By Victor Marchione, M.D. aka The Food Doctor
There’s an old saying that “you are what you eat.”
And that statement couldn’t be more true when it comes to maintaining your brain function and improving memory.
Your brain pretty much controls everything that happens in your body. Information is constantly being passed along the nerves in your spinal cord to your brain. Nerve impulses carry valuable information that you use in countless ways every minute of your life.
And as we age, we can lose some of our ability to learn and to remember things. Our short-term memory may be affected. This is the type of memory you store for only a few minutes.
When you need to remember information for longer periods, you are using your long-term memory. You can store information about all kinds of things in your long-term memory that can stay with you your entire lifetime. Keeping cognitive abilities and memory strong is very important for living a healthy and long life.
Fortunately, even though the brain is an amazingly complex and sophisticated part of you, it is still just an organ. You can keep your brain healthy, just like you can your heart or your liver, by eating foods that nourish it. Brain-boosting foods can have a real and lasting impact when it comes to keeping thinking skills sharp and memory intact.
And that’s why I want to reveal to you, right now, the five top brain-boosting foods that I recommend to help you maintain your healthy brain function and improving memory. Not only could they help offset the natural processes of aging, but these foods could also protect you from illnesses like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.
Stocking your pantry with these foods could help you get rid of the cobwebs and improving memory. And what better way to do this than by eating some delicious foods? 
Brain Food No. 1: Blueberries
Blueberries can give a range of tastes from sweet, to tart, to tangy. They grow on a species of heath plant and are closely related to their cousins, the bilberry and cranberry.
Blueberry season runs from May to October, peaking in July—so be sure to look for them at your local grocery store all summer long. These little berries are full of antioxidants that pack a wallop when it comes to protecting the brain. Special nutrients in blueberries increase the production of brain cells in the hippocampus.
These nutrients may help reverse age-related problems in the area of brain function. Blueberries’ antioxidant power could reduce the stress of oxidation in the brain—which makes them strong allies in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Studies done on rats have shown that blueberries improve the learning and motor skills in aging rats, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats. Blueberries contain a kind of flavonoid called “anthocyanin.” Anthocyanin is known to work in critical areas of the brain. A 2005 study found that blueberries could reverse age-related declines in neuronal signal transduction as well as cognitive and motor deficits.
Brain Food #2: Green Tea
Green tea is made from unfermented leaves and reportedly contains the highest concentration of polyphenols of all the tea varieties. Green tea is full of these antioxidants—particularly one called EGCG. EGCG (the name is too long to try to pronounce) protects the brain. It lowers the amount of protein that builds up as plaque. This plaque has been linked to the type of memory loss and nerve damage common amongst Alzheimer’s patients.
Green tea is said to be the world’s healthiest beverage (if water is discounted, of course!). Two cups a day will give your brain a boost, improving memory and your ability to concentrate. Green tea can also improve your mood.
In one Japanese study, green tea consumption was analyzed in 1,003 participants who were 70 years of age or older. It was found that those with the highest consumption of green tea had the lowest prevalence of cognitive impairment.
Brain Food #3: Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is another antioxidant-rich food, believe it or not. It doesn’t get any better than this! Eat dark chocolate and you could protect your brain as you age.
Dark chocolate could help prevent oxidation in the brain, which is the precursor to many neurological diseases. It could also reduce inflammation. Both of these conditions are implicated in the aging process of the brain.
Dark chocolate contains a special kind of flavonoid called “procyanidin.” This flavonoid counteracts the damage caused by inflammation and oxidation. Procyanidins also boost the circulation of blood to the brain, and along with this blood come oxygen and nutrients for optimum health.
Brain Food #4: Apples
An apple a day could help keep Alzheimer’s away. Well, that’s not exactly how the saying goes; nonetheless there is some truth in it.
A study has been done showing that apples could have dementia-fighting qualities. The study looked at fruits as a source of vitamin C, a known factor in the reduction of Alzheimer’s.
The researchers also noted that these same fruits are a valuable source of quercetin.
Quercetin is a flavonoid, and flavonoids are powerful antioxidants. Other studies have linked the concentrated juice of apples to a reduction in cell death and oxidative damage in the brain.
Brain Food #5: Avocados
You might know that avocados are an excellent source of healthy fat. And this healthy monounsaturated fat increases blood flow to the brain. That means more oxygen and more nutrients getting to those parts of your brain that help you to think and to remember details.
Avocados could also help lower blood pressure, a condition that can put you at risk for cognitive decline. The avocado contains 14 minerals. Of special importance are copper and iron. Both minerals aid in blood regeneration and help prevent anemia.
Avocado oil is used universally for its antibacterial, anti-wrinkle and healing properties. Avocado oil is rich in vitamins A, B1, and B2 and essential fatty acids.
More fighting foods that can fight virtually any illness or disease.
These five brain boosting foods are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to foods that heal and help improving memory. In fact, every day it seems that new food cures are being discovered to help treat a wide array of illnesses and diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and more.
That’s why I’m constantly researching and reporting on new fighting foods that you can easily get off your grocery store shelves. They don’t call me the Food Doctor for nothing!
To see all of these super fighting foods, watch this revealing video that reveals everything on improving memory…
