Eggs are good for brain fog because they contain choline. Choline is essential for memory function, concentration, and cognitive health in general. In addition, choline supports your liver function which helps flush out toxins that may otherwise “clog up” your brain and lead to brain fog. Organ meats, chicken, fish, broccoli are some dietary choline sources. If you aren’t eating much of these, then adding eggs can help improve your brain fog.
Make sure the rest of your diet is devoid of refined sugars, fizzy drinks, alcohol, and chips. These can negate brain benefits of healthy foods. There are other possible causes of brain fog unrelated to your diet. For example, “adrenal fatigue” and hormonal imbalances are common culprits of brain fog, and they have more to do with stress management, sleep, and lifestyle modifications.
What is Brain Fog?
Have you ever had cloudy thoughts, unable to think clearly? That’s brain fog.
It’s pretty much like trying to look through a misty window. Many things can cause brain fog, such as chronic stress, insufficient sleep, or even the foods you eat.
Just like there are foods which are unhealthy for the body and brain, there are those that contain brain-nurturing compounds which support mental clarity and memory function.
Why Eggs Might Help Our Brain
Eggs are packed with nutrients that our brain loves. The most notable one in this case is choline. Choline is essentially a building block for brain chemicals like acetlycholine which help our brain cells communicate and keeps our memory sharp.
Eggs (particularly the yolk part) contain pretty much all the vital nutrients you can think of, except for vitamin C. They’re nature’s multivitamin in full sense of the word.
Eggs, Liver, and Brain Fog
Liver and the brain are closely connected. If your liver is not efficiently removing toxins from your blood (such as ammonima), these toxins end up in your brain which can result in confusion, mood changes, problems sleeping and so on. [2]
As you can see, it’s vital to keep your liver health in check to avoid brain fog. The good news? Choline in eggs is extremely beneficial for your liver.
In fact, low-choline diets result in fatty liver and even damage to liver tissue. [1] You need about 400-550mg of choline per day as an adult to support optimal liver function. [3] One large egg yolk contains about 147mg.
3 eggs per day alone, without bread or any other source of carbohydrates, is a good starting point. Refined carbs and fats is the combination that can lead to increased blood vessel plaque and “sticky” cholesterol that people talk about when eggs are mentioned. It’s not the eggs that are the problem, it’s the rest of the person’s diet, especially refined carbs. [4, 5, 6]
Other Foods That Help Clear Brain Fog
Eggs are just one of many foods that support your clarity of thinking. Beets, for example, contain nitrates which boost blood flow to your brain, enhancing oxygen and nutrient delivery to your neurons.
Meanwhile, antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries and dark chocolate protect brain cells from damage. Spinach and kale are packed with vitamins that nurture our brain. Salmon, sardines and trout are also great because they have omega-3s which are anti-inflammatory, supporting brain structure and plasticity.
Potential Concerns with Eggs?
Eggs are generally safe and healthy for most people. You might be asking, “okay, but what about cholesterol in eggs?”.
The good news is that modern studies have debunked the myth that cholesterol in eggs negatively impacts our blood cholesterol. In fact, the human body produces about 1g of cholesterol per day. One egg contains about 187mg of cholesterol.
When you eat eggs, your body simply makes less of its own cholesterol. This is why eating eggs has minimal to no effect on actual body cholesterol levels. [5, 6]
Of course, like with all foods, moderation is essential. It’s also a good idea to check how your eggs are sourced. Choosing free-range, pasture-raised, or organic eggs whenever possible as they have fewer chemicals and more nutrients!
References
- Mehedint MG, Zeisel SH. Choline’s role in maintaining liver function: new evidence for epigenetic mechanisms. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2013 May;16(3):339-45. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e3283600d46. PMID: 23493015; PMCID: PMC3729018.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3729018/ - https://www.hepatitis.va.gov/cirrhosis/patient/encephalopathy.asp#:~:text=A%20liver%20that%20is%20working,your%20concentration%2C%20and%20your%20memory.
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/
- Temple NJ. Fat, Sugar, Whole Grains and Heart Disease: 50 Years of Confusion. Nutrients. 2018 Jan 4;10(1):39. doi: 10.3390/nu10010039. PMID: 29300309; PMCID: PMC5793267.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793267/ - Sugano M, Matsuoka R. Nutritional Viewpoints on Eggs and Cholesterol. Foods. 2021 Feb 25;10(3):494. doi: 10.3390/foods10030494. PMID: 33669005; PMCID: PMC7996514.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7996514/ - Tanne JH. An egg a day is not harmful. BMJ. 1999 Apr 24;318(7191):1094. PMCID: PMC1115499.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115499/#:~:text=Two%20prospective%20studies%20covering%20almost,choices%20that%20are%20the%20problem.
