Just as the right diet can make all the difference in how strong and healthy your body is, the right food choices are instrumental in determining brain health. After all, you are what you eat, and that applies just as much to your brain as it does to the rest of your body. But there are plenty of nutritious food items and recipes out there to choose from, raising the question: which ones are the best for your brain?
Courtesy of the healthy eating newsletter and book series, "Eat This, Not That!," here are three brain foods you should work into your day-to-diet diet:
- Almond butter: While peanut butter may be the typical go-to for either a quick treat or a PB&J sandwich, almond butter is a considerably more brain-friendly choice. With triple the amount of vitamin E of peanut number, almond butter can help reduce risks of cognitive decline, memory loss and even Alzheimer's disease.
- Blueberries: These delicious fruits contain flavonoids that can improve spatial memory support and antioxidants that reduce inflammation (a risk factor for long-term brain and memory problems).
- Salad with greens and cheese: "Leafy greens like spinach or broccoli […] [are] packed with vitamin K, which has been shown to improve verbal episodic memory, your ability to absorb and remember verbal instructions," the source writes. "Leafy greens also deliver high doses of folate, which works in tandem with vitamin B12 to help improve cognitive function for older adults. Since greens don't contain vitamin B12, add some cheese or eggs (which do) to a spinach or Romaine salad and you're good to go."
Click here to read about our selection of brain support supplements.