Improving Memory Function and Focus With Nutrition

Have you ever noticed the "foggy" distracted feeling you get not long after eating a giant ice cream sundae or drinking a couple of cans of soda? This is one of the most common examples of how your diet is intricately linked with your brain function, including your ability to focus, concentrate and have a sharp memory.

Of all the organs in your body, your brain, arguably, has the toughest job.

Every time you think, breathe, balance, digest food, circulate blood, and countless other activities you probably take for granted on a daily basis, your brain is called to action. Likewise when you recall a memory or concentrate to solve a problem at work. In fact, your brain cells are so in demand that they require two times more energy than other cells in your body, as they exist in a constant state of metabolic activity. Even when you're sleeping, your brain cells (neurons) are hard at work.

So, as you are probably well aware, it's crucial that you nourish these brain cells with the proper fuel they need to thrive, as this will directly influence how well your brain functions on a daily basis. If you want to have a memory like an elephant and the focus to achieve, and surpass, your most coveted dreams, you've got to think of your brain when you eat.

You Can Even Grow More Brain Cells!

It used to be believed that you were born with all the brain cells you would ever have, and as you got older and brain cells were lost, there was nothing you could do about it. New research in the last two decades has turned this dogma upside down, as it's now known that your body can, in fact, create new brain cells through a process known as neurogenesis.

These new brain cells can help improve your memory and learning, along with many other functions. In fact, the brain region with the most active neurogenesis is your hippocampus, which is the part associated with learning and memory. According to the Society for Neurosience:

"Some very recent studies suggest that the strength of a memory can relate to how many new neurons remain in the brain after learning."

See, it's not a given that all new neurons survive. In fact, most will die because they do not get the support they need, namely nutrients from your blood as well as connections with other neurons.

There are numerous ways to help support this process and give new neurons the best chances of surviving and becoming a part of your working brain. Exercise and learning new things are two of the primary ones, but a third, and also important, strategy is your diet.

How to Improve Memory: What are the Best Foods to Boost Memory, Focus and Your Brain?

So what should you eat more of to give your brain an extra boost?

1. Fruits and Vegetables

There are so many brain-boosting options in the produce section that your best bet is to simply remember that the more you eat, the healthier your brain will be. Fruits and veggies are rich in powerful antioxidants that can help protect your brain from the damage of free radicals. One study found that dogs fed an antioxidant-enriched diet performed better on cognitive tests and learned new tricks better than dogs fed a regular diet.

The improvements, which researchers noted suggest dietary fortification with antioxidants over a long-duration can slow age-dependent cognitive decline, took only relatively small dietary changes to achieve -- the equivalent of increasing your fruit and veggie intake from three servings a day to five or six.

Again, all types of produce are beneficial, but certain varieties do seem to stand out above the rest for your brain power, including:

Blueberries: Linked to lower rates of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline, blueberries can help keep your brain sharp. As reported in SeattlePI, notable Tufts University nutrition researcher James Joseph said:

"What blueberries do is what simply can be called strengthening the brain by taking advantages of the brain's tremendous redundancy," said Joseph. "Blueberries have compounds that boost neuron signals and help turn back on systems in the brain that can lead to using other proteins to help with memory or other cognitive skills."

Spinach: Spinach is not just for your muscles, it's also for your brain. Studies show rats fed spinach perform better on memory and learning tests. Spinach also supplies magnesium, a deficiency of which has been associated with ADHD, confusion and lack of focus.

A classic study by Joseph even found that rats fed a diet supplemented with spinach, blueberries and strawberries were actually able to reverse age-related deficits in neuronal and cognitive function.

Apples: The antioxidants in apples may help to raise levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that's essential to memory. The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, noted:

"... consumption of antioxidant-rich foods such as apples can prevent the decline in cognitive performance that accompanies dietary and genetic deficiencies and aging."

2. Wild-Caught Fish, Walnuts, Flaxseed

Fish, flaxseed and walnuts are excellent sources of animal-based and plant-based omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats are essential for healthy brain function, particularly the omega-3 fat DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). DHA is the principal omega-3 fat in brain gray matter, and recent research showed DHA supplementation increases the activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex part of the brain, which is associated with working memory.

There Is Now More Evidence Linking Gut Bacteria and Weight Loss

You may not care to know this, but the gastrointestinal tract of the average human contains about two to three pounds of bacteria, which outnumbers the body cells by about ten times. Not to worry, as without it you wouldn't have an immune system. But all that bacteria plays a role not only in your immune system, but controlling asthma and some allergies, eliminating toxins and help to improve your mental health. But in this piece we will talk about how it can actually help you lose weight, which should interest almost all of us.

