10 steps to a leading edge brain

The book Age Power explodes some of the commonly held notions about ageing and offers a positive perspective on the ageing process. Bringing together the very latest in anti-ageing research and the best natural remedies, health guru Leslie Kenton covers all aspects of physical, mental and spiritual health. She advocates that no matter what your chronological age, you can improve your quality of life the natural way.

From the following extract you can learn how to help to keep your brain sharp by making simple lifestyle changes.

1. Go for Age Power insulin balance
Forget high-carbohydrate diets forever. Make sure you have plenty of good-quality protein from fish, organic chicken and organic meat, eggs and soya, as well as lots of phytonutrients from low-glycaemic, low-density carbohydrate vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, pak choi, fresh herbs and low-glycaemic fruits like berries and melons.

2. Get moving
Physical exercise increases the circulation to your brain. Mental exercise helps create new synapse connections, protect you from the loss of brain cells and may even help you grow new ones.

3. Manage stress
The number one enemy to brain health is stress, because of the effect of cortisol and other stress-related compounds which actively destroy brain cells. Take up meditation. Give yourself plenty of time for relaxation. Above all, choose how you live your life in line with what you really want yourself, rather than living by someone else's rules.

4. Steer clear of poisons
Use organic food, avoid herbicides, pesticides, drugs and other compounds that can poison your body and stress your liver. Clear your home and workspace of chemical cleaners, air-fresheners and other products. There are strong links between a build-up of these elements in the brain and the development of such diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

5. Get a hair analysis every five years
A simple hair analysis carried out in a medical laboratory can check for levels of heavy metals such as cadmium, aluminium and lead that build up to damage brain tissue. If you find that they are present, put yourself through a controlled detoxification programme.