Brain Diet: Healthy Recipes to Boost Your Brain Power

Having memory or concentration problems? Check your diet as it may lack foods for the proper functioning of your brain. For optimum performance of your brain and correct mental coordinations, you need a good supply of nutrients, an adequate amount of oxygen and plenty of water.

Water
80% of the brain is made up of water. To keep it hydrated we need to drink about 1.5 to 2 litres of water everyday. When the level of water in the brain decreases, stress hormones, which are harmful to your brain in the long run, are released. Water intake is not just pure water that you consume but every fluid that you ingest. Drinks with artificial colorings and flavors must be avoided as well as caffeine containing drinks. Nevertheless, green tea is recommended as it contains chemicals that improve brain relaxation and alertness.

Oxygen
For a good aeration of the brain, it is a must to practice deep breathing as often as possible.


Nutrients

1. Carb
   The brain consumes 20% of the total daily glucose intake. It can be compared to a car engine. It needs fuel to run but the difference compared to a car engine consumption is that the brain output depends on a constant and uniform distribution of nutrients. The more steady is the supply, the more effective will be your thinking and concentration power. Not all carbohydrates have the ability to be degraded slowly by the body. Slow digestive carbohydrates are best to maintain a long but constant supply of glucose. Such carb include oatmeal, whole grain cereals among many others. Pasta should be avoided on important meetings as they consume a lot of energy to be digested and the blood circulation towards the digestive system is favored in detriment to your brain.


2. Antioxidants
   When the brain uses the glucose to produce energy, free radicals are the by products. In small amounts, these molecules eliminate toxins. But as their concentration increases, they become toxic to the brain tissues. The best weapon against them is dietary antioxidants. Antioxidant-rich foods are fruits like blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, tomato, orange, red grapes, avocados and the green leafy spinach.


3. Omega3 fatty acids
   Rich in oily fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, trout, herring, mackerel and anchovies, omega3 fatty acids make up a large portion of the human brain. They cover the neuron which is the simplest unit in the brain that carries messages from the brain to another part of the brain itself or to another organ and vice versa. Lack of omega-3 fats in your diet can lead to depression, poor memory, low IQ, learning disabilities. They also promote healthy moods as well as balanced emotions.


4. Proteins
   Like any part of the body, the brain needs to communicate. For communication to be possible, the brain uses neurotransmitters. They are chemical substances that travel from one point of the brain to another to relay messengers. These neurotransmitters are synthesized using as raw materials, amino acids, which are the products of degradation of proteins from our diet. Nutritious protein can be extracted from fish, lean meat, poultry, milk, soya beans, and tofu.


5. Vitamins
   'B' complex vitamins are particularly important for the brain and play a vital role in producing energy. Vitamins A, C and E are powerful antioxidants and promote and preserve memory in the elderly.


6. Minerals
   Minerals are also critical to mental functioning and performance. Magnesium and manganese are needed for brain energy. Sodium, potassium and calcium are important in the thinking process and they also facilitate the transmission of messages.

The brain tissues continuously suffer from external and internal attacks. They may come from our nutrition and bad habits. To preserve your brain avoid them.

1. Alcohol
   Alcohol is very bad for the brain and can be very dangerous when consumed in an uncontrolled manner daily. Difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times, impaired memory are symptoms we feel when we have one or two pegs. In heavy drinkers, these are more frequent and tend to lead to consumption of more harmful substances like drugs. This is often witnessed among youngsters. Alcohol, furthermore, clouds judgment and the ability to adequately solve problem.


2. Smoking
   Cigarette smoke contains thousands and thousands of chemicals which affects the brain but nicotine is the chemical which can cause the most damage. Nicotine has the effect of narrowing the diameter of blood vessels, hence reducing the amount of glucose and oxygen reaching the brain cells.


3. Heavy-fat diets
   Heavy fat diets have almost the same effect as nicotine except that fat deposits take longer to narrow or clog the blood vessels heading towards the brain. Depriving the brain of oxygen and glucose for a few seconds can cause irreversible damage as brain cells cannot regenerate once they die.


4. Rapid digestive carb
   Rapid digestive sugars like refined sugar, flour or corn fructose syrup are unhealthy for the brain as they cause fluctuating blood sugar levels. This reduces considerably the effectiveness of the nervous system as they cause mental fatigues leading to headaches.


5. Stress
   Stress is among the factors that deprive your brain of its maximum output. Stress releases stress hormones which cause harm to the brain tissues by prolonged exposure.

Healthy Recipes To Boost Your Brain Power

Strawberry Tomato Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 cup(s)quartered strawberries


• 1 cup red grape tomatoes, quartered lengthwise


• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion


• 2 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño, seeds removed


• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint


• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest


• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice


• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar


• 1/2 tablespoon coarse salt


• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Method

1. Combine strawberries, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, mint, cilantro, and lime zest in a large bowl and set aside.


2. Whisk together lime juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and pour over the strawberry mixture.


3. Toss gently to combine, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.


4. Serve the same day with tortilla chips.

Garlic Spinach salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh spinach, cleaned and de-stemmed


• Minced garlic to taste


• 4 plum tomatoes, quartered


• Salt


• Balsamic vinegar


• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Put spinach, garlic and tomatoes in large bowl and sprinkle all over with salt.


2. Add a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and about the same amount of olive oil.
   Toss over and over until spinach wilts slightly. Add more salt and oil if needed.

Cook's Notes: Add garlic to taste as you like.


If you want more of the brain recipes here is the link: IVillage - 7 recipes to feed the brain and prevent mental decline