A food’s task shouldn’t be solely to please your taste buds, which is exactly where most of us often go wrong. Regular visits to Dominos and Burger king to hog on pizzas and burgers to satisfy our cravings, ignoring the unhealthy intake of carbs will result in serious health problems. We guarantee you, making healthy food choices will drastically change your life.
After all, ‘you’re what you eat!’
Brain is basically the boss of our entire body. Brain is the one who’s responsible to give the command to our body to perform its day to day tasks of breathing, pumping blood, walking, talking and even thinking. Thus it’s obviously important to ensure the well-being of the organ. Certain food items are capable of sharpening the functioning of our brain, improving attention span and enhancing memory. In this article, we’ve listed 10 food items to boost your brain and memory. Go through it and include a few in your daily diet, maybe?
1. EGGS
Scrambled, boiled, half-boiled, bull’s eye and omelette, each of our preferred modes of consuming egg mostly differs.
Did you know, the deficiency of vitamin B in our body is associated with conditions such as depression, anemia, dementia and fatigue in general. Rich in vitamin B, Eggs also contain a nutrient called choline. Using choline, our system produces neurotransmitters that manage our mood and memory. Choline also plays a significant role in regulating the normal functioning of our brain. Consuming food rich in vitamin B also reduces a certain component in our blood that often increases chances of stroke and alzheimers.
2. CAULIFLOWER
While munching on the spicy gobi manchurian, have you realised the health benefits you’re unknowingly acquiring from it? Rich in the nutrient choline, consuming cauliflower improves the efficiency of our brain which in turn affects our reasoning, memory power and decision making. The food item is rich in antioxidants and is also capable of reducing the risks of cancer in our body. Cauliflower may not be our all time favourite vegetable, but the beautiful flower has the ability to improve our health in miraculous ways.
3. ORANGES
Most of you would have wondered at least once about which came first? Orange the colour or Orange the fruit? Let us break it to you, Orange the fruit. The fruit popular for it’s sour yet tangy taste, Orange is a powerhouse of nutrients and carries undeniable health benefits. Rich in vitamin C, Orange improves the cognitive functions of our brain. Oranges contain Flavonoids which activate the parts of our brain associated with learning and memory. Don’t you think we should team up orange with apples to keep the doctor away?
4. PEANUTS
Not a lot has been talked about the health benefits of peanuts. Assuming you don’t suffer from peanut allergy, grabbing a handful of peanuts and having them once in a while will prove immensely beneficial. Peanuts are rich in Niacin, a vitamin whose deficiency can cause alzeimers, decline in cognitive function and also, parkinsons.
Baseless rumours claim that consuming nuts in general might lead to weight gain, which is absolutely false. The healthy amount of fat and antioxidants in nuts ensure the wellness of our brain and heart.
5. FISH
If you belong to a coastal area, fish might most definitely be a part of your diet every two to three days. What’s not there to like about fish, right? Besides the mouth watering aroma and taste, fishes are an excellent source of Omega3 fatty acids, which helps in boosting our body and brain functioning. Fish is rich in proteins and vitamin D too, both of which are vital to maintain a healthy body. Studies claim that people who consume fish regularly have lesser chances of getting a heart attack or a stroke.
6. COFFEE
Do you kick start your day with a steaming cup of coffee? If yes, here’s some good news for you. Drinking coffee plays a huge role in maintaining your brain health. For keeping you alert throughout the day to sharpen your concentration and brighten your mood, coffee is the one for you. Caffeine and the high concentration of antioxidants in coffee reduces the risk of alzheimers and parkinsons.
The battle between coffee and tea is never ending in our country. But we can assure you that coffee does have enormous health benefits, so you can go ahead and have the verbal battle over a cup of coffee!
7. TURMERIC
Adding a pinch of turmeric, the vibrant yellow coloured spice, into your daily food consumption habits will benefit your brain and memory power. A prominent ingredient in turmeric, Curcumin is capable of entering the brain directly and improving the functioning of the cells inside.
Curcumin contains antioxidants and inflammatory compounds that aids in boosting our memory and enabling the production of new cells in our brain. The curcumin in turmeric even eases depression! Serotonin and dopamine generated by curcumin improves our daily mood.
Now will you have second thoughts while adding turmeric to your sabzi?
8. DARK CHOCOLATE
We generally have the tendency to put chocolate in the unhealthy category. Among all the other chocolates, dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients and minerals. The three main ingredients contained in dark chocolate, caffeine, antioxidants and flavonoids are capable of lifting your mood, sharpening memory along with learning abilities. Several other components in dark chocolate have the potential to reduce blood pressure and improve the blood flow in our system. So next time someone asks you to not have chocolate, offer them a bite and list these health benefits.
9. GREEN TEA
Did you know, tea is the second highest consumed beverage in the entire world! A lot of people in India can’t even begin their day without a strong cup of tea too.
While mentioning brain friendly beverages, green tea should be listed right after coffee. Even though green tea has a not so appealing taste, being the least processed one, the health benefits the beverage offers are mind boggling. In addition to reducing cholesterol, assisting weight loss and eliminating the risk of stroke or cancer, green tea is also capable of enhancing our memory and reducing the chances of cognitive impairment.
10. SPINACH
If you’ve grown up watching the cartoon Popeye, you might have also reserved a small corner in your heart for this leafy vegetable. Vitamin K in spinach is extremely valuable for the human body. Spinach helps in the smooth functioning of our brain. If you consume Spinach on a daily basis, you’ll observe that your brain remains active and is more capable of thinking intelligently. If you’re one of those people who are against green leafy vegetables, you should understand that you’re denying your body of crucial nutrients.
Make it a habit to eat clean and healthy not just to boost your brain and memory power, but also to lead a better life. When you cut down on processed foods in your diet, you’re cutting down on a number of diseases you could possibly suffer from, so do yourself and your body a favour.
