In our busy lifestyles, we easily tend to forget the basic guidelines of healthy living. Now more than ever, familiarising yourself with the foods that are considered good for the health of the brain is essential. Such foods are great for focusing, memory and maintaining your energy throughout the day. It would be ideal to have these as part of your weekly food consumption plan. In this article, we discuss such food types.
Avocado
Avocado is just one of those foods which is packed with nutrients. Apart from containing fibre and potassium, they contain vitamins A, C, D, E, K and all of the B vitamins. It would be a perfect opportunity to combine avocado with your morning toast. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and you start the day off with a tasty snack which is optimal for your brain’s performance.
Nuts
Each different type of nut contains different beneficial nutrients. For example, cashews are high in zinc, iron and magnesium. This combats memory loss and related diseases. In addition to this, walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid which is essential for keeping the brain healthy and active. Nuts can be easily integrated into your diet, either eating a handful or combined with lunch or dinner.
Dark Chocolate
This has a number of brain health benefits. The flavonoids which can be found in dark chocolate stimulate blood flow to the brain, which enhances your attention span, reaction time and memory. It is also great to fight off stress levels.
Blueberries
A study finds that eating these regularly is ideal to avoid short-term memory loss and age-related problems. You can combine these with desserts, such as puddings.
Salmon
An oily fish such as salmon contains high levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHAs) which can reduce the risk of memory-related diseases like dementia. You can easily integrate salmon in salads and with potatoes, as the main meal serving.
Beets
Similar to the results of dark chocolate which are mentioned earlier, beets increase blood flow to the brain. They improve our overall mental performance because the nitrates in beets convert to nitric oxide in your body which helps you relax and dilates the blood vessels in your brain lowering your blood pressure.
Broccoli
Broccoli contains significant levels of Vitamin K and choline which strengthen brain functions and memory. Since it is high in lignans it complements our brain in performing the basic functions. This veggie is ideal because it can be combined with most meals be it red meat, chicken or fish.
Whole Grains
Foods containing whole grains such as whole-wheat pasta, wheat and whole grain bread, brown rice and oats keep blood sugar stable. These slowly supply glucose to the brain which is important for us to maintain focus.
Now that you know about these food types which are great for the brain, why not indulge in a few of these? Apart from enjoying some tasty and healthy food, you will also be equipping your brain with the necessary nutrients to stay on the ball!
