Diet tips for brain health

Earlier it was doubtful if what you eat effects your brain health. Today we know that some nutrients have effects on mental health in many ways. It is proved by scientific studies. This post will be a detailed guide on what to eat for optimum brain health.

Brain needs energy, it's only %2 of your body regard to weight but needs %20 of body's energy reserves. Complex carbonhydrates like fruits would fullfill this need, as they are digested slowly so provide a steady supply.So first rule is eat more fruits. Fruits are also full with antioxidants and phyto-nutrients that are good for your brain. They block the need for craving sugar snacks which are harmful not just to your brain health but overall health. Snack fruits. Dried fruits are okey too. Best fruits are blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, red grape and oranges. Blueberries are shown to improve long term memory in studies.
And ofcourse vegetables, they are probably the best brain foods with their phyto-nutrient and antioxidant content. Eat various vegetables like spinach, brocoli, kale, gabbage, onion and generally green leafy vegetables. Spinach's effects on brain health are proved by studies. Onion is said to improve concentration. Green leafy vegetables are good too they contain iron that has some value for optimum brain health.
You know this one probably, omega-3. Todays diet in western world is high in Omega-6 but low in Omega-3. We need omega-3s, epa and dha for proper brain function. Best source is big fish that lives in cold water like salmon, tuna and mackarel. Specially salmon is considered one of the best foods for brain health. Beside brain health omega 3s are good for heart too. It's sometimes said generally what's good for your heart is good for your brain. Omega 3 is an example of that.
Nuts, full with vitamins and minerals are good for your brain health. They contain b vitamins and magnesium. Hazelnut and almonds have a traditional reputation as mental fatique relievers. They are said to strengthen mind. Nuts too are rich in omega3s.
Calorie restriction is said to lengthen life. It's simply choosing low calorie foods to eat. Here is a list of low calorie foods. Today we know that calorie restriction is good for brain health too. In fact the best calorie restriction method is eating less so eat less for a healthier brain.
Water, it may be interesting news for you but you must drink much water for an optimum brain health. Dehydration causes more stress hormones released. Stress hormones are harmful for cognition both in short term and long term. You can drink herbal teas that don't include caffeine.
Cocoa..Some claim its the single best brain food. It's healthy in many ways, improves mood and makes one happy. But also with its high antioxidant content is good for brain. Cocoa has very powerful antioxidants. Chocolate is a good source of cocoa but you must choose dark chocolate with high cocoa content.
Green tea..If you are stressed and need relaxation green tea is an option. Traditionally drunk in east green tea lately popular in west too. It contains theanine that is a relaxant. For more info on green tea here is my article.

how to motivate yourself to improve your brain

Improving your brain power requires effort and time. But when motivated properly even hardest tasks can be achieved by human beings. Here is an excerpt from my article, tomorrow is an other day...

''There are many offerings. To try as many of them, first you must wake up early to have more time, in your special day. Breakfast is said to be most important meal of the day so have a good one with healthy food like fruits. This will increase your energy levels. Then drink something not usual for you, maybe green tea. It's full of antioxidants and has relaxing effects on your mind. Green tea will prepare you for the days first trial, meditation...Don't think years of practice is needed for a simple breathing meditation session. Just concentrate on your breath, inhaling and exhaling, 20 minutes. You have done it. Besides general health benefits of meditation in long term, this single session will be motivating and relaxing through your day.''

Excerpt from my another article, tips for motivation.

''You can do it, whatever it is. Say to yourself I-can-do-it. Stop a few seconds before every word. This will trigger subconscious mechanisms for success. Always think positive and believe in yourself. These things may not have a sudden visible effect but they will work by time even if you don't notice. Always remember, tomorrow is an other day! You can look at my article tomorrow is an other day for more motivation.''

To read the full articles just click on the highlighted links.

how to improve will power..

Will power is an aspect of mental fitness and it can be improved by exercises. Improved will power may help you in many ways like quitting addictions or saving money. In his uncopyrighted book power of concentration Theron Q. Dumont tells an effective exercise targeting will power. In this exercise you take playing cards and slowly put one on another in order. You must be slow doing that. Do it regularly for some time, you will feel improvements.

