Smart Eating for Smart Brains When your day is packed with classes, assignments, and studying, not to mention a social life and maybe a job, who has time for healthy eating? While sometimes low on the list of your priorities, being smart about food has many benefits. Eating regularly and choosing healthy portions of nutritious foods means having more mental and physical energy, feeling good about yourself and enjoying better health.
day. If you usually eat lots of fruit and veggies, whole grains, and lower fat protein-rich foods and milk products, then why not enjoy a candy bar or a couple of cookies? Go ahead and indulge in your favourite treats – just watch how much and how often!
While your brain may only take up 2% of your body mass, it utilizes up to 20% of your energy. Brains need a complex mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to function and grow. If you feed your brain the right food, it will perform better academically and enjoy improved memory functions.
• Green leafy veggies: like spinach, kale and cabbage are packed with vitamins B6, B12, iron and folate. • Pumpkin seeds: just a handful a day is all you need to get your recommended daily amount of zinc, which helps develop your cognitive and memory skills. • Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna: packed with essential fatty acids (Omega-3), oily fish are a good source of protein. • Whole grains: bran, whole wheat, oatmeal, brown rice and wheat germ all contain lots of vitamin B6 and folate which increases the flow of blood to the brain. • Seeds and nuts: provide Omega-3 and
A balanced diet combines carbohydrates, protein, and a little fat and not only provides you with the nutrients you need to stay healthy but also helps to keep your energy levels up. The term balance also means complementing a less healthy meal or snack with nutritious choices the rest of the
Here are some of the best brain foods to help your brain work at it’s very best:
