Do you have an overwhelming feeling of “fogginess” in your brain? Maybe it feels like an inability to focus, a decrease in your memory, challenges thinking logically, problem solving, and reasoning. It might also feel like overwhelming stress, anxiety, or depression. These symptoms, when occurring together for extended times, are often referred to as “brain fog.” This is a common experience, one that many people are challenged with daily, and something I see in my practice with a considerable amount of my clients.
If you rely on your brain to perform optimally in your personal and professional lives (which is like…everyone), brain fog can be debilitating. It can inhibit your ability to be creative, to think effectively, and can be detrimental to your overall productivity. I get the questions all the time, “can my diet be contributing to my brain fog?” (Spoiler alert: yes), or “how can I clean up my diet to cure my brain fog?” (No spoiler alert on this one…gotta keep reading). So I wanted to write a blog on this topic, helping you to understand what dietary patterns might be causing these fuzzy feelings, and how you can use your diet to prevent, or improve these debilitating symptoms.
Brain Inflamed
“Here we go, Patricia talking about chronic inflammation again”-you, probably. As I have mentioned before, chronic inflammation is a cognitive killer, and brain fog is the perfect example. Most likely if you’re experiencing brain fog, it’s because your brain is inflamed.
If you remember from my original post on inflammation, when there is a chronic inflammatory response in the body, the brain starts to experience inflammation as well. The cytokines, the immune system’s messenger cells, make their way through the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), and signal to the brain’s immune system to start producing inflammation (Marsland et al., 2015). When this inflammatory response begins, processes in the brain that regulate cognitive functions such as memory, attention, problem solving or reasoning start to become “slowed down.” When this happens, we’re not able to think clearly, focus, or remember as well as we should. So what causes this inflammatory response in the body and brain? There are a few culprits..
- Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain: as you remember from my gut-brain blog, the gut regulates the immune system. When the gut lining is impaired through diet, lifestyle, or other factors, particles that are typically kept within the gut are able to make their way into circulation. The body recognizes these particles as “invaders” and starts to produce inflammation as a way to fight them off. When someone has leaky gut, it is likely they will also start to experience “leaky brain,” because the body’s inflammatory response as a result of having a chronically leaky gut will disrupt the BBB, and result in brain fog symptoms among other cognitive disruptions (Cenit, Sanz, & Codoñer-French, 2017).
- Environmental Toxins: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we live in a dirty world. We are exposed to toxins regularly, both through the environment that we’re in (the air we breathe, the water we drink, the moldy homes/offices we frequent), and the foods that we consume. Environmental toxins can include mold, lead, arsenic, and chromium among many others. While it’s important that we regulate our environment to the best that we can (through filtering our water, and using a high quality air purifier), what’s just as important, and maybe a bit more frightening is becoming aware of the toxins that we consume regularly through our food supply. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that is found in many plastics. It is considered an “endocrine disrupter” because of its effects on the body’s endocrine system, but it is also linked to an increased inflammatory response and oxidative stress (Cho et al., 2018). BPA is found in plastic food containers, water bottles, cans (like soda cans, or canned vegetables/beans/fruit), plastic wraps, and plenty of other hidden places. It has been estimated that Americans males and females consume on average 113743 and 94283 microplastic particles annually, respectively (Cox et al., 2020). That number is even higher for those who only drink out of plastic bottles!
