Top 12: Foods to Boost Your Brainpower
"Have you ever found yourself halfway through that movie only to remember that you've already seen it? Or have you forgotten where you left your keys again right after you put them down?
If so, you may need to eat more brain-boosting foods to protect your cognitive health. Cognitive health refers to skills such as learning, memory, decision making, abstract thinking, and reasoning.
Scientific evidence suggests that consuming nutrient-dense foods, physical activity, controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure, and use of your brain may lower your risk towards dementia."
Here are twelve brain-boosting foods:
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BLUEBERRIES
Those tasty berries found in the jam you spread on your toasted bagel in the morning are full of brain-boosting nutrients. But to get the full effect of these nutrients, it's time to start eating berries in their natural state—fresh.
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FATTY FISH
The essential Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon are crucial to the health of our nervous systems. Fish also contains iodine, which is suggested to improve mental clarity.
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GREEN TEA
Green tea is full of these antioxidants particularly one called EGCG. EGCG (the name is too long to try to pronounce) protects the brain. It lowers the amount of protein that builds up as plaque. This plaque has been linked to the type of memory loss and nerve damage common amongst Alzheimer's patients.
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DARK CHOCOLATE
Dark chocolate contains a special kind of flavonoid called “procyanidin.” This flavonoid counteracts the damage caused by inflammation and oxidation. Procyanidins also boost the circulation of blood to the brain, and along with this blood come oxygenand nutrients for optimum health.
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AVOCADOS
Avocados are an excellent source of healthy fat. And this healthy monounsaturated fat increases blood flow to the brain. That means more oxygen and more nutrients getting to those parts of your brain that help you to think and to remember details.
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WALNUTS
Small, but mighty, walnuts contain Omega-3, vitamin E, and other antioxidants that have a beneficial effect on brain function. In fact, a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that a good intake of vitamin E might help to prevent poor memory.
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EGGS
Eggs contain the choline, which is an essential nutrient that maintains the structure of cell membranes and aids brain function.
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POMEGRANATES
These winter fruits are rich in resveratrol, which has been shown toprotect the brain, especially in cases of stroke or dementia.
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BEANS
Beans are loaded with B vitamins and glucose that nourish the brain.
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GINKGO BILOBA
Ginkgo Biloba is one of the most popular herbs to improve brain function, especially short term memory loss. It's available in liquid apsules in our Vitamin Department.
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SWEET POTATOES
Research has shown that the anti-inflammatory properties in sweet potatoes may help slow the brain deterioration in Alzheimer's patients.
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TOMATOES
There is good evidence to suggest that lycopene, a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes, could help protect against the kind of free radical damage to cells which occurs in the development of dementia.
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Ref. Link: http://sprouts.com/features/top-12-foods-to-boost-your-brainpower
