Sharpening your brain is the cheapest investment you can make to develop yourself. Apart from doing activities to train the brain, the brain can also become sharper by consuming certain foods.
This is not surprising considering that healthy foods rich in fat, fiber, protein, vitamins and antioxidants are not only good for physical fitness, but also brain health. Reporting from The Healthy, here are some healthy foods that you can consume to sharpen your brain!
Berries
Illustration/Photo: Unsplash/Rodion Kutsaiev
Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries contain antioxidants that can improve health, both physical and brain. The antioxidants that are most abundant in berries are flavonoids, especially anthocyanins which can affect learning and memory functions in children.
Many studies have proven the effect of berries in slowing the decline in cognitive function. In fact, the serving size used in the study was only a cup of berries.
Dark Chocolate
Illustration/Photo: Unsplash/Tamas Pap
Are you a dark chocolate lover? You will be very happy to know that apart from being suitable for your taste buds, according to research, dark chocolate has benefits for increasing brain power.
A review published in the journal Nutrients in 2018 stated that consuming epicatechin, a content found in chocolate, as much as 50g/day for 28 days or more can increase brain power.
Increasing brain power can have an effect on other things such as growing cognitive function, reducing the risk of dementia, and improving the performance of memory activities.
Walnuts
Ilustrasi/Photo: Unsplash/engin akyurt
Most nuts are beneficial for brain health, but walnuts are one of the best sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA itself is a vegetable omega-3 fatty acid which turns into omega-3 DHA and EPA when in the body.
This brain food is also believed to help improve cognitive function in adults. The evidence was revealed in a 2015 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health, & Aging. In the journal it was found that adults aged 29 to 59 years who consumed walnuts scored higher on cognitive tests than those who did not.
Broccoli
Ilustrasi/Foto: Unsplash/Tyrrell Fitness And Nutrition
Cross-country vegetables such as broccoli contain sulforaphane compounds, a substance that has appeared in discussions in the Journal of Cerebrovascular Disease & Stroke. According to research conducted in 2017, it is known that broccoli can help protect the brain.
Broccoli also contains vitamin K which is also important for healthy brain function. In fact, previous studies looking at dietary intake in patients with early-stage Alzheimer's disease found that they consumed less vitamin K than people who did not suffer from the disease.
Concord Grapes
Illustration/Photo: Unsplash/Krista Bennett
Concord grapes are a type of grape that is considered rare because they only bear fruit for a certain time each year. Even so, you can still get 100 percent of the benefits from processing the fruit into juice.
This grape can help elderly people who have brain problems. In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it was stated that elderly people with problems with cognitive decline due to age who regularly drank Concord grape juice felt a positive impact on memory function and experienced increased blood flow to the brain which is also associated with memory.
***
Want to be one of the readers who can take part in various exciting events at Beautynesia? Come on, join the Beautynesia reader community, B-Nation. How to REGISTER HERE!
(sound/sound)