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.
Sources |
Quantity |
Thiamine Amount |
Boiled kidney beans |
1/2cup |
0.14mg |
Boiled soybeans |
1/2cup |
0.13mg |
Boiled chickpeas |
1/2cup |
0.09mg |
Whole-wheat flour |
1/4cup |
0.17mg |
Raw brown rice |
1/4cup |
0.17mg |
Low fat soy-flour |
1/4cup |
0.18mg |
Boiled navy beans |
1/2cup |
0.18mg |
|