Foods for a Healthy Brain

The strong link that exists between nutrition and our mental state is undeniable. The way we eat can greatly impact our mental state both positively and negatively. The proper functioning of our brain depends on the quality of the nutrients we are able to provide. Choosing the proper foods can not only improve brain functioning but it can also help us maintain our brain young for a long time. Discover the best foods that can improve brain performance. 

The chemical processes that take place in our brain are influenced by a variety of factors. One of the factors which have the greatest influence on the proper functioning of our brain is the food we choose to eat on a daily basis. The level of concentration,our mental state, our memory, our state of alertness or the speed with which we are able to react and even our stress levels are all greatly influenced by our daily habits and nutrition plays an essential role.

There are countless studies that have shown that improving your eating habits is an excellent strategy for fighting depression naturally precisely because of the way in which the brain chemistry can change depending on the choices we make on a daily basis. When combined with moderate physical activity, good eating habits can rapidly lead to peak mental performance. Here are a few foods that can boost your mental acuity if they are consumed regularly:

Berries are excellent sources of antioxidants which have the ability to fight free radicals and to slow down the aging process and prevent damage at a cellular level. Packed with essential vitamins berries are a veritable nutritional powerhouse.

Blueberries and Acai berries have received a great deal of attention lately as scientists have come to discover the high amount of antioxidants these fruits contain but also because the chemicals contained in them have proven to have a beneficial impact on memory, particularly spacial memory. Cranberries have proven to be effective in improving concentration.

Soy is a good choice when trying to improve concentration and boost memory as well due to the content of lecithin, isoflavones and choline. Lecithin is well known for its positive impact on memory and in combination with isoflavones, the to improve cognitive functions, logical memory or preventing the of plaque deposits on the brain is greatly enhanced. Choline, a nutrient found in abundance in eggs helps slow down memory loss, fights inflammation while also promoting a healthy weight loss, preventing macular degeneration and boosting heart health.

Dark chocolate is not only unbelievably delicious but also great choice when trying to boost our mood, increase focus and improve blood vessels functioning by strengthening the capillaries. However, it's important to keep in mind that the cacao beans are the ones that offer all these benefits and to realize that in combination with sugar and other chemicals the benefits are greatly reduced.

To take advantage of the benefits that chocolate can provide is important to choose a chocolate that has more than 60% cocoa content. It's also a good idea to choose non-alkalized chocolate when possible as these is an indication that the cocoa beans have not been overly processed and still retain the majority of their beneficial components.

Coffee or black tea-When it comes to boosting short term memory and increasing alertness almost nothing can beat a cup of freshly brewed coffee in the morning. Researchers have even been able to find out that in moderate quantities coffee can improve our problem solving skills.

On the other hand, due to intense processing and as a result of adding a variety of additional ingredients, the coffee might loose amazing properties. Avoiding artificial ingredients and flavor is recommended but you can also choose to replace it with black tea, which also contains enough caffeine to give you a proper boost as well as a high amount of cancer-antioxidants but also with minimal processing.

Beans are an economical and convenient food that we can use to boost our brain power. Beans are an excellent source of lean protein and a magnificent source of complex carbohydrates, two essential components that are required for proper brain functioning. The brain's main fuel is glucose and steady levels of glucose in the bloodstream are essential for a long term peak performance.

When glucose is rapidly released in the bloodstream in the case of simple carbohydrates, our energy levels as as well as our concentration experiences various swings which result in both physical and metal fatigue as well as loos of concentration. For this reason it's important to ensure that we don't turn to sugar filled processed food sources for energy.