Whether you are a student returning to school or a businessperson with a demanding job, many of us need help to increase our brain function and help us stay focused. Mary Ann O’Dell, Registered Dietitian with Akin’s Natural Foods Market, stopped by GDGC to answer some of our questions about dietary supplements and brain function.
Everyone is gearing up for back to school. Does Akin’s have anything that can help kids get ready to go back to school? Yes, at Akin’s we always have parents coming in looking for ways to keep their children healthy and focused for school. Akin’s has the best selection of truly natural kids multivitamins to help maintain overall health – like the Akin’s Bengal Vites in fun tiger shapes and without all the artificial additives found in many grocery and drug store brands. And Akin’s has a best selection of immune support formulas, like the sweet tasting Paragon Plus Kidmune formula, to help kids stay well. Along with that Akin’s also has formulas that help with brain function in kids.
Why do kids need help with brain function? We see a lot of ADD in children in this country, and Akin’s has formulas that can help support brain nourishment and focus. Probably the most important thing to start with is a special Omega-3 supplement just for kids, and again, that doesn’t contain junky additives like artificial colors and flavors. Our Akin’s tasty orange cream RealKid gels provide that Omega-3 DHA in a dairy free chewable free of artificial ingredients. DHA is part of brain tissue and is important for brain function and behavior. Studies have shown that when children were given supplements of DHA, there was improvement in reading, spelling and behavior.
If Omega-3 helps kids with brain function, will it help adults too? Absolutely. We have heard so much about the Omega-3s and their benefits – we’ve even talked about that here before. Since omega-3s are part of brain tissue, it can help adults too. When we don’t get enough omega-3s, we can experience things like poor memory and fatigue. Many people have seen these symptoms improve by supplementing with a balanced blend of omega fatty acids, including omega 3 & omega 6 fatty acids like our Akin’s Omega Xtra-Plex. Be sure when looking for an omega supplement that you buy from a reputable source so you know the product is tested for quality and purity. You can also include foods like salmon, tuna, hempseed and chia seed in the diet to help get some of those omegas.
So let’s keep talking about adults and brain function. What else can we do to help? A lot! Stay active physically, use your brain for games and reading, and supplement with important ingredients that work in combination to support brain health. There is a special amino acid, a special form of carnitine, that has been shown to improve energy production in brain cells and may help people think clearer and remember thing better, making it great for college students on up to seniors. It’s found with other ingredients in Paragon plus Mind Flex, which you can only find at Akin’s.
What other ingredients help brain function? Certainly things like the popular ginkgo and gotu kola, which work together with ingredients like this special form of carnitine to give maximum results. This Mind Flex supplement gives you comprehensive support, with a unique blend of special amino acids, adaptogen herbs for stress, antioxidants for protection, ginkgo for circulation and more. I don’t know that there is another formula like it.
Akin’s Natural Foods Market has three locations in the Tulsa area:
31st & Harvard
51st & Memorial
121st & Memorial in Bixby
akins.com
