How to Keep Brain Sharp: Foods, Activities, and Tips
The human brain is a remarkable organ that allows us to think, feel and experience life. It also performs many other functions that we often take for granted. As the years go by, the brain will start to change as it loses neurons and synapses due to aging.
In order to keep your mind sharp, you need to make sure you are doing everything in your power from a diet perspective, an exercise perspective, and an overall health perspective. This blog post will discuss how each of these factors can help preserve cognitive function as well as provide some quick tips on what foods should be consumed more often!
5 Exercises For Brain
Exercising your brain can be just as important as exercising your body. This is because the hippocampus, which controls memory and emotions, shrinks with age making it harder to learn new things or remember new information. By performing these exercises regularly, you can keep this part of the brain healthy and active:
Memory Games
These games will help improve both short-term and long-term memory. By completing these, you will be able to remember more information for a longer period of time and also recall it faster when needed!
Jigsaw Puzzles
Adding the visual component to puzzles that require critical thinking is proven to increase brain activity in areas related to problem-solving. These are great because they can be done with other people, which can also help to increase social interaction. Sudoku
This particular puzzle has been proven to improve reasoning, problem solving, and memory. It is a great alternative if jigsaw puzzles aren't your thing as it requires very little movement! Crosswords
Just like Sudoku, crossword puzzles can provide benefits in terms of improving critical thinking skills and memory. This is a great activity to do with friends or family as it can be very social and fun!
Brain Training Games
Similar to the jigsaw puzzles, brain-training video games will provide benefits related to problem-solving and critical thinking skills. They are available for mobile devices, which makes them easy to access at any time of day!
Literacy Activities
In addition to the obvious benefit of reading being a critical skill for school and work, literacy can also improve mental flexibility. This is because it requires you to read words or symbols then re-arrange them into a different order which helps with fluid intelligence!
Physical Activities
The brain has nerve cells that control movement, which means that if certain parts of your body aren't being used, the brain is not getting as many signals through these nerve cells.
This will lead to cognitive decline because it reduces overall neural activity, affecting how you think and feel! Keeping the brain active is one of the best ways to ensure you will be able to think clearly and function properly for years to come.
Many mental health disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia, are caused by a lack of activity in certain parts of your brain, which causes it to stop working altogether! If you want to keep your brain sharp, you need to be stimulated regularly.
Whether this means doing puzzles with friends or playing brain training games on the computer, every little bit helps!
10 Brain Sharping Foods
Foods play a huge role in the health and function of your brain. Some may even prevent cognitive decline, which is why it's important to make sure you are consuming these foods regularly:
Blueberries
These tasty fruits contain anthocyanins that help protect against free radicals! Free radicals can damage neurons, leading to a loss of memory or cognition over time. You can even try baking them into your favorite muffin recipe for a tasty way to improve brain function!
Fish
Omega-three fatty acids are found in large quantities in fish like salmon, trout and mackerel. These fats protect against free radicals which is why diets high in these foods have been shown to reduce the risk of dementia!
Beans
Black, pinto, and kidney beans are all great ways to get folic acid. This vitamin is essential for brain development during pregnancy, but it can also improve memory function in adults as well! Some studies have even shown that people with Alzheimer's disease had lower levels of this vitamin than those who didn't have the condition.
Whole Grains
Similar to beans, whole grains also contain folic acid. When paired with the vitamin B and iron found in these foods, they can protect against free radicals and cognitive decline by improving blood flow!
This will prevent neurons from dying, which is one of the first steps towards developing Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
Yogurt
Studies have shown that people who eat yogurt are less likely to develop age-related cognitive decline. This is because of the probiotics, which improve memory function and fight off free radicals! Even if you don't like eating it, many stores sell yogurt in single-serving cups, which can be easy on your wallet too!
Dark Chocolate
Not all sweets are bad for your brain! Dark chocolate contains antioxidants that fight off free radicals. These antioxidants also promote healthy blood flow to the brain, which can improve memory function!
If you don't like dark chocolate, try adding cocoa powder into your smoothies or oatmeal for a delicious way to boost cognition and alertness.
