How to Keep Your Brain Healthy: From Food to Exercise

Even the brain, to stay healthy and slow down its natural aging, needs good habits. And healthy lifestyles, which involve nutrition, physical activity, and sleep. But some psychological aspects also play a role. which concern optimism (it is a form of brain protection) and good social relationships.

These guidelines, made up of good habits and lifestyles, have recently found a very important scientific confirmation, thanks to the research by CNR and Humanitas published in the magazine Brain, Behavior & Immunity. This study clearly shows that the combination of physical exercise, cognitive stimulation, and social relationships represents the winning triad for brain longevity.

Index of topics

What is good for the brain

The brain ages like any other organ or system in our body: a natural decline, linked to advancing age, which, however, can be accelerated by poor lifestyles. As the years pass, the brain ages and shrinks, its vascularization capacity diminishes, and the number of neurons and their relative speed also declines. A healthy brain travels like a high-speed train: information within it moves at over 430 kilometers per hour. Furthermore, the brain ages because it consumes so much, more than any other organ: it represents only 2 percent of total body weight, but expends more than 20 percent of our daily energy needs. This can reach as much as 60-65 percent. The reason for this consumption is clear: the brain never stops, and is more active at night than during the day, eliminating waste products. To slow brain aging and keep it healthy, several things are needed.

Natural remedies

Exercise, for example, increases the levels of brain chemicals that promote neuron growth. Some foods, such as nuts, blueberries and salmon, are particularly good for the brain. It is also essential to sleep well, keep your mind active, cultivate social relationships, and avoid sinking into pessimism. And be careful with...hearing: according to several researches, those who have hearing problems, also due tonoise pollution, has a 30-40 percent higher than average risk of cognitive decline. Ultimately, if you were asked, in a nutshell, what is good for the brain, you might name three things: sleep, physical activity, and the right foods. Research that is intensifying in this area increasingly tends to demonstrate, for example, the importance of: Omega-3, carbohydrates, proteins. But food alone isn't enough unless you combine it with good sleep and consistent exercise.

Gym

Even the gym It helps maintain a good memory. Researchers at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands conducted extensive tests on about a hundred volunteers and reached this conclusion: Doing physical exercise after reading or studying for four hours consolidates and improves memoryWhy? Because exercise promotes the release of chemicals, including dopamine, which aids in the memory-building process.

race

A Swiss study confirmed, however, that run increases the formation of new neurons and so improves memory.

Supply

Just as it is important thesupplyFruits and vegetables protect neurons.

Sleep

And the sonno: it is precisely at night that the connections between neurons reorganize.

So, breaking habits, learning a foreign language, enjoying some avocado, tomato and nuts: to keep your mind active and bright, it really takes very little, without wasting money on Medicines, sometimes expensive and not very useful.

How to train your brain

Furthermore, while until a few years ago, scientists believed that the brain stopped producing new cells once childhood and adolescence were over, today studies carried out by a team of researchers from the University of Illinois highlight that our brain produces new cells. even in adulthood and that constant physical activity keeps them active, slowing down degenerative decline.

Another excellent reason to train our brain daily, without neglecting social interaction and trying to distance ourselves from it instead. stress. It can cause alterations in brain tissue, especially if persistent. It's therefore essential to learn to manage your time well so you can carve out time for relaxation and to pursue your interests and hobbies.

How to keep your brain young

Let's see what natural remedies there are to keep our brain in shape:

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables: spinach, cabbage but also chard and lettuce are foods rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, carotene and Omega-3 important for maintaining perfect brain health. Spinach is also an important source of Vitamin K, essential for preserving nerve cells from aging.

Tomatoes and watermelon: both are rich in lycopene, a nutrient that can optimize brain function and is also essential for overall health. It may even reduce the risk of various types of cancer.

Blueberries: They are rich in anthocyanins, molecules that not only have a positive effect on the entire body thanks to their antioxidant properties but also act as a veritable powerhouse for the brain. They combat memory loss and the decline of motor skills.

Avocado: This fruit provides a wealth of vitamin E, vitamin B6, and tyrosine, an important element that promotes brain cell communication. It also combatsaging.

Walnuts: Nuts also play an important role in keeping the brain healthy. Walnuts, in particular, are rich in vitamin E and magnesium.

Salmon: not just fruit and vegetables, salmon, for example, is also rich in proteins, selenium, vitamin E, and Omega-3s, which are essential for concentration and optimizing nerve transmission.

What to eat for an active brain?

Bread and whole grain foods: with a good content of fibers, B vitamins and zinc combine the right amount of choline which is useful for both memory and brain development. And they also contain choline the eggs.
Green tea: thanks to the presence of polyphenols, green tea could be able to prevent some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Chocolate: thanks to the presence of polyphenols, it fights free radicals and therefore cellular aging.
Avoid excessive alcohol consumption: it damages the hippocampus area responsible for memory and balance.
Seasonal fruit snacks can stave off hunger and stock up on vitamin C, which fights inflammation and cellular damage. You can rotate bananas, oranges, kiwis, and berries, and in any case, always favor seasonal fruit.
Egg yolk: don't underestimate it for the Vitamin B which contains a fundamental nutrient for brain cells and for not switching off memory.
Fish and seafood. In addition to salmon, which is rich in omega-3s, eat plenty of tuna, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines. They contain vitamin D and omega-3s, which stimulate the production of phenylalanine, an essential amino acid found in neurons. Seafood is also excellent.
Beans and peas. Both provide a great source of magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B: all of which block oxidation and combat cellular aging.

