How Super Foods Can Boost Your Mental Strength
The human body requires different kinds of foods because different foods have different nutritional values. However, some foods are packed with more nutrition than others. These are called Superfoods. Due to their high nutritional value, superfoods strengthen your immune system and improve your bodily functions. Superfoods are good for your brain and body as they are packed with multivitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. There are many benefits of including Superfoods on your plate, for instance, you will feel increased metabolism, improved performance, strong memory, a boost in intellect etc. Superfoods not only give you super nutrition and super strength but also improves your immune system, strengthens your bodily functions, help you fight physical, psychological, and emotional diseases. In this article, we will concentrate on the superfoods that boost your mental capacity as well as help in self-healing.
Super Foods For Super Brain
There are many superfoods that are brain food, i.e. brain tonic that give you super brainpower. However, here we are concentrating on a few superfoods for the brain that are easily available in your kitchen. Try eating these foods regularly to boost your mental strength.
Health Benefits Honey
You can feel the amazing health benefits of honey just by taking one teaspoon every day. Honey will boost your memory, intelligence as well as concentration power.
Honey is full of antioxidants. It not only keeps the brain cells intact but also prevents damages in the brain cell. Honey strengthens the nervous system and helps in reducing stress and anxiety. Honey also improves your learning ability, thus enhancing your intellectual capacity.
The ideal way to take honey is to drink herbal tea sweetened with one teaspoon of honey. You can also drink lemonade with honey instead of sugar. You can also add honey in the milk. A glass of milk with one teaspoon of honey before you go to bed will improve your sleep, and eliminate stress and anxiety.
Honey is good for all kinds of people, however, it is not recommended for pregnant woman and babies under the age of one year. Honey can lead to food poisoning in infants.
Fun fact: 100 Grams of honey gives you 304 calories
Health Benefits of Rosemary
William Shakespeare once wrote, “There’s rosemary. That’s for remembrance.”
Rosemary is a highly aromatic plant. Since ages, people are using rosemary in cooking to enhance flavor and aroma and making perfumes. Rosemary leaves are generally used as seasoning meat.
Since ages people have used rosemary to improve memory and develop concentration. Rosemary has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It stops damages in the brain cell.
You can drink rosemary tea or use as a flavoring agent in your food.
Fun fact: 100 Grams of rosemary gives you 131 calories
Health Benefits of Berries
Berry is a small pulpy fruit available in different varieties such as raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, etc . All kinds of berries are grouped as superfood for the brain, but based on the nutritional value, blueberries top the list. Blueberries have a compound called anthocyanins that are said to improve memory and boost mental capacity.
All types of berries will help in developing cognitive skills like learning, verbal comprehension, and reasoning. Berries also improve decision-making skills and numerical ability. Eating berries means eating raw food, raw foods have many health benefits
Fun fact: 100 grams of berries give you 57 calories
Health Benefits of Nuts
Nuts are the foods that have hard-shell outside and edible kernel or meat inside. Walnuts, Pistachio, peanuts, almonds cashew etc. are the common nuts. All types of nuts are rich with Omega-3, zinc, iron, magnesium, vitamin E and all types of B vitamins.
All kinds of nuts have vital nutrients that are good for the brain. However, among all nut types, walnuts are the most beneficial. Walnuts prevent aging in the brain by improving memory and concentration. Interestingly, the walnuts look like the human brain.
A pregnant woman should eat walnuts for the brain development of the fetus.
Fun fact: 100 grams of nuts give you 607 calories
Health Benefits of Avocados
Avocado is considered one of the best superfood because it stops Alzheimer’s disease. Avocado promotes the production of a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which helps in concentration and increase mental capacity. Avocado also improves memory.
Apart from being brain food, avocado is also good on your body. It helps your physiological function for it is rich in vitamins, fibers, and fats. Avocado fat is good for your body.
Fun fact: 100 grams of avocados give 160 calories
Conclusion
Apart from these superfoods, you can also try eating chocolates and tea and coffee for brain health.
How To Fight Stress Through Superfoods
Stress is a part of our life. Every time we face even a minor difficulty or a problem, be it in our personal life or professional life we become stressed. Our life becomes so complicated that stress creeps into our life and begins to take a toll on us mentally, physically, and emotionally. We have to deal with stress in every walks of life. Nonetheless, this does not imply that we have to perpetually live under stressful conditions. Our life is stressful, yet we can also easily manage stress and stop stress taking a toll on our mental health. We can easily fight stress or manage stress if we take certain measures. We might not be able to stop doing what we are doing to stop stress, however, if we take care of what we eat we can manage stress naturally. There are superfoods that help us to fight stress.
The first step to manage stress is to avoid eating certain foods. Many people smoke and drink alcohol if they are stressed out, however, smoking and drinking will make your conditions worse. Caffeine, energy drinks, carbonated drinks, sugary foods, stimulants, depressants are not good for your mental health as they actually rob off your energy. The energy drinks and sugary foods might make you feel better in the beginning because they increase blood sugar levels to make you feel better, however, you will soon feel that your energy starts to deplete at the same rate.
The second step to manage your stress is to starting eating natural and organic food that actually provides you vital nutrients and energy. The superfoods help you combat stress naturally without having to go through medication. A lot of herbs are included as superfoods. Therefore, you will have to try herbal healing.
