Five Types of Foods to Increase Memory, Dark Chocolate is Listed

As we age, our memory abilities will gradually deteriorate. Experts believe that in addition to age, daily eating habits will also impact memory. Therefore, developing healthy eating habits and supplementing the nutrients the brain needs will help slow down brain aging and strengthen brain function.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN (Merxwire) – As you get older, do you find it easier to forget things and often fail to remember what to do next? Experts believe that besides age, daily diet may also have a certain impact on memory. Therefore, developing regular and healthy eating habits and supplementing the nutrients the brain needs can help slow down brain aging and strengthen brain function. To nourish your brain, you can eat more antioxidant foods and supplement foods containing polyphenols, Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B complex, and probiotics, which can help maintain brain health.

Many factors affect memory loss, and age is certainly one of the basic factors. Our olfactory nerves, hippocampus, and amygdala in the brain will begin to degenerate as we age, thus affecting our memory. In severe cases, dementia or other related pathologies may occur. Genes also affect memory response and performance. Even at the same age, there will be differences in memory quality, and it is usually affected by family inheritance. In addition, daily eating and living habits as well as the surrounding environment will have an impact on our memory.

What foods are good for the brain and can enhance memory? Nutrition experts recommend eating more of the following five types of food. The first category is foods containing more antioxidant substances, which can help reduce free radical damage to the brain and slow down the aging rate of the brain, protect the area responsible for memory, and can also prevent brain-related diseases. Recommended foods include berries, such as blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, wolfberries, and mulberries. And dark vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, red peppers, and carrots.

The second type of recommended food is polyphenol food. Polyphenols are beneficial to brain circulation, can increase our memory and flexibility, and improve reaction ability. For example, fruits include grapes, kiwis, apples, oranges, blueberries, and cherries, and vegetables include onions, cabbage, leeks, and celery. You can also consume green tea, more than 70% dark chocolate, and coffee, which contain caffeine. Among them, dark chocolate is the most recommended by nutritionists. They believe that dark chocolate can not only improve memory and prevent dementia, but also lower blood pressure and the risk of coronary heart disease.

But when choosing dark chocolate, choose chocolate with no added sugar and more than 70% cocoa content. It contains anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, catechins, and flavan-3-ols, which can prevent dementia, lower blood pressure, reduce atherosclerosis, fight inflammation and cancer, and reduce fasting and postprandial blood sugar. Its polyphenol antioxidant capacity is better than that of green tea and red wine and can be used as a daily health supplement. However, because it still contains fat and trace amounts of refined sugar, the recommended daily consumption is 40 to 50 grams, not too much.

According to a 2017 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition by the University of L’Aquila in Italy, polyphenols in cocoa and dark chocolate can increase cerebral blood flow and improve hippocampal function. The experiment found that the chocolate-eating group had significantly improved memory, attention, numerical ability, and language fluency compared to the non-chocolate control group. Not only is it beneficial for brain functions that have deteriorated due to age or other factors, but it is also beneficial to the test performance of healthy young people.

The third category of recommended foods is foods containing Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help maintain the health of nerve cells and improve our memory and understanding. In particular, the DHA component has a protective effect on the prefrontal lobe and hippocampus of the brain. You can supplement DHA with more deep-sea fish, such as saury, mackerel, salmon, leaffish, sardines, and white hairtail fish. You can also supplement foods such as flax, walnuts, chia, almonds, and sesame seeds. The α-linolenic acid in them can be converted into DHA in the human body and is also helpful for brain health.

The fourth category is foods containing vitamin B complex, especially folic acid, B6, and B12, which are helpful for the function of brain nerves and the synthesis of neurotransmitters, help with memory formation, and improve logic and understanding. We can eat more whole-grain foods, such as brown rice, oats, germ rice, black rice, buckwheat, sweet potatoes, lotus root, barley, and lotus seeds. We can also eat more green leafy vegetables, milk, eggs, and beans, which can supplement vitamin B.

The fifth category is foods containing probiotics and prebiotics. A healthy and balanced intestinal environment is beneficial to mood regulation, promotes brain health, and strengthens memory. Add more foods containing probiotics, such as sugar-free yogurt, bananas, kiwi fruits, pineapples, and vegetables such as onions, asparagus, fungus, cauliflower, and asparagus. There are also Japanese and Korean health-preserving products such as natto and kimchi, which are both good choices.

In addition to recommending foods that are suitable for nourishing the brain, experts also remind everyone that certain eating habits must be avoided. For example, you need to reduce your sugar intake, because high-sugar drinks are more likely to cause brain inflammation and worsen memory and understanding. Therefore, you should drink less sugary drinks eat less sweets, and consume more high-quality protein and fiber to keep blood sugar stable, which will also benefit brain health and improve memory.