Training your brain for improved athletic performance.

This is surprising but according to this blog;
http://http://clever-brain.com/brain-power/improving-your-brain-will-improve-your-athletic-performance/
you can train your brain for improved athletic performance. Shortly training your brain for increased pain tolerance thus being more resistent to muscle fatique you can do this. In fact this looks like an old saying, force yourself for better performance.

General view on brain improvement

First of all as a start you may think about your brain's current situation. Do you have memory problems? Or maybe you can't focus. Knowing your brains problems will help to develop a strategy.
Long time stress is harmful in many ways and cognition is one of them. Memory and attention problems are common for stress sufferers. For a better mind you must eliminate excess stress from your life. There are many paths you can follow to do that. You can exercise, meditate or try relaxation techniques. Regular exercise is very beneficial for general mental health in various aspects including fatigue. One study shows that exercising while listening music is more beneficial. Exercise can be in many forms, aerobics, playing a sport, running or fast walking...İmportant point is to ensure that your heart beats faster, that means increased oxygen to brain. Your brain needs oxygen to function properly. Meditation is an other effective method to relax and reduce stress. İt has a philosophy behind and many forms but for stress reduction you can do simple breathing meditation by concentrating on your breath, sensation it makes when you inhale and exhale. Or you can try listening relaxation and meditation music which doesn't require much effort. So as a result if you are over stressed you must reduce your stress levels for better cognition.
Playing specially designed brain games may be an other mean to improve your mental powers. There is much controversy whether they are really good for your brain or not. As an individual ı think exercising and engaging your brain by these games may very well be beneficial. İf you try you will feel your brain is getting forced. One of the most known sites that hosts such games is lumosity. There are about 30 games at lumosity catagorised under memory, attention, flexibility, speed and problem solving. To track your performance lumosity uses a pointing system called bpı. Playing these games and improving your score day by day is joy. Lumosity is not the only platform for brain games, there are many. One study showed that playing a game called dual'n back improved working memory. There are free downloadable versions of this game on internet.
Concentration is very important when it comes to improving your brain. There are traditional exercises to develop your concentration that ı learned from the dynamic mental fitness site. First one is sitting still and holding your gaze at a point in front of you, trying to do this as much time as possible. Second one is holding a image like a triangle or a circle in your mind for some time. Third one is concentrating on movements of tip of your watch. Fourth one is reading a book from last page backwards. There are many more exercises that can be found at an old famous book called power of concentration. This book can be obtained from internet free. I have done these exercises for months and my concentration dramatically improved.
I have always believed what you eat is very important for your health. So ı thought by right diet ı can overcome my mental problems. My research at this topic supported my belief. But from my experience you mustn't expect a miracle from diet. General rule is eat more vegetables, specially green leafy vegetables and more fruits. Berries are traditional and they are recommended by many. Everybody knows fish is good for your brain, fish oil contains dha and epa which are important for brain. And I'll recommend green tea, it's relaxing and motivating. There has been days ı drank more than five cups of green tea. I tried various things to relax and one of them was drinking green tea while listening relaxation music hoping these together will be much more relaxing. As ı don't have any tools to measure how relaxed I'm ı don't know if it works.Some say brands differ so get supply of a quality brand.
While searching another thing ı learned about was brainwave entrainment. This is audio to configure your brainwaves. Main brainwaves are alpha, theta, beta and delta. You can use specially designed mp3s or brainwave generators to mimic these brainwaves. These can be obtained from internet, there are also free resources. Advertisers claim more brain power, improved self confidence, solution to sleep problems or even quitting smoking by brainwave entrainment but some say it's just a placebo. I tried some mp3s, found it motivating and relaxing but not sure if it's placebo or not.

My story

I'm interested at brain improvement for years because of mental deterioriation caused by excess mental fatigue. While searching cures for mental fatigue which is hard to cure ı learned many things about brain improvement from websites, blogs or boards. As it's years of research, information here may be very helpful for a beginner. İmproving your brain means better grades at school, better performance at work and even more money. So I invite you to explore world of brain enhancement.