The Best Foods to Support Cognitive Function

Sometimes it is easy to forget many of the benefits that eating healthy foods  can give us. There is much more to nutrition than just eating to lose/maintain weight or support our exercise habits. One of the main things food can do for us is support our brains and cognitive function to help slow down or prevent neurological disorders like Dementia and Alzheimer's. The following foods provide the proper nutrients to support cognitive function.

• Fish
• The omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish supports the prevention and protection against cognitive decline. Research has shown that eating just 1-2 meals per week that include oily fish is associated with less incidence of Dementia and Alzheimer's.
• Dark Leafy Vegetables
• In particular, Vitamin E and Vitamin B9 are found in foods such as spinach, kale, swiss chard, cabbage and broccoli. These vitamins have been found to support cognitive health and are better found in food versus supplementation. Try to include at least one serving of dark, leafy greens each day to get the most benefit from their nutrients. 
• Berries
• Specifically, blueberries and strawberries show the most benefit for cognitive health due to their component of flavonoids. Flavonoids are a diverse group of plant chemicals that are associated with a lower risk of Dementia. 
• Citrus Fruits
• Similar to berries, citrus fruits contain flavonoids known as hesperidin and narirutin that have shown results in boosted brain function.
• Dark Chocolate
• When it comes to dark chocolate having a benefit to brain health, make sure that it is at least 70% cacao, because the health benefits come from the cocoa flavonols.  Cocoa also contains small amounts of caffeine that have shown improvements in visual activity, working memory, attentiveness and response time. 
• Cruciferous Vegetables
• Foods such as brussel sprouts, broccoli and cabbage are all a part of this food group that contain sulforaphane that has shown to decrease inflammation in the brain that shows symptoms of depression. 
• Green Tea
• Similar to dark chocolate, the combination of green tea catechins, caffeine and the amino acid theanine, drinking this tea shows significant increase in calmness and relaxed attention. 
• Eggs
• Eggs provide the richest dietary source of choline, which is responsible for learning and memory. Higher dietary intake of choline is associated with better memory performance and reduced risk of neurodegenerative disease.