We have read about how hunger helps us in decision making. Primary evidence in this regards comes to us from a study titled ‘Always Gamble on an Empty Stomach: Hunger Is Associated with Advantageous Decision Making (Ridder, Kroese, Adriaanse, and Evans 2014), which in turn is based on what is known as the ‘Iowa Gambling Task’. In other words, if you have an empty stomach, then you will most probably make the right choice.
However, this doesn’t mean that you keep yourself starved in order to become a better decision-maker. In fact, in order to keep your brain sharp, you need to have a healthy diet. In this article, we will talk about healthy eating habits that keep your cognition in pristine condition.
Eat Organic
Organic food is not just necessary for a healthy body, but it also makes your brain work better. You see, our brain only takes in 60% to 70% of the nutrients you take in. So makes sure that your diet includes foods like fish, fruits, and vegetables.
Have Some Chocolate
Before you grab your favorite bar, remember that it is not just any chocolate that helps you think. In order to give your brain a good boost, you need to bite some dark chocolate. This is how it works:
- When you eat chocolate, your brain produces dopamine
- This helps you learn faster and remember better
In addition, dark chocolate contains flavonols, antioxidants, which also improve your brain functions.
Never Skip Breakfast
Having breakfast keeps your brain healthy. When you skip it however, you are putting a lot of pressure on your brain. Research shows that kids that take breakfast perform well on school tests as compared to children that skip this most important meal.
Spinach and Carrots
The importance of vegetables has already been noted above. However, some vegetables are better than others when it comes to boosting your brain function. Carrots, for instance, reduce inflammation and restore memory. This happens due to luteolin, which is a compound found in carrots. This can also prevent memory loss that occurs with the onset of aging.
Another vegetable is spinach. Its secret ingredient is Vitamin E, which has demonstrable effects on our cognition. Vitamin E aids in the production of brain tissue and it also releases dopamine, which controls information flow in the brain.
Coffee
Finally, coffee prevents adenosine from binding to its receptors by blocking them. Adenosine is one of the many neurotransmitters in the brain that form connections based on past knowledge. These connections come together to offer you original ideas when you face any problem. The job of adenosine is to alert your brain when you are low on energy, and as a result, these connections between neurons are slowed down. Coffee prevents the binding of these connections to adenosine receptors in little more than 5 minutes, thereby helping you to think clearly.
Combine these healthy foods into a varied diet to make your brain faster and sharper so that you can make better decisions.