Foods That Cause Brain Fog

Brain fog symptoms include forgetfulness, confusion and the inability to think clearly or focus. Some causes may be food reactions, nutritional deficits, hypoglycemia, candida or mineral toxicity. Brain fog describes the experience of feeling like a cloud limits visibility or mental clarity. People can become forgetful and feel detached, discouraged or depressed. Brain fog is common and affects adults and children. This condition may contribute to problems in employment and at school, unhappy relationships, low self-esteem, frustration and difficulty functioning successfully in society.

Some dairy allergies produce a drug-like effect on the central nervous system and lead to brain fog. Food reactions can also trigger irritability and confusion. Some of the most common food allergies are to cow's milk and other dairy products, such as cheese, ice cream and yogurt made with milk. Some people cannot digest or absorb casein, a protein in milk, or lactose, a sugar molecule in milk. This causes an allergic reaction.

Foods that contain gluten--wheat, rye, barley and oats--may cause leaky gut syndrome. This irritation of the intestines and damage to the intestinal wall make it difficult for the body to manufacture enzymes necessary for proper digestion. When digestion is compromised, absorption of nutrients is impaired, and food, bacteria and toxic microorganisms leak into the bloodstream. Because of this, required nutrients cannot reach the brain, and deficits may cause brain fog in susceptible individuals, such as people who have celiac disease, a condition caused by gluten intolerance or allergy.

Causes and symptoms of brain fog may result from variations in blood sugar levels that can occur when people have food sensitivities or eat foods containing high amounts of caffeine, sugar or artificial sweeteners. Some people find that consuming these substances can disrupt brain function and cause brain fog. Fruit juices that contain sugar feed on yeast in the body. This may result in candidiasis, a yeast and fungal overgrowth, which can bring on brain fog symptoms.

Drinking inadequate amounts of water or excessive amounts of coffee and soft drinks can overwhelm the kidneys and impede their ability to remove toxic chemicals. Drinking fluids helps remove toxins produced by yeasts and microorganisms in the digestive tract. The toxins the body cannot eliminate circulate through the bloodstream and into the brain. On his Advanced Wellness Center website, Dr. John Lieurance, D.C., recommends drinking at least six glasses of filtered water daily and eliminating from the diet beverages containing excessive sugars and chemicals that contribute to brain fog.

Metal toxicity from mercury, aluminum, cadmium or lead may cause symptoms of brain fog. Mercury toxicity is common in deep-sea fish such as tuna, mackerel and swordfish and in shellfish such as oysters, clams and lobster.

Meats that contain sodium nitrite--commonly found in processed foods such as hot dogs, bacon and lunch meats--can also cause brain fog.