Your brain is the body’s command center. It keeps the lungs breathing and heart beating, allowing you to think, feel, and move. That’s the reason you should keep the brain in the best working condition possible. Your lifestyle and the foods you take in have a massive role in maintaining the brain’s healthy state.
Taking in the proper lifestyle healthy foods will help improve concentration, memory, and mental functions. Below is a list of healthy foods that will help you achieve this goal.
Fatty Fish
Oily fish is at the top of this list, including sardines, herring, albacore tuna, trout, and salmon. That’s because they’re full of omega-3 fatty acids. Your brain is made up of nearly 60% fats, while the other half is omega-3 fatty acids, which can help build nerve and brain cells. In turn, that helps in improving memory and learning.
Omega-3 fatty acids will also have other uses for your brain. One study shows that they can prevent age-related mental decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Not consuming the right amount of Omega-3 is associated with cognitive problems and depression. In short, eating oily fish has positive health benefits.
Based on another study, people who regularly eat fatty fish have more gray matter in their brains. Gray matter contains a vast number of nerve cells that deal with emotions, memory, and decision-making. Eating oily fish is excellent for improving brain health.
Blueberries
Blueberries offer numerous health benefits, including those that will benefit your brain’s overall condition. Berries are rich in anthocyanins, a compound that boasts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Eating the right amount of antioxidants will minimize the risks of inflammation and stress — problems that cause neurodegenerative diseases.
It can also lessen the risks of brain aging. Other studies have shown that eating berries improves the overall connection between brain cells, strengthening mental functions and memory in older adults and children. You can enjoy blueberries as a simple snack or add them to your smoothie.
Broccoli
Broccoli is rich in antioxidants. Broccoli is also full of Vitamin K, which helps build sphingolipids, the type of fats found in brain cells. One study shows that a higher amount of Vitamin K helps with cognitive functions and memory. Broccoli also boasts other compounds that give it antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. That can help protect your brain against deterioration and damage.
Dark Chocolate
Your cocoa powder and dark chocolate also boast brain-boosting compounds, including antioxidants, caffeine, and flavonoids. Dark chocolate is rich in cocoa, which is missing in regular milk or chocolates that are only rich in 10% to 50% cocoa. Usually, flavonoids will stay in the area of the brain that’s used for memory and learning.
Most studies show that these compounds can fortify memory and reduce the risks of age-related mental deterioration. It also showed that dark chocolate helps improve people’s moods. In that study, participants who ate chocolate showed an increase in their positive emotions, unlike those who only ate biscuits. But it remains unclear whether that boost resulted from the chocolate or the tasty flavor that boosts people’s moods.
Oranges
Oranges are also rich in Vitamin C. Eating one orange a day will provide your body with the needed Vitamin C. Other people don’t realize that Vitamin C will also prevent mental deterioration. Based on a study, having a higher level of Vitamin C helped improve decision-making, concentration, memory, and focus.
Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that reduces the number of free radicals that damage brain cells. It also supports your brain as you grow old, protecting you from conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. You can also find Vitamin C in strawberries, tomatoes, kiwi, guava, or bell peppers.
Green Tea
Green tea is also rich in caffeine, which helps boost cognitive function. It showed to improve focus, memory, performance, and alertness. One of the minerals is L-theanine, the amino acid that makes you feel relaxed and reduce anxiety.
L-theanine also helps you feel at ease without tiring yourself. Green tea is also rich in antioxidants and polyphenols that reduce the risks of Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease and protect your brain from mental deterioration. Other studies also show that green tea will also help in improving your memory.
You can find numerous foods that will keep your brain healthy. Green tea, coffee, vegetables, and fruits are all rich in antioxidants that will protect your brain from severe mental deterioration, while eggs and nuts contain nutrients for brain development. You can boost your decision-making, concentration, and memory by incorporating these kinds of foods into your diet.
