A healthy mind is a healthy body. And it is well known that vitamins are needed to protect the body's well being. But did you know that you need a healthy diet, supplied with all the necessary nutrients, to have a healthy mind too? Scientists have shown that many vitamins and minerals not only nourish the body but also have important and far-reaching effects on your mood, your mental functioning, and even your general outlook.

A deficiency of any nutrients that is used by the brain can cause irritability, depression and mental malfunctioning. Are you getting enough of the right nutrients to keep your head hale and hearty? To be sure, protect your mind from deficiencies of the following nutrients:

VITAMIN B1
Vitamin B1 or thiamine is essential for the optic nerve, which carries images from the eye to the brain. There results a degenerative change in the optic nerve due to the deficiency of thiamine.

During World War II, malnourished prisoners developed an abnormal optic nerve. Treatment with thiamine alone reportedly halted the progression of this disorder.

Vitamin B1 is central to carbohydrate digestion. Since carbohydrates break down into simple sugars, like glucose, which fuel the brain, this vitamin is also crucial to one's intelligence. Deficiency of vitamin B1 is responsible for the bizarre behavior sometimes seen in alcoholics. Many alcoholics can't metabolize carbohydrates, so their brains don't get enough energy to function properly. If an alcoholic has DT's (Delirium Tremors), they can be treated with vitamin B1 and magnesium. In fact people who drink a lot of alcohol need to protect themselves from deficiency of B1. Since the alcohol impairs absorption of this vitamin, those who drink large quantities should take a once- a- day vitamins that will supply them with Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin B1.

RECOMMENDED INTAKE: The recommended intake of thiamine is 1mg daily for most women and between 1.2-1.4mg for most men. Older people who consume lot of alcohol or those who overcook their food or dieters or those who don't eat thiamine rich food need to be most careful of this deficiency.