Why is this important in our life?

“On a physical level, bravery allows us to overcome fears, such as swimming or playing a sport. On a moral level, doing what we know to be right, despite the risks, gives us the sense that we are acting on behalf of a larger purpose”. https://www.wcpss.net

Why is bravery important in life?

Well, the last two plus years have taught us the importance of sanitizing and ventilating to keep ourselves and others healthy. Hopefully we keep these healthy habits, as this is an example of bravery. While we took bravery and ownership of these habits with healthy results, let's continue the journey on the health and wellbeing track and extend our bravery. 

There was a book that caught my eye, the ink was just dry, and it is about my favourite topics, food, and mental health. It turned out to be a real page turner. Let’s start at the beginning, back to basics. The book is really an eye-opener, easy to read and has recipes to use. Just a brave example of the authors going the extra mile for us to keep it simple, easy, and helpful. Isn’t that what we all crave?

The following text is from the book, The Better Brain, and it is mind-blowing.

“Throughout brain development and until the end of your life, almost a litre of blood passes through your brain every single minute that your heart is beating. That litre represents only 15 to 20 percent of all the blood inside you, but your brain is only about 2 percent of your body weight. Your brain is actually a very small organ! What we sometimes say is that our brains “punch above their weight”, needing to be fed as much as ten times the amount of blood you would expect for an organ so small. And even though it is so small, if all its blood vessels were laid out flat, they would stretch about 640 kilometres. That litre of blood is bringing the nutrients and oxygen to every single nook and cranny in your cranium. What have you eaten the last day or so, that is what you are feeding your brain. As the most metabolically active organ in your body, your brain is constantly and disproportionately demanding oxygen and nutrients. In fact, this little organ uses 20 to 40 percent of the nutrients and energy you consume. So, the key message: even though we do need to eat properly to build a strong musculoskeletal system and a healthy cardiovascular system, what we eat, we are primarily feeding our brains. Our brain plays a major role in how we see, smell, hear, taste, think, feel, learn, remember, process, and create. Brain function is dependent on brain metabolism".

True food is plain and untreated food such as carrots, cauliflower, beetroot, onion, potato, lettuce, corn, apples, pears, bananas, and so on.

Processed foods are foods that need to undergo a simple process to make them last longer. Such as frozen veggies, cans of beans, cans of tomatoes, and so on.

Ultra-processed foods come in boxes, bags, or tins. A long list of ingredients on the label is a primary indicator of ultra-processed food.

We could be brave by doing something for the greater good like looking after ourselves and our families by eating healthy. This in return will provide us with a better state of mind to conquer the challenges in daily life.

Let’s educate ourselves with wisdom to search for answers that will encourage us to act. Through humanity and teamwork, we find forgiveness, gratitude, and hope. Through creativity, one can make it work for themselves.

Let’s be brave and keep looking after ourselves!

The book is by Julia Rucklidge and Bonnie Kaplan, The Better Brain. Julia also has a great TEDtalk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dqXHHCc5lA

Remember, education is an investment in oneself!