Memory-Boosting Foods: Don't Forget to Add These to Your Diet!

The food that we eat can have an impact on more than just our health. In fact, there are certain foods that improve memory and also help sharpen the mind.

Read on to find out what these foods are, and how you can incorporate them into your diet.

5 Foods That Improve Memory

According to Dr. Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist as well as a faculty member of Harvard Medical School, there are some foods you can eat to sharpen your mind. In fact, she even published a book about it entitled “This is Your Brain on Food” wherein she details the effects of food on the brain. Aside from affecting our brain health, she shared that food can also affect our mood, and thus our mental health.

This is why it is important to eat the right foods to keep our brain healthy, and to maintain a good state of mental health.

Here are some of the foods that she personally eats to help maintain the health of her brain:

Berries

Berries in general contain a lot of vitamins and minerals that our bodies and brains need². But dark berries in particular, such as blackberries, blueberries, and cherries, contain a lot of flavonoids and anthocyanins. These have been found to improve brain function, as well as memory.

Berries are great as a snack and can give you a quick energy boost when exercising. They are best eaten fresh, but dried berries also work well. Just be mindful that dried berries can have more sugar than fresh ones, so try not to eat too much.

Green Leafy Vegetables

It’s no secret that green leafy vegetables are one of the most nutritious foods a person can eat³. Aside from being chock full of fiber, green leafy vegetables also contain vitamins, minerals, and have almost no fat.

These are one of the foods that improve memory because they contain vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene. These nutrients can help maintain brain function and prevents cognitive decline.

As much as possible, you should eat green leafy vegetables every day. In fact, they should always be a major part of your meals.

Cocoa

You might be pleased to find out that cocoa is one of the foods that improve memory⁴. Cocoa is rich in flavonoids, which are a type of antioxidant that helps prevent damage caused by cholesterol to the body. Aside from this, it also has arginine which helps improve blood flow to the brain. This in turn can help improve brain function, and memory.

Take note that this doesn’t mean you can start bingeing on milk chocolate. Milk chocolate contains a lot of fat and sugar, which can be very unhealthy. So it’s best to consume dark chocolate, or make a healthy cocoa drink with fat-free milk and just a small amount of sugar.

Turmeric

Turmeric has been found to improve blood flow to a person’s brain, and it also contains a compound called curcumin which helps fight inflammation. Turmeric is easy to find, and you can even buy turmeric ginger tea in supermarkets.

Oily Fish

Lastly, oily fish such as tuna, mackerel, salmon, and sardines are great foods that improve memory⁵. This is because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that can help improve brain health, as well as lower the levels of cholesterol in the body.

They’re also a much healthier alternative to beef and pork, and also a good source of protein and iodine. Try shifting to a fish-based diet, and you’ll definitely see some positive results in your health.

Key Takeaways

The food that we eat has a big impact on our overall health. By eating the right kinds of food we can not only maintain our health but also improve our bodily functions, including our brain’s health.

Coupled with exercise, a healthy diet keeps us strong and free from disease and illness.

As they say, let your food be your medicine. Learn more about how to eat well to be healthier here.

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