Are you trying to up that memory game? Memory recall has been linked to the types of food you eat. Changing your diet can help you become the toast of your trivia team!
Breakfast
Up your brekkie game by sprinkling unsweetened cocoa powder on oatmeal. As Elle Woods once said* “Chocolate contains flavonols, and flavonols help increase activity in the areas of the brain that are best known for memory and cognitive function, and people with great memories just don’t kill their husbands!” You get the same amount of flavonols in 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa as in 30g of dark chocolate, for almost 10 times less calories. A study found that people who had a daily drink high in cocoa powder did better on a memory test than those who had a lower-cocoa version of the beverage.
*ed note: we may have taken some liberties with that quote
Pre-lunch
Indulge in that second cup of coffee. There’s a lot of research supporting coffee’s health benefits, but its important to exercise restraint. Too much of anything can be a bad thing. Coffee shows that the combination between the caffeine and the antioxidants actually helps to wake you up in the short term, but also boost brain power long-term. Not into that caffeine hit? The antioxidants are still there in decaf options so there is still a benefit.
Lunch
What do we want? BERRIES! Berries have anthocyanins, which are great antioxidants that have been shown to boost brain power and memory. Women who ate at least a cup of berries a week had a delay in mental decline when compared to women who didn’t eat blueberries and strawberries weekly, according to Woman’s Day. Delicious, nutritious and memory boosting? Yes please!
Dinner
Get those greens. Your mother is always right, and in this case she was right on a multitude of levels. Not only are kale, spinach, swiss chard, or any other leafy green just generally good for you, they also act as an all in one multivitamin as they contain folic acid, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, as well as a host of phytochemicals. Eat these whenever possible and your brain (and belly) will reward you by making you feel better.
