Brain foods | 11 brain foods to eat for better mood and memory – Women’s Health UK
Oily fish such as salmon, tuna, anchovies and mackerel contain omega-3 fatty acids aka a critical element in brain development.
Regularly consuming omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to increase blood flow in the brain – which increases oxygen content, promoting brain healing and brain use. The brain uses three times as much oxygen as the muscles in the body, so increasing its oxygen supply can improve cognitive function.
A study in Plos One found that six months of fish oil supplementation improved working memory performance. This improvement showed that there are pro-cognitive effects which can improve inflammation and cellular signalling.
While UCLA Health published that fish oil also had protective effects on brain volume and structure. They found that individuals who regularly included fish in their diets had fewer markers of Alzheimer’s disease than those who included little to no fish.
Harvard Health has recommended trying to eat fish at least twice a week and you can do this by switching out your usual protein source for fish. For example, instead of tomato pasta topped with grilled chicken, you could top it with grilled salmon instead. And if you’re not a fan of fish you can get fish oil supplements over the counter.
