Top 5 Foods to Boost Brain Power

In the quest to be healthy and lose weight, many people concentrate on cutting calories and fat. It’s important to remember that food fuels our body and feeds our organs the nutrients they need to function properly. One important question to ask (especially when you’re watching your weight) is- are you eating enough of the good stuff?

 

Our brains require an array of nutrients on a daily basis. Want to make sure your brain has what it needs for optimal performance? Remember the following two points:

 

• Our brains are made up of 60 percent fat. Many of the fats needed to keep this balance are fats that our body cannot produce, which means they must come from our diet. We need these dietary essential fatty acids (EFA’s) as a building block for brain cells. One particularly crucial fat we need are Omega 3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory and help us stave off degenerative and inflammatory disease.* They also boost our memory and motor skills and help improve depression and mental disorders. Fats are not all good however. Be sure to choose whole, unprocessed fats. Trans fats, unhealthy fats from junk food and processed oils, and too much saturated fat from acidic sources like red meat and dairy will have an inflammatory effect on the brain and negatively affect heart health and cholesterol.

 

• Protein is crucial for healthy brain function. Since there are 9 essential amino acids that our body cannot produce, they must come from protein in our diet, daily. Our brain depends on these amino acid building blocks in order to make neurotransmitters (allowing communication of the cells in our brain), and to produce dopamine and other chemicals of emotion (crucial for mood and handling stress). We also need the amino acids to repair brain cells. 

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If we don’t eat enough healthy fats and proteins on a daily basis, our brain cannot function properly. Choosing the healthiest version of these important fats and proteins will keep you in good general health as well.

 

 

Here are my top 5 food choices to boost your brain power:

 

1. Avocado: One of my all-time favorite foods, I eat half of an avocado every day. They’re a great source of mono-unsaturated fat and they also increase dopamine levels. Eat alone with a sprinkle of sea salt, add to salads, use as a condiment, make homemade guacamole, or add to whole grain crackers for a snack.
2. Walnuts: A great source of unsaturated fat, nuts in general are good brain food. The walnut in particular is packed with important vitamins and minerals, is high in omega 3’s, and contains an array of the essential amino acids.
3. Salmon is one of the best sources of omega 3’s, particularly DHA, the most crucial fat needed by the brain. Vegans can use plant sources of omega 3’s like chia seeds and flax seed oil. Salmon also contains all of the essential amino acids that your brain needs. Vegans can sub a complete protein source like quinoa, organic fermented soy, or the combo of brown rice and beans.
4. Eggs are a healthy source of both saturated fat and omega 3’s. Great vegan sources of healthy saturated fat are coconut and unrefined coconut oil (eat in small amounts). Eggs contains all of the essential amino acids. They also contain sulfur which aids in detoxification and increases the amount of oxygen in our cells, crucial for brain detoxification. Other good sources of sulfur are garlic and onions.
5. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, arugula, and cauliflower, are incredibly detoxifying and alkalizing for the blood which keeps inflammation down in the brain and reduces degeneration.

 

Bonus: In the past, I’ve featured turmeric and beets as medicinal foods, both of which contribute to healthy brain function. Beets detoxify the liver, and when your liver is clean, it helps both your blood and your brain. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory root herb that will help stave off inflammatory disease like Alzheimer’s.

 

Food for thought is more than just a saying; don’t forget to feed your brain the right foods every day for healthy cognitive function!

 

Want smarter friends? Share this blog with them so they can feed their brains too:)

 

*https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20329590/