Foods That Can Help Boost Your Brain And Memory in Vacaville

Your brain is a big deal and plays a vital role in your daily functions. Since it is the control center of your body, it is responsible for making your lungs breathe and your heart beating as well as helping you feel, move, and think. This is the primary reason why you need to keep your brain working in a top condition. Vacaville Chiropractor, Dr. Alex Tam recommends these helpful tips.

Foods That Keep Your Brain Healthy in Vacaville

Did you know that the foods you eat can impact your brain's health? It could even improve mental health tasks like concentration and memory. If you are interested in consuming these foods, here is a list that you need to consider:

• Fatty fish - Fatty fish is probably the brain food that tops the list. Certain fishes like salmon, sardines, and trout are part of the list and they are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Your brain consists of 60% fat, where half of it is the omega-3 kind. The brain uses omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells, and these fats are important for memory and learning. Another great benefit of omega-3 is that they can slow age-related mental decline and could even prevent the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Also, not getting enough of this nutrient could lead to learning impairments and even depression.
• Coffee - No one can resist a cup of coffee in the morning and it is nice to know that it's actually good for you. The two main components of coffee that benefits your brain are its antioxidants and caffeine content. Caffeine can deliver positive effects to your brain such as:
  • Improved mood: Caffeine can boost your "feel-good" neurotransmitters like serotonin.
  • Increased alertness: Caffeine guarantees your brain health by blocking adenosine, which is a chemical messenger that could make you sleepy.
  • Sharpened concentration: Caffeine can make you more effective at tasks that require concentration.
  • Coffee can also help reduce your risk of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The high concentration of antioxidants in coffee could be the reason for that.
• Turmeric - This deep-yellow spice has been getting a lot of buzz recently. It is mostly used in curry powder and can provide numerous benefits for the brain. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, crosses the blood-brain barrier, which means that it can enter the brain directly and benefit the cells in there. It also contains potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that can provide the following brain benefits:
  • Eases depression: It can boost the production of dopamine and serotonin, which are helpful in improving the mood. A study has found that curcumin has improved depression symptoms in just 6 weeks.
  • Benefits the memory: People with Alzheimer's can benefit from curcumin since it helps improve their memory. It can also get rid of the amyloid plaques that cause this disease.
  • Helps grow new brain cells: Curcumin can boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is a growth hormone that is responsible for making brain cells grow. It could even delay age-related mental decline, but this one requires more research.
• Nuts - Eating nuts can improve the markers of heart health. If you have a healthy heart, it means that you also have a healthy brain. Nuts can help improve cognition and even reduce the development of neurodegenerative diseases. The nutrients in nuts include antioxidants, vitamin E and healthy fats, which could be the reason for their brain-health benefits. Vitamin E can shield the cell membranes from free radical damage, thus slowing mental decline in the process. All nuts are beneficial for the brain but walnuts stand out the most because they also contain omega-3 fatty acids.
• Oranges - Eating one medium orange a day can provide you with your daily dose of vitamin C. It could be important for your brain health since vitamin C can help prevent mental decline. Consuming sufficient amounts of vitamin C can protect you from age-related mental decline and even Alzheimer's disease. It is a powerful antioxidant that fights off free radicals that can damage your brain cells. Also, it can support your brain health as you age. Apart from oranges, you can also get vitamin C from other food sources such as guava, kiwi, strawberries, tomatoes, and bell peppers.