By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

October 3, 2018

• Why do you sometimes “forget to remember” things?
• 3 delicious foods for all day mental stamina
• 5 more foods to maintain a razor-sharp memory for years to come

One of the most common complaints I hear among my patients is that their memory isn’t as good as it should be. They “forget to remember” things that they never would have failed to recall in the past.

In other cases, their memory is sharp until about two in the afternoon. Then brain fog kicks in. Their brain suddenly seems to “stop working”.

But what can you do when you find yourself doing things like going to the grocery store without your food list? How can you stop embarrassing yourself by getting your neighbors’ names mixed up? And is there any way to stop your math, computing and reading skills from abandoning you as the day progresses?

Sure there is!

There are certain foods that can give your brain a big boost of power. And not a single one of them is weird. You can pick all of them up in a single trip to the store. (Don’t forget your list!)

3 Quick Brain Boosters for All Day Mental Stamina

Just like your body needs nutrition, so does your brain. It requires a constant supply of fuel to fire on all cylinders, all day long.

If you feed your brain processed and sugary foods, refined carbs and unhealthy fats, it’s going to be sluggish more often than not. But if you can replace those with some of the foods below, you’ll discover you have a lot more brain power than you realize.

Organic blueberries are one of my favorite snacks. And it’s not just because they’re delicious. These little berries are rich in antioxidants that stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.

This helps keep your mind fresh and active. In fact, a late-morning smoothie containing 200 grams of blueberries could potentially boost your performance and concentration for five hours or more.

Blueberries also help boost brain signaling, which can keep your brain younger and smarter as you age. This may be why people who eat the most blueberries are able to delay cognitive aging by up to 2.5 years.

Green tea is another favorite of mine. It contains a treasure trove of health-promoting antioxidants that benefit your entire body. Better yet, green tea is also associated with improved memory, attention, clarity and brain function.

In particular, the combination of caffeine and L-theanine go to work immediately to improve your ability to switch gears more quickly, increase alertness, reduce distractions and help you stay focused.

Dark Chocolate contains some powerful stimulants that can put your brain into high gear. It activates the brain in a way that quickly produces improvements in alertness and attention levels. This makes it a great snack when afternoon brain fog strikes.

But don’t hit up the vending machine for just any old kind of chocolate bar. To be effective, you’ll want to invest in a high quality dark chocolate that contains about 70% cacao.

This type of chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a chemical we naturally produce when we’re excited. Another compound in dark chocolate, theobromine, has an effect that’s similar to caffeine. (However, don’t start binging on chocolate every day. Stick to no more than 3.5 ounces a week.) I freeze dark chocolate squares and break them into quarters or halves; this gives a longer lingering chocolate boost…or you can crunch down on it as the mood suits you.

5 More Foods to Maintain a Razor-Sharp Memory for Years to Come

Blueberries, green tea and dark chocolate can all provide a quick boost of brainpower in both the short and the long term. But to support your memory and cognitive abilities throughout your lifetime, I also recommend eating several other brain-healthy foods. For example:

Leafy greens can slow brain aging by about 11 years. All it takes is a single serving each day.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in wild-caught fish help reduce brain shrinkage, strengthen neuron communication, reduce beta-amyloid and increase blood flow to the brain.

Extra-virgin olive oil contains an incredible antioxidant called oleocanthal that preserves memory and protects the brain against Alzheimer’s.

Tree nuts like pistachios, almonds and walnuts appear to strengthen brainwave function. This, in turn, enhances cognition, memory and recall.

Curry is loaded with a powerful antioxidant called curcumin that improves mood, memory and attention abilities. And over the long term, daily curcumin intake can reduce the systemic chronic inflammation that can affect your brain. Plus, curcumin can reduce amyloid and tau accumulation in the amygdala and hypothalamus. These two regions control memory, emotions and decision-making processes that are necessary for day-to-day living.

If you don’t like curry you can always opt for a curcumin supplement like the one sold by Uniscience Group.  Look for one that is standardized to 90 to 95% total curcuminoids and includes bioperine, a black pepper extract that substantially increases its bioavailability.

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Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center. “Consuming nuts strengthens brainwave function: Researchers find that nuts benefit the brain by enhancing cognition, memory, recall and rest.” ScienceDaily. Nov 2017.

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