Best Brain Healthy Foods

If you want to give your brain a natural boost, the first thing you can do is look at your diet. There are many of foods you can add in that are not only good for brain and memory function, but great for the rest of your body as well. Here are some of the best brain healthy foods to incorporate into your meal plan of healthy recipes.

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This sounds simple and obvious, but it really does help you ensure you are getting enough foods to help your brain development and cognitive function. When you try really hard to have a well-balanced diet, including having plenty of lean protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, you have a better chance at eating the foods that are good for brain and memory health.

From eating salads with more veggies, to making salmon and broccoli for dinner, these foods contain nutrients your brain needs.

Eat Your Leafy Greens

You might not want to hear this but leafy greens are one of the most important foods for your brain health. Try to sneak them in any way you can, even if you don’t necessarily enjoy the taste of spinach and kale. While salads with greens are an easy option, they are definitely not the only way to eat your greens.

You can add some chopped kale to your soup or chili while it is cooking, add spinach to scrambled eggs or quiches, or add any leafy greens to a smoothie. Green smoothies typically taste like the sweet fruits you use in them, as opposed to those veggies. I love to add spinach to my fruit smoothies! They may end up being green in color but are definitely fruity flavored.

Eating foods high in saturated fats, like red meat, butter and dairy products, are associated with the development of degenerative diseases, including heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Don’t Forget the Nuts and Seeds

Part of a healthy brain-boosting diet is having healthy fats, often in the form of nuts and seeds. Many nuts and seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids, including flax seeds and walnuts. Not only that, many of them also include vitamin E, which as you know is great for your brain health. In fact, low levels of vitamin E in the body are linked to reduced cognitive function.

So, top your salads with slivered almonds, sneak some peanuts and cashews into your snack mix, or have a little almond butter with your toast in the morning. I like to add a handful of walnuts to my oatmeal in the morning – it gives it a nice crunch while adding some great health benefits! Another easy way is to add flax seeds to your oatmeal or healthy cookies.

Add More Color to Your Plate for more Health

It isn’t always easy to know what to eat and when, but there is no reason it has to be complicated. A simple way to make sure you are adding more nutrients to your diet is try to have a colorful plate. Before you might have had chicken and rice, but why not top your chicken with some avocado salsa, and add colorful veggies to the plate, like broccoli, red bell peppers, and carrots? A no-brainer way to prepare this would be to add the vegetables to the rice while it’s cooking!