When we normally think of bacteria we imagine disease-causing microbes that invade our bodies. There are certainly plenty of those, but our gastrointestinal tract is made up of a complex system of microbes. They are not only bacteria, but fungi, yeast and protozoa that all carry out specific tasks for our health. They are found in both the large and small intestines.

Two of the strains of bacteria are firmicutes and bacteroidetes, and these two dominate the gut flora of humans as well as other vertebrates. The mix of these two differs in lean and obese people. It has been found that firmicutes bacteria are in a greater abundance in test animals that were obese, and the level of obesity was directly proportional to the levels of firmicutes. The actual cause seemed to be in the fatty acid absorption and the ability to turn calories from sugars into fats.

The bacteroidetes strain, on the other hand, was found to be in higher levels in lean people. It seems that if we are able to shift the balance in these two bacteria in our digestive system it would go a long way to promote weight loss. In tests even with alterations in the diet the balance between the two remained fairly constant over time. So does this suggest that the variation in bacterial composition can't be changed merely by changing our diet?

The answer seems to be that not in the short-term. In a small human study it was found that true to what we know individuals with fewer bacteroidetes (good) and more firmicutes (bad) had greater weight problems than their leaner counterparts. But when the obese participants went on a low-fat low-carbohydrate diet for better than a year, an increase in bacteroidetes in proportion to firmicutes was found.

So diet can turn us round, and if we keep on it in time we should see improvements in our health and make controlling our weight easier. What would some of these foods be?

1. Organic food. Pesticides and other chemicals can play havoc with your beneficial bacteria. Buy organic food products as much as possible, but some fruits and vegetables are especially prone to harmful pesticides if not organic. Not only chemicals that come on foods, but all pollutants that get into the system can do damage.

2. Fermented foods. Sauerkraut, fermented vegetables and even pickles help with gut bacteria.

3. Probiotic foods and supplements. Yogurt has become a favorite, but there are many products such as Kefir that fill the bell.

4. A generally healthy diet. This will include olive oil, fish and flax seed oil, lean protein, nuts and seeds, and of course all colors of fruits and vegetables.

Well-Being Choices Help Boost Energy

There is always something somewhere in print, online, radio or television about the most recent diet. You'll see it more often the first of the year and in the Spring as folks focus on getting fit when the layers of clothes come off as the temperature rises. You know my mantra "there is not one food that is all good or all bad for you." I advocate for you to choose a healthy lifestyle which includes eating a variety of foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, lentils and legumes, stay hydrated, and exercise regularly.

One of the first steps in adjusting your lifestyle is to make a grocery list of the things you enjoy that will fit within these healthier guidelines. For example if you are a milk-drinker, switch to a lower fat version-1% or non-fat skim milk. These milk options will still contain calcium and vitamin D.

Breads, rice and potatoes are carbohydrates which provide the energy we need to fuel our bodies. We need carbs; however high-fiber carbohydrates are the best choices. Look for whole-grain breads and rolls, and choose brown rice over white rice. These are small changes to good carbohydrates that are higher in fiber. If potatoes are one of your favorites, add sweet potatoes to the mix. They can be baked whole, served mashed or prepared as oven fries. Avoid weighing sweet potatoes down with a lot of sugar, butter or marshmallows. Sweet potatoes are good sources of vitamins A and C, and excellent sources of anti-oxidants, and fiber too.

Increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables, choosing items that are colorful. Start the day with fruit-orange sections, an apple, or pineapple chunks. Mix it up. Some days have vegetable juice and on other days enjoy fruit with Greek-style yogurt.

Add a variety of fruits and vegetables to your weekly menus. The average grocery store contains more than 150 different kinds of fruits and vegetables, but so many of us buy the same foods over and over. I've started buying one "new" item each week. This gives me a chance to increase the fruits and vegetable menu at my house and share fresh information with you.

This week I bought a couple of bunches of pea greens or pea shoots. Pea greens are young and tender pea vines that are sold in tangled bundles. You can find them at farmers markets and in some specialty stores. They are low calorie and high in vitamins A, B-6, C, E, and K, folate, thiamin and riboflavin. They are not as hearty as some of the greens I've cooked, but are delicate and quickly prepared when sautéed in a little olive oil with garlic until they are wilted. They're a terrific side-dish in place of spinach.

It isn't necessary to spend a bundle on the latest diet fad. Give some thought to the things you like, see where you can make the switch to a healthier alternative and each day, try to follow your plan of living a healthy lifestyle.

Take Away: List healthier options for things you enjoy, increase daily intake of fruits and vegetables, try a new food, exercise regularly and stay hydrated. Follow these suggestions for well-being and you'll notice that you're feeling better and more energetic.