The brain, like many other parts of the body, requires a fitness routine. This regimen can be as basic as eating brain-boosting foods and avoiding brain-draining habits such as excessive alcohol and too little sleep. You can also give your brain a workout with certain activities and behaviors that keep your cognitive functions, such as memory, in tiptop condition.
Brain Foods
Your mother may have been on to something when she categorized fish as brain food. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish and seafood are crucial to brain function and healthy cognitive development. However, since the brain is more than half fat, we are literally fatheads. Which is a good thing, since fat is needed by the brain to retain sharpness. When preparing fish and seafood, use nut, olive or canola oils -- the so-called "good" fats -- over trans fats found in margarine and other processed spreads.
More Food for Thought
Bite into leafy greens to help protect your brain from Alzheimer's and dementia. Spinach, kale and other greens contain folate, which a 2009 study published in the journal "Archives of Neurology" has shown can ward off dementia and other cognitive decline conditions. Another Alzheimer's combatant is coffee. A 2009 study from Finland cited in the "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease" found a 65 percent reduction in the chances of developing the disease in middle-aged people who drank three to five cups of coffee per day. Other brain-boosting foods and drinks include blueberries and blackberries, purple grape juice, apples, cinnamon, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower and dark chocolate.
Brain Flexes
Neurologist Dr. Gayatri Devi suggests alternating activities to pump up different parts of the brain, which leads to better cognitive health overall. Mix it up with crossword puzzles and sudoku, switching over to solving math problems, listening to classical music, dancing or tennis, and getting out and socializing on alternate days. The key is to keep your brain on its toes with variety and exercising parts of the brain you might not routinely access.
Brain Trains
Dr. Devi says a good rule of thumb is what benefits the heart benefits the brain. One way to achieve this is through exercise, which can give you both a better body and better cognitive function. Getting physical boosts oxygen capacity in the brain, nourishes brain cells with nutrients and promotes new nerve cell growth. Aerobic activity provides the most heart-brain advantages, however; this can be as simple as brisk walking three to five times a week.
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