Brain Health: WHAT TO BE EATEN BY ADULTS FOR A HEALTHY BRAIN?

BRAIN FOODS FOR ADULTS

Your brain is the most important thing you have.

Since it is the control center of your body, it has the ability to keep your heart beat proper and lungs breath in control and allowing you to move, think, and feel.

That’s why you should keep your brain in highest working condition.

The foods you eat play a very significant role in letting your brain be healthy and can improve specific mental tasks, such as memory and concentration.

The foods that can boost an adult brain are listed as follows:

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds contain powerful antioxidants that protect the body and brain from free radical damage.

They’re also an excellent source of magnesium, iron, zinc and copper.

Each of these nutrients is important for health:

• Zinc: This element is very important for nerve signaling. If your body has a deficiency of zinc, you can get yourself into many neurological conditions, including depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
• Magnesium: Magnesium helps in learning and is responsible for memory. If your body has a deficiency of magnesium, this can also cause many neurological conditions, including migraines, depression, and epilepsy.
• Copper: Copper is used to controlling nerve systems by our body. And with fewer copper levels, the condition of neurodegenerative disorders may arise, such as Alzheimer’s.
• Iron: Iron deficiency is often characterized by fog and impaired brain function.

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The research focuses mostly on these micronutrients, not only pumpkin seeds themselves. However, because pumpkin seeds are rich in these micronutrients, you can use them by adding them to your diet.

“Pumpkin seeds are rich in many micronutrients that are important for brain function, including copper, iron, magnesium and zinc.”

2. Coffee

If you are in a habit of drinking coffee. You will be happy to read the below content.

caffeine and antioxidants are the two main components of coffee, they help your brain.

The caffeine in coffee helps in a number of things including:

• Increased alertness: Caffeine blocks adenosine, a chemical messenger that makes you sleepy, and hence keeps your brain alert.
• Improved mood: Caffeine may also boost some of your “feel-good” neurotransmitters, such as serotonin.
• Sharpened concentration: research says that people who drink large cups of coffee in the morning itself or drinks small amounts of coffee the whole day, they are very good at tasks that requires concentration.
• Drinking coffee over the long term reduces risk of neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

This could at least be partly due to coffee’s high concentration of antioxidants.

“Coffee can help boost alertness and mood. It may also offer some protection against Alzheimer’s, thanks to its caffeine and antioxidants.”

3. Oranges

One medium orange in a day can complete all the vitamin c requirements.

Doing so can prevent mental decline due to vitamin c intake.

“Eating sufficient amounts of vitamin C-rich foods can protect against age-related mental decline and Alzheimer’s disease”, according to a 2014 review article.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight off the free radicals that can damage cells. Plus, vitamin C supports health as your age.

peppers, guava, kiwi, tomatoes and strawberries are excellent sources of vitamin c.

“Oranges and other foods that are high in vitamin C can help defend your brain against damage from free radicals.”

4. Turmeric

Turmeric has been in buzz recently.

This deep-yellow spice is an important ingredient in curry powder and helps the brain in a lot of ways.

Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, crosses the blood-brain barrier, it can directly enter and benefit the cells there.

It’s a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that provides the following benefits:

• May benefit memory: Curcumin may help increase memory power in people who have Alzheimer’s. It clears the amyloid plaques that are the key to this disease.
• Eases depression: It increases serotonin and dopamine, both of which improves mood.

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study found curcumin improved depression symptoms just as much as an antidepressant over six weeks.

• Helps new brain cells grow: Curcumin increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is a type of growth hormone that helps cells grow. It may help delay age-related mental decline.

To use curcumin, try cooking with curry powder, adding turmeric to potato dishes to turn them golden. You can also make turmeric tea.

“Turmeric and its active compound curcumin have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, which help the brain. In research, it has reduced symptoms of depression and Alzheimer’s disease.”

5. Nuts

Research has shown that eating nuts can improve markers of heart health. And if you have a healthy heart, you have a healthy brain.

A 2014 review showed that “nuts can improve cognition and even help prevent neurodegenerative diseases .”

Also, another large study found that “women who ate nuts regularly over the course of several years had a sharper memory, compared to those who didn’t eat nuts.”

Several nutrients in nuts, including healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamin E, have many health benefits.

Vitamin E shields cell membranes from free radical damage, helping slow mental decline.

Walnuts helps your brain more than any other nuts, since they also deliver omega-3 fatty acids .

“Nuts contain a host of brain-boosting nutrients, including vitamin E, healthy fats and plant compounds.”

6. Fatty Fish

Fatty fish is on the top of the brain food lists.

