Being your best! It’s not easy to bring your A-game every day and constantly be at your best for work, school, leisure, interests, and home/family life.
But thanks to certain “wonder foods” found in nature, we can help optimize our potential and health – and even improve key attributes like memory and awareness.
Here are the top 5 foods our resident experts recommend for improving memory speed, quality, and overall performance:
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- Salmon and Other Fatty Fish – Did you know that the majority of your brain’s cell structure consists mainly of healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids? As this important organ fixes itself and grows more neurons, it requires a healthy amount of omega-3s.These fats are best found in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna. Here’s an added perk: consuming more fish often leads to eating less red meat and other protein forms that can clog arteries and negatively affect your heart and nervous system.
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- Berries and Other Antioxidants – As we age, free radicals floating through our bloodstream continue to break down your brain cells. It’s important to fight back and resist the influences leading to memory loss. Antioxidants are the key: they merge with and weaken the effect of free radicals. Healthy antioxidant sources include blueberries, broccoli, garlic, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, and soy.
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- Whole Grains – Your brain cannot function properly without energy, which comes from glucose in your blood and supplied to the brain. Go for whole grains and cereals such as oatmeal and brown rice.Fiber-rich whole grains are a key part of the “Mediterranean diet,” which also includes fruits and veggies, olive oil, and wine; all such food have shown in research potential to lower the risk for cognitive impairment that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. This dietary pattern may also help reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and other risk factors for brain and other health risk conditions.
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- Avocado – This creamy, healthy treat deserves its own special place on this list. It’s particularly rich in antioxidant vitamins C and E, which have been found in studies to be linked to lower Alzheimer’s risk. Avocados are tasty and can be easily added to salads, sandwiches, and a wide range of dishes.
- Dark, Green Leafy Vegetables – Trust your mom when she tells you to eat your veggies. Broccoli, spinach, kale, and collard greens are just some of the health leafy greens rich in vitamins and folate – the latter, for instance, may help protect the brain by lowering homocysteine levels in the blood that lessons nerve cell damage. A mere half-cup of cooked spinach provides 25% of your daily recommended intake of certain vitamins and minerals. Consider yourself in good company with many easy to find leafy greens.
Here’s a bonus: fiber is important not just in digestive processes but also in memory enhancement and improved brain health! The key here is to slow down the brain’s sugar absorption – the brain works on 100% sugars, which needs to be steadily and optimally delivered in order to avoid overloading the brain. Consuming the proper good doses of fiber via dried fruits, beans and peas, nuts and seeds, and whole wheat grains provides the “proper” type of sugars as opposed to process sugar found in sweets and sugar heavy food and drinks like candy and sugar sodas. While you’re at it, remember to avoid high-sugar diets for a host of other reasons to maintain a healthy, well-functioning brain.
Memory loss and general forgetfulness may stem from other factors like age, lack of sleep, genetics, or level of physical activity. But focusing on a healthy diet and healthy foods are a good first step to improving your brain health. You may also explore new, safe and high quality “brain pills” like LumUltra that are used by many aiming to achieve optimal personal performance and to cope with today’s high stress life styles.
