue by interfering with a particular kind of cell death that’s also implicated in complications from diabetes and heart attack.

What Doesn’t Kill the Brain Makes It Stronger

Vaccine, boosters,  flu shots, as well as other drug inoculants CAUSE AUTISM; this is proven many irrefutable studies published in LANCET Medical Journal recently.

~ Uncle Russ

For decades, autism researchers have faced a baffling riddle: how to unravel a disorder that leaves no known physical trace as it develops in the brain.

Autism changes molecular structure of the brain, UCLA study finds

It’s The HFCS, Stupid.

GOT ZIJA®?!

~ Uncle Russ

Obesity is today one of the most prevalent medical conditions, and has a major impact on health. Recent studies have also shown a relationship between weight and brain structure.

Effects of obesity on the brain: first evidence of sex-related differences

It’s The HFCS, Stupid.

~ Uncle Russ

ScienceDaily (Apr. 15, 2011) — High levels of a protein associated with chronic, low-grade inflammation in the brain correlate with aspects of memory decline in otherwise cognitively normal older adults, according to a study led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco.

Study Links Inflammation in Brain to Some Memory Decline

(PhysOrg.com) — Scientists have moved a step closer to being able to develop a computer model of the brain after developing a technique to map both the connections and functions of nerve cells in the brain together for the first time.

Mapping the brain: New technique poised to untangle the complexity of the brain

(PhysOrg.com) — In a paper published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, Veronica Kwok, Li-Hai Tan, and their colleagues at the University of Hong Kong, conclude that the adult human brain is capable of new rapid growth when exposed to stimuli similar to what babies experience as they are learning from their environment.

Research shows adult brains capable of rapid new growth

This powerful video contains interviews with experts, parents and victims. It is the story of the high-income partnership between drug companies and psychiatry which has created an $80 billion profit from the peddling of psychotropic drugs to an unsuspecting public.  How did these drugs, with no target illness, no known curative powers and a long and extensive list of side effects, become the go-to treatment for every kind of psychological distress?

Depression is NOT a Chemical Imbalance in Your Brain – Here’s Proof

Most people can read texts reflected in a mirror slowly and with some effort, but a team of scientists from the Basque Centre on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) has shown for the first time that we can mentally turn these images around and understand them automatically and unconsciously, at least for a few instants.

The brain against words in the mirror

(PhysOrg.com) — Just when children are faced with intensifying peer pressure to misbehave, regions of the brain are actually blossoming in a way that heighten the ability to resist risky behavior, report researchers at three West Coast institutions.

In adolescence, the power to resist blooms in the brain

Researchers from Rice University and Georgia Institute of Technology have found support for the theory that the brain has three concentric layers of working memory where it stores readily available items. Memory researchers have long debated whether there are two or three layers and what the capacity and function of each layer is.

New study proves the brain has three layers of working memory

(PhysOrg.com) — The brain uses distinct timing mechanisms to measure the duration between the intervals in a sequence of sounds, according to a study funded by the Wellcome Trust.Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL (University College London) and Newcastle University have found that distinct parts of the brain are involved in the these timing mechanisms.

Beat it: how the brain perceives rhythm
 

Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the U.S., with more than 400,000 deaths each year attributable to smoking or its consequences. And yet teens still smoke. Indeed, smoking usually begins in the teen years, and approximately 80 percent of adult smokers became hooked by the time they were 18. Meanwhile, teens who don’t take up smoking usually never do.

Tobacco smoking impacts teens’ brains, study shows

ScienceDaily (Mar. 8, 2011) — Scientists have long puzzled over the many hours we spend in light, dreamless slumber. But a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests we’re busy recharging our brain’s learning capacity during this traditionally undervalued phase of sleep, which can take up half the night.

As We Sleep, Speedy Brain Waves Boost Our Ability to Learn

Scientists have long puzzled over the many hours we spend in light, dreamless slumber. But a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests we’re busy recharging our brain’s learning capacity during this traditionally undervalued phase of sleep, which can take up half the night.

As we sleep, speedy brain waves boost our ability to learn

ScienceDaily (Mar. 7, 2011) — Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the U.S., with more than 400,000 deaths each year attributable to smoking or its consequences. And yet teens still smoke. Indeed, smoking usually begins in the teen years, and approximately 80 percent of adult smokers became hooked by the time they were 18. Meanwhile, teens who don’t take up smoking usually never do.

Tobacco Smoking Impacts Teens’ Brains, Study Shows

GOT ZIJA®?!

~ Uncle Russ

ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2011) — In Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud argued that modern society was hard on human psychology, forcing people to get along in unnaturally close quarters. Now newly published research from The Rockefeller University points out a different discontent in the developed world, namely, the disruption of our natural sleep cycles, thanks to the ubiquity of electric lighting.

