Brain power requires ample oxygen and nerve signals in order to function optimally, as well as developing healthy habits which allow other parts of your body to operate at its highest performance.
Eating a well-rounded diet including berries, green leafy veggies and nuts provides your brain with essential brain-healthy nutrients like omega fatty acids, vitamin E and folate. Furthermore, make sure to get regular physical exercise and remain socially engaged!
1. Eat a Healthy Diet
While certain parts of your brain can decline as you get older, there are ways to prevent or delay cognitive decline by adopting healthy habits such as eating healthily and regularly exercising. Exercise increases oxygen-rich blood flow to the brain which enhances learning and memory as well as creates new connections among brain cells (synapses).
Quinoa and dark chocolate contain complex carbohydrates, iron and B vitamins – three nutrients essential for brain energy supply and the production of neurotransmitters.
Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans and whole grains. Include fish and poultry as part of your meals while limiting red meat, sugary snacks and processed foods. Following a plan like MIND diet – an extension of both Mediterranean and DASH diets – may provide extra protection from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
2. Exercise Regularly
Although normal memory lapses are an inevitable part of aging, you can take steps to slow or reverse some of their effects with diet, regular exercise and sufficient restful sleep – all contributing to maintaining brain health.
Regular aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain and strengthens cell connections, improving mental function. Furthermore, aerobic activity slows cognitive abilities that naturally decline with age – possibly even helping prevent Alzheimer’s disease altogether!
Reduce sugar intake as part of an overall plan to protect memory. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish, nuts and leafy green vegetables) also provides essential benefits to brain health while managing medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
3. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Studies demonstrate the significance of getting adequate rest for maintaining mental wellbeing. Sleep is when your brain processes new information, moves it from short-term memory into long-term storage and performs other essential brain housekeeping duties.
Chronic fatigue increases your risk for cognitive issues and getting enough rest is essential to both physical and emotional wellness.
Gupta draws upon hundreds of research studies related to brain health to provide readers with an in-depth knowledge of what the science tells us about keeping our minds sharp as we age. He dispels common myths such as gluten being bad for brain function or that kale and fish oil can slow cognitive decline, while advocating instead eating vegetables, berries, whole grains, nuts and fish while limiting sugar, processed food and alcohol intake.
4. Stay Mentally Active
If you want to maximize your chances of avoiding mental decline as you age, taking action now can make all the difference. Adopt smart lifestyle habits now such as eating well and regularly exercising while sleeping well for maximum protection against mental decline as you get older.
Activities that stimulate and expand the mind can help protect brain cells and strengthen connections among them, including reading, learning a foreign language, engaging in creative leisure activities such as painting or volunteering at a charity organization or going back to school.
Reducing sedentary time means prioritizing physical activity by making physical activity a top priority, such as taking the stairs instead of elevators or parking further from stores. Exercise also increases brain-health related protein that lowers dementia risk; working with a mental health professional on creating an exercise plan tailored specifically to you.
5. Get Enough Sleep
As we get older, our brains become less effective at processing information and recalling memories. But this doesn’t have to happen and can be prevented by remaining mentally active, getting adequate rest, and eating healthily.
Foods known to aid brain health include wild salmon and sardines which contain omega-3 fatty acids; nuts (such as walnuts and Brazil nuts) with both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); as well as cutting back on sugar consumption which has been linked with poor memory performance.
At regular checkups and medical examinations, it’s essential that chronic health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, which may have detrimental effects on brain health, are managed. Adhere to any dietary guidelines prescribed by your physician as well as having your vitamin D and B12 levels regularly evaluated.
