An expert has shared four foods he considers essential for your brain.
Dr Robert Love PhD, a neuroscientist who specialises in helping people prevent Alzheimer's with science, has shared the four foods he thinks you should eat to ensure good brain health and longevity. On his Tiktok account, where he shares regular tips on easy ways to live a better, healthier life, he shared the foods he trusts the most to keep our brains energetic and in proper working order.
His first suggestion was something you can find in almost every supermarket: walnuts. Walnuts contain nutrients like Magnesium which plays an essential role in relaying messages from your brain to your body.
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Dr Love said: "Walnuts are filled with tonnes of fibre. They’re filled with nutrients that’re really good for your brain like Magnesium, and they’re delicious.
"They fill you up and they’re a great replacement for carbs that not only are high in calories and spike your insulin but also aren’t very filling. Walnuts are terrific, add them to dessert, add them to breakfast - they’re really just great."
Another favourite food of his is what he called "SMASH" fish. These are Sardines, Mackerel, Anchovies, Salmon and Herring - all relatively small fish, which he says is good as it ensures they are low in Mercury (known to affect brain development) and high in healthy fats.
He said: "Why are SMASH fish so good for your brain? First of all, these fish are low in Mercury, you want fatty fish low in Mercury and smash fish are the healthy fatty fish that are low in Mercury.
"They are low in Mercury because they are small, and mercury accumulates in the larger fish like tuna, like swordfish, like shark, so please don’t eat those fish if you’re worried about Mercury, eat the SMASH fish.
"Research from Dr David Smith at Oxford, he found those who take a fish oil supplement and a B-complex vitamin have a 30% reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and people who eat fish multiple times a week also have a greater protection against Alzheimer's disease.
"Why? Because these fatty fish contain not only fish oil and healthy fats, but a lot of fish also contain B-complex, Selenium and other ingredients."
His next suggestion was blueberries, specifically organic blueberries or even wild blueberries if possible. He said: "Get organic berries.
"Blueberries in particular are really great they’re filled with the dark colours in blueberries are called polyphenols and these are plant nutrients that are really great for our body, specifically our gut bacteria.
"Dr Stephen Gundry talks about the benefit of eating a colourful diet rich in polyphenols - which are these dark colourful colours in plants - and how our gut bacteria really love that. So (food) rich in polyphenols are really great for the brain there is research to show that those who eat blueberries have better brain health and live longer."
His final top tip, which isn't technically a food, was to try MCT oil, which he called "coconut oil on steroids." It stands for medium-chain triglyceride oil, a type of oil that is easier to digest and can provide our brain with essential energy.
Dr Love said: "Your body takes MCT oil, the liver converts it into ketone bodies and your brain uses it for energy. As we age we become less effective at using glucose for energy and so we need to bridge that gap with some ketones."
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