Five Foods That Boost Your Brain

April 11th, 2019

By Katelyn Elrod

It’s that time of the semester again. The deadlines that seemed light years away months or even weeks ago are within view, and if you are anything like me, you may feel like your brain is melting.

When work, school and social commitments are vying for your time, it can be easy to fall into a state of mental exhaustion. And when your brain is tired, everything feels hard. Strategic scheduling, sleep and exercise are key in keeping mentally fit. But did you know you can also strengthen your brain with certain foods? If you’re feeling that end-of-semester panic, try incorporating these five brain-boosting foods into your diet:

Blueberries

The blueberry is the brain food of all brain foods. Seriously, this little berry is on every list of brain-boosting foods. Blueberries offer more antioxidants than almost any other food, and antioxidants are warriors for brain health. Antioxidants fight against oxidative stress and inflammation, which both contribute to brain aging.

You don’t have to wait until you’re older to benefit from blueberries – the antioxidants in blueberries stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. This can improve your memory and allow for better communication between brain cells, which improves all-around brain function.

And there is even more good news! Dried and frozen blueberries produce the same amount of antioxidant activity as fresh blueberries, so no need to worry when blueberries aren’t in season. A handful of frozen blueberries in a smoothie could do wonders for your mind.

Coffee

Okay, so coffee is technically a drink, but it’s too beneficial for you brain to be excluded from this list. I know what you’re thinking – too much coffee or caffeine in general can cause disastrous effects, such as anxiety and sleep deprivation. However, coffee in moderation may be just what your brain needs to finish that final paper.

Caffeine blocks adenosine, a chemical messenger that makes you sleepy, from binding to receptors. And you can’t flex your brain power when you feel like snoozing. In addition, caffeine increases your levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters that enhance your mood, attention, and memory.

Again, be mindful of your daily coffee consumption. Drinking coffee too often or too late in the day could cause jitters and trouble sleeping. However, drinking a cup or two early in the day could help you take on tasks with alertness and confidence.

Broccoli

Like blueberries, these green guys boast a high level of antioxidants. They also are rich in vitamin K, with one cup of broccoli providing you with more than 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K, which is linked to an improvement in memory.

Broccoli does even better in the memory department with its high level of choline, an essential nutrient that enhances memory. Choline influences brain development and nervous system health, and though your liver makes a small amount of it, you must gain most of it through your diet.

In addition to improving memory, broccoli’s high folic acid content helps fend off Alzheimer’s and fight depression. So throw some broccoli on a salad or even heat up a bag of frozen broccoli and slather it in cheese. There’s no reason not to!

Dark Chocolate

A square of dark chocolate a day keeps the doctor away, right? While that may not be true, a small daily portion of dark chocolate improves blood flow to the brain, which enhances your overall brain operation.

Dark chocolate packs its punch through high levels of flavonoids and antioxidants. We already went over how advantageous caffeine (in moderation) can be for your brain, so let’s talk about flavonoids. Flavonoids are a group of antioxidant compounds that gather in the area of your brain that deals with learning and memory. An increased level of flavonoids is linked to boosted memory and a slowing of age-related mental decline.

Not only does dark chocolate enhance memory, it also improves your mood. Researchers still aren’t quite sure whether this is due to the compounds in chocolate or its sheer tastiness, but does it matter? You have permission to eat dark chocolate every day. Just go with it.

Nuts

I’ll resist the urge to make a joke about how nuts it is that nuts are good for your brain and just open with this – nuts are awesome for your brain. In general, nuts improve cognition and help prevent neurodegenerative disease. They contain flavonoids like dark chocolate, but a few types of nuts offer unique benefits for your brain.

Walnuts boast DHA, which is a type of omega-3 fatty acid that improves cognitive performance in adults. Most Americans do not consume enough DHA, so join the minority of DHA-sufficient Americans by eating a handful of them at least a few times per week.

Walnuts aren’t the only all-stars when it comes to nuts that boost your brain. Pecans and pistachios produce an increase in gamma waves in the brain, and gamma waves are connected with perception, information processing and retention. So don’t skip out on the pecan pie at Thanksgiving – you know, for the sake of your brain.