May we never forget
September 11, 2001, is a day that most of us will never forget. I can’t believe that it’s been 22 years since we anxiously learned of the horror that had been inflicted on the beautiful Twin Towers.
I was sitting in my high school Government and Law class (ironic, right?) when we were told there was an attack in NYC. I don’t think anyone could wrap their heads around what had happened and what was about to happen. We were kids. We had no idea how our country would forever be changed.
May we never forget the men, women, children, and animals that lost their lives on that tragic day.
A few years back, I had the honor of visiting the memorial. It was still under construction at the time, but it was spectacular. It was horrific and beautiful, all at the same time.
I also was able to take a tour through the city with one of the firemen who was amongst the first to the site on that day. Hearing his first-hand account is something I will never forget. It chills me to the core every time I think about it.
I am so sad that this memorial was closed. I hope it reopens one day as a tribute to those who lost their lives and also as a way to keep their memory alive.
Memorials are designed to do that just. They are physical reminders of people, places, events, or anything else that once was.
Memories are funny things, aren't they?
I thought this would be a great topic for today’s article as we think back to a much simpler time. Before things got all crazy and weird.
Memory, they say, is one of the things that separates us from animals. Many people feel this is one of the reasons why we as humans are superior to animals.
I have to tell you, after spending much time up close and personal with various animals, that view could not be further from the truth. Animals do have memories. Many of them remember faces. They remember their family and who was mean or kind to them. Some of their memories even haunt them, just like ours.
What are memories anyways?
We could get all science-y today, but you know what? I’m just going to focus on the idea of memories and what they represent.
Memories make us who we are. They are what makes us different from every other human on the planet. They shape who we are and what we want to become.
Memories keep us safe and they protect us from doing the same stupid things over and over again.
Memories also allow us to keep our loved ones close, even if they are far away or have left this physical world.
When our memory starts to “go”, we often attribute it to getting older. We accept forgetfulness as a normal part of aging.
What if it wasn’t?
What if we become more forgetful as we stop learning new things and stop having new experiences? What if the food we eat limits our ability to build new neural connections which makes us more forgetful?
What if this is all just a coincidence that it happens as we get older? What if the two were independent factors?
We know that learning new skills and working in jobs where we are consistently exposed to new things helps to “slow down” the aging process. One of the reasons that people’s health often deteriorates after they retire is that they stop learning, challenging their minds, and doing new things.
Additionally, as we get older, people often are not as active and often do not eat the same foods as they did in their younger years. Most assisted living facilities serve highly processed foods and meals that do not meet the nutritional requirements of older adults. Could this play a role?
From that perspective, it only makes sense that memory would decline.
I’m starting to challenge the idea that disease, cognitive decline, and forgetfulness are parts of “normal” aging.
When we look at diseases that affect our ability to think and remember clearly, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) probably comes to mind. AD is the most common cause of dementia. It makes a person’s life unrecognizable. Over 6 million Americans are living with AD and that number is expected to at least double by 2060.
We need to do more. Most people, including doctors, believe AD is genetic and there’s nothing anyone can do to prevent it.
I think that claim is unacceptable.
There is a lot that we can do to help preserve our memory and it starts with what we eat.
How would you feel if you learned that AD could be prevented or reversed in many cases by changing your diet?
Seems too good to be true, doesn’t it?
It’s not. We know that the food we eat, as well as how we live our lives, impacts brain health in major ways. Every bite you take either contributes to disease or helps to prevent it, this includes AD.
What’s good for your heart is good for your brain.
What’s good for your brain is good for your gut.
What’s good for your gut is good for your heart.
What’s good for your muscles is good for your lungs.
What’s good for your lungs is good for your liver.
What’s good for our liver is good for your gut.
It’s all connected. One of the reasons it seems that health is so complicated is that we’re taught that you do certain things for heart health and other things for your brain. That could not be further from the truth!
Sure, some nutrients are needed in high quantities for each organ, but that shouldn’t stop you or cause confusion.
Let’s start with the basics:
Ditch ultra-processed foods.
Eat more whole foods in their natural state.
Test your blood to see if you have any nutrient deficiencies and then work to correct them.
Sleep.
Eliminate added sugar, alcohol, and fried foods.
Drink more water.
Spend time in the sun.
Make friends and enjoy time with your family doing things you love.
Protecting your memory is simple. All those things will absolutely contribute to a better brain. If you want to dig deeper or if you are at risk for developing AD, check out this really cool quiz from Dr. Amen and the Amen Clinics. It will go through risk factors and give you a score plus things you can do right now to optimize your brain health.
It’s time to step up our health. We can be doing more instead of sitting idly on the sidelines, waiting for disease or old age to creep in. Use this time to build a better brain!