The Five Best Foods To Help An Aging Brain

As you get older, nutrition becomes more than just calories and macros. While getting in the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats is definitely critical for your health, you also need to look at the micronutrients that your foods provide.

These micronutrients are what will help keep your body strong for a long time to come and help ensure that every organ in your body is working like it should.

Take brain health, for instance. Did you know that what you eat can have a significant influence on how healthy your mind is? It can impact your memory, your cognitive processing speed, and your ability to think clearly.

So, which foods earn top marks for boosting brain health? Let’s go over the main ones that all seniors should be considering.

Blueberries

Topping the list is blueberries. This berry is jam-packed with antioxidants that keep your brain ticking along smoothly and also help to combat Alzheimer’s disease. Blueberries are a sweet treat to add to your day and also provide a good dose of dietary fiber, which is excellent for helping to combat heart disease and for controlling blood sugar levels as well.

Salmon

Another food you’ll want to add to your menu on a regular basis is salmon. Don’t leave the grocery store without it. It’s a good idea to try and include salmon at least once per week in your diet, if not more often, as it’s loaded with nutrients your body needs.

Salmon will provide you with a good dose of protein, which is important for keeping your muscles strong, and more importantly, it will give you some omega-3 fatty acids, which help improve memory, increase cognitive processing speeds, and can help to defend against depression.

Your body cannot produce omega-3 fatty acids on its own, so you have to get those in through food selections. Otherwise, you will fall deficient and this is, unfortunately, the case for some seniors today.

Many people think that these fatty acids aren’t that important, but when you start consuming them regularly, over time you will notice a healthy difference.

Flaxseeds

Another good brain-boosting food is flaxseeds. Flaxseeds also provide omega-3 fatty acids just like salmon does, but this food provides additional dietary fiber as well.

Flaxseeds are excellent for combating heart disease, for preventing diabetes, and for increasing your satiety between meals as well.

A good way to use them is to simply get ground flaxseeds (or get whole seeds and grind them yourself) and sprinkle them over your yogurt, your oatmeal, or add them into your pancakes.

Once you start looking for ways to include them in your diet plan, you’ll find it’s not too difficult to get them in. Most people simply just don’t think of them that often.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is another winner as far as brain health goes. Most people think of olive oil as the heart-health booster, and while that’s true, it can also benefit your brain.

Olive oil is excellent for helping reduce inflammation in your body, and inflammation can impact just about every single element of your general well-being – including brain health.

If you eat a diet with too many processed foods, don’t get enough exercise, and are not sleeping enough hours, chances are you are suffering from inflammation. Getting that under control is always going to help move you in the right direction.

Dark Chocolate

It’s time to indulge! Dark chocolate is another great brain booster that you can eat without the guilt. This food is loaded with important antioxidants that help to keep your body strong, your mind healthy, and improve your mood.

In fact, there are actual reasons why chocolate makes you feel so good – it can increase the level of serotonin in the brain, which then puts you in a feel-good state and a better mood. It has a powerful effect, and it’s why many would say they are ‘addicted’ to chocolate.

So, eat these foods in your diet more often and prepare to give your mind a boost. Eating healthy can be fun if you add sufficient variety and come up with delicious recipes.