Did you know your brain consumes over 20 percent of your daily calorie intake? The foods you eat every day quite literally feed your brain and allow it to function optimally (or not). That is certainly why some days, if we haven’t been getting our share of nutritious foods, we just feel as though we are in a fog – our brain is lacking the power it needs! Keeping nutritious foods front of mind is always a great way to properly fuel your brain. There are actually certain brain health foods, thanks to their natural ingredients – here are five of our favorites.
Fatty or oily fish
Kicking off our list of brain health foods that you should incorporate into your diet, fatty fish is a force to be reckoned with. The rationale is that our brains are made up of 60% fat, half of which are specifically omega-3 fatty acids – precisely the fatty acids in fish like trout, salmon, herring, sardines, and albacore tuna.
Dark chocolate
Everyone loves an excuse to eat some dark chocolate, but it’s ability to promote brain health is certainly one of the best excuses out there. Dark chocolate is made from cocoa (or cacao), which contains antioxidants called flavonoids. Studies have shown that flavonoids from cacao help with our memory and learning abilities. One study found cacao might stimulate neurons and blood vessel growth in the parts of our brains that are specifically tied to memory and learning, while another study discovered cacao might improve brain plasticity – also essentially for our learning.
Eggs
It’s easy for all of us to incorporate eggs into our diet – they can be found everywhere, they’re inexpensive, and they are quick to prepare. Not only are they a great, versatile, food, but they are also packed with vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, and folic acid. Thanks to research conducted recently, we have learned that those vitamins, specifically, may help delay any cognitive decline while helping to prevent brain shrinkage over time.
Berries
Delicious berries contain a familiar natural ingredient, flavonoid antioxidants, making them another one of our powerful brain health foods. Beyond the benefits shared previously related to our brains and flavonoids in dark chocolate, a 2014 study found that the compounds specifically found in berries can: improve brain cell communication; reduce inflammation; and reduce/delay neurodegenerative diseases. The best berries to build into your diet? Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, mulberries, and blackcurrants.
Leafy greens
Eating more leafy greens may not be as exciting as dark chocolate, but they are jam-packed with amazing nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, beta carotene, and folate. Vitamin K, in particular, aids in the formation of fat within brain cells, which we now know is essential to a healthy brain, and has shown to be able to improve our memory. Time to add more spinach, kale, broccoli, and collards into our meals!
The foods we fuel our brains with can have some powerful benefits if we choose them wisely. Next time you visit the grocery store, be sure to add the five brain health foods we shared today to your basket! Your brain will thank you.