The same way that there is no miracle drug that can stop cognitive ageing, there is also no one superfood that can keep your mind sharp as you get older. Nutritionists stress that maintaining a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains is the most crucial tactic. Choose healthy fats like canola or olive oil instead of saturated fats, and try to obtain your protein from fish and plant sources.
According to research, the following foods are among the healthiest for your brain since they protect your heart and blood vessels:
- lush green vegetables. Brain-healthy elements like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene are abundant in leafy greens like kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli. These plant-based diets may help delay cognitive decline, according to research.
- fatty seafood. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are good unsaturated fats and found in abundance in fatty fish, have been associated with a reduction in blood levels of beta-amyloid, the protein that causes harmful clumps in the brains of Alzheimer\’s patients. Make an effort to eat fish at least twice a week, but pick species like pollack, salmon, cod, and canned light tuna that are low in mercury. If you\’re not a big fish lover, talk to your doctor about taking an omega-3 supplement or stick to land-based sources like walnuts, avocados, and flaxseeds.
- berries. According to study, flavonoids—the organic plant pigments that give berries their vivid colors—also aid in memory enhancement. According to a study conducted by scientists at Harvard\’s Brigham and Women\’s Hospital, women who ate two or more servings of blueberries and strawberries each week were able to postpone memory loss by up to 2.5 years.
- coffee and tea. Your morning tea or coffee\’s caffeine content may provide benefits beyond a momentary increase in focus. Participants in a 2014 study that was published in The Journal of Nutrition scored higher on mental function tests when they consumed more caffeine. Some study suggests that caffeine may also aid in the consolidation of recent memories. Participants were given a series of photographs to study and were then given the option of taking a 200 mg caffeine tablet or a placebo, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers. The next day, more people in the coffee group were able to correctly identify the photographs.
- Walnuts. Nuts are a great source of healthy fats and protein; one particular variety of nut may even help with memory. Higher walnut consumption was associated with better cognitive test scores, according to a 2015 UCLA study. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a kind of omega-3 fatty acid, is abundant in walnuts. Lower blood pressure and cleaner arteries have been associated with diets high in ALA and other omega-3 fatty acids. That\’s beneficial to the brain and heart.