Did you know that there are ways and foods that can boost your intellect and even make you live a bit longer? You may be surprised at the many attainable strategies and affordable foods that can improve your brain health.
Embracing these natural techniques and food options can give your brainpower a welcome boost, keeping your mind healthy and strong.
6 Ways to Boost Brainpower
1. Exercise regularly
A regular exercise routine will encourage your brain to work optimally because this causes your nerve cells to multiply, strengthens their interconnections, and protects them from damage.
While exercising, your nerve cells will release neurotrophic factors, which are proteins. And these chemicals will promote neural health and directly benefit cognitive functioning. Moreover, exercise will improve blood flow to your brain, thus decreasing your risk of cardiovascular disease like stroke.
Studies have shown that exercise also boosts organelles producing energy known as mitochondria. And this suggests that exercise will help your brain work faster and more efficiently.
2. Get enough sleep
Sleep is essential both for regenerating your body and for reaching mental insights. It is the best way to reset your brain to look at issues or problems from a completely different perspective. A good night’s sleep can have a great impact on your ability to think clearly.
Plasticity, which is a process of growth, is believed to underlie the capacity of your brain to control behavior that includes memory and learning. This process happens if neurons are stimulated by new information, events or the environment.
Sleep modifies the expression of some of your genes that might be too crucial for synaptic plasticity. Also, there are some forms of long-term potentiation that can be elicited in sleep. And this indicates that while you rest, synaptic connections are strengthened.
This is also true for infants. Naps will give a boost to your baby’s brainpower, which plays a crucial role in cognitive development. Even in adults, a midday nap can dramatically boost brainpower.
3. Listen to your favorite music
Is the “Mozart Effect” familiar to you? This is a theory suggesting that listening to classical music will make you smarter. Undeniably, studies have shown that listening to music while you are exercising can boost your cognitive levels. This strategy has long been associated with improved cognitive functioning, along with improved mental focus.
As such, you must take advantage of this simple yet pleasurable activity whenever you can.
4. Keep on learning
As you learn, the structure and size of neurons and the connections between them will change. And learning can take on several forms apart from book learning, including learning to play musical instruments, traveling, speaking a foreign language, and joining in community activities.
Brain aerobics is also a great way to challenge your brain. This involves the use of mind-training exercises to keep your brain fit and healthy as you age. This can be as simple as remembering famous people whose names start with letter B, playing board games that involve thinking and solving crossword puzzles.
Surfing the Internet has also been proven to activate some regions of your brain that are related to complex reasoning and decision-making. So instead of passively watching the TV, consider using the internet because this is a more engaging task that can enhance your brain health.
5. Socialize
A life that is full of fun, laughter and friends shows cognitive benefits. One of the best brain training exercises you can do on a daily basis is to interact with other people. Establishing good relationships and making fun will not just benefit your emotional health, but your brain health too.
There are studies showing that the memory decline in people with active social life is of the slowest rate. Remember that laughing will activate different regions of your brain that involve focus, creativity and the learning process.
So to achieve a healthy brain, you must go out more, join a club, make friends, be active, and laugh as much as you can.
6. De-stress through yoga and meditation
Today’s hectic lifestyle presents lots of stress that can destroy your brain cells and damage the regions of your brain associated with memories. Some of the great ways to de-stress your lifestyle are through yoga and meditation.
De-stressing can improve your concentration, reasoning skills, memory, creativity and focus.
6 Foods That Can Enhance Brainpower
You may already know that you have to stay away from processed foods and sugary beverages because all these can negatively affect your health. A diet based on healthy fats like coconut oil, vegetables, whole grains, fruits and lean protein is crucial to giving your brain the proper building blocks for optimal health.
Here are some of the best foods you should include in your diet to ensure a healthy brain.
1. Fatty fish
Fatty fish is usually at the top of the list when it comes to brain foods. Fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which includes sardines, salmon, and trout. Your brain makes use of omega-3s to build nerve cells.
Also, these fats are vital for memory and learning. Most importantly, they help slow age-related mental decline.
Studies have shown that people eating broiled or baked fish on a regular basis had more gray matter in their brains. Be aware that gray matter has the most of the nerve cells that control your emotion, memory and decision making.
2. Blueberries
Deeply colored berries like blueberries contain anthocyanins, which are a group of plant compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. No wonder there are natural anthocyanin supplements on the market these days.
Antioxidants will act against inflammation and oxidative stress to prevent neurodegenerative disease and brain aging. Antioxidants found in blueberries have been found to enhance the communication between brain cells.
So you should consider adding them to your smoothie or sprinkling them on your breakfast cereal from now on!
3. Broccoli
Broccoli is known to be a powerful plant because it is packed with compounds, including antioxidants. It also contains vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin that is vital for forming a type of fat that is densely packed in the brain cells known as sphingolipids.
Aside from vitamin K, broccoli also has anti-inflammatory effects that can protect your brain from damage.
4. Nuts
Studies have shown that nuts can boost markers of heart health. But it was also found that nuts can enhance cognition and even prevent neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, women who ate nuts on a regular basis for some years have been found to have a shaper memory as opposed to those who did not eat nuts regularly.
Nutrients found in nuts like vitamin E, antioxidants and healthy fats might explain the brain-health benefits of this food. Vitamin E can shield cell membranes from the damaging free radicals, thus lowing mental decline.
Though all nuts will benefit your brain health, walnuts have an extra edge because they contain omega-3 fatty acids.
5. Dark chocolate
Dark chocolates are full of brain-boosting compounds like caffeine, antioxidants and flavonoids. Be aware that these flavonoids accumulate in brain areas that deal with memory and learning. These compounds may boost your memory and help slow down mental decline related to aging.
Furthermore, dark chocolates are a mood booster.
6. Pumpkin seeds
Aside from being a powerful antioxidant, pumpkin seeds also are an excellent source of iron, zinc, magnesium and copper.
A deficiency in iron can impair brain functioning. Meanwhile, zinc is important for nerve signaling, so a deficiency in zinc can lead to neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease.
Magnesium, on the other hand, is vital for memory and learning. Low levels of magnesium have been linked to neurological diseases like epilepsy, depression and migraines.
As for copper, this is used by your brain to control nerve signals. So if you have low copper levels, your risk of having neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s is high.
Due to the fact that pumpkin seeds are high in these micronutrients, adding them to your diet will help you reap their benefits.
As the control center of your body, your brain is in charge of keeping all your vital organs optimally functioning. Thus, you should make an effort to keep your brain always in its peak working condition by integrating these natural ways and foods in your life today!
AUTHOR BIO
Frank L. Jaksch Jr. is the Chief Executive Officer and a co-founder of ChromaDex. He oversees research, strategy and operations for the Company with a focus on scientific and novel products for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical markets. Mr. Jaksch earned a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Valparaiso University.
