Lately I’ve been in a slight mental fog. I’m thinking/hoping maybe it’s just because of the lull after the storm called ‘the holidays’; maybe it’s the fact that a year has come and gone and the beginning of a new one is upon us? Whatever the cause may be, I need to – I want to get out of it!

Some simple common causes of mental fog, aka brain fog are things like stress, physical/mental fatigue, and depression, lack of sleep, nutrient deficiency, dehydration and allergy to certain foods. More intense causes range widely from heavy metal toxicity to poor gut health. If you don’t feel better after trying to eliminate common causes associated with brain fog, you might want to opt to have your blood screened for a more in depth diagnosis.

Now that you know what might be causing your mental fog and lack motivation, here are a few simple things you can do to improve your brain health.

Daily steps to calm your thoughts:

– Sitting quietly letting your mind wander and let it go – meditation

– Take a 10-minute walk, just a short walk alone can decompress and clear your mind

– “Fun 15”, take 15 minutes all for yourself every day, sound too easy? Try it anyway!

Drink enough water – half your body weight in ounces every day! (150 pounds = 75 ounces etc.)

Eat nutrient dense foods:

– Citrus, greens and other vegetables for vitamins C, E, & B, & rich in zinc

– Essential fatty acids – fish, avocados, flax and olive oils, other nut and seed oils, whole nuts & seeds.

Try the tips listed above and see if your fogginess improves.

Being in a mental fog isn’t normal nor healthy. Some people have felt this way for so long that it feels normal to them, yet uncomfortable. Temporary fogginess has become somewhat natural in the toils of daily life, but it should never last; the body should have ways of adjusting out of it, not to it. As we find gadgets intended to simplify our lives, we often find ourselves more stressed by these little distractions; it shouldn’t be that way – it doesn’t have to be that way.

If you feel like you’ve been constantly foggy for a while or even if it happens occasionally on and off, you can benefit from learning what foods and lifestyle choices influence how you feel or function through working with me.

Sprouting is easy and extremely nutritious. When beans and seeds are sprouted they offer more nutrients than when they’re cooked. You can add sprouts to salad, soup, grain dishes, bean dishes or eat them as a nutritious snack as I often do. You know those times when you feel like nibbling but don’t want to make poor choices? Nibble sprouts!

All you need to begin sprouting is: A mason jar, a square of plastic canvas found at craft stores (if you decide to sprout seeds such as Jonathan or brocco-seeds you can buy a finer mesh plastic canvas) Lentils and Mung beans (aka Moong beans)

Cut a piece of canvas to fit inside the screw part of the mason jar to replace the solid top.

Add 1/8 cup mung beans or ¼ cup lentils to the jar, put the newly designed cover on top, fill it with water to rinse the beans once then add enough water to cover the beans. Place out-of-the-way to soak 8-12 hours, over night works well. Empty and rinse the beans, drain well and lay jar on it’s side out of sunlight. Rinse and drain beans twice a day for 3-4 days until you see sprouts. When they’re fully sprouted, rinse and drain them then spread them out on a clean kitchen towel for about 1 hour to air dry well. After they’re dry store them in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Enjoy eating them alone or in a variety of dishes!

If you find that you love sprouting you can find safe seeds to sprout here: http://sproutpeople.org/

Important tip: You should never sprout seeds that aren’t meant for eating such as vegetable seeds from the garden center. They’re only used for gardening and aren’t safe to be used for sprouting in this manner.

Last night, around dinner time I wasn’t feeling particularly creative or inspired to cook, but I did anyway. My pantry consists of a lot of dried beans, several different types of whole grains, many non-wheat flours, nuts, seeds, seaweeds, rices, hot sauces, canned tomatoes and stuff like that; things that my kids, though grown, walk into and tell me there’s no food. Most of what I have has to be pre-pared and I’m fien with that. My eldest son is staying with me temporarily and he eats like a typical guy does, a lot. On a whim I bought Near East rice pilaf so he could easily prepare it when he has to fend for himself. Well, last night, not feeling much like cooking, I made the rice pilaf to go with the local beef tips and steamed Brussels sprouts-healthy, yes? NO!

I found a few years back that I’m particularly sensitive to MSG, highly sensitive! I didn’t see it on the ingredient label so I was safe or so I thought. About an hour after eating I was feeling a dull headache that within a very short time became hard hitting; it felt like my entire forehead and temples on the inside was on fire! Soon, the slightest light pierced my eyes – my head felt like it was about to explode and to be honest, the thought of my head exploding was a welcomed, comforting thought; just get it out!

I tried drinking lots of water to flush it out with no success. I tried herbal tea, laying on the floor, feet raised, eyes closed but the intense pounding continued. It was fairly early, for me anyways, but I had to go to bed; I needed to lay in a very dark, very quiet place. I ended up having to take one of my migraine prescription tablets against my personal preference but fortunately about 4 hours later it worked.

What was in this rice mixture that disguised itself as MSG anyway? Upon looking into it further I found that it contains autolyzed yeast extract, (Yeast extract contains naturally occurring glutamic acid, of which monosodium glutamate is a concentrated salt form). This doesn’t have to be labeled MSG unless there is more than 78% of it in a product.

Beware. If you suffer from headaches and you’re not sure what you triggers are, it could be MSG, it’s not uncommon. There are many foods that are headache triggers and finding out which ones might be triggering yours can make a world of difference in your life! Find a way to make it go away. If you need help figuring out what ails you, I can help. Contact me anytime!

* to learn that many names and disguises of MSG, click here: http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html