Good brain health gets you going in the right direction

Often cited as the worst blunder in the history of college football, Roy “Wrong Way” Riegels picked up a fumble in the 1929 Rose Bowl and ran toward his own goal-line, resulting in a safety.

His team, the University of California Golden Bears, lost to Georgia Tech 8-7. How could this happen to the all-American team captain?

The explanation didn’t come until the 21st century.

In 2014, professor John O’Keefe discovered the brain’s “inner GPS” (and won a Nobel Prize).

This directional guidance system, which is supposed to keep you oriented to your surroundings, lives in the entorhinal/subicular region at the base of your brain in the hippocampus.

Chances are, when Roy banged heads to get the fumble, it confused his inner GPS and turned him around on the gridiron.

Well, we want to point you in the right direction, to overall brain health and to protect your inner GPS. There’s a direct correlation between obesity and a shrinking of your hippocampus, so do these to stay on track:

Avoid the five food felons

These are saturated and trans fats, added sugars and syrups, and any grain that isn’t 100-per-cent whole. And give your brain the fuel it needs to think clearly.

Enjoy berry goodness

Elderberries, blueberries and strawberries are packed with the powerful flavonoid quercetin to reduce inflammation that’s associated with dementia.

Go nuts

Walnuts are rich in omega-3s, but all nuts seem to protect the brain’s vascular system.

Feel the beet

Their natural nitrates increase blood flow to the brain.