Have you found yourself frequently standing in a room with no memory of what you were supposed to do there? Or finding your car keys in the fridge for some reason?
It’s easy to tell yourself that a distracted mind is a sign of high intelligence, but eventually, you might want to boost your memory power.
Research shows that cognitive decline is a normal part of the aging process. If you aren’t proactive about it, your memory and cognition will start to suffer.
There are preventative measures you can take to reduce the signs of aging, including cognitive decline. One of the easiest ways to get started is to adjust your diet. With these seven foods, you will feel healthier, and your memory will get a much-needed boost!
1. Fatty Fish
Omega-3 fatty acids might sound like a scary thing, but they have a ton of health benefits. These are healthy fats that your body can’t create but needs for many processes.
Getting enough omega-3s in your diet has been linked to lowered blood pressure and triglyceride levels. If you’re concerned about your overall heart health, these are must-haves in your diet.
In addition to the physical benefits, omega-3s are great for memory. Research studies show that consuming fatty fish and taking omega-3 supplements is beneficial. They can reduce cognitive decline and prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.
The best foods for omega-3s include:
- Cold-water fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel, and tuna
- Nuts
- Chia and flaxseed
- Plant-based oils
Getting sufficient omega-3s in your diet isn’t easy if you’re not a big fish eater, but a daily supplement helps to increase your intake.
2. Turmeric
You’ll find turmeric in most Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, but this ginger-based spice is making its way around the world.
Turmeric itself isn’t the key ingredient for memory improvement — it’s the curcumin found inside the spice.
Curcumin is research-proven to decrease plaque in the brain that is related to neuron degeneration. When patients with Alzheimer’s Disease increased curcumin/turmeric intake, their memories improved.
Because turmeric is a spice, you can add it to anything. It does have a bitter, warm taste to it that lends itself to spicy foods. If this doesn’t sound like your type of food, you can take turmeric in supplement form instead.
3. Eggs
Science is always evolving, and nutrition is a field that continues to be explored. One of the most recent advances is the discovery of choline. Scientists knew about it, but it was only recognized as a necessary nutrient in 1998.
Decades later, people are still confused about the egg argument. Yet, eggs are one of the best ways to get choline.
This compound is created naturally in your liver, but not in substantial enough amounts to do what your body needs. It’s used in healthy brain development. Your muscles need it to move and stay functioning. And your nervous system and metabolism require choline to do their jobs optimally.
Eggs are the perfect way to get the choline you need in your diet. As an added benefit, they’re densely packed with other nutrients, too.
Too many eggs can be dangerous to those with cholesterol problems. One egg has 185 mg of cholesterol. If you’re not exercising and eating well, you should limit your intake to one egg a day.
4. Green Tea
Move over, water. Green tea is now considered one of the healthiest things you can drink.
Water is, of course, necessary to stay hydrated. But the incredible benefits of green tea make it a nutritional powerhouse.
One of these nutrients is called catechin. It’s the exciting antioxidant that fights damage to your body on a cellular level.
Green tea, and catechins, in particular, are beneficial. They stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and improve blood pressure. And anytime something is good for the heart, it’s good for the brain.
Daily green tea ingestion may block the plaque build-up that causes cognitive decline. Coffee might make you alert, but green tea is a mood booster that does the same thing while also preventing memory loss!
You can drink this powerful ingredient, or add the powder from it, called matcha, into your meals.
5. Dark Chocolate
You’re supposed to avoid sweets and sugary foods, but you can get around that rule with a bit of dark chocolate.
While other decadent delights are full of unhealthy side effects, dark chocolate is loaded with benefits. As long as you don’t overdo this yummy treat, you can use it as a guilt-free indulgence.
Not only is dark chocolate beneficial to your heart, which helps your brain, but it also has direct mental health benefits.
Dark chocolate with high-flavanol cocoa levels improves blood flow to your brain. It’s linked to improved cognitive function in those experiencing mental decline. And, like coffee with a kick, it has caffeine and other stimulants in it to make you more alert.
6. Berries
Berries, especially blueberries, are a superfood for your body and mind.
Dark berries are full of anthocyanins, a flavonoid that is linked to memory function. We already knew berries were a great source of antioxidants to keep your skin looking young, but now, they’re thought to reduce age-related memory loss, too!
When you eat berries consistently, it might help reduce inflammation and cellular degeneration in your body. This reduces your brain’s struggle to get signals through the pathways it needs to in order to keep your body functioning optimally.
Ultimately, it can slow cognitive decline in the brain and reduce the body’s aging process. If you want to look, feel, and think younger, load up on berries when you want to snack
7. Leafy Greens
If you grew up learning about the benefits of spinach through Popeye, you already know those leafy greens are important.
In addition to making you big and strong, they have nutrients that boost your memory capabilities, too.
Vegetables, particularly leafy greens, are loaded with lutein. Recent studies have correlated lutein with reduced mental decline. The nutrient helps to lower inflammation in the brain. Less inflammation slows down the formation of Alzheimer’s-causing amyloid-beta levels.
Popeye was completely on target. “I’m strong to the finish ’cause I eats me spinach.” You can eat your leafy greens and keep your brain strong to the finish, too!
Conclusion
Whether you’re noticing the impending effects of age-related memory loss or you want to prevent it altogether, changing your diet helps.
These seven foods and ingredients will boost your memory. The next time you find yourself standing in another room, you’ll remember how and why you went there!]
Author Bio
Ryan Sundling is a group marketing manager at Cardinal Group Management. He has over 10 years of experience in the conventional housing industry and works with The Ruckus on Rio to help them with their marketing efforts.
