As I get older, there are certain things you realize you don’t want to lose and have taken for granted your whole life. Memory is one of those things. I’m not that old, but my memory is definitely not what it used to be! Granted, I’ve had 6 children so I’m sure I’ve lost some brain cells along the way ;), but I definitely want to keep my mind sharp and my memory intact regardless!

I’ve seen that certain activities can definitely help with this- crossword puzzles, exercise, jigsaw puzzles, etc. But did you know that certain foods can also help you with brain function and memory?

Omega-3s are the best thing you can add to your diet for brain function. Your brain uses omega-3s to build more brain cells, so it just makes sense that you’d want to get as much of these in your diet as you can! You’ll notice that prenatal pills have a ton of this important supplement so that little baby brains that are developing inside their mothers will have as much fuel as they can get! We adults can benefit from some omega-3’s too!

Fish is one of the best ways to get these into your diet. Salmon, tuna, halibut, sardines, trout, and other cold water fatty fish are stellar for omega-3s. If you’re not such a big fan of fish, you can still get omega-3s in your diet through flaxseed, winter squashes, spinach, broccoli, and soybeans.

Blueberries have shown to be a superior fruit when it comes to brain function.They act as an antioxidant, which helps relieve stress and inflammation that can contribute to brain deterioration . But it gets better! Blueberries have been shown to actually help brain cells communicate with each other more efficiently; studies have shown that adding blueberries to your diet can actually improve your memory!

Broccoli is another anti-inflammatory power food, but additionally, it’s high in Vitamin K. This is important because Vitamin K is needed to build certain fatty cells that are found in the brain- so it’s definitely a good one to include in your diet to increase brain function!

Eggs are another brain helper! The yolk of an egg contains high concentrations of choline, a vitamin that studies have shown help with memory improvement specifically and better brain function all around. Now if we could just afford them…. ;)

Walnuts (all nuts are great but walnuts in particular) have been shown to increase memory function. Many studies have been done on elderly populations and women that have shown that eating nuts lends itself to better memories and healthier brain function. While all nuts are beneficial, walnuts in particular are great because of their omega-3 fatty acids! We’ve already discussed why these are so crucial.

In addition to adding all these power foods to your diet, be careful with how much saturated fats you consume (whole milk, ice cream, red meat, butter, cheese, etc). Studies have shown that having a lot of this stuff in your diet can actually impair memory and make it harder to concentrate. Don’t undo your hard work by over-indulging!

While you can’t completely change brain health with your diet, what you eat can have a huge impact on your memory and your brain’s ability to function!