What Foods Support a Healthy Mind?
The brain is a huge part of the body, providing the support center for many various functions: it keeps your heart beating, your muscles moving, and your mind thinking. Keeping your brain in tip-top shape is extremely important, and there are many things you can do to support the body naturally. By doing something as easy as consuming brain healing foods, you can assist your brain in performing at peak capacity. Below are some of the most important brain-healing foods:
- Fatty fish like salmon, trout, and tuna contain a plethora of omega 3 fatty acids that your brain uses to build nerve and brain cells. The omega 3s are essential to learning, cognitive function, and memory.
- The antioxidants and caffeine in coffee can help with increased alertness, sharpened concentration, and mood improvement.
- The high level of antioxidants in blueberries act against inflammation and oxidative stress that can contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.
- The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds found in turmeric have been linked to memory benefits, helping new brain cells grow and easing depression.
- The vitamin K and antioxidants in broccoli may have profound effects on forming sphingolipids that are densely packed into brain cells. .
- Chocolate contains flavonoids that may help boost the brain and also mood.
- Oranges contain a large quantity of vitamin C that is a powerful antioxidant that supports overall brain health.
- Vitamin B6 and 12, choline, and folate are found in high levels in eggs. The compounds are essential in regulating brain function and mood.
- Green tea has high levels of l-theanine that cross the blood-brain barrier and can increase the neurotransmitter GABA.
Supplements That Support a Healthy Mind
In addition to consuming foods that help support a healthy brain, you can also take supplements that support your brain. Nootropic supplements have a beneficial effect on brain function by boosting memory, alertness, and cognition in healthy people. Some of the most helpful supplements that can help support a healthy mind are:
- Fish oils - Fish oils contain DHA and EPA, both omega 3 fatty acids that have been linked with health benefits like improved brain health.
- Resveratrol - A naturally occurring antioxidant in the skin of red and purple fruits like blueberries, raspberries, and grapes has been shown to prevent the deterioration of the hippocampus. Taking resveratrol may slow down the decline in brain function as you age.
- Caffeine - Although caffeine is a stimulant, it can work in a positive way by stimulating the central nervous system and brain.
- Ginkgo Biloba - An herbal supplement derived from a tree, ginkgo Biloba may assist your thinking skills and short-term memory.
- Rhodiola Rosea - An adaptogen that helps balance your body, this herb may help improve thinking skills and reduce fatigue.
- S-Adenosylmethionine - Is a substance naturally occurring in the body, when used as a supplement, it may assist people suffering from depression.
Why You Should Stay Active
Physical activity is so important for overall health. The link between exercise and brain health has many proven benefits. Not only can exercise improve your physical health, but it can create a positive effect on mental health as well. When you exercise, you naturally release healthy endorphins that help relax and calm the body. A minimum of thirty minutes a day of exercise can help reduce your risk of a heart attack, lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, manage your weight, and strengthen your bones. Exercise also helps support a healthy mind by distracting you from daily worries, blocking negative thoughts, and changing levels of chemicals in the brain.
Why Sleep Is Important to Your Brain
Good quality sleep is crucial for a healthy mindset. Sleep and brain health are very intricately linked, as sleep is important to numerous brain functions. Studies recently have shown that the glymphatic system in the brain is active while you sleep, clearing toxins from your brain that build up while you’re awake. It’s affecting almost every tissue and system in the body. Poor quality sleep increases your risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and even depression.
To get good quality sleep, setting a schedule can be very important. If you decide you want to be in bed by 10 pm, it’s a good idea to stop using screens by 8 pm to allow your brain time to wind down and relax and be ready for deep sleep. Drinking a calming tea, listening to a meditation, and taking a warm bath can get your body ready for a rejuvenating night of a good quality, deep sleep.
Exercises for the Brain to Stay Sharp
To keep you mentally sharp, performing brain exercises can be an excellent way to keep your brain busy and challenged. Brain exercises can help boost your memory, concentration, and focus. Help your brain stay healthy and increase your mental sharpness with some of these exercises:
- Put together a jigsaw puzzle.
- Play cards with a group of friends.
- Build your vocabulary.
- Learn new skills.
- Teach new skills to someone else.
- Take new routes when traveling.
- Perform daily meditation.
- Learn a new language.
Focusing on brain health is one of the most important things you can do as you age. By performing brain-boosting activities, you can help keep your mind sharp and engaged. These simple activities can benefit people of all ages.
Keep Your Brain Healthy as You Age
There are many ideas and tips on how to protect your brain. As humans age, as do their brains so it’s important to keep the brain and mind sharp. Getting mental stimulation has been shown to stimulate new neural pathways, which helps with neuroplasticity. Getting physical exercise has been shown to help balance the chemicals in the brain in a positive way without the use of any drugs. Improving your diet, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar can have a positive impact on brain health.
Avoiding alcohol and tobacco can keep your body from killing brain cells. Building a healthy social network of friends is especially important for people of all ages, especially when aging. People who have strong social ties have been linked to longer life expectancy. Protecting your head while performing activities like biking can help reduce the risk of concussion or brain injury, which can negatively affect cognitive impairment.
What Is the Best Way to Improve Brain Function?
While most people don’t think about brain function unless they’ve been personally affected, it’s important to be cognizant of ways to improve brain function for personal development. The brain is an extremely amazing part of the body. While many people think the body controls the brain, it’s most likely the other way around. The brain controls so many functions of the body and receives information from the body that it then decides what to do with. Through advancements in research, it’s been shown that neuroplasticity is possible to retrain the brain at any age. By performing some simple exercises, it can be easy to improve brain function.
Staying on top of your cardiovascular health is not only important for overall health, but it can impact your brain function as well. Getting the proper amount of quality sleep can help the body detox compounds that can lead to Alzheimer’s. Eating well, exercising, and being social are all activities that can improve your brain’s functioning. Trying new things can also help create new neural pathways in the brain. Using your non-dominant hand is a good way to spice things up and help keep a healthy mind as well.
Supplements Can Help
Staying on top of all the tips you can do to improve brain health is important. Taking a high-quality supplement can also be helpful to support your body and brain health. When you regularly take spermidine, you’re supporting your body from the inside out as you assist your body with cell renewal. This supplement helps with cellular energy as it triggers autophagy to stimulate our body’s own processes. It’s another tool in the toolbox to help you live your best life!
