No matter how we may try to run from cognitive decline, it could still happen because of aging. While there is no single almighty brain food, nutritionists emphasize that the most important strategy is to follow a healthy dietary pattern.
This includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. You could also source protein from plants and fish. Healthy fats, such as olive oil or canola, rather than saturated fats are not excluded from the list.
The following foods have been linked to better brainpower:
1. Green leafy vegetables
Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene. Research suggests these foods from plant sources may help slow cognitive decline.
2. Fatty fish
Fatty fish are abundant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, healthy unsaturated fats that have been linked to lower blood levels of beta-amyloid—the protein that forms damaging clumps in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Try to eat fish at least twice a week, but choose varieties that are low in mercury, such as salmon, cod, canned light tuna, and pollack. Another option would be terrestrial omega-3 sources such as flaxseeds, avocados, and walnuts.
3. Berries
Flavonoids, the natural plant pigments that give berries their brilliant hues, also help improve memory, research shows. A study done by researchers at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that women who consumed two or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week delayed memory decline by up to two-and-a-half years.
4. Tea and coffee
The caffeine in your morning cup of coffee or tea might offer more than just a short-term concentration boost. In a 2014 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, participants with higher caffeine consumption scored better on tests of mental function. Caffeine might also help solidify new memories, according to other research. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University asked participants to study a series of images and then take either a placebo or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet.
5. Walnuts
Nuts are excellent sources of protein and healthy fats, and one type of nut, in particular, might also improve memory. A 2015 study from UCLA linked higher walnut consumption to improved cognitive test scores. Walnuts are high in a type of omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Diets rich in ALA and other omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to lower blood pressure and cleaner arteries.