Glyphosate is another commonly consumed toxin to watch out for. It is the most commonly used herbicide worldwide, and its consumption is linked to gut microbiome dysfunction and inflammation (Rueda-Ruzafa et al., 2019). Unfortunately, this cognitive killer is hiding in several food sources that we commonly consume. Foods such as oats, cereals, pasta, corn, soybeans, kidney and pinto beans, chickpeas, and even some beer and wine can be highly contaminated with this toxin (Temkin & Naidenko, 2019). - An Inflammatory Diet: certain foods that we consume are inflammatory in nature. For example, the typical “Western Style Diet” or the “Standard American Diet” has been shown to rapidly produce chronic inflammation (Leigh & Morris, 2020). This type of dietary pattern is high in foods rich in processed fats, simple sugars, and food additives, and low in beneficial vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients such as fiber. Think foods like Big Macs, Doritos, Oreos, Pepsi, Skittles, Fruity Pebbles, and even the “healthy” options like Kind bars (which are one of the foods highest in Glyphosate, btw!). For the average American (and those in countries who are also beginning to adopt this diet pattern..), these foods make up around 60% of our diet! No wonder so many people are complaining about brain fog…
Clear the Fog
If you’re here (and have made it this far..) it’s because you’re tired of feeling foggy. You’re ready to think clearly, have undisturbed focus, and improve your overall productivity. Here are a few of the tips I use with my clients who are suffering with brain fog to help them take control of their diet, improve their chronic inflammation, and clear the fog.
- Support Gut Health: by consuming regular gut-supporting foods, we can improve dysbiosis and intestinal permeability. These foods can include: fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, Kefir, or tempeh, prebiotic fiber such as onions, garlic, leeks, and asparagus, and polyphenols such as cocoa, extra virgin olive oil, and organic berries.
- Be Aware of Toxins: look for BPA free labels on plastics, switch to glass or metal bottles and food containers, and opt for organic produce whenever possible. You can check the Environmental Working Group’s website for regular updates on common products that contain high levels of glyphosate.
- Consume Mainly Fresh, Whole Foods: foods such as non-starchy vegetables, clean meat sources, nuts, seeds, and low GI fruits all contain great anti-inflammatory properties which can help to fight chronic inflammation. By consuming more of these foods, you will be less likely to consume the inflammatory foods discussed above, and it will improve your chances at decreasing the amount of adipose tissue on your body. A win-win in the fight against chronic inflammation!
When I implement these tips with my clients, they start to see immediate improvements. It’s like the sun coming up over the Golden Gate bridge on a foggy San Francisco morning (my West Coasters can picture this exact scenario). You deserve to feel the fog lifting over your brain, so that you can reach your Peak.
If you want to learn more about how I can help you to implement these dietary changes, improve your mental performance, and reach your Peak, sign up for a FREE 30 minute coaching call with me. I promise you’ll walk away with plenty of information, and actionable tips you can implement immediately to start on your journey to your Peak. To sign up for your free session, click here.
Did you find this article helpful? Leave me a comment and let me know!
References
Cenit, M. C., Sanz, Y., & Codoñer-Franch, P. (2017). Influence of gut microbiota on neuropsychiatric disorders. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 23(30), 5486. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v23.i30.5486
Cho, Y. J., Park, S. B., Park, J. W., Oh, S. R., & Han, M. (2018). Bisphenol A modulates inflammation and proliferation pathway in human endometrial stromal cells by inducing oxidative stress. Reproductive Toxicology, 81, 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2018.06.016
Cox, K. D., Covernton, G. A., Davies, H. L., Dower, J. F., Juanes, F., & Dudas, S. E. (2020). Correction to Human Consumption of Microplastics. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(17), 10974. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c04032
Leigh, S. J., & Morris, M. J. (2020). Diet, inflammation and the gut microbiome: Mechanisms for obesity-associated cognitive impairment. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Molecular Basis of Disease, 1866(6), 165767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2020.165767
Marsland, A. L., Gianaros, P. J., Kuan, D. C. H., Sheu, L. K., Krajina, K., & Manuck, S. B. (2015). Brain morphology links systemic inflammation to cognitive function in midlife adults. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 48, 195–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2015.03.015
Rueda-Ruzafa, L., Cruz, F., Roman, P., & Cardona, D. (2019b). Gut microbiota and neurological effects of glyphosate. NeuroToxicology, 75, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2019.08.006
Temkin, A., & Naidenko, O. (2019, February 28). Glyphosate Contamination in Food Goes Far Beyond Oat Products. Environmental Working Group. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/glyphosate-contamination-food-goes-far-beyond-oat-products