The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Or is it through his brain? Most of us don’t realise just how much our diets affect our moods, beyond coffee = happy and all work and no food makes Johnny a dull boy.
According to psychiatrist Drew Ramsey, author of Eat Complete, nutritional deficiencies and dietary mistakes often have a profound effect on his patients’ cognition, and what you eat could be affecting your brain in the same way.
Here are a few foods you can eat that Ramsey believes will really make your brain work better.
#1 Colourful Vegetables
“You want to look at your plate and see colours. You want to see greens and red and oranges because each of those colours represent a different phytonutrient, a different pallet of medicine, as it were,” says Ramsey. If your plate is all beige, brown and white, you’re probably not getting all the vitamins and nutrients you need for your brain to function at its peak.
#2 Oily Fish
Seafood fan? Well you’re onto a good thing. “If you think about it, every molecule in your brain starts at the end of your fork,” says Ramsey. When it comes to the molecules your brain needs, it’s all about omega-3 fats, and DHA in particular. “DHA is actually what brain cells are made of,” says Ramsey. You can find DHA in all kinds of seafood, but small oily fish like sardines and anchovies are packed full of the stuff.
#3 Cashews & Clams
It’s a given that a diet low on iron can make you feel sluggish and dull, but red meat isn’t the only source of this key nutrient. Ramsey points out that cashews and even clams are also high in iron. In fact, shellfish is jam-packed with B12 and zinc, which are also brain-loving nutrients.
[via Inc.]