Boost Brain Performance | Brain Food, Brain Health, Brain Nutrition - WaikikiMassage.com
Baked and grilled items: The Alzheimer’s Association suggests baking and grilling food instead of frying it to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol intake, which can contribute to Alzheimer’s.
Kale and spinach: Darker skinned vegetables like kale and spinach have the highest levels of natural antioxidants.
Flax seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds: These seeds have high levels of Vitamin E, which reduces risk of cognitive decline as you age.
Nuts: Walnuts, cashews, peanuts and almonds are excellent brain food because of their high concentration of vitamin E.
Canola oil and walnut oil: Cooking with canola oil and walnut oil is an easy way to balance your omega-3s and omega-6s, according to Psychology Today.
Beans: Eat beans to stabilize your blood sugar.
Healthy Mushroom Coffee: According to a study reported by the BBC, "coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body," due to its caffeine content.
Blueberries: Blueberries are a popular brain food because they reduce inflammation in the central nervous system and are an excellent source of antioxidants.
Whole grains sprouted wheat: Whole grain bread, rice and oatmeal lower your risk of heart disease, which maintains healthy blood flow to the brain. WebMD reports that whole grains also contain vitamin E, fiber and omega-3s.
Avocado: Avocados are rich in monosaturated fat, which promote blood flow. They’re also an incredible source of dietary fiber, vitamins B6, C and E, potassium, magnesium and folate.
Green tea: Green tea contains antioxidants called polyphenols, which help prevent cancer and "may help maintain positive mood states and protect against Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders," reports Psychology Today.
Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate contains antioxidants and caffeine, which protect the brain and improve your mood.
Eggs: Eggs in moderation can increase your intake of omega-3s and choline, which improves memory.
Strawberries: Add strawberries to ice cream, yogurt or fiber-rich cereal for a bigger brain boost. They are rich in antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C and potassium.
A moderate amount of carbs: Whole foods with carbohydrates give us needed energy, but overdoing carb-laden foods can make you sleepy and sluggish.
Activities and Games
Keep your brain guessing by taking classes, switching up your activities, and trying new games that will form new connectors.
Change the way you tie your shoelaces: Try reversing the hands you use to tie your shoelaces to challenge your brain.
Change up your regular route: Switch up the drive to work or your regular evening walk to test your brain.
Travel: Traveling is supposed to keep your brain in top shape. Neanderthals are believed to have sharp brains because of their nomadic lifestyle, according to The Franklin Institute.
Take a dance class: Challenge your brain to learn new steps and follow along with the music while getting needed exercise.
Yoga: Yoga may help prevent or ease depression and anxiety.
Games for the Brain: Play Sudoku and brain puzzles, trivia games and strategy games to flex your brain muscles.
Concentration and memory games: This group of brain games tests your concentration, memory and matching skills.
Read a mystery novel: Pick up a challenging mystery novel that encourages you to solve the puzzle as you read along.
Babysit: Babysit your grandkids or your neighbors. You’ll be challenged to keep up with their fast pace and games that are probably new to you.
Concentration practice: Did you know that you can practice your concentration skills to improve brain function? Brain exercise through crossword puzzles and Sudoku can help.
Opencourseware: Take a free not-for-credit class online to learn something new, test out your technology skills and challenge your brain.
Things to Avoid
Smoking, junk food, and too much TV are all harmful to brain performance.
Smoking: The Alzheimer’s Association maintains that "smoking interferes with blood flow and oxygen to the brain and is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke."
Getting overweight: Being overweight increases your chances of having a stroke, so exercise and eat a low-cholesterol, heart-healthy diet.
Junk food: Junk food is bad for your heart, your weight and your cholesterol, and it’s also bad for your brain.
Foods that are high in trans fats "adversely affect cognition," according to LiveScience.com.
Too much TV: Too much TV doesn’t challenge your brain enough, keeps you from moving around and exercising, and can cause headaches.
Routine: Your brain can get in a rut just like your mood can, so play around with your routine to keep your brain guessing.
Too much alcohol: Besides impairing judgment and brain performance during drinking, consistently drinking too much alcohol may speed up the shrinkage of brain volume, leading to dementia and other disorders.
Starving yourself: Maintain your focus and avoid headaches, stress and irritation by refueling every few hours on healthy snacks, like nuts and fruit.
Miscellaneous
From managing your anger and stress levels to meditating, these simple tips will improve focus and keep your brain sharp for years to come.
Getting to the country: Moving to the country, or at least vacationing there once in a while, gives your brain a break from the chaos of urban life, which according to a study reported by Boston.com, "impairs our basic mental processes" and "dull[s] our thinking, sometimes dramatically so."
Anger management: By learning how to deal with problems, the AARP reports, your brain "forms new neural connections" and avoids stress.
Stimulate your senses: Try focusing on only one or two senses, like touch or sound to challenge your brain to make sense of what you feel or hear without help from your other senses.
Get a check up: Make sure your brain is in good shape and not at risk for any tumors or other conditions by scheduling regular doctor’s visits.
Notice more: Instead of focusing on what you’re doing only, open your eyes and notice your surroundings. The more you take in, the more your brain has to process.
5 Top Cancer-Fighting Foods
- Apples, berries, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, and citrus fruits contain flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Flavonoids are also thought to prevent DNA damage to cells.
- Tomatoes and tomato products contain lycopene, which has been found to have protective effects against prostate cancer.
- Onions and garlic contain sulfur compounds that may stimulate the immune system’s natural defenses against cancer, and they may have the potential to reduce tumor growth. Studies suggest that garlic can reduce the incidence of stomach cancer by factor of 12.
Green tea contains EGCG, a catechin that may help fight cancer in three ways:
It may reduce the formation of carcinogens in the body, increase the body’s
natural defenses, and supress cancer promotion. Some scientists believe
that EGCG may be one of the most powerful anticancer compounds ever
discovered.
- Brazil nuts, seafood, some meats and fish, bread, wheat brain, wheat germ, oats, and brown rice are
the best sources of selenium, a trace mineral that is another powerful
cancer-fighter. In one major study, selenium significantly reduced the
incidence of lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers in participants who
received 200 mcg selenium for 4-5 years.
- This has led to follow-up
studies investigating whether selenium in combination with vitamin E has
a protective effect against prostate cancer. Plant foods, especially
wheat, provide much of the selenium in the North American diet although
their selenium content will vary according to the selenium content of
the soil in which they are grown.
News By: Established Seo writer Aaron R.. web copy writers
Boost Brain Performance | Brain Food, Brain Health, Brain Nutrition - WaikikiMassage.com
