7 foods to boost your brain health and functioning

Many people don't realise how much of an impact our diet can have on our health. The foods we eat can affect our mood, heart, gut, nails, blood, brain, skin, liver and much more! This is why it's so important to be mindful of what you put into your body on a daily basis and ensure that your body receives sufficient nutrition to maintain healthy balance and functioning throughout your body.

One of the most important organs in our bodies is the brain. The brain uses roughly 20% of the body's calories and requires plenty of nutrition to keep it functioning optimally! There are certain foods that have wonderful brain-boosting properties to support both short term and long-term brain functioning. By incorporating these brain foods into your daily diet, your chances of acing that exam, gaining mental clarity, improving your child's Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and excelling at work or school are greatly improved!

Here are of 7 of the best brain foods!

Fatty fish

Fatty fish (or oily fish), as opposed to lean fish, is defined by having over 5% fat by weight. Common types of fatty fish include salmon, anchovies, carp, herring and sardine. Fatty fish are the best sources of two of the three most important Omega-3s (EPA and DHA). Omega-3s are healthy fatty acids which have huge health benefits to your heart, brain, circulation and lungs! 

Brain benefits of fatty fish:

• Fights depression and anxiety
• Combats lethargy
• Ensures brain growth and development in infants
• Boosts IQ and EQ
• Reduces symptoms of ADHD
• Reduces the frequency of mood swings, violent outbursts and relapses in people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
• Fights and delays neurodegenerative disorders
• Improves length and quality of sleep

Tip: If you don't eat fish, add a vegan-friendly and good quality Omega daily supplement to compliment your diet! Solgar has a powerful Omega 3-6-9 Daily Supplement that's wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, preservative-free!

Avocado

Avocado contains an array of brain-boosting nutrients, one of them being Omega-3 fatty acids, just like fatty fish! Other important nutrients found in avocados include vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, Folate, Potassium, Magnesium and more! Tufts University performed a study on 40 healthy adults over the age of 50 who ate one fresh avocado per day for 6 months. www.naturalhealth365.com says, "It was found that they experienced a significant improvement in their problem-solving skills and working memory." Hooray for avo!

Brain benefits of avocado:

• Reduces high blood pressure (which is linked to cognitive decline)
• Reduces risk of stroke
• Improves memory
• Extends cognitive health and prevents neurodegenerative disorders 
• Boosts IQ and EQ

Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the most well-known brain foods! They're praised for their powerful antioxidant properties, which stabilises brain functioning and protects the body from disease and age-related health problems! Whether blueberries are consumed fresh, frozen, canned, or as an extract, they provide wonderful brain-boosting benefits!

Brain benefits of blueberries:

• Protects the neural tissue from oxidative stress
• Improves memory, concentration and learning
• Prevents age-related memory-loss
• Reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Extends cognitive health and prevents neurodegenerative disorders
• Boosts brain cell regeneration

Coffee

Coffee has been one of the most popular drinks for the last hundreds of years! While coffee has gained somewhat of a bad reputation, drinking it in moderation has been proven to be healthy! One of the benefits of coffee, besides for boosting our energy levels in the morning, is improved brain functioning!

Brain benefits of coffee:

• Fights and delays neurodegenerative disorders
• Studies suggest that coffee drinkers live an average of 13% longer than those who don't drink coffee
• Promotes central nervous system stimulation, which results in alertness and mental clarity
• Blocks adenosine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that makes you feel tired
• Improves mood
• Boosts concentration and learning

Nuts and seeds

Other than being delicious, nuts and seeds are highly nutritious and beneficial to brain functioning! Antioxidants, minerals, vitamin E, Omega-3 fatty acids and various other nutritional components are found in nuts and seeds, making them such a great additive to your daily diet. When purchased from the store, nuts and seeds often come roasted with salt and spice, making them lose nutritional value. The best way to consume nuts and seeds is plain and raw - they're still yummy! Some nuts can also be sprouted and eaten raw or added to salads!

Brain benefits of nuts and seeds:

• Improves overall cognitive function
• Helps with learning, memory and other important brain functions
• Fights depression and anxiety
• Extends cognitive health and prevents neurodegenerative disorders
• Protects the neural tissue from oxidative stress
• Improves brain cell communication
• Boosts healthy brain cell regeneration

Dark chocolate

Chocolate is a guilty pleasure for people all over planet Earth. It tastes sinfully addictive, it makes us feel elated even in the darkest of times, and the best part is that it's actually healthy for you (in moderation, of course)! There are various types of chocolate, but the rule of thumb is the darker the chocolate, the healthier it is! When buying dark chocolate, you should always try to select ones with high amounts of cocoa, as this is the source of powerful antioxidants. In fact, raw, unprocessed cocoa beans are one of the strongest form of antioxidants currently known to man!

If you thought it couldn't get any better than that, wait until you hear this.. Chocolate contains 2 very special compounds called phenylethylamine and theobromine. Phenylethylamine is also known as the 'love drug' because it creates a reaction in the brain similar to being in love and theobromine is considered an aphrodisiac! No wonder chocolate is popular on Valentine’s Day!

Brain benefits of dark chocolate:

• Contains small amounts of caffeine (scroll up 2 sections to see benefits of caffeine)
• Protects the neural tissue from oxidative stress and age-related damage
• Decreases blood pressure, which helps prevent strokes and various forms of cognitive decline
• Improves blood flow to the brain
• Boosts production of endorphins, which brings on feelings of happiness and euphoria
• Promotes central nervous system stimulation, which results in alertness and mental clarity
• Reduces pain and diminishes the negative effects of stress
• Helps with learning, memory and other important brain functions

Tip: Make your own healthy and DELICIOUS chocolate at home with this raw, unprocessed, dairy-free, sugar-free organic cocoa powder and raw cacao butter (recipe included in link)!

 Broccoli

While most children resist eating vegetables, you may want to persist with getting them to eat broccoli. Broccoli is a rich source of many nutrients that play a big role in brain development and brain functioning. Broccoli is rich in compounds called glucosinolates that ultimately protect and promote brain health, in both long and short term! Broccoli also contains vitamin C and flavonoids, which also boosts brain health.

• Protects the neural tissue from oxidative stress and age-related damage
• Helps with learning, memory and other important brain functions
• Boosts healthy brain cell regeneration
• Improves IQ and problem solving

Tip: Consuming greens as sprouts or microgreens provides the highest concentration of nutrients per calorie of any food (read all about the health benefits of sprouts and microgreens here)! Get your kids excited about broccoli by letting them sprout their own non-GMO organic broccoli seeds with this cool Broccoli Microgreen Sprouting Kit. Watch as they become proud of their sprouts and microgreens, and excited to harvest their first batch!

For more brain boosting supplements, have a look at our Concentration, Study and Learning collection for children and adults.

If you have any health questions, please contact our team for FREE advice. We always love hearing from you!