7 Eating Habits To Smartly Improve Your Brain’s Health

Not only does your environment and the people around you have an influence on your mind and thinking, even the food you eat and what you drink significantly affects your mood and behaviour. Medical studies have revealed that the diet we consume has a major effect on our mood, cravings and even memory. While there are some foods that kick your happy hormones, there are others who depress you.

There are several ways with which diet can control your mind’s functioning. Many scientific researches also explain that if you bring any sort of amendment in your diet, then probably this can result in changes in the structure of your brain, both in physiological and chemical terms, which in turn, brings an overall change in your mood.

You are what you eat and therefore, if you think that what you consume gives only a shape to the body, then you must correct yourself by understanding that your diet even shapes your mind. With the onset of following a sedentary lifestyle, there has been a drastic change in food consumption patterns across the globe. Owing to this, we have unintentionally welcomed diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, high cholesterol, thyroid, heart ailments, etc. If you have nutrition devoid meals at inappropriate time intervals, then you are bound to be at a greater risk of suffering from neuro-degenerative disorders and even mental issues.

To avoid such issues, choosing diets that improve brain health is essential. However, with the high cost of living, certain foods have become a luxury. Therefore, selecting substitutes such as a brain health supplement will be ideal. This supplement offers many benefits, including supporting and improving cognitive functions such as alertness, concentration, and memory.  

So here are some of the ideal diet tips that will provide you an easy guide to smartly change your food patterns for a healthy mind as well as healthy body:

1. Limit Caffeine Consumption

Working people often find caffeine as the ultimate solution to kick start an exhausted mind. Thereby, they perceive that gulping down endless cups of caffeine keep the mind active. On temporary basis, caffeine can definitely improve attention levels but as you get addicted to caffeine, your brain will constantly feel difficult to remember things and you may frequently suffer from headaches, feeling of fatigue and dizziness. Mood swings can become uncontrollable too. Better have not more 2 cups of caffeine a day or simply substitute it for a few cups of revitalising green tea and give your mind a boost of antioxidants.

2. Make Smart Breakfast Choices

For breaking your 7 to 9-hour-long fast in the morning, you require a dose of enormous energy to keep yourself zinged up all day. Studies have found that what you eat for breakfast has a vast influence on your mood, concentration, and energy levels for the entire day. 

A healthy breakfast has plenty of benefits to offer. From the name itself, it breaks your nightlong fasting and replenishes nutrients needed by your body to perform functions. So, eating a healthy one will power you up as you begin your day.

Another benefit of a nutritious breakfast is its support for brain activity. This support makes controlling emotions, moods, expectations, and behaviors easy. And for kids, a nutrient-rich breakfast boosts their performance in school. It does this by improving alertness, comprehension, memory, and concentration.

Therefore, skipping your breakfast thinking that you will have a mega lunch is a completely bad idea as by lunch time, your brain’s capacity to work diminishes to a great extent, and your memorizing and attention abilities to suffer.

Now if you are thinking of having an elaborate breakfast, then you need to first understand what your breakfast platter must be composed of. Fibre enriched foods such as oats or brown bread that consist of enough carbs, protein, and mineral rich dairy or poultry products, nutrition filled fruits and fruit juices, etc. If you want to keep your mind free from anxiety, fatigue, and depression, then start having a healthy and wholesome breakfast.

3. Consume Omega 3 Fatty Acids Too

Omega 3 fatty acids are known as good fats that help in reducing the level of LDL cholesterol and keep your heart healthy. They are great for developing normal brain functions through different stages of life. But another good news is that omega-3 fatty acids help in regulating our hormonal activities, thereby curbing mood swings and signs of depression.

It’s been noted that consuming omega-3 fatty acids boosts memory, learning, blood flow in the brain, and cognitive functions. Walnuts, fish, and flax seeds are an abundant sources of omega three, and you can alternatively get it in the form of supplements. These supplements are well-tolerated and risk-free, making them safe for the elderly.

4. Understand The Importance Of Vitamin D

You may already know that vitamin D is crucial for calcium absorption in bones but this vitamin has been scientifically proved to have abilities to improve brain’s functioning and lack of it can make you suffer from constant sadness or depression. Since your diet doesn’t contain abundant amounts of vitamin D, therefore it is better to consume vitamin D supplements and start basking in the early morning to get ample of it. Vitamin D has significant effect on your hormonal activities and it triggers happy hormones to regulate mood swings and revives your mind from depression.

5. Have Protein Rich Food

Protein is a super food for your brain since protein rich foods comprise amino acids that control your hormonal activities and keeps mood swings at bay. You become a better manager of your feelings and thoughts when you start consuming food such as eggs, dairy products, nuts, soya beans, meat, etc., that are loaded with proteins.

With protein-filled meals, you’ll also avoid sugar and processed foods, which affect your brain’s health. And once you reduce your sugar and processed food intake, you won’t have to deal with the effects on your mental health. The reduction in sugar can be attributed to the protein’s ability to keep you feeling filled. Another advantage of reducing sugar intake is that you won’t have to deal with triggered anxiety and depression.

6. Wisely Intake Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates must form a major part of diet as it provides the body with ample energy to carry on with the day’s tasks. Lately, many people have misconstrued the concept of adequate carbohydrate consumption considering that more carbohydrate in diet means increase in weight. People have been opting for a diet with zero carbs and latest studies have found that discarding carbohydrate from your diet can in fact, cause obesity, tiredness and even depression. Instead of consuming a high carbohydrate diet, go for a mixed platter comprising of fruit/ veggie salads, brown breads, oats, corn flakes, multi-grain rotis, etc. Sufficient intake of carbohydrates is essential to keep your brain healthy.

7. Try Mediterranean Diet

Many researches have recommended consuming a Mediterranean diet, which is a wholesome meal and a nutritional gift for a healthy mind and body. The Mediterranean platter basically comprises of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereals, sea food, etc which is a great way of having diverse nutrients. Since this diet contains high amounts of folate, it therefore, helps in avoiding depression, anxiety and improves cognitive functioning of the brain.