What we eat affects our learning and memory

What we eat affects our learning and memory

Last week I met up with a former post graduate student and was most impressed that he remembered my diet that we had discussed many years back. He asked if I was still having the same breakfast diet that I shared with him in UK, where I had  the honour of also presenting him a scroll for his Master’s degree.  He recalled it to the letter and had been following the same recipe for years! He says it provided both energy and nutrition for the start of the day. It saved him time, as he could ‘drink’ it on the way to work.

It also gave him the stamina he needed to regularly, jog several kilometres every morning. He also embarks on a quarterly or half marathon on weekends.

It’s not so much that we still share the same breakfast menu, but that he remembered a lecture that I gave on nutrition, attention, learning and memory – and the statement “that we become what we eat”. The fact that brain diseases like dementia can slowly develop over 20 years. New research shows that our mental energy, ability to focus and pay attention – all can be affected by nutrition, exercise and sleep!

For this blog, let me focus now more on diet & nutrition, and for a later blog we will look at exercise and sleep. In my recent book “The Leadership Brain”, I include a chapter on the ‘Learning Leader’ and  present 9 principles to help learners learn more and faster. The Principle on learning and diet for this blog include foods to consume that help our attention, memory  and recall.

So what nutrients should we include in our diet? We know that glucose in critical to brain energy as the brain utilizes more glucose than, any other part of the body. But glucose is converted from the sugars we consume and fructose (fruit sugar) is more efficient.  Best sources for this are fruits like bananas, (also high potassium) apples, dates, raisins, berries, papaya – but not too much – as it might overwork the liver which metabolizes fructose. Glucose also comes from sucrose or starchy sugars, which comes from carbohydrates. The complex carbohydrates in corn, potatoes, or whole grains are slower in conversion to glucose, but also important.  

Other ‘micronutrients’ important for the learning brain, are:  mono-unsaturated fatty acids – like Omega 3, EFA’s, DHA/EPA – from fish or krill oil, tree nuts (almonds and walnuts), some seeds, like sunflower seeds, and primrose oil. Potassium (Bananas, Pistachio nuts) carries oxygen to the brain, whereas Magnesium (Pumpkin and Sesame seeds) helps prevent dementia, as also does Vitamin E (Almonds and Hazelnuts).  Also, micronutrients, like lutein, (spinach, eggs, citrus fruits) or flavenols (tea, wine, broccoli) are helpful. Caffeine (20mg or 2 strong coffees) is not only a stimulant, but also enhances memory. However, we need to drink our coffee about one hour after our learning, and not at night time, if we want a good night’s sleep!

Various minerals and trace elements are also critical. These include: Calcium, Iodine, Thyroid  hormone, Iron, Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium and anti-oxidants. Sources for some of these include potatoes, spinach, orange, apricots and prunes and cashew nuts. Thus, if we consume some of these nutrients, regularly, we will improve our memory, well into old age. However this all needs serious dietary planning!

From the various foods listed in my breakfast, you can see that there are complex carbohydrates, protein, fibre, and a several vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids.

As we are creatures of habit, it is perhaps more on whether we follow healthy habits, rather than the opposite. So what is my breakfast habit that has not changed much over the last 10 years? I of course have to share with you this healthy (but maybe boring recipe) But I do have some variations, depending on the ‘fruits that are seasonal’, as well as less expensive. So here it is! Try it out for a few weeks, and let me know how you feel. My student tried it years ago – and never gave up!

RECIPE –MY DAILY BREAKFAST

Ingredients Basic Homemade Muesli Miix (for 2 to 3 weeks) -        Rolled Organic Oats (500g) -          Wheat bran (100 grams – 1 packet) -          Oat Bran (100 grams – 1 packet) optional -          Raisins (200 grams – 1 packet) -          Mixed of chopped nuts and seeds (300 gm) Mix and keep in a large airtight glass jar. Ingredients for daily mix 1 cup of Muesli mix 2 cups of selected fresh mix fruits* 1 small cup of yogurt 1 raw egg 1 cup of water (can be replaced with Dark grape juice – if it is too bland or not sweet enough for you).  Instructions: BLEND for 40 – 60 seconds, and ‘VOILA’  Breakfast is ready! * I select fruits depending on season and availability – a dark red apple with, or a banana, riped papaya or pineapple. I also use  5 – 6 wild figs which grows outside my house but you need it to boil them first.

'Soft' Sciences ignored in our education system.

Arts or Science education? Which path should young people follow? Why do students seem to prefer an ‘Arts’ stream to follow, over ‘Science’?  Why has Exxon Mobil donated over USD110 million to the ‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths’ (STEM) study initiatives in Malaysia this year, bringing the total contribution of USD 600 thousand (RM2.4 million) since 2010?

As reported in the media this week, they say “As a company which depends on technology as its life-blood, Exxon Mobile understands the need to support and promote an interest in STEM, among young people, wherever we operate”.   As their Chairman went on to add – “we rely heavily on Scientific, Engineers, and Researchers to find, develop and produce the much-needed oil and natural gas resources in a safe, reliable and efficient way while at the same time minimizing environmental impacts.”

As the primary sponsor of the National Science Challenge, Exxon Mobil contributed funding for the Academy of Sciences Malaysia for this annual challenge.

But how will such contributions stimulate the young to follow a science stream, when perceptions are that an ‘Arts Stream’ is so much easier?  Perhaps a future workforce, to become skilled in STEM, will help the economy with its technological challenges.

Should we encourage children from young to embrace technology more? When we give our 5 or 6 -year olds an IPAD? Is this a good way?  They may grow up to be tech savvy but become less socially adept – lacking the development of socio-emotional and interpersonal skills. Is this a healthy balance? What should this balance entail?

On another note – science  the ‘social sciences’ which incorporates the behavioural sciences of sociology, psychology and such related areas of understanding how our culture, personality, gender or generational differences influence individual and group behaviours. All so essential for teamwork and leadership. For example, engineers may become excellent in planning, design and project management, but once they have to hire, motivate and lead a diverse team of generation Y people, of different ethnicities, gender and personality types, they may not do as well.  

Should not the STEM initiative include under ‘science’, both the ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ skills? After all – Neuroscience, Biology, Brain Physiology, and why we each develop different personalities may be equally important to know. Even engineers need to understand their own cultural and personality traits or preferences, and what drives them to excel in different areas. Not all engineers may be interested in developing these ‘soft’ skills – but eventually, they may find themselves having to be a team player, or even a leader, counsellor, coach or mentor. I feel science studies should be more ‘wholistic’ and include Biology, Sociology, Psychology and the growing discipline of Neuroscience, all of which need a fundamental knowledge of  chemistry and maths. If we were to develop a science school curricula that was more wholistic and use ‘project based learning’ that incorporates all the above – then student’s may suddenly become much more interested and motivated to embrace a more ‘meaningful’ approach to science. What I call a pragmatic approach to life-skills development. A more ‘whole brained’ approach to learning – where both logic and our emotions are better understood and where, nature, aesthetics,and beauty can also be appreciated. What we might call a more ‘enriched’ learning environment.

So these are some ideas for my ‘maiden’ blog. I look forward to your ideas and insights  and shared wisdom. I am also editing a new book on ‘learning’, inspired by the several provocative articles published  in the International Journal of Inter-Disciplinary Learning (IJIL). You can check this out in the  Cambridge Global Learning, UK – website:www.cambridgegl.co.uk