Today’s Health Tip ~ Exercising – It’s Good for the Body and the Brain

There are Big Benefits for People Who Regularly Exercise

Regular physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Not only is it good for your muscles and bones, it can keep your brain healthy, too.

Physical activity can improve your cognitive health—helping you think, learn, problem-solve, and enjoy an emotional balance. It can improve memory and reduce anxiety or depression. But you don’t have to be a fitness guru to reap the benefits. Any amount of physical activity can help. No matter your age or fitness level, physical activity can help improve sleep, brain health, and quality of life.

Regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of cognitive decline, including dementia. One study found that cognitive decline is almost twice as common among adults who are inactive compared to those who are active.

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🍎 Today’s Health Tip ~ Make These Brain Foods Your Friend

Research shows that the best brain foods are the same ones that protect your heart and blood vessels, including the following:

    • Green, leafy vegetables. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene. Research suggests these plant-based foods may help slow cognitive decline.
    • Fatty fish. Fatty fish are abundant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, healthy unsaturated fats that have been linked to lower blood levels of beta-amyloid—the protein that forms damaging clumps in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Try to eat fish at least twice a week, choose varieties low in mercury, such as salmon, cod, canned light tuna, and pollack.
    • Berries. Flavonoids, the natural plant pigments that give berries their brilliant hues, also help improve memory, research shows. 
    • Tea and coffee. The caffeine in your morning cup of coffee or tea might offer more than just a short-term concentration boost. In a 2014 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, participants with higher caffeine consumption scored better on tests of mental function. 
    • Walnuts. Nuts are excellent sources of protein and healthy fats, and one type of nut in particular might also improve memory. . . .Walnuts are high in a type of omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Diets rich in ALA and other omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to lower blood pressure and cleaner arteries. That’s good for both the heart and brain.

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🍎 Today’s Health Question ~ What are the Best Food for Brain Health?

Brain Health Boosters

What should we be eating for brain health? Anne Linge, registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist at the Nutrition Clinic at the University of Washington Medical Center-Roosevelt, recommends the MIND diet, a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. The combination of the two, results in a diet high in folate, carotenoids, vitamin E, flavonoids and antioxidants as seen in the 10 categories below:

Leafy greens (6x per week)
Vegetables (1x per day)
Nuts (5x per week)
Berries (2x per week)
Beans (3x per week)
Whole grains (3x per day)
Fish (1x per week)
Poultry (2x per week)
Olive oil (regular use)
Red wine (1x per day)

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