We often include proteinaceous diet and load our food with vitamin-rich ingredients to keep our muscles and organs fit. By including a few more miracle ingredients or just by being cautious about them, we can actually help our brains to perform faster and better. Like other parts of our body, even the brain suffers fatigue after long sessions of strenuous work that we load in our competitive lives. But luckily, we can also prevent fatigue or significant brain-related malfunctioning by including the ingredients that help. Drinking a good amount of water and supplying the essential nutrients by moderate diet become crucial. Here are the 9 superfoods that boost brain power improves functioning and avoid malnutrition to the brain.
Walnut
Walnuts are the richest in omega 3 fatty acids among nuts. This is a superfood for brain since they boost the functioning of neurotransmitters. This, in turn, improves your cognitive skills like paying attention, thinking, remembering, learning, and reasoning. It also delays inflammation of brain cells which means delaying the ageing of the brain. A handful of walnuts during snack time can kerb hunger pangs and a superfood for the brain. You can also include walnuts in everyday food as an ingredient.
Green Tea
Green tea is widely known for its detoxifying properties, but green tea also helps in preventing memory loss or dementia. It does this by increasing brain’s electrical connectivity. Studies have also shown that people who drink green tea regularly are less prone to Parkinson’s disease. Two cups of hot or iced green tea will help keep you more focused with better memory.
Spinach
Spinach improves recalling memories owing to a high amount of potassium within. Potassium essentially accelerates brain signals transmittance. Antioxidants in spinach also delay ageing brain cells. Dementia is prevented with folate, magnesium and vitamin E and K. you could include spinach in either salad or in weeknight dinner to be benefitted from its goodness.
Blueberry
Blueberries have compounds called flavonoids which help in improving cognitive skills like memory and learning. Flavonoids keep Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s at bay by protecting the brain against the free radicals which harm healthy brain tissue and result in gradual memory loss. You can have half a cup of blueberries to detox the body and boost brain, or simply include them in various recipes.
Tomato
Include tomatoes in your daily recipes for its lycopene content to keep a sharper memory and avoid ageing diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Tomatoes also protect us from brain strokes. Tomatoes can go into your day-to-day diet in so many versatile forms.
Turmeric
Alzheimer’s can be prevented by including turmeric in our diet. The curcumin which is rich in turmeric helps keep Alzheimer’s at bay. Brain inflammation is also prevented with regular turmeric usage and hinders production of LDL cholesterol (which is termed bad cholesterol and tends to clog arteries from a healthy supply of blood to brain). Turmeric can be a part of our diet in many ways, apart from just drinking a glass of warm milk with a pinch of turmeric.
Broccoli
Strong and sharp memory is promoted by new neuron connections and brain cells. Broccoli has a miracle compound called choline which accelerates new brain cell formation and better connectivity. Hence, it improves our cognitive functions as well.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is known to benefit brain through its caffeine content that helps maintain mental sharpness. Flavonoids in dark chocolate improve blood supply to the brain. Studies have also proved a quick response time and improved concentration with a couple of blocks of dark chocolate every day. Not that everyone requires any better reason to for a dark chocolate treat, it is just that you have one more reason to indulge in chocolates!
Acorn Squash
Also called as winter squash, acorn squash prevents brain shrinkage and nerve damage since it is rich in vitamin B12. Acorn squash is rich in folic acid too, which is good for pregnant women since they will be sharing a great amount of their folic acid portion to the baby. You can have acorn squash roasted or baked or just with some sugar to boost your brain.
Keep adding these foods into your diet for a sharper, healthier and smarter brain.