Food that powers your brain

A 12 year old Indian origin girl from Essex, in the UK, has been making headlines for having an IQ that is probably higher than Einstein’s and Stephen Hawkins’. Lydia Sebastian gained the highest possible score of 162 in the Cattell III B paper by Mensa, which is the society for people with high IQs.

While many factors would contribute to Lydia’s perfect Mensa score, research has proven that a nutritious diet does help the brain function better. No wonder, at some point in our childhood most of uswould have been forced to eat cod liver oil capsules in the hope that we becomesmarter.
Here is a list of food items that will help you boost your brain power, andmay help prevent the advent of conditions such as Alzheimer’s later on in life.


Fish: Often called the ultimate brain food, fish, especially the oily varieties,contain omega - 3 fatty acids which are vital for brain development. Salmon,mackerel and tuna are rich in these omega-3 fatty acids, including the vitaldocosahexaenoic acids (DHA). Apart from being a high source of protein, fishalso has essential amino acids, which are needed to construct neurotransmittersin the brain, enabling it to communicate with the rest of your body. Since thebody does not build these essential amino acids on its own, you need to supplyit through the food you eat.



Eggs:If you have been complaining about your memory notbeing what it used to be, it’s time you started taking another power food – theunassuming egg. Whether boiled, fried, poached or made in a curry, thisversatile food is delicious, but most importantly - it contains choline, aVitamin B nutrient which is essential for memory improvement.



Nuts:A great source of Vitamin E and high in folate, amineral that’s essential for brain development, nuts such as peanuts, walnuts,hazel nuts and almonds are great and healthy options to snack up on wheneveryou feel hungry. A good intake of Vitamin E helps in reducing the decline ofcognitive memory, which may come during old age.


Broccoli,cabbage and cauliflower:  These flowery vegetables are great for pure vegetarians (and thosewho swear by their meats as well). A good source of Vitamin K, which helpsimprove cognitive function. Broccoli also contains sulforaphane, a chemicalwhich helps to keep the brain sharp and fight against deterioration, whichleads to illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.



Blueberries: Termed a super fruit,these delicious berries are packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals which,apart from helping to protect against cancer and heart diseases, also help inmemory improvement, aid thinking ability and also helps to prevent problems suchas short term memory loss. A study carried out at the Reading University hasalso shown that people who take a bowl of blue berries in the morning forbreakfast, are more active and have better concentration powers in theafternoon.





Pumpkinand sunflower seeds: Another good snack to munch onwhen you are hungry, arepumpkin and sunflower seeds. They are a good source of Vitamin E and help giveyour brain a boost. Pumpkin seeds also have a high amount of magnesium andomega 3, which help to calm the brain.



Tomatoes:These essential kitchen fruits, contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene,which helps to protect against free radical damage to cells, which are linkedto dementia, mainly Alzheimer’s. While cooking reduces the nutrients in manyother food items, in tomatoes it actually increases lycopene, as it is releasedfrom the vegetable fiber.