Boost Your Memory with Nutrition

Are you feeling forgetful? It could be from lack of sleep, your level of physical activity, or your lifestyle. However, there's no doubt that diet plays a huge role in brain health. Nutrition has an amazing effect on the body and brain. 

The best option for enhancing brain function and memory comes from good blood flow to the brain, which can be helped by eating foods that are nourishing and beneficial to the body, brain, and heart. Research discovered that the Mediterranean Diet helps keep aging brains sharp, helping with superior thinking, memory, and alertness. Eating your veggies, berries and cherries, omega-3 fatty acids, and walnuts can help boost memory. 

Eat your veggies. Getting and taking in enough vegetables may help improve memory. Eating the cruciferous veggies including broccoli, cabbage, and dark leafy greens are the most impactful. For lunch, try a kale salad or substitute collard greens for a tortilla in your next wrap. Try broccoli stir-fry for an excellent option for lunch or dinner. 

Be sweet on berries and cherries. Berries, especially the dark ones, are rich in anthocyanins and other flavonoids that may help boost memory function. Enjoy a handful of blackberries, blueberries, or cherries for a snack, mixed into cereal, or baked into an antioxidant-rich dessert. You can gain these benefits from fresh, frozen, or dried berries and cherries.

Get adequate omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), may help improve memory in healthy young adults and are essential for good brain health. Seafood, algae and fatty fish are the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which can include salmon, bluefin tuna, sardines, and herring. Use fish for a substitute for meat a couple times each week to get a healthy dose. Grill, bake, or broil fish for ultimate flavor and nutrition--avoid frying. For dinner, try salmon tacos with red cabbage slaw or seared tuna on salad greens. If you don't consume fish, discuss other food options or supplementation with your registered dietitian nutritionist or doctor. You can get omega-3 fatty acids through fish oil, seaweed, or microalgae supplements.

Work in walnuts. Walnuts are well known for a positive impact on heart health, but may also improve cognitive function. To satisfy midday hunger, snack on a handful of walnuts, or add them to oatmeal, a salad for crunch, or mix them into a vegetable stir-fry for extra protein.

Not only are these foods good for the brain, they also sustain a healthy heart and an overall healthy body. While there's no absolute guarantee that these foods will help you remember everything you studied the day before, they can support lifelong, good health over time.

Find these tips and more at: http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/wellness/healthy-aging/memory-boosting-foods