Vitamins that are good for the brain

The vitamins that are best for the brain are C, D and B. Vitamin C It is important for the formation of neurotransmitters, the chemicals that allow neurons to communicate with each other. And the better the communication between neurons, the better the brain functions. Vitamin C is also valuable for the synthesis of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine: three neurotransmitters that help the brain create a positive mood. vitamin D It has a positive effect on the hippocampus, the area of the brain where cognitive functions, particularly memory, are concentrated. Vitamin B improves memory, promotes the formation of neurotransmitters, and prevents brain aging.

Good habits to keep your brain young

Then there are some daily habits that, while seemingly harmless, actually aren't at all, as they can slow down our mental capacity. For example, constantly resorting to technology, even to solve the simplest tasks, slows down both the brain and memory.

Try to challenge your mind as much as possible. This can be done in a simple way: avoid the calculator even for the simplest calculations, try to remember phone numbers, use your GPS less, and try to memorize city routes.

Break your routine every now and then: even taking a different route than usual to get home or go to work will help you keep your curiosity alive.
Try doing some brain training exercises to stimulate different mental abilities.
Finally, if you have the time and the opportunity, learn a foreign language: studying will allow you to strengthen your cognitive abilities.
Be optimistic: the way we look at ourselves, others, and life in general can have profound and lasting effects on our brains and our overall well-being. And to cultivate optimism, do things that make you feel good.
Exercise regularly. Movement promotes neurogenesis, and no special effort is required. Just half an hour a day, with good ventilation, is enough. walk or with a ride in bicycle.
Get plenty of sleep; sleep remains man's first medicine. And sleeping well slows the decline of cognitive function and gradual memory loss.
Socializing is also very good for the brain, both physically and cognitively. And any opportunity is a good one: sharing passions and interests with others, joining a volunteer organization or sports club, signing up for cooking, painting, or craft classes, taking trips and outings with friends, or cultivating shared gardens.

How to nourish your brain

The brain has three main components: cognitive, relational, emotionalAnd as with the body, it needs to be nourished healthily, not only through a targeted and correct diet, as we have seen, but also with specific lifestyle interventions. Specifically, we need to train, even as a form of prevention for the terrible neurodegenerative diseases, attention, memory, language, reasoning, and emotions. That is, all the parts of the different brain activities. Very useful in this regard are: reading, crossword puzzle, card games, squares, and especially for older people, stories that delve into the memory of their experiences. And the stories are fundamental good relationships, which carry the lifeblood of emotions. To have them, you must be open and willing, first and foremost, to listen, and not locked in your own narcissism, which leads you to squander the best of your relationships with others.

An all-Italian research, published in the magazine Stem Cells, demonstrates how exercise stops the decline of nerve cells and promotes the production of new stem cells which in turn create new neuronsA mechanism that slows aging and is even capable of reviving neurogenesis, the formation of new cells that until now science believed to be irreversibly compromised with age. The research focused on a specific area of the brain, the hippocampus, where memory and mood play out. Those with a smaller hippocampus, or one that shrinks with aging, are prone to typically senile phenomena, such as depression or memory loss. Physical activity directly affects this area of the brain. This doesn't mean, of course, that we can cure Alzheimer's with exercise, but it certainly protects those who are more prone to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. Refreshing the brain doesn't even require any particular effort: just half an hour a day, outdoors or in a pool, two to three times a week. This activity is accessible even to the elderly. With extraordinary results, as demonstrated by a study conducted in Canada on a sample of 4.615 elderly people, followed for five years. Among them, those who walked two to three kilometers a day had a 40 percent lower risk of dementia than those who didn't. Always remember: walking is good for the body and even more so for the brain.

How long does the brain grow?

Full physical maturity is reached around age 30, but the brain continues to evolve, change, and shape itself based on experiences, even new ones. However, when we enter our thirties and complete brain development, neuron loss begins. Throughout life, before age 30, brain growth has several crucial phases. One is in the first thousand days of a baby's life, when many neural connections are formed that determine how the child will use memory, learn, control impulses, and develop. the mood and plan their activities. Childhood is the stage in which cognitive development reaches its peak, while adolescence brings the pruning of brain connections, eliminating unnecessary ones. This makes the brain more agile and able to adapt more quickly to new situations, thanks to the formation of a new network of carefully selected neurons.

How to stay focused

Concentration is also the result of good brain training.

In the space of an hour of work that requires a lot of concentration, give yourself a 15-minute break every 45 minutes.
If you've developed the (bad) habit of getting distracted online, at least write down the things you intend to search for on a piece of paper. That way, you won't be wandering around the internet and wasting too much time.
Always read slowly, even on smartphones and tablets. Consider that less than 5 percent of online readers have an attention span of more than five minutes. Not enough to understand. And plenty to make mistakes.
If your job requires concentration, take breaks and break up your rhythm, but avoid sudden distractions.

Natural exercises that keep your brain fit