Bring on the Brain Food

The human brain is a complex organ whose workings are beyond the comprehension of even the sharpest minds in the business. While some of us are born with brains that are sharp shooters in the memory power area and have excellent cognitive and reasoning skills, others have to work hard to achieve the same kind of success. While it’s common knowledge that patronizing the right kind of foods goes a long way in keeping your body healthy, not many people know that eating the right kind of food also keeps your brain cells ticking like clockwork; and I’m not including the smart ones in this statistic for obvious reasons! So here goes, a list of foods that boost brain power and help sharpen your neurons:

• Essential Fatty Acids: Not all fat is bad for the body, and this one is certainly good for your brain. Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential part of the EFA family whose members are miracle workers when it comes to boosting brain power, upping your learning capacity, enhancing problem solving skills, and keeping depression at bay. Foods rich in EFA include cold water fish like salmon, tuna, halibut and others, nuts like walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts and others, seeds like flaxseed and pumpkin seed, and eggs.
• Choline: This chemical helps protect against degenerative diseases, improves cognitive functions, helps brain development and slows the memory loss process as we grow old. Soy beans, soy milk, tofu and other soya products are rich sources of choline as is the yolk in eggs. However, soy can also be linked to negatively affect your body, so it should always be consumed in moderation.
• Lecithin: helps your brain by preventing the formation of plaque (yes, your brain does generate plaque like your teeth, and no, it’s not good here either) and is found in foods rich in protein like eggs, soya, meat, milk and whole grains.
• Antioxidants: The best known protection against free radicals, antioxidants provide us with a whole lot of goodness. Besides battling the effects of age and preventing the formation of cancerous cells, antioxidants also play a vital role in preventing your brain cells from deteriorating. Fruits, especially the ones that come in bright colors and citrus flavors, and pulses and beans are rich sources of antioxidants.
• Flavanols: Chocoholics, get ready to hear some good news. Dark chocolate is now officially good for you because it’s packed with flavanols (in the cocoa) that help boost your cognitive skills and improve concentration power. Chocolate is also a natural mood enhancer because it stimulates the production of endorphins that are responsible for the feel-good factor.
• Folates: are found in most leafy green vegetables and have been proven to delay the onset of cognitive decline as we get on in years. Nuts, seeds and whole grain cereals are also good sources of folate.

This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of top nursing schools. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com.