Brain Superfoods To Boost Memory & Brain Power 2024 – Top 10 Foods

Your brain and gut health are connected in such a way that what you eat will have a direct effect on your brain chemicals. What you consume can either protect or influence neurodegenerative diseases. 

Your memory, brain power, and energy levels will either thrive or decline based on what you feed yourself. 

Your cognitive function heavily depends on you to ensure your body’s calories are full of brain-boosting foods. Incorporating leafy green superfoods into your daily routine can improve brain plasticity and repair brain cells. 

The same foods that provide brain benefits are the same ones that protect your heart and digestive system. They have the vitamins and minerals to promote restorative sleep, support your brain health, and prevent chronic illness. 

This article will inform you about some of the best superfoods to eat for a brain-boosting diet backed by medical science.

10 Best Brain SuperFoods To Boost Your Brain Function

Avocado

Avocados are one of the best brain superfoods around. They can look intimidating with their wrinkly skin, but it’s a truly powerful fruit that grows on trees. 

This superfood protects us from brain diseases and age-related mental decline with its high amount of omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin E. 

Avocado is also rich in B vitamins, and an antioxidant called lutein^[1]. When these levels are raised in the body, you can experience improvement in cognitive function, including concentration, memory, and quick thinking. 

Once it’s open to the air, its green flesh will start to brown like an apple does. Spritzing it with lemon or lime juice and putting it in the refrigerator in an airtight container can help keep it fresh for a day or two until you consume the rest. 

Smashed avocado makes a great topping for toasted bread made from whole grains. It also goes great on a turkey sandwich. 

Avocado is the main ingredient for guacamole, and this is an easy one to make on your own. You can smash the avocado and add a little lime juice, salt, and garlic. 

Berries

Berries of all kinds are brain superfoods. There are more than 25 types of berries to choose from! Some are blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, among many others.

They contain many qualities that make them a great go-to food for your brain health. Berry fruit juice has been shown to change the signaling in the brain in a good way, decreasing inflammation and showing improved cognition.

Research suggests consuming berry fruits^[2] shows a reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease.

Berries contain antioxidants called polyphenols. These are natural micronutrients found in plants, and there are around 8,000 of them. This nutrient^[3] protects the brain and nerve cells against age-related damage from oxidation. You can also find polyphenols^[4] in teas, vegetables, and spices. 

Out of all the berries, blueberries and blackberries come in on top with the highest amount of nutrients available. These come fresh or frozen and can make a great snack, dessert, or add-in to your smoothie. 

Coffee And Green Tea

Coffee is a drink brewed from roasted coffee beans. These beans come from the seeds of berries produced by flowering Coffea plants. The raw coffee fruit seeds start as unroasted green coffee before they are roasted so they can be consumed. 

Coffee stimulates a brain-boosting response, making this a superfood you immediately feel the effects from. 

Green tea is one of the least processed types of tea. This makes it the tea highest in antioxidants and polyphenols. It comes from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis plant. 

They both contain caffeine, a natural chemical that acts as a central nervous system stimulant. 

Consuming caffeine creates a short-term effect within a few minutes. It can increase your energy levels and boost blood flow to your brain. 

Studies show^[5] caffeine can cause an increase in resting brain entropy, increasing the brain’s capacity for processing information and specific mental tasks. 

There are also findings^[6] that caffeine consumption can improve memory during non-optimal times of the day by boosting alertness.  

Tea contains much less caffeine than coffee, but both contain polyphenols^[4] which protect against brain aging and inflammation. 

Beware, if you overdo it on caffeine, you can feel jittery. The current daily caffeine intake limit is 400mg^[7]. An 8-ounce cup of coffee contains about 80-95 milligrams of caffeine, while a cup of green tea has about 28 milligrams.

Dark Chocolate

Chocolate is another superfood for the brain. One type of chocolate dominates when it comes to boosting brain function, and that’s dark chocolate. 

Dark chocolate specifically appears on the label as 70%-85% cocoa. It has less sugar and fewer calories than other chocolate. The magnesium and iron levels are much higher in dark chocolate compared to milk chocolate. It’s also high in antioxidants which protect cells and can fight against neurological diseases. 

