Lewis HowesYour Personal 24/7 Greatness Coach

Eat With Your BRAIN in Mind! | Dr. Tara Swart

29 Dec 2024 · 1 min

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In this talk Dr. Tara Swart emphasizes that, although the brain makes up only 2‑5% of body weight, it consumes a disproportionate share of dietary energy—about 20‑30% of the calories you eat. She breaks down glucose usage by state: roughly 20% of daily glucose is used during sleep, 25% while focused on a task, and up to 30% under stress. From this, she advocates a "brain‑first" approach to nutrition, arguing that food choices should prioritize optimal brain function and decision‑making rather than solely targeting muscle growth or skin health. By feeding the brain effectively, she suggests that cardiovascular health, gut function, and overall wellbeing will naturally align.

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The brain is obviously a small percentage of your body weight, like two to five percent generally, but it's a very energy hungry organ. So it's using up 20 to 30% of what you eat. So when you're asleep, your brain is using up 20% of the glucose that you have ingested that day. When you are focused on a task, it's using up 25% of your dietary intake. When you're stressed, it's using up 30%. I sort of like to live in a brain first kind of way, because if you're doing that, everything else is going to fall into place. Your cardiovascular system, your gut. Having been a sportsman, you would think about what should I eat so I can have big muscles or, you know, what should I eat so I have lovely skin? You should be thinking, what should I eat so I can make the best decision today?