Food for thought: 7 Foods that boost brain power

Make every meal count by incorporating these brain foods in your next family meal.

Sure, fruits and veggies are good for your body and brain, but what foods really give your brain the biggest nutritional boost? Lucky for us, our brains have excellent taste, so you’ll certainly enjoy adding these foods into your diet.

Avocado

The low-fat myth is over, folks. “Good” fats are essential nutrients with many health benefits. Avocados are a great source of MUFAs (mono-unsaturated fatty acids), which the brain soaks up like a tortilla.

How to cut an avocado >>

Chocolate

As if we needed an excuse, the cacao bean is actually one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. Whether you eat dark chocolate (at least 70 percent cacao solids), or just go straight for whole, dried cacao beans, your brain gets blasted with flavanoids, which increases blood flow and may help to protect against conditions like dementia and stroke. It also boosts the brains’ seratonin and dopamine levels through feel-good chemicals ananandamine and theobromine; and a happy brain is a good thing.

16 Signs you might be a chocoholic >>

Green tea

Especially great for the brain is Matcha tea, the Japanese powdered whole green tea leaf. It is full of EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate), a powerful antioxidant with many health benefits, and it’s also calming and focusing while stimulating at the same time. If you don’t like drinking tea, try cooking with tea instead.

Try these high antioxidant teas>>

Flax seeds

Flax seeds are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which our bodies cannot make on their own, and they can help the brain function and have also been linked to a number of other health benefits for the heart, cholesterol and even relieving arthritis pain.

Walnuts

Fat, again. You need a lot of it and different kinds. Walnuts are rich in Omega-6 fatty acids. And have you ever noticed that whole walnuts look an awful lot like tiny little brains?

Try these walnut recipes.>>

Turmeric

This spice most common in Indian cuisine has actually more to offer than just great curry. Curcumin, which is the powerful antioxidant found in turmeric, has been linked to plaque removal in the brain. Populations that regularly eat curry, such as India, have reported lower rates of dementia.

Spice up your health with turmeric. >>

Apples

That’s right, one a day really just might keep that doctor far, far away. Quercetin, which is found in abundance in the skins of apples, has been shown to protect the brain from damages associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Apples are also a great source of fiber, which helps the elimination process. Regular bowel movements help remove toxins from the body, which can otherwise cloud the brain and make you less focused.

Browse over 400 apple recipes on SheKnows.>>

More on brain foods

Green tea: Miracle drink?
Chocolate for breakfast: Chocolate recipes
How to cut an avocado