This superfood has been shown to have qualities that lower^[8] blood pressure and reduce stress^[9], both of which benefit your brain and overall health. 

Vitamin C^[10] is another great nutrient of this chocolate. Being deficient in this vitamin can cause mild cognitive impairment and bad moods. 

Moderate chocolate consumption is considered 1-2 ounces a day. You can also find powders and capsules on the market now to help you receive chocolate’s benefits. 

Fatty Fish

Another food to help keep your brain healthy is fatty fish. Many types of fish are safe to eat, and some of the ones highest in nutrients are mackerel, tuna, salmon, and oysters. 

Fish contains essential fatty acids that must be provided in your diet since your body cannot make these. Omega-3 fatty acids are a great natural source found in fish. 

Healthy fats have been shown in studies^[11] to boost brain function. They also protect against mental decline and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Vitamin D^[12] in fish helps brain cells form and is essential to improving your immune system. 

You can find supplements with these fatty acids if you can’t tolerate the taste of fish. Cod liver oil, fish oil, and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oils are all easy and convenient to add to your diet. 

Green, leafy vegetables

Vegetables come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Some of the most powerful ones for your brain health are the leafy green kind. Broccoli, kale, spinach, and collard greens are some of the highest-ranked nutrients.  

These are rich in nutrients like beta-carotene, lutein, folate, vitamin E, and vitamin C. This kind^[13] of plant-based food may slow age-related cognitive decline. 

You can put leafy greens into your diet by eating a daily side salad, adding them to your smoothie, or sautééing them with spices to enrich their flavor. 

Green Superfood Powders

Better brain function comes when your body is filled with the nutrients it needs. It can be a challenge to eat all the different foods it takes to receive the essential vitamins and minerals you need in a day. 

The best green powders help to meet your goal of consuming superfoods for brain health, in one serving, by including these:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Probiotics
• Algae
• Seaweed
• Digestive enzymes
• Herbs
• Fiber
• Mushrooms
• Antioxidant-rich grasses

Powdered greens^[14] protect against neurodegenerative disorders and cognitive decline by containing fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin K, and more. 

Get creative when using these powders by adding them to your oven meal, pasta sauce, and salad dressing. You can also add them to your smoothies, soups, dips, and omelets. 

Nuts

Nuts are single-seeded fruits and legumes that contain a high amount of oils. The most nutrient-dense nuts are 

• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Hazelnuts
• Pistachios
• Cashews
• Peanuts

Nuts support brain health. Having a higher overall nut intake has been studied and may reduce the risk of mental decline. Nuts^[15] also help preserve fatty acids, preventing inflammation and improving memory. 

You can eat these plain, roasted, in nut butter, on your salad, or in your smoothie. 

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin is a nutritious fruit grown around the world. The seeds can be eaten plain or seasoned and then roasted in the oven. Pumpkin seeds can support your mental function and whole body in many ways. 

This plant contains^[16] many B vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids that help prevent your brain from oxidative stress caused by inflammation. The inflammation that causes this stress can damage brain cells. 

The high fiber content in pumpkin helps your digestive tract stay healthy, and this, in turn, can improve brain function. 

Pumpkin seeds are known to make a healthy snack with their high vitamin and mineral content. There are also pumpkin seed oil supplements for convenience. 

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice used in curry powder and many dishes. It comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a bright yellow-orange color. 

This spice contains the antioxidant curcumin, which has the potential^[17] to treat and delay cognitive decline. 

Turmeric is incredibly effective at reducing inflammation and neutralizing free radicals that cause damage that can lead to chronic illness or cause aging or cause aging. 

Curcumin also increases the hormone BDNF^[18], which boosts the growth of new brain neurons.

You can add this spice to your food, mix it with water and drink it, or buy it as a supplement to enjoy its brain health benefits. 

The Bottom Line

Brains are an energy-intensive organ. They use around 20% of the energy your body produces. These superfoods stimulate variable brain activity. By giving your brain the foods it needs, they promote a healthy brain. 

Try picking one or two of these foods to incorporate into your diet and see if you notice any positive changes in your brain health and cognitive function.

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