Foods that are Healthy for the Brain for Students and Why?
As a student, it is important for you to have a strong memory that will help you to improve your concentration level. This can only be achieved when you have good brain functioning and to get this you must involve foods that are healthy for the brain.
Quick Takeaways
1. Oily fish
- Foods that are healthy for your brain are-
2. Nuts
3. Eggs
4. Broccoli
5. Whole grains
6. Pumpkin seeds
7. Dark chocolate
8. Oranges
9. Green tea
10. Soy products
11. Berries
12. Peanuts
13. Turmeric
14. Avocados
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of the foods that are healthy for the brain.
14 Foods that are healthy for the brain and why
1. Oily fish
Oily fish is one of the best and top sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Every cell of your body, even in the brain, has membranes. These membranes are built by omega-3 fatty acids.
High omega-3 fatty acid also helps in enhancing brain blood flow. In addition to it, various researchers found a connection between higher omega-3 levels and increases cognition or thinking skills.
Some of the oily fishes that contain the omega-3 are salmon, tuna, sardines, etc. Furthermore, it is proven that if you consume fish on regular basis, you will have greater amounts of grey matter in your brain. The majority of the nerve cells that control memory, emotions, etc are found in the grey matter.
2. Nuts
One of the best foods for boosting your brain capacity is nuts. Almonds are excellent for preventing memory loss and cognitive decline because they contain high levels of vitamin E and monounsaturated fats.
- Nutrients in nuts, including good fats, vitamin E, etc may contribute to their impact on mental health.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids, which you will find in walnuts, help enhance the growth and communication of brain cells.
- Pistachios, which have a high amount of vitamin B6 raise blood oxygen levels and stimulate brain activity.
- Consuming nuts has been demonstrated to boost heart health indicators, and a healthy heart is associated with a healthy brain.
3. Eggs
Key nutrients related to brain function, such as the vitamins B6 and B12, choline, folate, etc are abundant in eggs. Vitamin B deficiencies are directly related to depression and memory functioning. Various studies show they will help you to slow down cognitive aging.
Choline is in the body that is used to regulate neurotransmitters that are responsible for your mood and memory. However, you may not consume enough choline in their diets. Egg yolks are a great source of choline, and therefore eating eggs is a simple way to receive this nutrient.
Dementia patients with a folic acid shortage are increasing and studies suggest that folic acid supplements may assist to reduce the effects of aging on the brain. Therefore you must involve eggs in your diet in order to meet these three nutrients.
4. Broccoli
Broccoli is full of nutrients like antioxidants, vitamin K, etc. It provides you with more than the recommended daily intake in only one cup of cooked broccoli. These vitamins help you to create the sphingolipids which is a fat that is available in brain cells.
Having higher Vitamin K will help you to boost your memory and will help to improve your cognitive status. It also helps you to get anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These effects will help you to protect the brain against damage and aging. You will also find various minerals, iron, potassium, bioactive, etc which are again very good for our body.
5. Whole grains
Whole grains are a great source of various nutrients like vitamin E, dietary fiber, etc.
- There are various types of whole grains including brown rice, barley, oatmeal, etc. The vitamins B that grains provide, such as thiamin and niacin may contribute to their nutritional advantages.
- Vitamin B is important for the production of energy and the synthesis of neurotransmitters. Whole grains include fiber, which not only keeps processes running smoothly but also provides a food source for the bacteria that make up the microbiome.
- It creates gluten, which some individuals believe to be harmful. You might not be aware, but gluten can be broken down into compounds known as gluten exorphins that have opioid properties. It has been suggested that in people who have gluten intolerance, it may conceal the discomfort in the GI lining.
6. Pumpkin seeds
One of the best nutritional seeds that you can consume on a daily basis is pumpkin seeds. These contain a lot of antioxidants that help to protect the brain and the body from free radical damage.
- You will get a lot of nutrients including zinc, magnesium, copper, and iron – all of which are important for the brain. Zinc is an important source that will help you in nerve signaling.
- Zinc deficiency is directly linked to depression. Magnesium is an important nutrient that helps in treating diseases including migraine, depression, etc. Copper is a mineral that also helps in controlling the nerve signal.
7. Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate contains some brain-boosting compounds like caffeine, flavonoids, antioxidants, etc. It also contains a great amount of local i.e about 70%, which again has good brain-boosting compounds.
- These are different from regular chocolates that contain 10-50% of cocoa.
- Flavonoids help to boost memory and therefore learning power. It will help slow down age-related mental health decline.
According to a few types of research, people who eat more chocolates perform better on various mental tasks when compared to people who eat them frequently. It is believed that eating dark chocolates will also help you to boost your mood. Eating regular dark chocolates will also help you to protect yourself from heart disease.
8. Oranges
Oranges are best known for having vitamin C. If you are taking one medium orange in a day you will be getting the right amount of vitamin C that is needed in a day. Vitamin C is such a fruit that helps you in preventing mental decline. If you have a high level of vitamin C then it will help in the improvement of focus, memory, decision-making, etc.
As discussed above consuming vitamin C will help you in fighting the free radicals which damage the brain cells. It will help you to fight anxiety, depressive disorders, etc. Vitamin C also helps you to fight a disease name Alzheimer’s disease. Due to this disease, your brain may shrink and brain cells may die.
9. Green tea
Green tea is the one that again contains caffeine which helps in boosting brain function. With its help of it, you will be able to improve memory, focus, and alertness in the body.
There are many other minerals and nutrients that help in improving the working of the brain. Some of them are L-theanine, polyphenols, antioxidants, etc. L-theanine is like amino acid that will help to open up the blood-brain barrier.
It also increases the alpha waves which helps you to relax more easily. Drinking green tea will also help in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is a disease in the brain due to which you may suffer uncontrollable movements like shaking, stiffness, etc.
10. Soy products
Soy is a product that has a lot of antioxidants known as polyphenols. Polyphenols help in reducing the risk of dementia and also help in improving cognitive abilities in regular aging processes. They also involve isoflavones that involve two different chemicals known as daidzein and genistein which also act like antioxidants. Both of these antioxidants also provide various health benefits to your body.
- Eating soy will help you in reducing several health problems like stroke, coronary heart disease, etc.
- Eating soya is not only good for your brain but also helps you in improving bone health and some cancers as well.
11. Berries
Berries are one of the foods that are too good for the brain. Just like dark chocolates they also have flavonoid that makes the barriers good for the brain. Various studies suggested that these antioxidants which are founded in the brain will help to improve the communication between the brain cells.
Eating them will also help you in the reducing inflammation throughout the body. It will also help you in reducing age-related neurodegenerative diseases and help in preventing cognitive decline. Some of the barriers that will help you in boosting the brain cells are blackberries, strawberries, mulberries, etc.
12. Peanuts
They are food items that are excellent in nutritional value. It has a lot of unsaturated fat along with the protein that helps in keeping the person’s energy level. Peanuts also have a lot of vitamins and minerals that are healthy for the brain and the body as well.
It is a source of vitamin E and resveratrol that helps in preventing cancer, inflammations, neurological diseases, etc. Again it has polyphenols that help in increasing the blood flow to the brain and also help in improving mood and cognition. Another benefit is that it may help in preventing depression. It will also help your brain to increase your memory resulting in increasing your learning.
13. Turmeric
This is one of the most used spices and of course, it has a great number of benefits for your brain. Starting with, it will benefit your memory. Turmeric has a special element known as Curcumin that helps to improve your memory. This will help in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Curcumin is like an antioxidant that will help to ease depression by boosting serotonin and dopamine. Both of these chemicals help in improving mood. It also helps in growing new brain cells, which helps in delaying age-related mental decline.
14. Avocados
Healthy unsaturated fats in avocados assist maintain the flexibility of your brain cells’ membranes. A study that was published in October 2012 indicated that monounsaturated fatty acids protected astrocytes, which support the information-carrying neurons in the brain.
An animal study was also done in which monounsaturated fats were found to improve the brain’s ability to control muscles in animals with impaired astrocyte function. Fish oil was also tested but it did not give the same benefits.
Conclusion
Having a strong memory and concentration is a very important part of student life. You will only get it if your brain is functioning properly. The food that we have listed above will help you to improve the functioning of the brain. In addition to that, this food will help you to prevent the diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
