Foods that Can Increase Brain Function in Seniors
From birth to death, the brain is a sophisticated and powerful element of the human body that never stops working. This incredible organ records all of our thoughts, ideas, feelings, movements, sensations, and memories.
Increase Brain Function
The brain requires a constant supply of critical nutrients from our meals, blood sugar, and oxygen to function properly and support other organs. Essential nutrient deficiency can cause oxidative damage, inflammation, and harm to brain structures. This can put the brain’s healthy functioning, including memory, emotions, cognition, and focus, in jeopardy.
Recent studies show that you can increase brain function, and make improvements to your cognition through a healthy diet. Brain foods can ward off neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. Eating a well-balanced, wholesome diet rich in flavonoids, omega three fatty acids, vitamins, folate, and minerals like potassium, iron, and calcium can increase cognitive function.
Best Brain-Healthy Foods
Especially in those golden years, you must make sensible food selections in your daily diet to support excellent health and feed the human body with needed nutrients. This can assist you in improving mental performance by strengthening your brain.
The meals listed below have a high nutritional profile and can help the brain function at its best:
Eat Walnuts to Increase Brain Power
Walnuts help you think more clearly. Omega-3 fatty acids protect the brain by enhancing neurotransmitter function, which improves memory and cognitive abilities.
Walnuts are beneficial in helping to promote interneuronal transmission, neurogenesis, and the removal of toxic proteins, which play a part in a variety of debilitating and degenerative brain and body illnesses.
Polyphenols in walnuts help to reduce inflammation by collaborating with brain cells to resist oxidants. Walnuts also include magnesium and the memory-protecting vitamin B6.
Avocados are Good for Your Brain
Avocados are high in monounsaturated fat, vitamin K, folate, and vitamins C and B, among other nutrients. These vitamins have been shown to aid cognitive function by improving concentration and memory.
Avocados are high in excellent lipids, potassium, healthy monounsaturated fats, and vitamins B6 and C, all of which assist in keeping blood pressure in check. Vitamin K helps to prevent the formation of blood clots in the brain and protects you from cardiovascular problems.
Avocados can help improve a biomarker of brain lutein macular pigment density, according to a 2017 study published in Nutrients (MPD). Improved cognitive performance is linked to higher MPD levels.
A quarter avocado every day can be used in spreads and dips, as a filler in toasts, or as one of the ingredients in smoothies.
Enrich Your Grey Matter with a Bite of Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate’s high flavonoid content may improve cognitive performance while lowering blood pressure and decreasing insulin resistance.
Flavonoids, as antioxidants, can aid in the reduction of blood pressure, weight management, and the prevention of cardiovascular illnesses.
In addition to aiding cognitive performance, cocoa flavanols can help with focus, speed, and memory, especially when tired or sleep-deprived.
In stressful situations, eating chocolate can help you feel better.
To increase cognitive power, eat a square of dark chocolate. Choose chocolates that have at least 70% cocoa content.
Note: Because cocoa includes caffeine, which can induce irregular heartbeats, those with heart problems should exercise caution when eating chocolates.
Eat Almonds to Help Retain Memory
Snacking on almonds is a fantastic idea. They’re high in protein, vitamins, fiber, calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients, in addition to healthful fats.
The frequent consumption of almonds for 28 days was linked to memory recall in a 2016 study published in Brain Research Bulletin.
Almonds have a lot of minerals, especially antioxidants, which can help you have a sharper mind and prevent memory loss as you become older.
Blueberries Can Help Your Brain
Eat blueberries to keep your mind sharp as you become older. Blueberries contain neuroprotective flavonoids, anthocyanin, catechin, quercetin, kaempferol, and tannins. They help to improve memory, learning, and a variety of other cognitive functions.
Flavonoids protect the brain against age-related problems by limiting free radical damage, which can damage healthy tissue and is linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Eat 1/2 cup of blueberries every day to give your brain a boost.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are Abundant in Wild Caught Salmon
70% of the brain is made up of fat. Essential fatty acids, such as omega-3s, are required by the body to maintain brain health. Salmon is a wonderful source of omega-3 fatty acids, and it’s a great way to increase your brain function.
Folic acid and vitamin B12, both found in acorn squash, have been shown to reduce nerve damage and brain atrophy. Folic acid deficiency can result in brain birth abnormalities.
Salmon, in particular, is abundant in DHA, a fatty acid that can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce inflammation and promote improved blood flow to the brain.
Only eat wild salmon since farmed salmon has high levels of mercury and PCBs, which can harm the brain.
Eat Acorn Squash to Prevent Dementia
Winter squash, often known as acorn squash, is high in folate. Acorn squash can be baked or roasted to get its brain-boosting effects.
Folate is essential for the development of the neurological system at all stages of life. Folic acid shortage in the elderly can influence mood and cognitive performance, as well as contribute to age-related brain damage, which can lead to Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Reversible dementia can result from severe lack.
Without skipping a beat, your brain is armed and alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your brain, with its ability to stay connected to everything that happens inside your body, needs sustenance and energy to function properly. The most promising weapon for bolstering your brain’s ability to perform at its best is your nutritional intake.
Antioxidant-rich foods, essential fats, vitamins, and minerals can help to reduce oxidative damage, relieve stress, improve mood, memory, cognitive health, and delay the onset of neurodegenerative illnesses.
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