Four Household Hygiene Hacks for Brain Health
- Mar 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 9
Written by Kate Taylor, Registered Nutritionist
Kate is a Registered Nutritionist and the Founder of Eat Drink Think Nutrition Limited. Kate supports systemic health & wellness through personalised nutrition, diet and lifestyle strategies & recommendations, and particularly specialises in Brain health, cognitive function and Dementia risk-avoidance.
We talk a lot about what we can do to keep our Brain in top-notch condition, reframing our mindset, fueling & nourishing our Gut-Brain Axis and prioritizing stimulating positive new experiences. However, we sometimes overlook how our external environment might be impacting our Brain health and performance.
For many of us our domestic and working environments are where we spend most of our time, so here are a few environmental hygiene hacks to subtly support your Brain health and Brain span.
Avoid wearing outdoor shoes indoors. Outdoor shoes have the potential to carry traces of pathogens − allergens, bacteria, carcinogens, fungi, molds and viruses. For optimal cognitive function and cognitive decline risk-avoidance you want to avoid these spores translocating into your cooking, eating, living and sleeping areas, so leave your outdoor shoes at the front door and place them as out-of-the-way as possible.
Keep your indoor air clean. We aspire to make the ambience of our homes warm and inviting, which sometimes takes the form of burning candles or enhancing air freshness with artificial scent. But research is increasingly suggesting that these synthetic dementogens in our environment may be exacerbating our risk for developing cognitive decline. A not dissimilar association has been linked with cooking fumes, so wherever possible avoid candles and air fresheners and instead invest in cleansing your air through natural scents or air purifiers.
Decant foods into non-plastic containers. Minimizing plastic is an ever-aspirational to-do for many people for health and environmental reasons, and it is particularly pertinent for Brain health and cognitive function. In terms of a dietary connection, foods high in fat are adept at leaching microplastics from their immediate contact environments, and we don’t want to be ingesting plastic into our gastrointestinal tract since we potentially already have enough microplastics in our Brain to form a teaspoon!
Avoid over-zealous use of chemical-dense household cleaning and hygiene products. Whilst a clean and uncluttered household is a cognitively-cognizant household, research suggests that fervent chronic exposure to ‘forever chemicals’ such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
(PFAS), which are present in many synthetic domestic cleaning agents, may have a detrimental impact on cognitive function and exacerbate the risk of developing cognitive decline. Instead, use natural cleaning agents and employ discernment about the bottled chemicals that you do use since some are environmentally and cognitively cleaner than others.
Nutrition and diet are the benchmarks and the starting point for cognitive health and function, which has been recognized since 1903 when Thomas Edison commented in The Newark Advocate, “The doctor of the future will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” Our medical sciences are advancing with phenomenal alacrity, but it is important not to forget that underpinning health (especially Brain health) is a wholesome respect for a pollution-free environment, fresh nourishing food and a balanced lifestyle.
If a functional medicine perspective to nurturing, nourishing and supporting your cognitive function is of interest the time to act is now, why postpone what could be achieved today? Investing in your Brain health and Brain span could be the wisest decision you will ever make.
Please note that these are general recommendations. They are not personalized and they are not tailored to account for or include recommendations for any existing health imbalances or medical conditions. In these cases please consult a medical professional and/or a Registered Nutritionist/Dietician expert if you have a particular health or dietary requirement.
Read more from Kate Taylor
Kate Taylor, Registered Nutritionist
Kate is an advocate of proactive and preventative healthcare through optimising and personalising the basics, nutrition, diet, and lifestyle. Kate's experiences watching those around her develop and decline from Dementia instilled in her a mindset of 'prevention is better than cure' and that, particularly when it comes to Brain health and Dementia risk-avoidance, the perception 'false hopelessness' should not triumph over health optimism. Whilst sensitive to the fact that Brain health and Dementia risk-avoidance is multifaceted and cannot be solely addressed by nutrition, Kate's professional nutritional aspiration is to empower & inspire people that diet and lifestyle are integral foundations to health, healthspan, and importantly, Brainspan.
References:
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