6 Brain Foods We Should All Be Eating Every Week

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So you may be thinking in the new year that you want to go back to school to study. Or perhaps you just want to try and improve output in your work. Whatever the reasons, foods that are good for the brain extend beyond just fish, and vegans and vegetarians will be delighted to know that there are non-animal options out there that they can substitute. So here are 6 brain foods that contain high concentrations of chemicals such as omega-3 fats to keep your brain healthy and your mind sharp!

Fish

Starting with the most infamous food that has a long deserved reputation for being great for our brains, fish – specifically oily fish – has loads of those omega-3 fats that are great not only for our brain functions, but are also great for our joints and our heart as an added bonus. Salmon and tuna steaks are two examples of the most tasty ‘oily fish’ around, but sardines and rainbow trout are for the more adventurous fish-lovers.

Grains

First it should be mentioned that whole grains such as cereals, brown rice and brown pasta don’t work the same way as omega-3 oils do on our brain. Grains work instead by being a fantastic slow-burning food type that will fuel your brains energy level for a long time, so they are ideal as a source of energy for breakfast. It’s very likely that whole-grains for breakfast will keep you going until lunchtime, so this represents one of the best food types to fuel your brain at breakfast time.

Avocados

Avocados are a true super fruit when it comes to brain food, and they are a base-ingredient for many well-loved and popular dishes such as Guacamole in Mexican cuisine. Avocados are good for the brain because of the presence of both folic acid and vitamin k, which work in tangent to increase blood flow to the brain (which can prevent tumours or strokes) and improve memory and focus. They also contain Vitamin B and C which is a great bonus.       

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are great way of combating the ageing process on our brains, because they are so rich in Vitamin E. Vitamin E combats the cognitive degradation that comes as a natural part of getting older. Thankfully virtually every single nut that you can find in a supermarket is a good source of this essential vitamin, including walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds and flax seeds.

Blueberries

The second super-fruit on this list, blueberries are widely-touted to be exceptionally good for your brain’s short-memory function, as well as showing some convincing evidence in delaying the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s. It is thought that a chemical that it contains, called anthocyanin, are responsible for this memory-enhancing effect.

Tumeric

Tumeric is a spice and a key ingredient in numerous Indian dishes, but it has been used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in India for thousands of years.
It has numerous benefits for one’s health, including being a very effective anti-inflammatory, but it is great for the brain too with it increasing your brains oxygen levels, which is essential for keeping your mind sharp and able to memorise information over long periods of time.

So here we have 6 foods that are good for your brain and mind in lots of different ways. Using these foods to build on, creating a varied diet is key to keeping your brain healthy and your mind sharp.