If you think a meal is only delicious with gluten, those days are gone. There are many healthy alternatives to all types of food on the market today. It is not too late to be healthier. I will explain how to build a stronger, healthier brain which can fight against brain diseases, memory loss and cognitive insufficiency. You could have experienced a serious brain disease in the past or could still have one; even so it is not too late for you. I will share a few tips to support brain health. For a healthy brain, eating amino acids rich in protein, healthy sugar found in healthy carbohydrates, essential fatty acids in healthy fats, brain-friendly foods rich in vitamins and minerals should be a habit for you.

You can find the effects of excessive gluten consumption and things that should be paid attention to for a healthier life without gluten along with tips for alternative healthy foods below.

Gluten and mental health

It can be very difficult to live a life without gluten like I have said before. Especially when we consider food containing gluten is increasing day by day, it can be a little bit scary. However, the good news is that the world is full of natural, gluten-free food.

In a recent research, experts revealed that gluten intolerance and celiac disease can be related to schizophrenia and psychosis. Scientists looked at the antibody levels of people in order to observe whether gluten intolerance in patients with schizophrenia or psychosis is more common than those who do not have a mental problem. In many patients with schizophrenia and psychosis, a high antibody level for gluten intolerance was discovered. Besides, an important difference between the gluten reaction of patients with mental problems and others was observed. This search shows that an abnormal immune reaction can be mistaken for a mental disease. Surely, more research should be conducted but this search brought up an important food list that should be taken into consideration while struggling with mental diseases.

Easiest solutions for fight against gluten

Prepare your food at home

We should avoid convenience foods for a healthy life even if it is not a method preferred by the youth recently. The safest way for a life without gluten is preparing your food in your home. A properly-filled pantry will enable you to prepare many recipes. Do yourself a favor and stock your kitchen with fruits and vegetables that are in season and fresh. This situation will make your foods healthy and rich.

Control ingredients

Being an expert on what to eat will provide great convenience for you. This can be difficult at the beginning but it will be good for you to know what enters your body.

Avoid products if do not understand the ingredients on a label

Prefer simple and honest foods. What does it mean? Avoid buying products that are excessively processed, do not have a proper ingredient label or list unknown, scientific names.

Do not spend your day with packaged foods

Gluten-free products that are very popular recently have taken their places on shelves. The problem of many of these products is that they are full of unnecessary and processed calories. Your aim should be preparing healthy foods mostly at home and preferring gluten-free products in small amounts as snacks during the day.

Do not be shy

It is quite normal to demand brands and components that you want from the traditional grocery store near your house, and the worst answer that you will get will be no. If you are not sure whether some food is really gluten-free or not, consult the producers to be sure or check their websites.

To stop consuming gluten means decreasing a big part of your daily intake of carbohydrates. It is a good way to lose weight and support the overall health condition. You do not need to have gluten intolerance in order to stop consuming it. However, changes in your eating habits that you can do for your brain health are not limited to it. The pieces of advice that I will tell you below will support your brain health and open the doors to a healthy life.

Do not consume red meat or milk every day

Read meat and dairy products contain saturated fats which are inclined to increase blood cholesterol level and encourage your body to produce amyloid beta plaques in your brain. It increases the risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer's. Do not consume meat or dairy products more than five times a week. The amount that you should consume at every meal is a half glass of milk or nearly 170 grams of meat. On the days when you do not eat red meat, you can eat 170 grams of chicken, turkey or fish. Spend some days of the week eating vegetarian. Avocado, legumes, such as lentils and beans, nuts, hazelnut paste, almond milk, soy milk and bean sprouts are among the foods that are digestible and rich in protein.

Prefer whole-grain products

Your body breaks down healthy carbohydrates into natural sugars that the brain needs for energy consumption. I know that some of you justify your sugar addiction with this expression. On the other hand, your body needs a specific amount of sugar. Refined or concentrated sugar sources, such as fizzy drinks, ice cream, cake and cookies provide fast sugar causing your blood sugar level to change quickly. This kind of fast sugar increase is harmful to your brain health, and there is no need to mention its harms to the immune system, as well.

Instead of this, your brain needs continuous energy from healthy carbohydrates, such as fruits, whole grains and legumes. Legumes are high in protein and carbohydrates. Therefore, they are a perfect option for brain health. Brown rice, wild rice, black rice and almond flour are gluten-free grains and carbohydrates. Brown rice is more nutritious and a better option than white rice. It provides vitamin E and is rich in fiber.

Do not skip meals

Be sure that you eat at least three meals in order to balance your blood sugar. Blood sugar is what the brain needs for its best performance. Skipping meals or eating sugar or sweets at specific hours during the day can cause a sudden spike in your blood sugar. As you can imagine, it is not something that should be preferred for your brain health.

Remove foods containing trans fats and hydrogenated fat, such as margarine, pastries and biscuits

Do not buy products containing trans and hydrogenated fats. According to research, it was observed that foods including trans fats make the cell membrane in the brain excessively permeable. This situation enables viruses to reach the brain easier and causes failure in brain signals, nonfunctionality in brain cells and mental decline. Besides, trans fats get mixed with myelin, which is the protection for nerves and brain cells. This affects the communication between the organs in the body negatively, changing the electric conductivity of the nerves and brain cells.