This includes salmon, trout and sardines, which are all rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids

About 60% of your brain is made of fat, and half of that fat is the omega-3 kind.

Your brain uses omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells, and these fats are important for learning and memory

Omega 3-s also have a couple additional benefits for your brain.

They help to age-related mental decline and help ward off Alzheimer’s disease.

Also, not getting enough omega-3s may cause learning impairments, as well as depression.

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In general, eating fish seems to have positive health benefits.

One study found that “people who ate baked or broiled fish regularly had more gray matter in their brains. Gray matter contains most of the nerve cells that control decision making, memory and emotion.”

Fatty fish is an excellent source for increasing brain health.

“Fatty fish is a rich source of omega-3s, a major building block of the brain. Omega-3s play a role in sharpening memory and improving mood, as well as protecting your brain against decline.”

7. Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are packed with a few brain-boosting compounds, including flavonoids, caffeine and antioxidants.

Flavonoids are a group of antioxidant plant compounds.

The flavonoids in chocolate gets collected in the areas of the brain that are responsible for learning and memory. Researchers say “these compounds may enhance memory and also help slow down age-related mental decline.”

In one study including over 900 people, “those who ate chocolate more frequently performed better in a series of mental tasks, including some involving memory, than those who rarely ate it.”

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Chocolate is also a mood booster…

One study found that “participants who ate chocolate experienced increased positive feelings, compared to participants who ate crackers.”

However, it’s still not clear whether that’s related to the compounds in the chocolate, or may be because the yummy flavor makes people happy.

“The flavonoids in chocolate may help protect the brain. Studies have suggested that eating chocolate could boost both memory and mood.”

8. Broccoli

Broccoli is rich in powerful plant compounds, including antioxidants.

It’s also very high in vitamin K, delivering more than 100% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) in a 1-cup (91-gram) serving .

This fat-soluble vitamin is important for forming sphingolipids, a type of fat that’s densely packed into brain cells.

A few studies in older adults have linked a higher vitamin K consumption to increase memory .

“Broccoli contains a number of compounds that have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, including vitamin K.”

9. Blueberries

Blueberries have a number of health benefits, including benefits to your brain too.

Blueberries and other deeply colored berries deliver anthocyanins, a group of plant compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Antioxidants work against oxidative stress and inflammation too. These conditions may cause brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Some of the antioxidants present in blueberries gets gathered in the brain and improves communication between brain cells.

Animal studies have shown that “blueberries help improve memory and may even delay short-term memory loss.”

You can sprinkle them on your breakfast cereal or add them to a smoothie.

“Blueberries are packed with antioxidants that may delay brain aging and improve memory.

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10. Eggs

Eggs are an excellent source of the nutrients which are responsible for brain health, including vitamins B6 and B12, folate and choline

Choline is an essential micronutrient that is used by your body to create acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and memory.

studies found that “higher intakes of choline were linked to better memory and mental function.”

Egg is an excellent source of choline, egg yolks are said to be the richest sources of choline.

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425 mg per day for most women and 550 mg per day for men, with just a single egg yolk containing 112 mg, is an adequate intake of choline.

To begin, they help slow the mental decline in the elderly..

B12 is linked to synthesizing brain chemicals and regulating sugar levels in the brain.

You should note that there is very less research about link between eating eggs and brain health. But there are many researches related to the  rain benefits of the nutrients found in eggs.

“Eggs are a rich source of several B vitamins and choline, which are important for proper brain functioning and development, as well as regulating mood.”

11. Green Tea

Just like coffee, the caffeine in green tea accelerates brain function.

It is believed to improve performance, alertness, memory and focus.

But green tea also has other components that make it essential for brain health.

One of them is L-theanine, an amino acid that can cross the blood-brain barrier and increase the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA, which helps reduce anxiety and makes you feel more relaxed.

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L-theanine also accelerates the frequency of alpha waves in the brain. This keeps you relaxed without getting you tired.

One review found that “the L-theanine in green tea can help you relax by counteracting the stimulating effects of caffeine.”

It’s high in polyphenols and antioxidants that helps in preventing your brain from mental decline and decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Plus, green tea improves memory.

“Green tea is an excellent beverage to support your brain. Its caffeine content boosts alertness, while its antioxidants protect the brain and L-theanine helps you relax.”

Conclusion

There are many foods available that can keep your brain in full health.

Some foods, such as the fruits and vegetables, as well as tea and coffee, contains antioxidants that help protect your brain from damage.

Nuts and eggs, are rich in nutrients that support memory and brain development.

You can keep your brain healthy by including all these foods to your diet strategically.

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