Brain foods: Here’s what to eat to enhance cognition, focus

“You are what you eat” is a well-known expression highlighting how food influences physical and mental wellbeing. Our diet ultimately shapes the qualities of our thoughts and emotions, impacting our ability to maintain a calm, focused mind without mood swings.

We strive for enhanced cognitive function, good memory, and a joyful and peaceful disposition, characterised by kindness, empathy, and compassion.

The exciting news is that achieving these mental states is possible by boosting our “FQ” or Feeding Intelligence through smart eating choices. It’s important to recognise that everything we eat, drink, and breathe affects our mind in three fundamental ways: calming, agitating, or dulling. A calm and quiet mind is naturally alert and awake, facilitating effortless focus and concentration.

The first prerequisite is consuming organic, wholesome, and freshly prepared foods while maintaining gratitude for their source and origin.

These dietary practices provide holistic benefits for both body and mind.

Boost your brain power, eat the right food

Specific nutritional food groups have been identified to significantly enhance overall mind and brain health, including improved cognitive function, sharpened focus, and heightened intellect.

Brain foods

Green leafy vegetables (seasonally seasoned and prepared)

1. Walnuts (beneficial for learning, memory and cognition)
2. Blueberries (anti-inflammatory and detoxifying for the brain)
3. Beans and lentils
4. Olive oil (with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties)
5. Potassium-rich foods such as dates, almonds, coconut, honey, ghee saffron, and organic milk for cognition and focus

Herbs

The following herbs are known to increase BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and act as cognitive enhancers:

• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
• Bacopa monnieri
• Brahmi (Centella Asiatica)
• Turmeric (Curcumin)
• Tulsi (Holy basil)
• Amla (Indian gooseberry)

Nutraceuticals

• Vitamin B12 with folate (5 MTHF) for combating brain fatigue and supporting cognition
• Omega-3 fatty acids (marine) for nourishing neuronal myelin sheaths

As Hippocrates famously said, “Let food be thy first medicine”, so it’s crucial to approach the act of feeding and nourishment with mindfulness and a certain degree of reverence.

Maintaining a regular meal routine that aligns with nature’s rhythms and sharing meals fosters not just good health, but also vitality, cognition and wellbeing.

Rather than merely eating to survive, embrace the philosophy of living to eat, recognising that food is essential for life itself.

Read: Tips to declutter your brain: Schedule in a few slots of solitude

This writer is a health coach at Wellth, Dubai.