Best foods to boost your brain and memory

The brain is the control center of the body. Good foods will help keep your brain healthy. Therefore, adding these foods to your daily diet will help you maintain a healthy brain.

The brain is the control center of the body, responsible for keeping the heart beating and the lungs breathing, allowing the body to move and think. There is no magic pill to stop brain decline or no brain food that can guarantee a sharp brain as you age. Instead, nutritionists stress that the most important thing to boost your brain is to follow a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Try to get protein from plant sources, healthy fats like fish, olive oil, canola.
Certain foods are rich in ingredients that are beneficial for health, especially supporting brain health, such as omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants. Incorporating many of these foods into a healthy diet on a regular basis can improve brain health, boost memory, and boost mood.

Fatty fish such as: salmon and sardines, ... contain rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids. About 60% of your brain is made of fat, and half of that fat is of the omega-3 type. The brain uses omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells. These fats are essential for learning and memory.
Omega 3 also has a few additional benefits for the brain. They slow age-related mental decline and help ward off Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, not getting enough omega-3s reduces learning ability, as well as increases the likelihood of depression.
A study found that people who eat grilled fish regularly have more gray matter in their brains. Gray matter contains most of the neurons that control decision-making, memory, and emotions. Overall, fatty fish is a great choice for brain health.
You should try to eat fish at least twice a week, but choose varieties that are low in mercury like salmon, cod, and tuna. If you're a vegetarian who doesn't or doesn't like fish, you can take an omega-3 supplement or choose terrestrial sources of omega-3s like flaxseeds, avocados, and walnuts.

The two main ingredients in coffee are caffeine and antioxidants that provide many benefits for the brain. The role of caffeine in coffee has many positive effects on the brain, such as:
Caffeine enhances alertness by blocking adenosine - the cause of sleepiness. Caffeine also helps improve mood by boosting certain neurotransmitters like serotonin. Long-term coffee consumption also reduces the risk of neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. This is thanks to coffee's high concentration of antioxidants.

Berries in general and blueberries in particular provide a group of plant compounds such as anthocyanins that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Antioxidants work against both oxidative stress and inflammation. These are factors that contribute to brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Some of the antioxidants in blueberries have been found to accumulate in the brain and help improve communication between brain cells.
At the same time, blueberries help improve memory and may even delay short-term memory loss.

An active ingredient in turmeric, Curcumin, can cross the blood-brain barrier, which means it can directly enter the brain. This is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that has many benefits for the brain:
Curcumin may help improve memory in people with Alzheimer's disease. It can also help clear the amyloid plaques that are hallmarks of this disease. Curcumin relieves depression by increasing serotonin and dopamine, which improve mood. Helps New Brain Cells Grow: Curcumin boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a growth hormone that helps brain cells grow. It also helps delay age-related mental decline.

Broccoli is not only packed with antioxidants but is also rich in vitamin K, providing more than 100% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin K in 91 grams. This fat-soluble vitamin is essential for the formation of sphingolipids, a type of fat found in brain cells.
In addition to vitamin K, broccoli contains several compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which may help protect the brain against damage.

Pumpkin seeds contain powerful antioxidants that protect the body and brain from free radical damage. Pumpkin seeds contain a good amount of magnesium, iron, zinc and copper. Each of these nutrients is important for brain health:
Zinc works with nerve signaling. Zinc deficiency will increase the risk of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, depression and Parkinson's disease. Magnesium: Magnesium is essential for learning and memory. Low magnesium levels have been linked to many neurological diseases, including migraines, depression, and epilepsy. Copper: The brain uses copper to help control nerve signals. And when copper levels are gone, there is a higher risk of a neurodegenerative disorder than Iron: Iron deficiency causes brain fog and impaired brain function.

Dark chocolate and cocoa powder contain several brain-boosting compounds such as flavonoids, caffeine, and antioxidants. Flavonoids are a group of antioxidant plant compounds that may enhance memory and also help slow age-related mental decline.

Research has shown that eating nuts can improve heart health, and having a healthy heart leads to a healthy brain. A 2014 review found that nuts may improve cognitive performance and even help prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
Certain nutrients in nuts like healthy fats, antioxidants and vitamin E have brain health benefits. Vitamin E protects cell membranes from free radical damage, helping to slow mental decline.

Vitamin C in oranges is a key factor in preventing mental decline. Eating adequate amounts of foods rich in vitamin C may protect against age-related mental decline and Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight free radicals that can damage brain cells. Additionally, vitamin C supports brain health as you age.
In addition, you can also get vitamin C from bell peppers, guava, kiwi, tomatoes and strawberries.

Eggs are a good food with many nutrients tied to brain health: vitamins B6 and B12, B9 and choline. Choline is an important micronutrient that your body uses to make acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and memory
However, many people don't get enough choline in their diets. Eating. As a result, eating eggs is an easy way to get choline, as egg yolks are one of the most concentrated sources of this nutrient. The adequate intake of choline is 425 mg per day for most women and 550 mg per day for men. Yet with just one egg yolk contains 112 mg.
Furthermore, the B vitamins help slow the progression of mental decline in the elderly. Lack of two B vitamins: B9 and B12 increases the risk of depression.

The caffeine in green tea boosts brain function, improves alertness, performance, memory and concentration. But green tea also has other ingredients that make it a good brain drink. 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. L-theanine also increases the frequency of alpha waves in the brain, helping you to relax.
One review found that the L-theanine in green tea may help you relax by counteracting the stimulant effects of caffeine. Green tea is also rich in polyphenols and antioxidants that help protect the brain from mental decline and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Avocado is a fruit that contains healthy fats that promote brain health. Avocados also lower blood pressure. Since high blood pressure is a factor in cognitive decline, low blood pressure promotes brain health. However, avocados are high in calories, so you should only add 1/4 to 1/2 of an avocado to a daily meal as a side dish.

Whole grains like oatmeal, whole grain breads, and brown rice may reduce your risk of heart disease.

Pomegranate juice is a powerful antioxidant, protecting the brain from the harmful effects of free radicals.
The above are foods that are good for your brain and they should be included in your diet.
Reference source: healthline.com; webmd.com