Brain Foods to Boost Your Memory
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Brain Foods to Boost Your Memory
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If you find yourself like I often do, forgetting simple events that your friends remember perfectly clearly (and you weren’t at all intoxicated), losing your keys and wallet as often as you go outside and finding yourself always having that feeling as if you forgot something, then this article is for you! (And for me!).
The amount of concussions I’ve gotten through sport has honestly been my downfall, but I never really had a good memory to begin with. And as we get older, our memory is rumored to be one of the aspects about us that decline the most. Fortunately, I didn’t have a problem in school or university because of my memory issue, but every day instances, if you ask any one of my family members, people I’ve had relationships and friendships with, then they can tell you that I do have some issues with memory.
Though as much as I enjoy and find it sweet that they call me their Dory, I would like to improve my memory in the most ways possible. Especially since I am still relatively young, worrying about having memory problems in the future don’t really occupy much of my thoughts. Fortunately, there are ways that can be implemented into my daily life (and yours too! Even if you don’t have a memory problem), that can help fight back and help me remember more of these precious moments of life. (And everyday things like where the heck did I put those keys, wallet, I swear…thank God I don’t have any pets…yet.)
There IS hope! Here are a few foods that we can add to our diet on a daily basis to help fight off problems relating to memory:
1. Blueberries
Not only does it help with memory, but blueberries by itself have so many health benefits. But they hone in on your brain through their high amounts of gallic acid. This is something that targets the protection of your brain from the battles of degeneration of stress. Not only are they a healthy, sweet-tasting snack, they can be easily added to low-fat muffins, pancakes or smoothies.
2. Broccoli
Basically, if you stick with your B’s your good! It seems that the things always come back to broccoli, it’s been the veggie to go to all along. It’s LOADED with vitamin K and choline. These vitamins help sharpen your memory. There are so many ways to consume broccoli, so don’t go turning it down when you pass by them in the grocery store.
3. Avocados
Avocados are amazing fruits for the brain. Yes, they are fruits! Imagine that. They are a powerhouse for improving brain health in an overall and superstar fashion. Just focusing on the brain (and staying away from mentioning the LOADS of health benefits that avocados reap), avocados can help prevent blood clots which leads to preventing strokes. This is caused by the vitamin K and folate packed into the fruit. They also help with cognitive function, which means that it boosts your concentration, focus and memory.
4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Before you throw this out of your diet because the word “oil” scares you, think again. This olive oil is loaded with antioxidants called polyphenols which does wonders for your mind. It improves your learning, your memory and it helps actually REVERSE, not just slows down, the decreases in your brain related to age and diseases. Keep it cold or room temperature to reap the benefits.
5. Salmon
If you ever feel like you need to clear some foggy thinking, salmon should be your “go-to”. The omega-3 that’s packed in this fish friend helps improve your memory and keep your thoughts clear. It has actually been researched to help with ADHD symptoms, kill tumors and prevent certain cancers.
6. Dark Chocolate
YES. Finally, something that you can add to your diet that is actually amazing to eat. Now, be careful which chocolate you reach for at the supermarket, but the darker the chocolate, the better it is for you. Do your research before you head to the Hershey’s factory. But a healthy does of dark chocolate is not only good for your heart (literally and figuratively) and your happiness, it’s good for your brain, too! It improves your overall blood flow to the brain.
7. Walnuts
Mixing these into your dark chocolate or munching on them for a snack can help your brain in a lot of ways! Overall, walnuts improves your cognitive health in general, but it specifically targets your mental alertness. It can also help you loads in the long run by preventing the symptoms and onset of Alzheimer’s.
Overall, there are loads of food out there that will help you improve your brain health and your health in general. This is just a compiled list of a few foods that can easily be implemented into your diet. For instance, this entire list can be of course consumed on a daily basis (at least one of these per day). But this entire list can actually be used in a whole day’s worth of food.
For instance:
Start your day with some blueberry pancakes! Make them whole-wheat (maybe even vegan!) pancakes, to keep them healthy and then sprinkle those blueberries on them while they are baking. This is a great way to begin your day, because not only does it contain brain food, eating breakfast gives you that mental kick start in the day that helps you tackle whatever you need to do before lunch.
Speaking of lunch, you can toss together a salad, throw in some avocados, (and veggies, whatever you want really) and sprinkle on the extra virgin olive oil. Of course, have a side of some grilled chicken, or whatever you fancy and then bam, lunch is served.
For a snack, if you’ve got some walnuts handy, have a handful or two for the day, while you’re munching and powering through what you need to get done in the day.
Then for dinner, bust out the salmon and broccoli, and you’ve almost got yourself a meal. Pair with rice for some of that full feeling.
After dinner, treat yourself to a couple pieces of rich dark chocolate, like mentioned before, the darker, the better!
I don’t know about you, but that sounds amazing, and I’m thoroughly hungry.
