Brain Stimulating Diet
Just like the body, the brain needs fuel. A diet based on lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats (such as olive oil, nuts, fish) and sufficient protein offers health benefits. Not only what you eat, but also what you don't eat is important for maintaining a healthy brain.
Omega 3
Omega fatty acids are good for the brain. Fish is a particularly rich source of omega 3, especially ' fatty fish ' such as salmon, tuna, halibut, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. In addition to omega 3 fatty acids, high-quality proteins are important. When eating fish, you kill two birds with one stone.
Non-animal omega fatty acids
Non-animal omega fatty acids are seaweed, walnuts, ground linseed, linseed oil, pumpkin, beans, kidney beans, spinach, broccoli, pumpkin seeds and soybeans.
Limit calories
Limit calories and saturated, but especially trans fat . Research shows that a diet with a lot of trans fat (from products from the food industry) does not have a good effect on concentration and memory. An exception is unrefined coconut oil. This is a vegetable, saturated fat that nevertheless offers many health-promoting properties.
Limit alcohol consumption
Alcohol kills brain cells. But in moderation (about 1 glass a day for women, 2 for men), alcohol appears to improve memory and brain function. Red wine seems like the best option because it is rich in resveratrol. This is a flavonoid that stimulates blood flow in the brain.
Practical steps to learn and remember
Focus: One cannot remember something that has never been learned, and one cannot learn - code in the brain - if it is not given enough attention. It takes about eight seconds of intense focus to process a piece of information into memory.
Use as many senses as possible: relate information to color, texture, smell and taste. The act of rewriting or summarizing, help information to remember. If you are audiovisual, read aloud what you want to remember.
Understanding: Focus on understanding basic ideas and not remembering details. Repeat what you want to learn by explaining it to someone else in your own words.
Repeat: repeat the information. Repeat what was learned on the same day and then at other times at intervals. This 'spaced-apart rehearsal' is more effective than cramming once, especially to retain acquired knowledge for a long time.