We all know that if you eat the right foods, you can stay physically healthy and fit. While it’s important to take care of your body, it’s also important to take care of your mind, too. There are plenty of foods that you can enjoy, that will stimulate your brain and help you work smarter, enjoy activities like playing casinos or online games or even partake in sports more effectively. Which foods should you be adding to your shopping list?
Oily Fish
This is one of the biggest foods that you should be eating for a healthy brain. Oily fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help build membranes around cells in the body. That includes brain cells, improving the structure of your neurons.
With more omega-3 in your bloodstream, you’ll actually have more blood flow to the brain too. That can help with cognitive abilities, so oily fish really can help with brain function.
Examples of oily fish include salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines. You can also get omega-3 from soybeans, nuts, flaxseed, and other seeds, so vegetarian and vegan people don’t need to miss out.
Berries
Berries contain flavonoid antioxidants. These have been researched, and current studies show that they’re excellent for the brain. That’s because these antioxidants help reduce inflammation and stress, especially in the brain.
The particular antioxidant compounds found in berries can benefit your brain, by helping improve communication between brain cells, reducing inflammation throughout the body, increasing plasticity, and reducing age related cognitive decline.
There are plenty of different berries that can give you these boosts. Try strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, and mulberries.
Dark Chocolate
Yes really, your favourite treat can help with brain function. Like berries, it also contains flavonoid antioxidants, and so can be healthy for the brain.
As your brain is prone to oxidative stress, you’ll want to introduce more antioxidants into your diet. When you do, it’ll help reduce the pace of age related cognitive decline.
Cacao flavonoid in particular have been shown to stimulate blood flow in the brain, as well as encouraging neuron and blood vessel growth in the parts of the brain dedicated to memory and learning. It’s also been shown to help reverse memory problems in snails, although this hasn’t been tested on humans yet.
Coffee
Again, you really can get a brain boost from a daily treat. Many use coffee as a boost to wake themselves up and concentrate, but the benefits it has go deeper than just that.
A 2018 study showed that caffeine in coffee can help expand the brain’s capacity for retaining and processing information. It also increases brain entropy, which is more complex brain activity. When entropy is high, you can process more information overall.
Avocados
This is a popular treat for many, and as well as being tasty it’s got brain boosting powers. It’s an excellent source of unsaturated fat, something your brain needs. Those fats can help reduce blood pressure, which is something that has been linked to cognitive decline. As such, those avocados on your morning toast can help you reduce your risk of cognitive decline overall.
If you’re not into avocados, you can get unsaturated fats from almonds, cashews and peanuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, soybeans, walnuts and Brazil nuts, and fish.
As you can see, there’s a whole range of foods you can enjoy that will help you stay sharp and keep your brain in good condition. Some of these are going to be treats that you enjoy anyway, and now you have another reason to keep eating them. Introduce these foods into your diet in order to stay healthy, and keep your brain stimulated.