Your Brain on Nutrients
By Sara Butler
Your brain is important -- obviously! But most people don't seem to associate the things they eat with brain health. The truth is that there are many nutrients that can help to support a healthy brain and central nervous system. And lucky for you, these nutrients are easy to find and incorporate into your meals and snacks. Here are a few brain-boosting nutrients and the foods you can find them in.
Omega-3s
DHA is an omega-3 fat that makes up a large percentage of the fat found in the brain. That's why babies need DHA in order to support their cognitive development and adults need it to help improve memory as they get older.
Omega-3s are not hard to find. You can find it supplemented in some foods or you can simply eat fatty fish such as tuna and salmon to get what you need.
Choline
Choline is a nutrient all expectant mothers need to help support healthy brain growth and protect babies from neural tube defects in the brain. Luckily, you can hit the choline goldmine in foods such as nuts, legumes, seeds, wheat germ, milk, and eggs.
Curcumin
This is a phytonutrient that that has been found in studies to help protect cognitive function and memory in adults, even those who suffer from a disease that impacts their brain, such as Alzheimer's disease. While this nutrient sounds exotic, it's easy to find in turmeric. All you have to do is sprinkle a little turmeric into the foods you eat to get the benefits!
Anthocyanins
Anthocyanin-rich foods, such as blueberries, have been found in studies to boost communication between the neurons in the brain and protect the cells from damage due to oxidation. They can also work to improve your short-term memory.
Aside from blueberries, you can find this nutrient in raspberries, red currants, cranberries, strawberries, and red grapes.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K has been studied extensively and there's some promising research from Rush University Medical Center that showed it can help to slow cognitive decline. Eating just one to two servings of foods high in Vitamin K per day can help boost cognitive function.
Foods high in Vitamin K include dark, leafy greens such as spinach, collard greens, and kale.
When you feed your brain what it needs to work optimally, then improved overall health and wellness isn't far behind!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Columbus, Ohio.