What Are The Foods That Ensure A Quick-Functioning Brain?

Sometimes, eating just for the sake of fulfilling a daily function is not enough. Eating foods that can benefit your body or, in some cases, your brain is essential. Choosing foods that contribute to better brain health can ensure quick thinking.

The foods you choose, especially those with a rich amount of antioxidants, can prevent dementia and keep your brain healthy. Experts believe that choosing fruits and vegetables that are colorful, as opposed to opting for processed foods, will ensure success in making your brain sharp and quick.

A diet which is ‘brain-healthy’ prevents heart disease and diabetes, while also encouraging blood flow to the brain. Brain healthy foods are also low in cholesterol and fat.

If you are looking to eat healthy, while also giving your brain a boost, here are some of the foods you should consider incorporating in your diet:

When you get older, it becomes difficult to learn a new language or engage in other activities that require a sharp brain. Why is that? It is because our brain cells need to have a conversation with each other. However, as we grow older, it becomes harder for them to ‘talk’ due to inflammation. Blackberries are a food item that can ensure better communication between the cells. Blackberries provide important antioxidants, called polyphenols, which control inflammation while boosting communication between neurons in the brain. This enables your brain to take in more information.

While other studies suggest kicking the caffeine addiction to the curb, coffee could actually sharpen your brain. A recent study suggest that people, mostly in their 40s and 50s, who are in the habit of drinking three to five cups of coffee daily can reduce their risk of falling prey to Alzheimer’s disease by around 65%. This is in comparison to those individuals who only drink two cups of coffee, or less, per day. The caffeine and antioxidants in coffee offer a protective cover over the brain and make your brain sharp and quick.

An apple a day can sharpen your grey cells too. Apples are a rich source of quercetin – an antioxidant that protects your brain cells and keep the mental juices flowing. Research studies have concluded that quercetin helps defend brain cells from a free radical attack, which have the ability to hamper the outer covering of the neurons. This could cause cognitive decline. In order to get your proper quercetin fix, eat apples with their skins as it contains the most quercetin.

If you thought you read wrong, you haven’t. Chocolates can help ensure better brain health. While chocolate does help lower blood pressure, it can also ensure a sharper brain. One-third of an ounce of chocolate daily will help safeguard your brain from memory loss due to old age. Polyphenols found in cocoa, which is found in chocolates, helps increase blood flow to your brain and make the brain sharp and quick.

Beta-amyloid plaques contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Brain tangles comprising tau proteins can also cause brain cells to die. However, cinnamon can come to your rescue. Two compounds found in cinnamon, proanthocyanidins and cinnamaldehyde, have the ability to inactivate the tau proteins. While research on the topic is inconclusive, you can always start by sprinkling cinnamon on yoghurt or oatmeal for a sharper and quicker brain.

The next time you skip the spinach bowl during dinner, think again. Spinach is a great food choice to make your brain sharp and quick. The leafy green spinach contains folate and vitamins E and K which prevent dementia. A half a cup of cooked spinach ensures you get one-third of folate and five times the vitamin K amount you require daily. Three servings of spinach a day can stall cognitive decline by around 40%, according to recent studies. You can always drizzle a little bit of olive oil on spinach. The healthy fats spinach contains increases the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins E and K.

Salmon is a food that isn’t just good for heart health; it also sharpens your brain. Salmon is a rich source of DHA, the most important omega-3 fat in your brain. DHA reportedly protects against Alzheimer’s disease. Salmon is also a good source of vitamin D, a nutrient which studies suggest can stall cognitive decline. People who are vitamin D-deficient are 40% more likely to fall prey to memory loss due to age. So consume salmon to make your brain sharp and quick.

Turmeric is among the important curry powder components. Turmeric contains a good amount of curcumin – a compound that reportedly prevents Alzheimer’s disease in numerous ways. Turmeric not only prevents the formation of beta amyloid plaques, it combats inflammation while also lowering cholesterol that clogs the arteries. Clogged arteries can decrease blood flow to the brain.

Studies suggest that polyphenols found in red wine helps keep your heart healthy in the same way. Concord grape juice can ensure brain health. If you stick to drinking grape juice for a prolonged period of time, studies claim improved spatial memory in addition to better verbal learning skills. Like blackberries, grape juice polyphenols allow for better communication between brain cells to make your brain sharp and quick.

ADDLs (amyloid B-derived diffusible ligands) are better known as Alzheimer’s-inducing proteins that are harmful to your brains. During the initial stage of Alzheimer’s, amyloid B-derived diffusible ligands attach themselves to your brain cells, eventually leading to loss of memory. Extra virgin olive oil can help fight the harmful effects of ADDLs, studies suggest. It is a rich source of oleocanthal – a compound that throws a spanner in the evil plans of ADDLs and makes your brain healthy and sharp.

Good news for citrus fruit lovers – it can boost brain health. Lemons, oranges, limes and grapefruits all help keep the brain healthy and sharper. No matter if you enjoy adding citrus fruits to salad dressing, sipping on fresh juice or lemonade – including this food item in your diet will keep your brain functioning well. Studies suggest that people who are in the habit of eating citrus fruits daily will prevent cognitive decline by at least two years.