Does what you eat make you smarter? Yes and no. While a well-balanced diet won’t transform you into a Jeopardy champion, it will sharpen your thinking ability.
How alert do you feel after eating a greasy bag of fast food or cream-filled doughnut? The road to Food Coma is paved with empty calories devoid of nutritional content.
Your brain will perform better if fueled by healthy fats, fiber, protein, vitamins, and antioxidants. If you’d like to boost your brain power, eat these 5 healthy foods that make you smarter.
1. Oily fish
A common problem that several people face today is trying to recollect simple everyday tasks — what errands you need to run, who you’re supposed to call or what you had for lunch. So if you’re among those who want to improve your memory, go in for oily fish. Experts say that omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish like sardines, salmon and mackerel, are great for overall health and especially the brain.
2. Leafy vegetables
While many of us tend to turn our faces the other way when it comes to eating our greens, but research says that they’re excellent for your brain. Spinach and broccoli are high in antioxidants like vitamin C and beta-carotene, known to be healthy for the body. They also contain folate, which is known to improve how fast we take in information and recall it.
3. Eggs
Packed with minerals and vitamins, eggs are excellent brain food. Rich in iron, iodine and vitamin B12, eggs should form a regular part of your diet. While iron creates red blood cells, which carry oxygen to your brain, keeping you alert, iodine is known to improve problem-solving abilities.
4. Green tea: Did you know that your brain is made up of almost 80% water? This means you need to keep it adequately hydrated so that it functions well. While drinking the requisite eight glasses of water are essential, you could also have a cup of green tea daily. Researchers say that green tea increases mental alertness and improves memory while the antioxidants found in it reduce the risk of dementia.
5. Chocolate
Rich in flavonoids (brain-boosting chemicals), moderate consumption of dark chocolate is known to improve cognitive skills, say experts adding that flavonoids also activate the formation of new neurons in the brain so that new memories can be formed and improve blood flow to the brain.
