Brain Food – Nutrition for Memory and Concentration
In this article Pola Nachyla gives us recommendations about four groups of food that will help you improve your academic performance. She is sharing with you foods and dietary patterns that will keep your whole body, including your brain, healthy.
Remember that last finals session when you spent nights before exams trying to absorb all the information from teacher’s presentations? Or when you left yourself one day to write that 4000 words essay and couldn’t stay focused even for 5 minutes? Let me share with you how you can omit the next all-nighter, by improving your concentration and memory, through food!
Let’s go back to those high-school biology lessons, when you learned about different cells in your body. One of those were called neurons, remember? These are the little, hard-working guys in your brain, passing information to each other and the rest of the body so you can stay alive and function. Our priority is to protect those cells from any damage like stress, or dehydration. To do that we need: water and fats! Yes, fats. Don’t even tell me you’re trying to lose weight, I am not telling you to eat cheese and bacon. I am talking about the wonderful, unsaturated fats full of good stuff that will boost your brain power.
1. Fish – especially salmon, trout and mackerel. These have the most of the omega-3 fats that your mom always told you about. They form a protective layer around the neurons, which prevents dementia, sclerosis or any type of memory loss.
Pssst… for some tasty fish try out Salmon a la Plancha at Lamucca (Calle Serrano 91).
2. Nuts and seeds - walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, chia, macadamia nuts (for the fancy ones). Not only do they store healthy fats, but also (especially seeds) they consist of zinc, which enhances the synapses between neurons and increases our thinking skills. In addition, the magnesium and vitamin B found in most of these foods are the main factors of production of serotonin, the happiness hormone. Goodbye anxiety!
Pssst… Sprinkle some seeds or nuts on your muesli or salad to get them into your system. If you want to try an amazing chia pudding, mix a tablespoon of chia seeds and one cup of plant milk with some honey, leave it in the fridge for 1-2 hours, and let the magic happen.
3. Berries! – those are vitamin C and antioxidant powerhouses. Not only do they protect our brains from stress, but also give us a strong energy boost and increase short term memory.
Pssst… Before binging on that study-chocolate, eat a handful of berries and wait a couple of minutes. Vitamins in them will decrease your craving for sugar, and at the same time they have the lowest glycemic index of all fruits!
4. Greens – you can find the whole vitamin alphabet in them! They boost and sharpen your focus throughout the day (kale, spinach, rocket, broccoli), increase the neurons resistance and decrease inflammation (celery, bok choy) and through keeping blood sugar levels stable, prevent mood swings (avocado, Brussels sprouts, chard).
Pssst… the recently opened Juicy Avenue near campus (Calle Serrano 93) provides you with tons of options of incorporating greens into your diet. Try their Medicinal Green Superfoods Smoothie.
Think about those four groups of food when the next exam session is approaching. To buy some of the healthiest, organic products at a reasonable price, visit the chain store Bio c’Bon at Calle Lagasca 65 (between Nuñez de Balboa and Serrano station).
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