November 2021
Loretta T Friedman, RN,MS,DC,CCN,CNS,DACBN,DCBCN

You know that feeling of confusion, forgetfulness, and lack of focus you have every so often? Although “brain fog” is not a medically recognized term, it’s a common feeling that many people suffer with. But, even though many people experience it, brain fog is by no means normal. In fact, it is avoidable and 100% treatable. In this 8-part series, you’ll learn the main causes of brain fog and what you can do to get rid of that hazy feeling once and for all.

 

What Is Brain Fog?

When you’re feeling foggy, unfocused, disorganized, and like you just can’t think, your brain is sending an important signal that there’s an imbalance in your life that needs to be addressed. It affects your ability to think and you may find it difficult to put your thoughts into words.

 

The 8 Causes of Brain Fog

The causes of brain fog usually fall into two categories — lifestyle-related or a side effect of a medical condition or medication. Below are the eight main causes of brain fog and what you can do to prevent each one.

  • You Are Eating The Wrong Foods
  • Nutritional Deficiencies
  • Lack Of Quality Sleep
  • Chronic Stress
  • Physical Inactivity
  • Toxins In Your Home
  • Underlying Health Conditions
  • Prescription Drugs and OTC Medications

8 Ways To Eliminate Your Brain Fog Once And For All [Part 1]

You Are Eating the Wrong Foods

One of the first things you may think when your brain gets foggy is “Was it something I ate (or didn’t eat enough of)?” Eating the wrong foods is by far, the most common cause of brain fog. But luckily, it’s also the one that’s easiest to fix!

Watch Out For Sugar

Your brain uses glucose (sugar) as fuel, but refined carbohydrates like sugar and high fructose corn syrup are not good sources of fuel. Your brain gets a burst of too much glucose, then too little.

Low glucose in your brain leads to brain fog, mood swings, irritability, tiredness, mental confusion, and impaired judgment. On the other hand, high blood glucose levels lead to insulin resistance and diabetes, both of which have been linked to Alzheimer’s.

Increase The Fat In Your Diet

That wasn’t a typo. If glucose is the fuel for your brain, then fat is the “super fuel”. Your brain is comprised of 60% fat, which is why low-fat diets have failed so disastrously, both for our weights and for our brains. Fat helps the brain produce the raw materials it needs to create essential brain chemicals. This is why there low-fat diets are so awful – without enough fat, the brain will literally consume itself. When you don’t eat enough healthy fats, the brain uses itself for fuel.

To keep your brain healthy and to get rid of brain fog, we recommend a diet of roughly 50% healthy fat from nuts, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, wild salmon, eggs, and grass-fed meat.

Get Rid of Vegetable Oils

Note that the list above does not include vegetable oils like sunflower, safflower or canola oil.

Canola oil especially is high in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids which contribute to brain inflammation. Brain inflammation can be an underlying cause of not only brain fog, but also ADHD, anxiety, depression, and memory loss, as well as serious neurological diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer’s. And you don’t need to be concerned about dietary cholesterol being bad for your brain.

Your brain contains a lot of cholesterol and too little of it increases your risk of dementia, depression, and even suicide. Avoiding dietary cholesterol not only puts your brain at risk, but also your life.

Being mindful of what you eat is a huge part of reducing brain fog and getting your brain back on track. There are 3 ways to ensure you’re eating the proper foods to keep your brain healthy. 1) Watch out for added sugars in your foods; 2) eat more healthy fats; and 3) remove vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, etc.) from your diet.