We are unable to do anything without thinking about it. Lifting your arm, considering which meal to choose at a restaurant, making decisions at work, and even just staring at something requires your brain to function at its best.
You can improve your brain health with certain exercises, nutritional foods, and with the use of a natural dietary supplement. To find out more about dietary supplements that are reviewed based on research, go take a look at Customer Review. In this article, we will take a look at a few tips on how to improve brain function and health.
#1 Physical Exercise
Never has physical exercise been seen as a bad thing to do. It helps with muscle growth, oxygen flow, the development of new nerve cells, lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, reduces mental stress, and helps with one’s blood sugar balance. In turn, all these aspects help the heart as well as the brain function better and stay healthy for longer. Thus, you cannot go wrong with some physical activity in your life.
#2 Mental Stimulation
Research shows, that activities where the brain is used, primarily stimulates new connections between the nerve cells and prevents the loss of cells in the brain in the future. By stimulating the brain with a difficult task where you have to think or learning a new skill, the brain gets a chance to move out of its comfort zone. This is very beneficial and helps to train the brain to function better and stay healthy. Basically, your brain is equivalent to a muscle in the body. If you do not regularly train a muscle and put a heavy load on it, it will not grow and become stronger. Thus, you need to keep your brain active.
There are many activities to try that will help stimulate the brain. Below are just a few of these activities:
- Dancing
- Painting
- Reading
- Playing board games
- Doing a puzzle
- Cooking
- Playing memory games
- Doing a quiz
- Making something (i.e. from wood, clay, material)
- Learning a new skill
- Listening to an argument you do not agree with
#3 Nutritious Foods
Science has shown that one can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain by consuming certain key foods. Below is a list of the best nutritious foods to choose from:
- Avocado – This fatty fruit is filled with monounsaturated fats which aid in healthy blood flow. It can also help to lower blood pressure, which in turn prevents hypertension which usually decreases cognitive abilities. It is recommended that one only add about a ¼ to a ½ of an avo to your meal as a side dish.
- Wild Salmon – This is a very good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids which is key for brain health and it contains anti-inflammatory substances. Other fatty fish include sardines and herring.
- Nuts and Seeds – An easy snack to carry around or to toss into a salad, are filled with vitamin E that also help lower cognitive decline as one ages. Any nut or seed that you can think of is beneficial.
- Blueberries – This sweet and healthy fruit helps to protect the body against oxidative stress and boosts one’s learning capacity. You can eat these fresh or frozen and about a cup a day will do the trick.
- Whole Grains – You may have heard that whole grains such as brown rice, oatmeal, and whole-grain breads can help reduce the risk of heart diseases. As the brain also needs a healthy blood flow, it is wise to keep the heart functioning properly as well. Also, whole grain foods contain vitamin E, omega-3, and fiber – which as mentioned above are beneficial.
- Other foods include pomegranate juice, beans, dark chocolate, eggs, and tea.
#4 The Use Of A Supplement
It may be tricky finding the right supplement to improve brain health. With this said, you do not want to choose a product that is not 100% natural and pure. Things to look for in a brain supplement are omega-3, Ginkgo Biloba, Vitamin B Complex, and Choline, just to name a few. Dietary supplements may be the better choice for individuals that are not able to purchase certain types of nutritious food (as mentioned above) due to the price of the food or due to where one lives. Obviously getting a nutritious meal in is the better option, but in our day and age, it is sometimes not possible.
