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The best foods for your brain: Memory and studying

BY READERS DIGEST

28th May 2019 Wellbeing

The brain is an organ just like any other - it needs the right nutrients to function properly and there are certain foods that can support brain function and help make studying easier. 

Everyone knows that what we consume directly affects our bodies. Calcium gives us strong bones and without water, we can’t function. But nutrition isn’t just about staying in shape - It can also help boost your memory and make studying easier.

Here we break down what foods are best for the brain. 

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A Note On Studying

Before getting started, it’s important to note that while these foods will help you study, they won’t do everything. Remember, aside from eating right, there are study aids to help you. 
The classic answer is tutoring. This can include one-on-one time with a teacher or offered supplemental instruction lessons. There are also 
UK essay writing service EssayPro that can help you through tough assignments. These editing and writing services can help you tackle almost any style or subject of the essay. This means you can order a philosophy paper and get a high-quality, one-of-a-kind product in return. Now, onto food. 

Coffee and Tea

Let’s start with what almost everyone starts their morning with - a steaming cup of joe or a hot morning tea. We already know that these can be the perfect thing to drag ourselves out of bed in the morning but they have more potential than that. Newer research at Johns Hopkins University gave a group of participants either a tablet including 200 milligrams of caffeine or a placebo. Subsequently, they were told to look at a series of images and the caffeine group performed better at recalling them the next day. This study suggests that caffeine can help us better learn and retain information or writing a term paper

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is bitter chocolate compared to milk chocolate. It uses cacao as its main ingredient. This is full of antioxidants like flavonoids. This fights against the natural - or, oxidative - stress that the brain is susceptible to over time. Dark chocolate promotes the development of both neurons and blood vessels. This makes it not only a short-term focus boost through increased blood flow in the brain but its neuroprotective properties help to increase retention and make learning easier over time. 

 

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Berries

Berries are a great choice with studying for a few reasons. First, they’re easy to eat. Berries don’t make much of a mess so they’re easy to snack on. But, of course, they also have health and study benefits as well. 

Like dark chocolate, a lot of the benefits of berries come from flavonoid antioxidants. However, they have additional antioxidants as well including caffeic acid, catechin, anthocyanin, and quercetin. Because of the similarities between this and the previous entry, you’ll still get the long-term neuroprotection if these are worked into your regular diet. They’ll also help to increase neuroplasticity which allows your brain to make new connections or, in other words, keep learning. You can also depend on them to reduce inflammation and boost communication in the brain. 

Seeds and Nuts

Nuts and seeds are another set of options that is easy to snack on during a long study session. Not only do these offer antioxidants - vitamin E, specifically - but they contain omega-3 fatty acids as well. Vitamin E, like flavonoids, help to protect the brain as you age. 

It only makes sense that different seeds and nuts are more helpful than others. Sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, and almonds are some of the highest sources of vitamin E. Walnuts have a high concentration of the omega-3 fatty acid known as alpha-linolenic acid - ALA, for short. While this is good for the brain, it also helps heart health by lowering blood pressure and protecting arteries.            `

Fatty Fish

Fatty fish are a great source of omega-3s. These healthy unsaturated fats help in the long-term especially. They lead to lower beta-amyloid levels in the blood. This means that the clumps that damage the brain which leads to Alzheimer’s disease. To get the most out of this food, you’re going to want to eat fish about twice a week. But, be careful not to consume mecury-rich options too frequently. This includes fish such as canned tuna, pollack, cod, and salmon. This omega-3 richness is one of the biggest reasons people take fish oil. 

Conclusion

What we put into our bodies determines what we get out of our bodies. So, it only makes sense that eating the right way can help boost your memory - both short-term and long-term. With foods like these, you’ll find your study session to be much more productive. Just remember that if you want to reap the long-term effects these foods offer, they’ll have to be worked into your regular diet. One bag of sunflower seeds isn’t going to protect your brain on its own.

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