5 Healthy Foods to Feed Your Brain
Category: Health Matters
The old maxim “You are what you eat,” turns out to be true. New
research on so-called “brain foods” shows that some chemicals in the
foods we eat go right to our brain cells. Sounds pretty powerful.
But can food really make us more intelligent, give us smarter kids,
improve memory, help us think more clearly, and maybe even forestall
those so-called “senior moments,” or worse, dementia?
The answer is a qualified “yes.” Although no one “miracle” food is going
to boost your brain power instantly, make your kid a genius, or cure
Alzheimer’s, regularly adding certain foods to your diet will help you
function at your personal best, both physically and mentally, throughout
your lifetime.
1. Berries
Berries are full of memory-boosting nutrients. Here’s how they work: When we talk about getting “rusty” at certain tasks, we may not be far off. Oxidation, the process that causes metal to rust, can also damage brain cells. This oxidative stress as it’s called, plays a part in many diseases associated with aging from dementia and Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s.
Berries are full of memory-boosting nutrients. Here’s how they work: When we talk about getting “rusty” at certain tasks, we may not be far off. Oxidation, the process that causes metal to rust, can also damage brain cells. This oxidative stress as it’s called, plays a part in many diseases associated with aging from dementia and Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s.
Getting beneficial anti-oxidative compounds like vitamins C, E,
beta-carotene and other nutrients through food may help prevent, or at
least curtail, the damage, because they can disarm potentially
cell-injuring free radicals circulating throughout the system.
Research has shown that beneficial chemicals called ellagatannis in
raspberries, strawberries and blueberries are also found right in the
hippocampus, the brain’s memory control center. Talk about a direct hit!
Blueberries also contain proanthocyanins, which gravitate toward the striatum, which is more closely related to spatial memory. Scientists believe that that these compounds may enhance the performance of those parts of the brain, and indeed, actual animal studies have substantiated the evidence that they do improve memory.
2. Cherries
Oxidation is not the only process associated with diseases of aging. Inflammation also plays a big role in everything from heart disease to dementia.
Oxidation is not the only process associated with diseases of aging. Inflammation also plays a big role in everything from heart disease to dementia.
Cherries are nature’s own little anti-inflammatory pills. They
contain Cox 2 inhibitors similar to those found in pain medications such
as Vioxx and Celebrex, but they also contain compounds called
polyphenols that keep platelets in the blood from clumping together, so
they don’t produce undesirable side effects— like heart attacks and
strokes—which are risks associated with the manufactured drugs. Isn’t
Mother Nature clever?
3. That old adage about “an apple a day” is right on target. Turns
out that apples contain a group of chemicals that could protect the
brain from the type of damage that triggers neurodegenerative diseases
like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. One of those compounds, a flavonoid
called quercetin, has been shown to protect the brain from oxidative
injury in animal studies.
Other chemicals such as phenolic acids and different flavonoids
protect the apple itself against damage by bacteria, viruses and
fungi—and if they protect the fruit, just imagine what they can do for
us! Studies suggest that eating apples not only may help reduce the risk
of cancer, but diminish the risk of neurodegenerative disorders too.
4. Curry
Turmeric, the yellow spice found in many curries, contains curcumin, which also has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It may even prove useful in treating Alzheimer’s; one study showed a reduction in beta amyloid deposits, the plaques associated with the disease, in the brains of animals fed curcumin-enhanced food. In another study, elderly people who ate curry often or very often did better on tests of mental performance than those who never or rarely ate curry.
Turmeric, the yellow spice found in many curries, contains curcumin, which also has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It may even prove useful in treating Alzheimer’s; one study showed a reduction in beta amyloid deposits, the plaques associated with the disease, in the brains of animals fed curcumin-enhanced food. In another study, elderly people who ate curry often or very often did better on tests of mental performance than those who never or rarely ate curry.
5. egg
The egg has gotten bad press because of its cholesterol-rich yoke and
the associations between dietary cholesterol and heart disease.
However, that same yolk contains one of the most important nutrients for
building better brains: choline.
Getting adequate amounts of choline, especially early in life—during
fetal development and early childhood—may help us learn more readily and
also help us retain what we learn. What’s more, sufficient choline
intake early on may give us the mental building blocks we need to help
keep memory intact as we age.
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This is so much useful food guide. Thanks. But with healthy foods also take organic supplements for brain
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