Your brain requires nutrients just like your heart, lungs or muscles do. But what foods can help you get that? Here's a list of 10 foods you should include in your diet to keep your brain healthy
1. Walnuts
Walnuts contain a number of neuroprotective compounds, including vitamin E, folate, omega 3 fats, and antioxidants. Research shows walnut consumption may support brain health, including increasing inferential reasoning in young adults.
One study also found that consuming high-antioxidant foods like walnuts "can decrease the enhanced vulnerability to oxidative stress that occurs in aging," "increase health span," and also "enhance cognitive and motor function in aging."
2. Turmeric
Turmeric boosts brain - derived neurotrophic factor, linked to improved brain function & a lower risk of brain diseases, Turmeric helps to boost antioxidants levels & keep your immune system healthy , while also improving your brain's oxygen intake, keeping you alert & able to process information.
3. Salmon
Salmon is one of the best sources of the long-chain omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which helps in running of brain smoothly. Feeding Salmon to kids helps in preventing ADHD by improving their focus.
Frequent salmon consumption may help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
4. Rosemary
Rosemary acts as a stimulant to the circulatory and nervous systems. It increases blood flow to your brain and strengthens memory and concentration. Carnosic acid, present in Rosemary leaf, has been shown to fight free radical damage in the brain. Furthermore it can protect your brain from stroke and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s as well as the effects of normal aging.
5. Leafy Green Vegetables
Leafy greens, loaded with powerful antioxidants, are one of the healthiest foods for sustained brain functioning. It contains VIT A & K which help fight inflammation & keep bones strong and it slower mental deterioration.
6. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The brain is largely made up of fatty acids, and we require a moderately high level on a daily basis to perform tasks, regulate our moods and think clearly. Like other sources of healthy fats, olive oil is considered a brain food that improves memory & focus.
Olive oil helps fight age-related cognitive decline because it protects against inflammation, oxidative stress and ADDLs, proteins that are toxic to the brain that can trigger dementia & Alzheimer’s disease.
7. Eggs
Those bright, round yolks are rich in choline, a B vitamin-like nutrient. When you eat eggs, your brain uses choline to make acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that may be important for maintaining memory and communication among brain cells. It's also most inexpensive source of protein
8. 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
9. Dark Chocolate
Eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate benefits health in many ways. In fact, chocolate is now considered an anti-aging, anti-inflammatory “superfood” for the brain and body. Chocolate has been shown to improve depression and anxiety symptoms and help enhance feelings of calmness and contentedness. Both the flavanols and methylxanthines are believed to play a role in chocolate’s mood enhancing effects. These flavanols increase blood flow to the brain, promote the formation of new neurons, improve the functioning of neurons, enhance connections between neurons, and protect neurons from death by free radicals.
10. Blueberries
Blueberries help maintain brain function & improves memory, one of the highest antioxidant rich food including vit C, K & fibre they also helps to protect from stress.