Unleash Your Brain’s Full Potential With Nutrient Rich Foods

March 9, 2010 | 6 Comments

In honor of Nation Brain Awareness Month, I’ve put together a concise list of nutrient rich foods that help boost brain power. These foods contribute to helping us ward off free radicals, think faster, improve memory, solve problems, concentrate, think clearly, comprehend information better, and improve your life overall. A diet rich in essential fatty acids, fruits and vegetables helps unleash your brain’s full potential.

Leafy Green Vegetables and Cruciferous

Asparagus, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, radishes, red peppers, spinach, sprouts, turnips, and water cress are helpful for memory retention and good in boosting brain power.

Berries

Berries are rich in antioxidants which protect your brain cells from oxidation and free radical damage and have been shown to have the ability to improve memory. Antioxidants may slow down brain aging and prevent disease, while promoting the growth of healthy brain cells and keeping your brain youthful. Each of these berries are loaded with antioxidant power and brain power boosting benefits:

Blackberries [improving motor skills and learning capacity], Blueberries, Boysenberries, Cranberries, Elderberries, Goji Berries, Mulberries, Raspberries, Red Grapes, Strawberries [improves memory recall].

Avocados

Buttery, fatty avocado fruit is just plain delicious and contributes to healthy blood flow [helps lower blood pressure], which contributes to a healthy brain. It is rich in good fat and vitamin E.

Tea
Tea has potent antioxidants which promotes healthy blood flow, and can enhance memory, focus, and mood.
Freshly brewed high quality loose tea leaves is ideal, like sencha green tea, but a high quality tea bags is fine too. Matcha, a stone-ground Gyokuru green tea powder, contains exponentially higher amounts of EGCG [Epigallocatechin Gallate, a compound found uniquely in green teas with powerful anti-cancer, anti-aging and overall health benefits] than regular brewed green tea.

Another tea like Tulsi tea [made of an Indian herb called holy basil], ginseng tea help keep you alert, reduce stress hormone cortisol, and aids memory. Also a cup of two of gotu kola tea daily, regulates dopamine. That’s the brain chemical that helps protect brain cells from harmful free radicals, boosts pleasurable feelings, and improves focus and memory.

Try this drink recipe: Matcha Latte

Source:
Tulsi Tea

A cup of two of Gotu Kola tea, an ayurvedic herb, regulates dopamine helping to protect brain cells from harmful free radicals. It also boosts pleasurable feelings, and improves focus and memory.

Source:
Mountain Rose Herbs

Dark Chocolate aka Cacao

Rich, dark luscious chocolate has powerful antioxidant properties, contains several natural stimulants, including caffeine, which enhance focus and concentration, and stimulates the production of endorphins, which helps improve mood. It is rich in flavanols that boost blood supply to the brain and help improve cognitive skills. Though dark chocolate is a beneficial superfood, it is wise to eat it in moderation.

Source and information:
Moutain Rose Herbs
Read more information about cacao
Excellent reference book Superfoods by David Wolfe

Red Wine
A few glasses of red wine weekly delivers the powerful antioxidant resveratrol, which may prevent free radicals from damaging brain cells.

Organic Vegan Wine Sources:
Frey Wine
Our Daily Red

thiamine, a brain-boosting nutrient.

Plant Oil
Essential Fatty Acids EFA found in coconut, olive, flaxseed, hempseed, avocado, and walnut oil keeps oxygen-rich blood flowing to your brain offering more memory-boosting power.

Sources:
Nutiva
Manitoba Harvest
Natural Zing

Turmeric

It’s the key ingredient in curry, which contains the chemical curcumin and the powerful antioxidant resveratrol. Turmeric is said to protect brain cells from harmful free radicals and help remove plaque from the brain.

Source:
Mountain Rose Herbs

Cinnamon

Add some cinnamon to your recipe, it contains a chemical good for keeping your blood sugar in check and can improve neurotransmission.

Gingko biloba

Gingko is a well-known brain tonics that improves mental clarity, alertness and memory.

Source:
Gingko biloba

Rosemary
Rosemary has long been known to improving your smarts. For example, the Pents’ao, an ancient Chinese compendium of herbal lore, recommended ginseng for “benefiting the understanding,” and in India, the herb gotu kola is a traditional brain tonic so highly regarded that it’s called brahmi, or “of the highest order.”

Sage

Helps the brain to function properly and has been known to help transmit message to and from the brain. No wonder sage is the herb of wisdom.

Sea Vegetables and Marine Plants

Sea veggies are a rare source of iodine, which helps promote brain function. Marine phytoplankton, microscopic plants & organism that live in the ocean, helps produce healthy new cells and nero-chemicals for the body and the brain. Blue-green algae is a good source of omega fatty acids.

Source:
Maine Coast Sea Vegetables

Get The Raw Epicurean Report free monthly food news in your inbox

For Email Marketing you can trust

Receive the latest raw vegan recipes and related posts via email alerts | RSS subscription

Let's connect on Twitter

Join our fabulous community

Herb of the Month

Cardamon our featured spice for March. We'll highlight its benefits, showcase it in raw vegan recipes, and at the end of the month a reader's name will be drawn from the comments, and our sponsor