healthy caregiver blog

The other night I had a mini-panic attack when I tried remembering a friend’s name. Suzanna was leaving the next day for Mexico and I wanted to wish her bon voyage. I was out and about, and planning to call her on my cell phone. I went through the alphabet, hoping that would ring a bell. Eventually I “got it.” But it took several minutes, not seconds. It is moments like these that make you wonder if you’re developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or the disease we Baby Boomers all fear most: Alzheimer’s disease.

What causes senior moments?

• Lack of sleep can fog the brain
• Inadequate nutrition. When your blood sugar is low your brain doesn’t work efficiently. People who are stressed crave and overeat soda, candy, chips, cookies, bread and pasta for a temporary lift. But eating refined carbs causes a blood sugar crash a couple hours later, leaving you tired and moody, and your brain on “burn-out.” Make sure you eat protein with every meal, and snack. This will help regulate your blood sugar. If you need a nutritional boost, consider a chromium and/or alpha lipoic acid supplement.
• A deficiency in the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Foods than enhance norepinephrine: Almonds, apples, avocado, bananas, beef liver, cheese, fish, green veggies, lean meat, nuts, grains, pineapple, poultry, tofu.
• Low-thyroid function (hypothyroidism) can result in poor short-term memory, so if you suspect that this might be your problem, have your thyroid hormones checked. (Other symptoms of hypothyroidism include weight gain, dry skin and hair, brittle nails, cold hands and feet, poor immunity, fatigue, insomnia, and the list goes on and on.
• Inadequate B vitamins, especially B-12, can cause poor brain and memory function.
• Dehydration. Did you know that your body is 75 percent water? The average person sweats and/or urinates approximately 2.5 quarts of water every day. So you must replace those 2.5 quarts of water every day, or your brain will be dehydrated and not work efficiently. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
• Hormonal imbalance can result in brain fog, especially in perimenopausal and menopausal women.

Foods that boost your memory

• These foods contain anthocyanin, a phytochemical that supports healthy brain function: blueberries, apples, spinach, onions, rosemary, cherries, and red beets.
• Wild-caught salmon, walnuts, and olive oil contain essential fatty acids, which are crucial to a good memory.
• Folate (a B-vitamin) boosts memory, and is found in whole wheat, wheat germ and brain, sunflower seeds and peanuts.
• Fisetin is a flavonoid that supports memory. It is found in strawberries, tomatoes, onions, oranges, apples, kiwi, persimmons, grapes and peaches.

Nutritional supplements that boost brain power

Ginkgo biloba is one of the most popular nutritional supplements in the world, and it’s no wonder. It has a 5000 year-old history of safe and effective use. Recent clinical evidence indicates it improves circulation throughout the body, especially to the brain, protects against free radicals and enhances mood. Ginkgo has an added benefit. It enhances your sex life as a result of increased blood circulation! 

Ginkgo actually increases brain matter!

A recent study at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that Ginkgo biloba extract increases cerebral blood flow. MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) performed on nine healthy men between the ages of 51 and 71 were taken at the beginning of the study and after four weeks of taking 60 mg. of ginkgo twice a day. The results showed there was a significant increase of cerebral blood flow in all areas of the brain, with a 15% increase in white brain matter and a 13% increase in gray matter.

Vinpocetine is a potent memory enhancer.

This herbal extract is from the periwinkle plant and works by supporting blood flow in the brain, increasing brain cell ATP production (ATP is the cellular energy molecule), and increasing the brain’s use of glucose and oxygen.

 Exercise!

Don’t forget that whatever is good for the heart is good for the brain. Exercise gets your heart pumped and supports healthy circulation. Although the brain makes up only about 5 percent of our total body’s mass, it consumes 20 percent of the oxygen carried in our blood. Since the brain doesn’t have any internal energy stores like muscle and other tissues do, all its metabolic needs must be met through the continuous flow of blood. So get your body moving and you heart pumping blood. Your brain depends on it.

