11 Useful foods for memory

11 useful food / As the control centre of your body, your brain is in charge of keeping your heart beating and lungs breathing and allowing you to move, feel and think.

That’s why it’s a good idea to keep your brain in peak working condition.

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

This article lists 11 foods that boost your brain.

11 useful foods to improve your brain and memory

11 useful foods

    1. Fatty Fish

–When people talk about brain foods, fatty fish is often at the top of the list. This type of fish 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 essential for learning and remembrance.

Omega 3-s also have a couple of additional benefits for your brain. For one thing, they may slow age-related mental decline and help ward off Alzheimer’s disease. On the flip side, not getting enough omega-3s is linked to learning impairments, as well as depression.

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

   2.Coffee

– If coffee is the highlight of your life, you’ll be glad to hear that it’s good for you.
Two main components in coffee — caffeine and antioxidants — help your brain. The caffeine in coffee has a number of positive effects on the brain, including:

• Increased alertness: Caffeine keeps your brain alert by blocking adenosine, a chemical messenger that makes you sleepy.
• Improved mood: Caffeine may also boost some of your “feel-good” neurotransmitters, such as serotonin.
• Sharpened concentration: One study found that when participants drank one large coffee in the morning or smaller amounts throughout the day, they were more effective at tasks that required concentration.

 3. Blueberries

–Blueberries provide numerous health benefits, including some that are specifically for your brain. Blueberries and other deeply coloured berries deliver anthocyanins, a group of plant compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Antioxidants act against both oxidative stress and inflammation, conditions that may contribute to brain ageing and neurodegenerative diseases.

Some of the antioxidants in blueberries have been found to accumulate in the brain and help improve communication between brain cells.

Studies have shown that blueberries help improve memory and may even delay short-term memory loss.

 4.Turmeric

– This deep-yellow spice is a key ingredient in curry powder and has a number of benefits for the brain. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning it can directly enter the brain and benefit the cells there.
It’s a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that has been linked to the following brain benefits:

•  May benefit memory: Curcumin may help improve remembrance in people with Alzheimer’s. It may also help clear the amyloid plaques that are a hallmark of this disease.
•  Eases depression: It boosts serotonin and dopamine, which both improve mood.
•  Helps new brain cells grow: Curcumin boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a type of growth hormone that helps brain cells grow.

  5.Broccoli

–Broccoli is packed with powerful plant compounds, including antioxidants. This fat-soluble vitamin is essential 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 intake to better memory. Beyond vitamin K, broccoli contains a number of compounds that give it anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which may help protect the brain against damage.

11 useful foods to improve your brain and memory

   6.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 brain health.

• Zinc: This element is crucial for nerve signalling. Zinc deficiency has been linked to many neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, depression and Parkinson’s disease.
• Magnesium: Magnesium is essential for learning and memory. Low magnesium levels are linked to many neurological diseases, including migraines, depression and epilepsy.
• Copper: Your brain uses copper to help control nerve signals. And when copper levels are out of whack, there’s a higher risk of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s.
• Iron: Iron deficiency is often characterized by brain fog and impaired brain function.

   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 gather in the areas of the brain that deal with 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.

Chocolate is also a legitimate mood booster. One study found that participants who ate chocolate experienced increased positive feelings.

   8.Nuts

–Research has shown that eating nuts can improve markers of heart health, and having a healthy heart is linked to having a healthy brain.

Nuts can help prevent neurodegenerative diseases. A 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, such as healthy fats, antioxidants and vitamin E, may explain their brain-health benefits.

While all nuts are good for your brain, walnuts may have an extra edge, since they also deliver omega-3 fatty acids.

   9.Oranges

– You can get all the vitamin C you need in a day by eating one medium orange. Doing so is important for brain health since vitamin C is a key factor in preventing mental decline.

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

You can also get excellent amounts of vitamin C from bell peppers, guava, kiwi, tomatoes and strawberries.

   10. Eggs

– Eggs are a good source of several nutrients tied to brain health, including vitamins B6 and B12, folate and choline.

Choline is an important micronutrient that your body uses to create acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and memory.

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

Furthermore, the B vitamins have several roles in brain health. To start, they may help slow the progression of mental decline in the elderly. Also, being deficient in two types of B vitamins — folate and B12 — has been linked to depression.

Folate deficiency is common in elderly people with dementia, and studies show that folic acid supplements can help minimize age-related mental decline.

   11. Green Tea

– As is the case with coffee, the caffeine in green tea boosts brain function. In fact, it has been found to improve alertness, performance, memory and focus.

But green tea also has other components that make it a brain-healthy beverage. 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.

L-theanine also increases the frequency of alpha waves in the brain, which helps you relax without making you feel tired.

11 useful foods