Improve Your Brain Function with These Foods
By Emily Lindholm
Have you experienced low concentration or brain fog? This list of foods that help to support the brain may benefit you. Our brains are nourished by foods that contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. The best ones will help to increase our focus and produce hormones that give us energy without the help of caffeine. Try eating more of the following foods to increase your energy levels and improve your focus, giving your brain an elevated ability to concentrate and process new information.
Beets
Beets contain antioxidants that can help detoxify the blood. These antioxidants are also believed to help prevent cancer. Beets also contain nitrates, which increase blood flow to the brain, helping you concentrate. Beets are great in summer salads or paired with salmon, another brain food! Eat them raw or have them roasted.
Avocado
Next time you go out for Mexican cuisine, eat that guacamole! Avocados are high in monounsaturated fats, helping to maintain blood sugar levels and healthy skin. They also are high in Vitamin K and folate, which help to improve memory and concentration. Avocados can be used in a variety of ways, and they can even be made into a pudding or placed into a smoothie to create thickness.
Broccoli
Broccoli is rich in choline and Vitamin K, both of which contribute to memory function and focus. Broccoli is also high in fiber, which can help sustain your hunger levels and keep you feeling full longer. Steam it, sautee' it, or even eat it raw. Broccoli is great added to any dish!
Salmon
As mentioned earlier, this is one brain food that most of us are aware of. It contains a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which we all need to be adding to our diets. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce brain fog, a symptom that is common amongst working adults. Memory and concentration also are improved by eating these healthy fats, which can be found in many other fatty fish as well, including sardines.
Walnuts
Walnuts even look like little brains. Is it a coincidence? Who knows, but the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in walnuts will help increase memory, alertness, and concentration. Keep these around for a healthy snack, or add them to a salad!
Blueberries
These are like little antioxidant bombs. Blueberries, containing more antioxidants than just about any other food, help protect the brain. They're high in fiber and Vitamin K as well. If you catch yourself eating a whole container of these in one sitting, just think of it as a good thing!
Conclusion
You could take all six of these foods and put them into one salad, and I've seen it done. Perhaps there's a reason why many restaurants make salads with walnuts and salmon together, and often, blueberries as well. Eat these up, and enjoy!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Bothell, Wash.