Well, my opening statement is a simple one: What you feed your brain matters!

I am and will always remain intrigued by the intricacies of our makeup, the way the body pieces together to move fluidly; the wiring of the brain to send specific messages to create a movement, a thought, a wish. We are incredibly built, more powerful than most of us will realise in our lifetime and yet we often choose to take this for granted and misuse it.

Like a finely tuned car, we require a regular MOT, a long run and some TLC to operate optimally and one of the things we can do to make sure we stay finely tuned is watch what we eat. Mmmm, yes, a tricky subject! But let’s look at some facts…

Does Brain Food Exist?

Oh yes! Just like the rest of the body, there are foods we can eat to enhance our brain power.

The brain requires some very specific things to work well and you might want to take note. It requires:

1. Energy – glucose in your blood to the brain – Wholegrains
2. Essential Fatty Acids – only obtained from your diet as the body is unable to make it – Oily Fish (Omega 3 fats)
3. Blueberries – who knew? See why below
4. Protection against free radical damage to cells – the magic ingredient lycopene in Tomatoes
5. Zinc – Pumpkin seeds

Some other key sources include certain B vitamins, blackcurrant, broccoli, sage and nuts.

What Happens If You Eat These Foods?

1. Increases the ability to concentrate and focus (from the steady supply of energy)
2. Aids healthy brain function, the heart function, joints and general well being (EFA)
3. Improves short-term memory loss or delays it (blueberries – got to get me some of those!)
4. Protects against the cell damage that can lead to the development of dementia (Alzheimer’s in particular) (Tomatoes)
5. Enhances memory & thinking skills (Pumpkin Seeds)

The additional benefits of eating the food types listed above include reduced brain shrinkage, mental agility, enhanced cognitive function, improved brain power and improved memory. Not a list to be sniffed at!

So if you’ve been struggling to stay focused, to retain information or engage with a level of mental agility that you feel you have, you might want to check your diet. Are you doing everything you can to remain mentally healthy or are you resigned to letting it all slip away blaming the ageing process? The choices we have, the decisions we make!

What Are Some Easy Steps To Improve Your Brain Power?

Apart from eating good quality food here are 3 other ways to improve your brain power:

1. Exercise your brain – neuroplasticity (the brain can change!) – by doing something new
2. Exercise your body – regular exercise not only increases brain function it enhances neurogenesis (every time you exercise you are creating new brain cells!)
3. Train your memory – practice remembering things (you know, where you put your keys, wallet, even the children!!) Practice provides improvements.

Get your thinking heads on and post some other cool, fun or wacky ways to improve brain power; I’m open to ideas and new ways. And remember, what you feed your brain matters!

One Life, Live It Well

YvonneB

Sources of information:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/10-foods-boost-your-brainpower

http://www.foodforthebrain.org/