What Kind of Fat Does Your Brain Need?

Your brain needs essential fatty acids (EFAs) to function properly. Because your body can’t produce them, you have to get EFAs from your diet. The two primary EFAs are linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3). You get omega-6 mostly from plant oils such as corn, soybean, and sunflower, as well as from nuts and seeds.

Omega-3 fats are especially important for improving brain function, inflammation, and vision among many other things. There are three main types of omega-3s:

• ALA can be found in foods like chia and flax seed.
• EPA and DHA are naturally found in marine food sources, including fatty fish – salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring – shellfish, and marine algae.

As you may know, the saturated and trans fats found in abundance in processed and fast foods are known to raise blood levels of unhealthy cholesterol.  According to Dr. Francine Grodstein, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.:

We know that’s bad for your heart. There is now a lot of evidence that it’s also bad for your brain.”  

Fats to Avoid

Vegetable and seed oils

Canola, corn, soybean, grapeseed, safflower, peanut oil, palm, cottonseed, and vegetable oils should all be avoided as they’ are highly processed, many of them are GMO, and they contribute to inflammation in the body due to their fatty acid profiles. These types of oils are the kind most frequently used in most restaurants, especially for frying, but they can also be in seemingly healthy foods – like salad dressings. You have to read the ingredient labels on food. When eating out, don’t be a be afraid to ask what oils are used in the food and request a healthier alternative.

Anything hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated

Hydrogenating is a chemical process where vegetable oils are turned into solid fats (like margarine and vegetable shortening) for easier use in packaged and prepared goods. The process actually converts the oils into trans fats, which are extremely bad for you. Science shows these fats increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, promote insulin resistance and inflammation, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, every 2 percent of calories of your diet from trans fats increases the risk of heart disease by a staggering 23 percent.

Sources of fat from conventionally produced meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy

Basically, you’re eating whatever the animal you consume is eating.  Think about it. If you’re eating beef from feedlot cows and chicken from overcrowded hen houses, you’re getting poor-quality fats from them, due to the junk they’re fed – not to mention all the hormones and antibiotics. The same rule applies to the eggs and dairy you ingest. The quality of life and diet of the animals and animal products you consume drastically alters their health benefit to you.

Fish that are high in mercury and other toxins

Larger fish are higher on the food chain in the ocean — think swordfish, Chilean sea bass, halibut, and tuna. So, they accumulate more mercury and toxins, like PCBs, from all the smaller fish they eat.

Your brain needs fat. In fact, science shows that low-fat diets increase dementia risks.