8 Natural Foods to Increase BrainPower
Boost Your Brain Naturally
As we get older most people find their brainpower or memory is not what it used to be. Even if your Brain is functioning well you may want to try and improve it.
There are all sorts of ways that are suggested to increase your brainpower or prevent it from decreasing. These range from exercising to solving puzzles. One of the best ways though is in what you eat. You can get an awful lot out of our natural foods that can help to keep your brain functioning normally and to stimulate it.
Below are 8 Natural foods that you should look to include in your diet to help with your mental capacity.
Please share any foods that you find help your brainpower that is not on the list
Brain Foods
Walnuts
Interestingly enough, walnuts actually resemble small brains. Perhaps this is a clue that we should eat them. A study conducted in 2007 found that a diet including more than 2% walnuts was able to reverse brain aging, including age-related motor and cognitive defects. Walnuts are rich in antioxidants which fight against free radical damage to the brain cells’ DNA.
Berries
Berries are undoubtedly one of the best anti-aging foods around. These little fruit gems protect the brain from oxidative stress while decreasing the effects of age related conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. In addition to delaying memory decline by up to 2.5 years in one study, blueberries have been found to improve learning capacity and motor skills.
Spinach
Popeye knew what he was doing when he ate his spinach. Spinach is a dark green leafy vegetable that is loaded with vitamin E, which has been shown to improve cognitive function. Vitamin E helps increases brain tissue and released dopamine which controls information flow in the brain. Further spinach contains lutein, an antioxidant that could protect against cognitive decline.
Carrots
While it’s known carrots are great for vision, did you also know that they are also great for the brain? Helping to reduce inflammation and restore memory, the compound found in carrots, known as luteolin, appears to reduce age-related memory loss and boost overall brain health. Other foods that are also high in luteolin include olive oil, celery, rosemary, and peppers.
Fish
The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish give our brains a huge boost. Consuming fish weekly can reduce the risk of stroke and dementia while slowing down mental decline. Research also indicates that vital fatty acids help to keep memory sharp as we age.
Broccoli
Broccoli is a source of two crucial nutrients that help improve brain function. Vitamin K helps to strengthen cognitive abilities while Choline has been found to improve memory – people who eat plenty of broccoli perform better on memory tests. Broccoli also includes a sizeable serving of folic acid, which can help ward off Alzheimer’s disease. Studies suggest that a lack of folic acid could lead to depression, so eating plenty of broccoli could also keep you happy.
Whole grains
The brain is like all other bodily organs and relies on a steady flow of energy to perform at its best. Our concentration skills are linked to the brain’s supply of glucose. Whole grains with a low GI (glycaemic index) are a healthy brain food as they slowly and steadily release glucose into the bloodstream. Other carbohydrates are a more unstable source of glucose – white rice and pasta will cause energy levels to peak and then crash, leaving your brain feeling weak and exhausted.
Avocado
Avocados may be fatty, but they contain extremely healthy unsaturated fats, which help to keep brain cell membranes flexible. The monounsaturated fatty acids in avocadoes work to protect nerve cells in the brain and have been found to improve the brain's muscle strength. The same fats lead to healthy blood flow and lower blood pressure and both of these, in turn, help the brain to function at its optimum capacity.
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