People are worrying less and less about the way they look as they age and more about taking care of their mental capabilities. Of course, there’s no sense in having a good looking face or body if your brain is so far gone you can’t hear the compliments. So there is a huge push right now to start taking care of brain health, no matter what age you are, you can improve your chances of having an active brain long into old age. There are a lot of things that can be done from nutrition and nootropic supplements to exercise and crossword puzzles. Here are some top tips on keeping your brain going for as long as possible.

Eat These Foods And Avoid These

The best foods that seem to help with the brain are those that contain the very healthy fat omega 3 fatty acids. That’s going to be fish, like salmon, cod, haddock, tuna and sardines, and nuts like walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and some others. This particular fatty acid helps to keep the arteries cleaned out with less cholesterol and plaques clogging up the blood vessels in the brain. Olive oil also seems to be great for the brain as well.

Nearly the entire Mediterranean diet has great health benefits for the entire body and the brain is no exception. The whole grains are far better than refined flours, green leafy vegetables and the entire family of nuts are also on the menu. Dark chocolate seems to be especially good, so load up on that.

What to avoid, of course, are all of the processed meats like hot dogs, sausages, and ham. Then stay away from pork and beef as much as possible. If you do like to eat a lot of beef, range fed beef has a better fat mix with more omega 3 fats and fewer of the others.

Lots Of Spices Are High In Antioxidants

Turmeric, the yellow spice of many Asian cuisines, is full of antioxidants and a compound called curcumin that has been shown to reduce Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Ginger root, cinnamon, and almost any bright colored spice are heavy in phytonutrients which are still being investigated as being very good for longevity.

Bad Habits That Can Kill Brain Cells

Smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs are at the top of the list of bad habits to be avoided. Smoking is bad in so many ways that it’s hard to list them all, but the nicotine restricts blood supply and the smoke causes cancer and emphysema which will either kill you or cut the oxygen to your brain, both bad.

Although alcohol can be a real killer, causing more deaths than a lot of diseases or accidents, it’s also good for you in small amounts. The best way to enjoy alcohol is in red wine which contains natural nutrients like resveratrol that reduces cell damage and helps the body repair itself when injured. It is also suspected of helping to remove the dangerous brain plaques that are the root of many diseases like dementia.

The Vitamins That You Should Be Taking

To begin with, vitamin C is great for reducing the oxidants that continually eat away at our precious brain cells. And vitamin E also helps keep blood flowing smoothly in the brain while also being an antioxidant as well. If you can’t eat enough fish, fish oil capsules can take their place, you should try to get as much as 1,000 mg each day.

Exercise Your Brain And Your Body

Every single day of your life you should strive to get at least 30 minutes of brisk walking in. Or you can swim, bicycle, jog, or do aerobics at the gym. However, if you get in the habit of walking, just 15-20 minutes in the morning and again in the evening, you’ll give your brain the oxygen boost that it needs to function well.

Another key ingredient to great brain functioning is to continually read, write, and do mental puzzles every day. People that keep their brains active on a daily basis stave off most kinds of dementia longer than those that sit and watch TV all day long.

If you’re just now getting serious about taking care of your brain, you’re not alone. But there is no better time to start than right now and it will add years onto your healthy life in the future.

There has always been a lot of attention paid to looking good into old age. The same goes with being physically fit, able to walk, bike, run and play sports are all important elements as we get older. Lately, though, more emphasis has been placed on brain health, keeping the brain fit and working in top condition, all the way into the 90s. After all, it doesn’t do anyone a bit of good to look fantastic, feel great, and be able to run around the block, if your brain has gone south. There are quite a number of things a person can do to keep their brain healthy, here are just of few of the most important.

As You Eat So Goes Your Brain

Our bodies need certain nutrients in order to stay in good health and we also need to avoid certain foods that cause us problems as well. The brain is no different, but it has its own list of nutrients that help it thrive and some that should be avoided. Some foods are good for both the mind and body, while some are bad for both the mind and body. Here are some that should be avoided and some that should be consumed regularly.

Of course, cigarette smoking is really bad for the body and the mind. In the body, it causes cancer and emphysema of the lungs which will restrict oxygen flow to the rest of the body, especially the brain. The nicotine restricts blood vessels cutting oxygen again and causes cholesterol and plaque buildup which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. There is absolutely nothing good to say about smoking.

Alcohol, on the other hand, does have a few beneficial properties, but in small quantities. Large amounts of alcohol kill brain cells cause cancer of the liver and make one stupid enough to have fatal accidents. A large number of people die each year while intoxicated.

Fish is a very beneficial food for the brain, the fats that it contains help with memory and other functions. Look for fish like salmon, trout, and sardines that have very high omega 3 fatty acids, they are the best. Other great foods include broccoli, blueberries, and turmeric.

Turmeric is the yellow spice in many Asian dishes, it should be consumed as often as possible. Coffee is also on the list, the phytonutrients and caffeine that it contains are good for the brain’s alertness and concentration. Plus, those who consume coffee daily have a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Rounding out the list of foods you should eat for better brain health are eggs, oranges, nuts, and seeds. These all contain valuable fats, vitamins, and other nutrients that are good for the brain.

Exercise Is Good For The Brain

The body has its favorite physical exercises and so does the brain. Some of them are the same, however, and should be done on a regular basis. The brain likes a good shot of oxygenated blood every single day for at least a half an hour. That can be anything like a good brisk walk, riding a bicycle, swimming, or basically anything aerobic. Other activities are also good like weight lifting and pushups, but just not as good as aerobic exercises.

The other exercise that’s also good for the brain is hard tasks that make you think. Things like writing, doing puzzles, doing the math, playing games like chess, or almost any kind of hard thinking work. Studies show over and over again that people that keep their brains active for several hours per day extend their brain health by years when they get to old age. When combined with physical exercise, there is no better way to keep your brain sharp than to give it a good workout.

There Are Also Probiotics To Consider

This is a new area of research that everyone wanting good brain health should consider taking a look at. There seems to be a connection between having good microbiome health in the gut and good brain health. New research is coming out daily as more scientists discover connections between bad gut bacteria and depression, mood, cognition, and the immune system. Anyone wanting to have top brain health would want to keep an eye on this research and possibly take some probiotic supplements in the meantime just to be sure.

If maintaining your healthy brain well into the future is your goal, many of the things that keep the body fit will also help your brain. By adjusting the diet, exercising the body and brain often, and avoiding the brain killers like cigarettes and alcohol you can extend your good brain health well into old age.