Just as there are no magical supplements to prevent cognitive decline, there is no single food that can guarantee a sharp brain in a few days. However, some of the best foods for brain health can make you enthusiastic, attentive, energetic, and stress-free.
Nutritionists recommend following a healthy dietary pattern can help you gradually achieve an active and healthy brain.
As our brain is the control centre of our body that keeps our heart, lungs, limbs, kidneys, and sense organs healthy, we need to keep it in peak working condition – no matter how old we are.
Here is the list of the best foods for brain to let you live an active life.
1. Green, leafy vegetables
Leafy greens, including broccoli, spinach, kale, and collards, are a great source of brain-healthy nutrients like lutein, vitamin K, beta-carotene, and folate.
Various studies suggest these plant-based foods may help slow cognitive decline. As a result, nutritionists began to include them in the list of best foods for brain health.
Low levels of serotonin can increase the odds of becoming depressed. However, they can provide a good source of folate, leading to more serotonin production. As a result, it can lift our mood and stave off other health issues linked to depression, such as diabetes, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Fatty fish
Fatty fish is one of the best foods for brain health. They are abundant sources of omega-3 fatty acids and healthy unsaturated fats that can lower blood levels of beta-amyloid.
Beta-amyloid is the protein that forms damaging clumps in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Try to eat fish at least twice a week, but choose varieties low in mercury, such as salmon, cod, canned light tuna, and pollack. If you’re not a fan of fish, ask your doctor about taking an omega-3 supplement, or choose terrestrial omega-3 sources such as flaxseeds, avocados, and walnuts.
3. Berries
Berries are also one of the best foods for brain. Research shows that flavonoids, the natural plant pigments that give berries their brilliant hues, also help improve memory. A study by Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that women who consumed two or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week delayed memory decline by up to two and a half years.
4. Broccoli
Broccoli is an excellent source of potent 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 (160-gram) serving of cooked broccoli.
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 found that higher vitamin K intake improves memory and cognitive status.
Beyond vitamin K, broccoli contains many compounds that give it anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which may help protect the brain against damage. Broccoli is one of the best foods for brain and overall health.
5. Walnuts
Nuts, including walnuts, are excellent sources of protein and healthy fats, and one type of nut, in particular, might also improve memory. That’s how it becomes one of the best foods for the brain.
A 2015 study from UCLA linked higher walnut consumption to improved cognitive test scores. Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid. Studies found that having a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, including alpha-linolenic acid, can help lower blood pressure and clean arteries. As a result, you can keep your heart and brain health.
6. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is yet another best food for brain health. It is a great source of cocoa, which contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant).
Antioxidants are essential for brain health, as the brain is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, which contributes to age-related cognitive decline and brain diseases.
The researchers concluded that eating this dark chocolate may improve brain plasticity, which is crucial for learning and may provide other brain-related benefits.
7. Coffee
Coffee is a well-known concentration aid — many drink it to stay awake and encourage focus.
The caffeine in coffee blocks a substance in the brain called adenosine, which makes a person feel sleepy.
Beyond boosting alert, studies suggest that caffeine may also increase the brain’s capacity for processing information.
The researchers found that caffeine causes an increase in brain entropy, which refers to complex and variable brain activity. When entropy is high, the brain can process more information.
Coffee is also a source of antioxidants, which may support brain health as a person ages. One study has linked lifelong coffee consumption with reduced risk of:
- cognitive decline
- stroke
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
Caffeine can, however, affect a person’s sleep, and doctors do not recommend caffeine consumption for everyone.
8. Avocado
A source of healthful unsaturated fat, avocados may support the brain.
Eating monounsaturated fats can help manage and reduce high blood pressure, which may lead to cognitive decline.
Thus, by reducing high blood pressure, the unsaturated fats in avocados may lower the risk of cognitive decline. So, we can include avocados in the best foods for brain health.
9. Peanuts
Peanuts are a legume with an excellent nutritional profile. They contain plenty of unsaturated fats and protein to keep a person’s energy levels up throughout the day.
Peanuts also provide vital vitamins and minerals to keep the brain healthy, including high levels of vitamin E and resveratrol.
Resveratrol is a natural non-flavonoid antioxidant found in peanuts, mulberries, and rhubarb. Evidence from a review article suggests that resveratrol can have protective effects, such as helping to prevent cancers, inflammation, and neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
10. Eggs
Eggs offer a host of healthy nutrients. Regarding brain health, egg yolks are a good source of choline, which reduces inflammation and promotes brain function, like maintaining memory and communication between brain cells.
Hence, eggs become the best food for brain’s proper functioning and excellence.
Bottom Line
The list mentioned above of best foods for brain health may help improve a person’s memory and concentration. Some may also reduce the risk of stroke and age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Some foods contain compounds such as healthy fatty acids, which can help improve the structure of brain cells called neurons. Other compounds, such as sugars and saturated fats, may damage brain cell structures.
Brain-boosting foods tend to contain one or more of the following:
- antioxidants, such as flavonoids or vitamin E
- B vitamins
- healthful fats
- omega fatty acids
Beyond adjusting the diet, a person can optimize their brain function by:
- not eating too much or too little
- getting enough sleep
- keeping hydrated
- exercising regularly
- reducing stress through yoga, mindfulness, or meditation
- reducing alcohol intake
Eating a brain-boosting diet will also provide many benefits for the entire body. So, try to include the above-mentioned best foods for brain to boost your overall excellence and wellness as a human being.