‘Round-the-Clock’ Lifestyle Could Disrupt Metabolism, Brain and Behavior

The portion of the brain responsible for visual reading doesn’t require vision at all, according to a new study published online on February 17 in Current Biology. Brain imaging studies of blind people as they read words in Braille show activity in precisely the same part of the brain that lights up when sighted readers read. The findings challenge the textbook notion that the brain is divided up into regions that are specialized for processing information coming in via one sense or another, the researchers say.

The brain as a ‘task machine’

Patients with schizophrenia who take antipsychotic medications appear to lose a small but measurable amount of brain tissue over time, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Antipsychotics for Schizophrenia Associated With Subtle Loss in Brain Volume

New research from the University of Toronto could provide some restful nights for the 18 million North Americans who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.

Brain can learn to overcome sleep apnea, scientists find

The human retina — the part of the eye that converts incoming light into electrochemical signals — has about 100 million light-sensitive cells. So retinal images contain a huge amount of data. High-level visual-processing tasks — like object recognition, gauging size and distance, or calculating the trajectory of a moving object — couldn’t possibly preserve all that data: The brain just doesn’t have enough neurons. So vision scientists have long assumed that the brain must somehow summarize the content of retinal images, reducing their informational load before passing them on to higher-order processes.

New mathematical model of brain information processing predicts some of vision peculiarities

There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain, and each one belongs to elaborate networks that control our behavior, thoughts and emotions. A message from a single neuron can have far-reaching consequences in other brain areas, but those connections are difficult to decipher with current technology.

Illuminating the brain: Technique stimulates brain cells, reveals how those neurons influence the rest

It’s the HFCS/porn corn, stupid!

~ Uncle Russ

 Unexpected results from a Scripps Research Institute and ModGene, LLC study could completely alter scientists’ ideas about Alzheimer’s disease—pointing to the liver instead of the brain as the source of the “amyloid” that deposits as brain plaques associated with this devastating condition.

Scripps Research study points to liver, not brain, as origin of Alzheimer’s plaques

Over the December holidays, my husband went on a 10-day silent meditation retreat. Not my idea of fun, but he came back rejuvenated and energetic.

How Meditation May Change the Brain

Professional chess players have long stumped fans with how they make killer moves so swiftly and intuitively, and a Japanese study published on Friday may have unlocked their secret.

Master chess players use hidden brain parts: study

The brain is indeed very powerful.

~ Uncle Russ

(PhysOrg.com) — The ability to remember the past and imagine the future can significantly affect a person’s decisions in life. Scientists refer to the brain’s ability to think about the past, present, and future as “chronesthesia,” or mental time travel, although little is known about which parts of the brain are responsible for these conscious experiences.

Scientists find evidence for ‘chronesthesia,’ or mental time travel

Scientists funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) have shown, for the first time, how our brain ‘wiring’ develops in the first few months of life. Using a new imaging technique, the scientists monitored the formation of insulating layers around nerve cells, a process called myelination, which is vital for normal brain function. Damage to the myelination process is believed to contribute to a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including autism and intellectual disability.

How brain ‘wiring’ develops in babies

GOT ZIJA®?!

~ Uncle Russ

People with a known, high risk for Alzheimer’s disease develop abnormal brain function even before the appearance of telltale amyloid plaques that are characteristic of the disease, according to a new study.

Brain changes in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s revealed in MRI scans

GOT ZIJA®?!

~ Uncle Russ

People with a known, high risk for Alzheimer’s disease develop abnormal brain function even before the appearance of telltale amyloid plaques that are characteristic of the disease, according to a new study.

MRI scans reveal brain changes in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s

It’s The HFCS/Porn Corn, Stupid.

~ Uncle Russ

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have pinpointed a tiny site in the brain where the hormone leptin may help trigger the onset of puberty.

Site in Brain Where Leptin May Trigger Puberty Identified

(PhysOrg.com) — New research from the UK shows the brain continues to develop after childhood and puberty, and is not fully developed until people are well into their 30s and 40s. The findings contradict current theories that the brain matures much earlier.

Brain is not fully mature until 30s and 40s

Working with human brain tissue removed in surgery, researchers have identified the components of a critical part of the brain’s architecture: the synapse, or junction where one neuron makes a connection with another.

In Map of Brain Junction, Avenues to Answers

ScienceDaily (Jan. 21, 2011) — A cold dose of fear lends an edge to the here-and-now — say, when things go bump in the night.

Stress, Anxiety Both Boon and Bane to Brain

A mother’s voice will preferentially activate the parts of the brain responsible for language learning, say researchers from the University of Montreal and the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Centre. The research team made the discovery after performing electrical recordings on the infants within the 24 hours following their birth. The brain signals also revealed that while the infants did react to other women’s voices, these sounds only activated the voice recognition parts of the brains.

Mom’s voice plays special role in activating newborn’s brain