Coffee
If you need a little pick-me-up, coffee is the perfect drink! It contains caffeine which helps to improve memory function when consumed in small amounts. Even decaffeinated coffee has been shown to help with this cognitive task because it prevents free radicals from harming neurons and reduces inflammation in the brain.
Water
If you don't drink enough water each day, your brain will not have as much oxygen. This can lead to a loss of memory function and even slow down how you process information! Make sure that you are drinking at least eight glasses every day, which should be around 64 ounces total.
Nuts And Seeds
Nuts and seeds are a great snack for your brain because they contain omega-three fatty acids, which protect against inflammation.
They also have minerals like magnesium, copper, and selenium that support cognitive function so you should include them in your diet regularly! These foods can be added into many recipes to make it easier on yourself too.
Veggies
All vegetables contain antioxidants that fight off free radicals. These compounds protect neurons and prevent cell death, but they are not as strong as those found in dark chocolate, blueberries, or other foods included on this list! Eat your veggies every day to keep the brain sharp!
6 Helpful Tips for Keeping the Brain Sharp
Here are some helpful tips for keeping the brain sharp:
- Engage in activities like puzzles, reading, and writing.
- Exercise regularly to improve blood flow which is vital for cognitive function.
- Meditation can also help with this process because it reduces cortisol levels in the body! This will reduce stress and stop neurons from dying when they are exposed to free radicals, so try to meditate for at least ten minutes each day.
- Eat foods like the ones listed above to reduce inflammation and prevent free radicals from harming neurons in your brain.
- Avoid processed or sugary foods because they can damage blood vessels, which increases cognitive decline risk!
- Reduce stress by taking breaks, listening to music, or spending time with friends and family.
Importance Of Having A Sharp Brain
When we talk about having a sharp brain, it is important to understand why this matters.
Able To Think Clearly
When you have a sharp brain, you are going to find that it is much easier for you to think clearly and make smart decisions in your life.
You will be able to remember things more easily, process information faster, and overall be in better control of the entire situation when interacting with other people throughout your day-to-day activities.
Improved Memory
When the brain is not working to its full potential due to age, you are going to find that it will be much more challenging for you when trying to remember things.
Your memory skills overall will start deteriorating, which can become problematic, especially in social settings where people rely on face-to-face interaction instead of written communication.
Maintain A Positive Attitude
When you are able to keep your brain sharp over the years, this is also going to improve how you feel about yourself.
You will be more confident in social settings and overall happier with where you stand in life as opposed to suffering from memory loss or not being able to think clearly, which leads people down a very dark path psychologically speaking.
Make You More Productive
When you want to focus on making sure your brain is sharp, it is important that you look at the bigger picture.
You need to be concerned about how food impacts this organ as well as exercise and overall health status, which all work together in unison with one another.
The more successful each of these areas is for an individual, the more likely they are going to be able to have a sharp brain that will last them for many years.
Make Wise Choices
The human mind is very powerful in the sense that it can cause a person to make bad choices when not thinking clearly. This often applies when individuals start making decisions from an emotional standpoint versus being smart about their overall health and well-being.
Avoid Bad Decisions
By keeping the brain sharp, you are going to find that it is much easier for you to make wise choices throughout your day and overall be in control of the situation. You will feel more confident and less likely to fall victim to peer pressure or other situations where individuals make irrational decisions when their brains are not fully functioning.
Avoid Mental Deterioration
The human mind does start to deteriorate as individuals get older and lose neurons in the brain due to aging or other factors which contribute to this issue. If you are looking for ways on how to keep your mind sharp, it is important that you focus on each of these areas, including your diet, exercise, and overall health status.
Stay Positive Over The Years
When you are able to keep your brain sharp over the years, it is going to have a positive impact on how you feel about yourself in many ways, including being more confident when speaking with others as well as feeling better from a psychological standpoint which can not only help improve memory but overall make life a lot easier for you.
Increase Productivity In The Work Place
Having a sharp brain is going to help individuals in the workplace since they will be able to process information faster, remember key details, and overall have better communication skills with their clients or customers. This can lead to making more money as well as being promoted, which is a good thing for everyone involved.
