Eat ‘Plus’ Foods that Boost your Brain Power for both School and Sports
Starting with these brain boosting foods is the beginning of a healthier life physically and mentally. Eating well will boost you both academically and in sports!
Many of these foods below will also help reduce the inflammation in your body that you do not necessarily feel. This will then help reduce any inflammation/pain that you do feel when training!
Dark Chocolate
Let’s start with my favorite. We are not talking about sugar laden, overly processed, commercial chocolate, but good quality dark chocolate. Just a little bit each day can have a positive impact. I grab a handful of my favorite almonds/cashews with a few dark chocolate chips and that holds me over until dinner in the afternoons.
Dark chocolate also has iron which makes up the coverings of neurons in your body plus helps control the creation of the chemicals and pathways of your mood! There have been numerous studies that found adults who included dark chocolate in their diet have a 75% less chance of depression symptoms.
Herbs & Spices
Adding various herbs and spices to your cooking has major positive antioxidant consequences. I try to cook with at least 10 spices per meal. I make salad dressings with at least 12. Cooking Italian food? Add basil, black pepper, onion powder, garlic, oregano, turmeric and so on. Making soup? Put every spice you have in there!
Besides the positive nutritional aspects of herbs and spices, it just makes your food more enjoyable, especially if you are eating healthier foods! Spices like turmeric and saffron have been proven in studies to help with mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods go back centuries as a way of preserving foods. Like that big pickle barrel at the deli growing up. Most ferments are made with a base of a vegetable, salty water and spices.
Fermented pickles and sauerkrauts found in store refrigerators are two of my favorites. (Organic is even better) Kombucha and yogurts are other well known ferments. Just be sure they are low in sugar for best results. Either way fermented foods are full of good bacteria which protects your stomach and intestines from letting unbroken down foods into your bloodstream. A strong, good bacteria filled intestine helps brain function once again because of its connection via the Vagus nerve. If your gut is happy, your brain is happy!
Avocados
Besides my absolute love for avocados in any form they are high in magnesium which is a deficiency found in many due to the depletion in processing sugar. Your body pulls out 50 molecules of magnesium to process 1 molecule of sugar. Magnesium is important in brain function and many studies have proven its positive results in the recovery of depression patients. Many sufferers are also found to be deficient in magnesium!
Greens
Leafy greens can be a lot more palatable than you think! Our favorites are watercress, arugula and kale. All three can be chopped up finely like parsley and put into soups, pasta sauce, salads and more. In studies, watercress and arugula have been shown to start healing damaged DNA within two weeks of eating daily.
Leafy greens contain flavonoids, carotenoids, and Vitamin E which all help prevent cognitive decline. They also contain folate which is a part of red blood cell creation in your body!
Find the green you like and again, hide the ones you don’t. I generally find that once I eat something 10 times (even one bite at a meal) I learn to like or even love it. If you don’t like the bitterness associated with many greens, saute them with sliced cherry tomatoes to sweeten them!
Nuts & Seeds
Your brain needs healthy fats to function and nuts and seeds can fulfill that! They are also full of vitamins and minerals as well. I keep walnuts(Omega-3s), almonds and cashews at the ready in my pantry/car/workout bag for a mid morning or afternoon snack. One handful with a few chocolate chips also has the power to fight off any hunger until mealtime! Lastly they have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well which helps your overall wellness.
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