Amazing Brain Foods Outwit Old Age
Scientists may never discover an anti-aging pill, but you can keep your brain young and your memory sharp by eating any number of convenient and delicious foods. No drug side effects, just balanced nutrition — what could be better or simpler?
Bite into an apple.
Apples may slow mental decline by boosting brain levels of acetylcholine, a chemical that enables brain cells to communicate. Better communication seems to mean an enhanced memory. So far, experts have only conducted research on animals, but they say a daily dose of two cups of apple juice or two to three apples made a noticeable difference.
Eat those veggies.
Getting your greens may be the best thing you can do to keep a younger brain, says a new study from the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging. Over the course of six years, people 65 and older who ate three or more servings of vegetables a day slowed their mental decline by 40 percent, compared to seniors eating only one serving daily.
Angle for more fish.
Would you like to be as mentally sharp as you were three or four years ago? Then add fish to your weekly menu. Past studies have linked eating fish to lower risks of stroke and dementia. Now new research says it could protect you from age-related memory loss, slowing mental decline by 10 to 13 percent.
Become a berry-picker.
Fruits like blueberries and strawberries pack large amounts of polyphenols, natural compounds that counteract age-related damage in the brain. Based on rat studies, these polyphenols also improve memory and learning skills.
And that’s not all food can do! Click the “Learn More” button and check out the 8 foods that practically “force” your body to lose weight on page 345 of Simple Home Remedies for Seniors.
- FC&A Staff Writer
