Here’s some food for thought: what you eat can affect how well you study. It’s true; a diet rich in essential fatty acids, fruits and vegetables does wonders for your brain power. Don’t worry, pizza counts, as long as you make it whole grain and top it with lots of colorful vegetables and cheese. Check out our list of 20 foods that can help you boost memory and study more effectively.
Fish for good health…
1. Fish: Herring, salmon, tuna, mackerel, halibut, anchovies, sardines and other cold-water fish are your best source of Omega-3 fatty acids, the primary components of the brain, retina and other nerve tissue. Studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids boost energy, enhance learning ability, improve problem-solving skills, and boost memory power and enhance communication between brain cells.
Show some soy power…
2. Soy: Foods made from whole, organic soybeans like soy milk and tofu are rich in choline, lecithin and isoflavones. Choline has been proven to positively impact brain development in addition to slowing memory loss, lecithin helps in preventing deposits of plaque in the brain, and isoflavones help improve cognitive function, category fluency, logical memory, spatial cognition and memory recall.
Reap the fruits…
3. Colorful and citrus fruits: Fill your platter with all the colors of the rainbow and a few more, and you’re guaranteed to improve your brain power. Avocados are especially potent in increasing blood flow to the brain because of their mono-unsaturated fat content. Other beneficial fruits that have a positive impact on your brain and help you recall information quickly include cantaloupes, watermelon, tomatoes, plums, pineapples, oranges, apples, grapes, kiwifruits, peaches and cherries.
Berry, berry good…
4. Berries: Blueberries are known for improving motor skills and learning capacity while strawberries are rich in fisetin, a flavenoid that improves memory recall. Elderberries, blackberries and raspberries have other brain power boosting benefits through their antioxidant content.
Go green…
5. Cruciferous and leafy green vegetables: Your mother had a good reason for forcing you to eat your broccoli. Cabbages, kale, turnips, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, collard greens, cauliflowers, radishes, spinach, mustard green and water cress all help retain memory. Other vegetables that are good in boosting brain power are onions, red peppers, lettuce, carrots, asparagus, okra, mushrooms, broccoli and sprouts.
Chalk it up to chocolate…
6. Chocolate: Chocolate is not only delicious, it’s also beneficial to your brain and can help enhance your mood. Natural stimulants boost the production of endorphins that improve focus and concentration. Milk chocolate has been shown to improve verbal and visual memory and boost impulse control and reaction time. Dark chocolate is rich in flavanols that boost blood supply to the brain and help improve cognitive skills.
Go nuts…
7. Nuts: Rich in Vitamins E and B6, folate, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, and antioxidants, these small food items boost your brain power and improve your mood.
Sow the seeds of wisdom…
8. Seeds: Flaxseeds are a rich source of memory-boosting Omega-3 fatty acids. Roasted pumpkin seeds contain relaxing tryptophan and dry sunflower seeds offer thiamine, a form of Vitamin B that improves memory and cognitive functions.
Gain from grains…
9. Whole grains: The best brain stimulating foods are like financial news and information, they help the mind grow. Grains like whole wheat, wheat germ and bran that contain a high percentage of folate. Oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain breads and cereals, barley and popcorn boost your blood flow to the brain. Wholegrain breads and cereals contain Vitamin B6 while wheat germ is rich in memory-improving thiamine.
No pea brains here…
10. Pulses and beans: The brain is fueled by glucose, and as it does not produce its own, the supply has to be kept steady from other sources. Rich in antioxidants, iron and other nutrients, beans help stabilize blood sugar levels. Peas, lentils, green beans, lima beans, black beans, kidney beans, and a variety of legumes help energize the brain.
A sage choice…
11. Sage: Whether used as a herb in your food or taken as a supplement in the form of oils and tablets, this member of the mint family has been known to boost levels of the chemical that helps transmit messages to and from the brain. Sage helps in the break down of the enzyme acetylcholine that is needed for the brain to function properly.
Currying brain favor…
12. Curry: This spicy Eastern delicacy is good for your brain because of a key ingredient, turmeric. The chemical curcumin which is abundant in turmeric helps remove plaque from the brain.
Brewing brain cells…
13. Tea: This wonder beverage, when freshly brewed, has been proven to
Egg those memory functions on…
14. Eggs: A rich source of Vitamin B and lecithin, eggs are good providers of EFAs (essential fatty acids) to the brain. The yolk is especially rich in choline, a basic building block of brain cells that helps improve memory.
Milk the goodness…
15. Calcium-rich foods: Yogurt, cheese, milk and other foods rich in calcium help in improving the function of nerves. Studies have proved that tyrosine, the amino acid in yogurt, is responsible for the production of the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenalin. In short, yogurt helps improve alertness and memory.
Beef up your brain cells…
16. Iron-rich foods: A deficiency in iron has been proven to be the most common cause for poor concentration, decreasing intelligence and slow thinking processes. Iron is essential to supplying the brain with the oxygen it needs to continue normal activity. Red meats and liver are the best sources of dietary iron.
Sweeten the process…
17. Carbohydrate-rich foods: When eaten without protein or fat, carbohydrates provide a soothing effect to the brain. The glucose from the carbs provides the fuel the brain needs to energize you. Avoid refined carbohydrates like white bread, pastries and pasta though, as they cause lethargy. Instead, stick to starches and sugars in the form of grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
Super supplements…
18. Supplemental herbs: Gingko biloba is one well-known supplement that improves mental clarity, alertness and memory. It stimulates blood flow to the brain by dilating blood vessels and increasing the supply of oxygen. It also destroys free radicals that are detrimental to brain cells. Others, though not as popular, are equally effective. Rhodiola rosea is a root that is used in the treatment of poor attention span, tiredness and decreased memory capacity. Herbalgram helps renovate oxygen-deprived cells while Panax ginseng has memory enhancing effects.
Oil those brain cells…
19. Organic and plant oils: Get things moving in your brain with memory-boosting essential fatty acids. These EFAs can be found in oils such as olive, walnut and flaxseed.
Irrigate your brain…
20. Water: Nearly three fourths of the brain is water, which makes this life-giving liquid an essential component for the smooth functioning of the brain. When dehydration occurs, the brain releases the hormone cortisol which shrinks dendrites, the branches in the brain that store information. This leads to a decrease in memory power. Cortisol also produces adrenaline which affects mental and cognitive functions. Make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to keep your brain active and quick.
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