If you experience mood swings, stress, and anxiety, you got to try Asparagus. Asparagus is a brain food that has a lot of benefits. Asparagus contains various B vitamins, mainly folate or folic acid, which not only strengthens brain functions but also alleviates mental conditions like stress, mood swings, depression, and anxiety. Folate produces serotonin, often regarded as a happy hormone, that can create happy feelings inside you.
Red meat gets a lot of blame as bad food, however, red meat is very good superfoods to manage stress. Red meat has high levels of vitamin B, zinc, and iron. Vitamin B, zinc and iron are very good to make you feel better during the bout of stress. While choosing red meat to fight stress, always choose lean meat as fat can elevate your stress.
Milk is very good for the body and mind. Milk is rich in protein, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B 12 and antioxidants, which are very essential nutrients for cell regeneration, and bone and muscle build up. really does a body good. Milk with whole grain cereal is a good breakfast option for all and most importantly the people who are dealing with stress. A glass of warm milk just before you go to bed is very good to get a good sleep. Milk helps you battle with stress. Cheese is also a superfood that helps you manage stress naturally. Free radicals are also the cause of stress and vitamin C helps to battle free radicals. Include citrus fruits that are rich with vitamin C to combat stress.
Almond is a superfood that helps you fight stress. Almonds are rich with minerals like zinc, magnesium, zinc, and B2, C, and E vitamins, which are very helpful in combating stress. Almonds contain unsaturated fats, which is good for your body and brain. The nutrients in almonds fight against free radicals that are found to cause not only stress but heart disease and cancer.
It is very necessary to get the necessary nutrients from natural food as natural foods are not only good for your body but also very helpful in managing stress. You can ward off not only stress but also anxiety and depression and other mental diseases through superfoods. You might also consider including ginger, garlic and turmeric in your daily diet.
Manage Your Depression By Including These Superfoods in Your Plate
Even though depression is a mental issue, a person suffering from depression will experience physical symptoms. Depression is a psychological disorder with a lot of emotional issues such as sadness, hopelessness, and pessimism. In the state of depression, the person will also have a lack of activity. There are many causes of depression and the environment is one of them. Depression is so common these days that we all feel depressed once in a while. While most of us may not need medication, it is necessary to treat depression if it occurs more frequently.
You need medication to treat depression; however, you can easily stabilize your mood swings by adjusting your diet and changing lifestyle. Eating nutritious food can help you curb depression. Eating frequently can keep serotonin levels in balance. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps in calming your bran. Eating is also linked with pleasure, you feel good after eating good foods. Pleasure keeps depression at bay. If you want you can also try alternative methods to manage stress, anxiety, and depression.
Foods that help you to curb depression
You need to keep serotonin levels in balance in order to calm your mind. Carbohydrates boost in serotonin production. Including more carbohydrates in your food helps you to soothe your mind and change your sad feelings to happy feelings. Lack of carbohydrates may result in mood swings.
Various clinical studies suggest that depression patients have vitamin E deficiency and lower levels of antioxidants. Eat foods that contain high levels of antioxidants and vitamin E. Canola oil and olive oil are rich in vitamin E.
Depression is a mental disorder. In order to cure depression, you need to boost your mental capacity. Vitamin B helps your brain function. Include foods that contain folate, a B vitamin. Green vegetables like spinach, lettuce, cabbage, pea are high in folate. Therefore, you should include green leafy vegetables in your menu. Green vegetables are an excellent source of dietary fiber, which increases nutrient absorbing capacity in the intestine.
Folate also helps in the production of serotonin. Folate is present abundantly in legumes. Legumes are a high source of protein and have low in fat. If you are a vegetarian, legumes are an excellent source of protein.
Vitamin B6 and B12 are beneficial for the brain because they play a very important role in serotonin production. For vitamin B6 and B12, you can try chicken and turkey.
You need iron for brain development. Eat foods like beet, spinach that have a high level of iron.
Fighting Depression with Superfoods
There are foods that help you not only curb the symptoms of depression but also treat depression.
When you are experiencing a feeling of guilt, sadness, lack of activities, you can start eating seafood like salmon and mackerel. Salmon and mackerel are not only good for depression but also best for any psychosomatic disorder as this seafood makes your brain strong. Interestingly, salmon and mackerel are also good for your heart. Salmon and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which is very beneficial in heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. Salmon and mackerel also contain an antioxidant mineral called selenium. When you are eating salmon and mackerel, make sure to choose wild salmon and mackerel salmon instead of farmed because farmed salmon and mackerel have less Omega 3. A note of caution: Salmon and mackerel are also high in fat. You should eat fats in strict moderation.
Due to high fiber content, folate, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, dark green vegetables are very good for people suffering from depression. When you are eating vegetables, always eat fresh vegetables instead of packaged or canned vegetables. Prepackaged and canned vegetables have less nutritional value.
Chickpea has high iron, fiber, and vitamin E, which are good for your brain You can try making chickpea soup by adding tomato, onion and olive oil, or make a dip by adding garlic, lemon juice, chili pepper, and blend. You can add seasoning according to your taste.
Conclusion
While you may not be able to cure your depression only with food, you might be able to ease your condition by altering your mood with superfoods. If you have clinical depression, consult a doctor, and undergo medication.