Welcome to my blog! I spent a decade caring for my husband who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at 59, and died last year at 70 years old.

I don’t need to tell you how difficult it is to do your job. But what I’d like to give you is a bag of tools you can use to help yourself stay healthy.  I have a certificate from Bauman College of Nutrition in nutrition education, and have been a professional writer/researcher for manufacturers of nutritional supplements for 14 years. I will provide you with suggestions for how to eat in order to prevent stress, burn-out and illness and disease, as well as complementary modalities that can help you and the person you are caring for.

Why? Simply put–the stress of care giving can result in chronic disease for the caregiver and take as many as 10 years off one’s life. And YOU—the caregiver—often neglect your own selfcare by sleeping less, eating too much or too little, not exercising or not managing your own health problems.

I welcome questions and will answer them the best I can. I will provide meal suggestions, recipes, recommended healing modalities and more.

First and foremost, it’s absolutely crucial that you start your day with an energizing breakfast! Include protein, fat and complex carbohydrates. It’s also important to eat within 1 hour upon rising, and by 10 am. Instead of eating a bowl of cereal and skim milk, make yourself a 2-egg omelet with veggies (kale is king, and is my favorite), 1 slice of whole grain toast with butter, and 1 cup of fresh fruit. Since it’s important to eat at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies each day, including a vegetable with breakfast will give you a head start.

Here’s my favorite breakfast for autumn and winter:

Fried eggs over tortilla

2 cups of washed and cut kale sauteed in olive oil (add onions and garlic for more flavor, if desired)

1/4 cup prepared or canned beans (black, pinto or kidney)

1 corn tortilla

1 or 2 easy-over eggs

Use a large skillet and cook everything in the same pan. You can add a sprinkle of cheese, some salsa, sliced tomato. Top it off with half a grapefruit or orange slices on the side.

It sounds like a big deal to make this breakfast, especially when you are caring for someone. But it only takes 10 minutes, and it’s worth it. This breakfast is jam-packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, complex carbs, and the calories you need to get you through the morning. Bon appetite!

Dear Caregiver,

Welcome to my blog! I spent a decade caring for my husband who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at 59, and died last year at 70 years old.

I don’t need to tell you how difficult it is to do your job. But what I’d like to give you is a bag of tools you can use to help yourself stay healthy.  I have a certificate from Bauman College of Nutrition in nutrition education, and have been a professional writer/researcher for manufacturers of nutritional supplements for 14 years. I will provide you with suggestions for how to eat in order to prevent stress, burn-out and illness and disease, as well as complementary modalities that can help you and the person you are caring for.

Why? Simply put–the stress of care giving can result in chronic disease for the caregiver and take as many as 10 years off one’s life. And YOU—the caregiver—often neglect your own selfcare by sleeping less, eating too much or too little, not exercising or not managing your own health problems.

I welcome questions and will answer them the best I can. I will provide meal suggestions, recipes, recommended healing modalities and more.

First and foremost, it’s absolutely crucial that you start your day with an energizing breakfast! Include protein, fat and complex carbohydrates. It’s also important to eat within 1 hour upon rising, and by 10am. Instead of eating a bowl of cereal and skim milk, make yourself a 2-egg omelet with veggies (kale is king, and is my favorite), 1 slice of whole grain toast with butter, and 1 cup of fresh fruit. Since it’s important to eat at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies each day, including a vegetable with breakfast will give you a head start.

Here’s my favorite breakfast for autumn and winter:

2 cups of washed and cut kale sauteed in olive oil (add onions and garlic for more flavor, if desired)

1/4 cup prepared beans (black, pinto or kidney)

1 corn tortilla

1 ot 2 easy over eggs

Use a large skillet and cook everything in the same pan. You can add a sprinkle of cheese, some salsa, sliced tomato. Top it off with half a grapefruit or orange slices on the side.

It sounds like a big deal to make this breakfast, especially when you are caring for someone. But this breakfast is jam-packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, complex carbs, and the calories you need to get you through the morning. Bon appetite!