4 Surprising Foods You Never Thought We’d Suggest to Help Fuel Your Brain for Success Pumpkin Seeds
Did you carve a pumpkin this year for Halloween? We hope you baked the seeds and enjoyed them as a delicious and healthy treat. Why? Because pumpkin seeds contain powerful antioxidants that protect your brain from free radicals.
The benefits don’t stop there. They’re also an incredible source of magnesium, iron, zinc and copper and each of these nutrients is super important for brain health.
Zinc is crucial for nerve signaling. A deficiency in zinc may lead to neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, depression and Parkinson’s disease.
Magnesium is essential for learning and memory. If your magnesium levels are low you may be more likely to develop neurological disturbances like migraines, depression and epilepsy.
Copper is important because your brain uses copper to control nerve signals. When copper levels are imbalanced, you have a higher risk of neurodegenerative disorders.
Iron deficiency is often evident when you are experiencing brain fog and impaired cognitive function.
Fatty Fish
This food isn’t as surprising, but it’s so important we had to include it.
The types of fish we are talking about includes salmon, trout and sardines, which are all rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Healthy fats are good for your brain because about 60% of your brain is made of fat and requires healthy fats as its source of fuel for optimized functioning. Your brain uses omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells, which are essential for learning and memory.
Omega 3-s have some additional benefits for your brain as well. You know we love talking about ways to prevent the onset of disease, right? Well, Omega 3-s slow age-related mental decline and help ward off Alzheimer’s disease and if you’re not getting enough, you are at a higher risk of having learning impairments and depression.
Researchers have found that people who eat baked or broiled fish regularly have more gray matter in their brains. Gray matter contains most of the nerve cells that control decision making, memory and emotion. Wow. Moral of the story, eat more fatty fish.
Coffee
This one may surprise you. If you’re a coffee lover, like most of us in our clinic, get ready for some good news. It can be really good for you, as long as you don’t overdo it.
The two main components of coffee — caffeine and antioxidants — help your brain. What?!?! Caffeine has a bunch of positive effects on the brain, including: Increased alertness because caffeine keeps your brain hyped by blocking a chemical messenger that makes you sleepy called adenosine. It improves your mood by boosting your “feel-good” neurotransmitters, such as serotonin.
Drinking coffee over the long term is also linked to a reduced risk of neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, which could be due to coffee’s high concentration of antioxidants. There’s another way to give your coffee a brain (not to mention total health) boost, and that’s by adding Ganoderma Lucidum, also known as the reishi mushroom, which our friends at Organo Gold have done. By adding ganoderma, an adaptogen herb-like substance, to your coffee you can manage the negative effects of stress – especially inflammation. It will also replenish depleted energy, heal damaged blood vessels and balance hormones. Studies have shown that Ganoderma has incredible antioxidant abilities, allowing it to strengthen the body’s defenses against cancer, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, allergies, and infections. Ask us HERE about all of Organo Gold’s products, or you can order at your leisure HERE.
Dark Chocolate
Yes, you read that right. We knew this one would surprise you. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are packed with brain-boosting compounds, including flavonoids, caffeine and antioxidants.
What are Flavonoids? Flavonoids are antioxidant plant compounds.The flavonoids found in chocolate gather in the areas of the brain that manage learning and memory. Some researchers believe that these compounds may enhance memory and slow down age-related mental decline.
Dark chocolate is also a mood booster that can give your brain the dopamine boost it needs in a stress crunch. Organo also makes a delicious Hot Chocolate you may want to try now that Halloween is over and winter is just around the corner. You can order it online HERE.
Why Does Dr. Shari Caplan Recommend Organo?
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