Connection Between Obesity & Brain Function

July 12, 2010

Interview with Larry McCleary, M.D., author of the book Feed Your Brain Lose Your Belly

_______________

Mike Carruthers:
We all know there’s an obesity epidemic but something else is going on as well.

Dr. Larry McCleary:
We are seeing twin epidemics today and one is obesity and going hand-in-hand with that is lose of brain function and I think you see it from senior moments in adults to difficulty concentrating in kids.
  

Dr. Larry McCleary, author of the book Feed Your Brain Lose Your Belly, says these 2 things are very connected.

So brain problems and belly problems losing function in 1, gaining size in the other – that’s what we’re seeing and the hope is if you eat the right diet you will feed your brain and lose your belly.

And what is that diet? Well in many ways it’s your standard healthy diet.

It’s green leafy vegetables, fruits and vegetables all the colors of the rainbow like; red, orange, yellow and green peppers - it’s berries, brussel sprouts, kale, fresh meat and fish, some dairy is good. The things that you want to avoid are cereal, cakes, cookies, and soda pop.

But Larry says, we also need to eat more fat, healthy fat like fat from plants as well as fish oil.

If we eat those not only does the brain use them as an essential oil but also the brain turns them into energy. So we think more clearly and it suppresses appetite.