While eating well is widely known to improve your heart health and reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure
Here are five essential foods that you should make sure you include in your diet to keep your mind working at its best:
Fatty Fish
Many people are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids but have a high consumption of trans fats and saturated fats which have been shown to affect the brain negatively. Since our minds are made up mainly of fat and our bodies cannot manufacture essential fatty acids, we have to rely on a diet rich in omega-3s to meet our daily needs.
Studies have shown that foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, like wild cold water fish (e.g., salmon, herring, sardines, and mackerel), seaweed, chicken fed on flaxseed and walnuts, have been shown to reduce symptoms of schizophrenia, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other mental disorders.
Whole Grains
The primary source of energy for the brain is glucose, and this comes from carbohydrates. However, simple carbohydrates cause low mood because they create spikes in your blood sugar and have been shown to have effects on the brain similar to drugs of abuse.
Complex carbs, on the other hand, release glucose slowly which helps us feel full longer and provide a steady source of fuel for the brain and body. So, make sure you’re adding whole-wheat products, bulgur, oats, wild rice, barley, beans and soy to your diet.
Lean Protein
After carbohydrates, protein is the most abundant substance in the body. The aminoalkanoic acid influences mood by producing the neurotransmitter serotonin and serotonin is sometimes associated with depression.
Lean protein sources, which include fish, turkey, chicken, eggs, and beans, help keep serotonin levels balanced. Even more critical are complex carbohydrates, which facilitate the entry of tryptophan (an amino acid in most proteins) into the brain, reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety and improving overall cognitive functioning.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens like spinach, romaine, turnip, and mustard greens, and broccoli are high in folic acid, as are beets and lentils. Deficiencies in B vitamins have been linked with higher rates of depression, fatigue, and insomnia.
Broccoli also contains selenium, a trace mineral that plays a vital role in our immune system functioning, reproduction and thyroid hormone metabolism. Studies have indicated that low levels of selenium can contribute to depression, anxiety, and fatigue. So make sure you get enough. It can also be found in chicken, onions, seafood, walnuts, brazil nuts, and whole-grain products.
Yogurt With Active Cultures
Fermented foods, such as yogurt with active cultures, kefir, kimchi, tempeh, and certain pickled vegetables, contain healthy bacteria which have been shown to reduce anxiety and stress hormones and affect the neurotransmitter GABA.
On the other hand, eating too many processed foods may compromise the delicate balance of healthy and unhealthy bacteria in the gut.
So, if you’re needing a little motivation to add all these to your diet, get yourself into the kitchen and maybe treat yourself to some new kitchen equipment, some ceramic cookware, a nice new recipe book or a fancy new apron, create a meal plan and get cooking!
