The brain is the most important part of your body because it is responsible for all of the other functions of your body. William Sears and Martha Sears report in their book, "Prime-Time Health: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Feeling Young and Living Longer," that the foods you eat directly affect the health of your brain. Incorporating certain foods into your daily diet may enable your brain to maintain good health.
Step 1
Eat salmon two or three times each week. Fatty fish, such as salmon, contains omega-3 fatty acids, Sears and Sears note, which help keep your brain working properly. Consume salmon to also encourage new growth and regeneration of brain cells that can help stave off life-threatening health conditions, such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Grill or broil a piece and serve with wild rice and your favorite vegetable.
Step 2
Add more bananas to your diet. Eat an unripe or just ripened banana every day because it can increase the levels of serotonin in your brain, notes Gary Wenk in his book "Your Brain on Food: How Chemicals Control Your Thoughts and Feelings." Increasing your levels of serotonin helps protect your mental health and prevent depression. Slice a banana on your breakfast cereal or add to a peanut butter sandwich.
Step 3
Consume dark-colored berries. Eat more blueberries and blackberries because they contain potent compounds that promote a healthy brain while also preventing damage to your brain cells. Sears and Sears add that you should include berries in your diet because their nutrients cross the blood brain barrier to help preserve your memory. Include frozen berries in a smoothie or add to muffin or bread batter. Add berries to oatmeal or eat a bowl for dessert.
Step 4
Replace some chicken meals with turkey. Eat more tryptophan, a compound in turkey meat, because it increases your level of serotonin, Wenk reports. Low levels of serotonin can lead to symptoms of depression as well as poor sleeping habits, two things that can affect the health of your brain. Make a roasted turkey for dinner or eat a white meat turkey sandwich for lunch.
Step 5
Consider nuts for a healthy and brain-benefiting snack. The unsaturated fats in nuts are an essential part of a healthy brain, Sears and Sears note, because your brain consists of mostly fat. Add a handful of almonds, walnuts or cashews to your daily diet, to help ensure that your brain has enough healthy fats to maintain proper function.
Tips and Warnings
- Do an Internet search or borrow cookbooks from your library that include recipes using brain foods. Choose recipes that offer simple ways to add brain-boosting foods to your diet.
References
- "Prime-Time Health: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Feeling Young and Living Longer"; William Sears and Martha Sears; 2010
- "Your Brain on Food: How Chemicals Control Your Thoughts and Feelings"; Gary Wenk; 2010
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