Brain Health: 5 Foods You Should Include in Your Diet

1. Beetroot Juice

Not everyone likes beetroot, but this root veggie can help you a great deal in boosting brain health. A study done by Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, states that drinking beetroot before exercising may aid brain performance, particularly for older adults. Researchers found that older adults who consumed beetroot juice prior to engaging in moderately intense exercise demonstrated greater connectivity in brain regions associated with motor function. This has been attributed to the high nitrate content in beetroot. When consumed, nitrates are converted into nitric oxide, which studies have shown can lower blood pressure and increase blood flow to the brain, particularly to a region associated with motor control, cognitive functioning, emotion, and other brain functions.

2. Chocolate

Nutrition researchers at the University of South Australia found that eating chocolate was significantly associated with superior "visual-spatial memory and [organization], working memory, scanning and tracking, abstract reasoning, and the mini-mental state examination." Nutrients called cocoa flavanols, which are found naturally in cocoa, and thus chocolate, seem to have a positive effect on people's brains. In 2014, one study concluded that eating the nutrient can "reduce some measures of age-related cognitive dysfunction." A 2011 study, meanwhile found that cocoa flavanols "positively influence psychological processes." The suspicion is that eating the nutrient increases blood flow to the brain, which in turn improves a number of its functions.

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3. Black Currants and Blueberrries

A study found that blackcurrants can help in keeping us mentally young and agile. The berries help in managing the mental decline associated with aging populations and in people with brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease or depression. Another study done by University of Exeter in Britain suggests that drinking 30ml of concentrated blueberry juice daily can improve brain function of elderly people. The brain function in older people tends to decline with age, but a glass of blueberry juice can improve brain blood flow, boost brain activation and some aspects of working memory amongst older adults. Both are great sources of antioxidants which are known to work effectively to fight free radicals.

4. Orange Juice

Oranges are a powerhouse of nutrients. It is said that a single, medium-sized orange can fulfill 72% of your daily vitamin C requirement. Moreover, its antioxidant properties combined with flavonoids and phytochemicals, all contribute to boosting the immune system, eliminating free radicals, keeping the heart healthy and the brain active. A study done by University of Reading revealed that drinking orange juice could help improve brain function in elderly.

Orange juice is a major source of flavonoids - being particularly rich in a sub-class known as flavanones. Recent studies have shown that flavonoids may improve memory through the activation of signalling pathways in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is associated with learning and memory.

5. Milk

A new research conducted at the University of Kansas Medical Center has found a link between milk consumption and the levels of the naturally-occurring antioxidant glutathione in the brain in older adults. The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and they suggest that drinking milk could improve the functions of the brain. "We have long thought of milk as being very important for your bones and very important for your muscles. This study suggests that it could be important for your brain as well," says co-author Debra Sullivan.