One of the easiest ways to start thinking more clearly is to focus on eating foods for brain power. Find out what you should be eating to build a better brain.
You already know that it’s important to eat so you can get lots of vitamins and minerals. This keeps your body healthy and functioning on a high level. Did you know your brain likes to eat too? Not only does your brain like to eat, but it likes to eat power foods.
A previous article talked about the benefits of mental exercise and some of the things you can do to keep your brain sharp.
Now we’re going to specifically focus on some of the foods you can eat that will make you smarter!
1The Best Foods for Brainpower are Blueberries
Blueberries are without question one of the best foods for brainpower.
Studies have shown to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s, they improve your ability to learn and make your motor skills better.
Since the availability of blueberries can be seasonal, you should substitute pomegranates, cranberries, blackberries, cherries or grapes if they aren’t available.
As an added bonus, these are great for your overall health as well. Did you know that your brain feels stress even before you can feel it in your shoulder muscles? Blueberries and the other fruits mentioned above can help reduce stress.
2Wild Salmon
The best thing about wild salmon when it comes to your brain power is the omega-3 fatty acids. These have been proven to improve your cognition level and alertness. They have also been shown to reduce your risk of a degenerative mental disease.
Additional benefits of omega-3’s include reduced depression and anxiety, and an improved mood.
Tuna us another great food for brain power. In addition to the powerful omega-3’s, it has a lot of vitamin B6 which has been proven to have a link to memory and long term brain health.
3Nuts Can Increase Your Brain Power
One of the best things about nuts is that they will give you an immediate boost, but it won’t be followed up with a huge drop like so many other foods.
Hazlenuts, almonds, walnuts and cashews are all great choices if you want to increase your brain power. Many people think peanuts fall into this group too, but if you’re looking for foods for brain power, peanuts are on the lower end of the scale.
4Seeds Make You Smarter Too
Seeds are great foods for brain power because of the protein, good fat and vitamin E that they have. They also contain plenty of magnesium which is a powerful brain booster.
The best seeds to focus on are sesame seeds, flax seed and sunflower seeds.
5Oatmeal is a Brain Booster
Did you know that there is a relationship between your cardiovascular system and your brain power?
Your brain needs oxygen to operate at its peak, and a good cardiovascular system can provide this.
The reason that oatmeal is one of the good foods for brain power is because it is so beneficial to your cardiovascular system.
6Beans
Another way to boost your brain power is to get plenty of carbs. This is critical because your brain uses up almost 20% of the carbs you eat. A low carb diet may help your weight, but it certainly won’t make you any smarter.
When you eat beans, you get a slow and steady release of glucose into your brain. This will help you to stay sharp all day long.
If you don’t like beans, you can substitute brown rice as one of the foods for brain power.
7Dark Chocolate
Most people love to hear that chocolate is a great brain boosting food. Not only will it help to boost your brain power, but it is also full of antioxidants, fiber and serotonin. This translates to being healthier, in a better mood and having a healthier cardiovascular system.
8Tomatoes
Tomatoes make great brain boosters because of the lycopene that they contain. This is a powerful antioxidant that is known to help your brain. Tomatoes have also been proven to reduce your risk of dementia.
9Olive Oil
We’ve learned a lot about fats over the last decade. The early 90’s was full of low-fat diets. They may have been good for your waistline, but they resulted in foggy thinking, insomnia and mood swings.
Since then, we’ve discovered that there are two kinds of fat. “Bad” fat that is found in processed food and vegetable fats can both result in a higher risk of dementia and memory loss.
“Good” fat that can be found in things like olive oil, nuts, nut butters and oily fish can greatly improve your mental functioning.
10Foods For Brain Power
If you have trouble feeling less than your best during the day, you probably need to feed your brain better. Focus on adding some of the foods on our list to your diet and enjoy the benefits of becoming smarter.
What Do You Think?
Do you have any other foods for brainpower that you would recommend?
Share with your friends if you found this interesting.
