Want to keep your brain in tip-top shape and reduce the risk of dementia?
Get ready for some fantastic news, folks!
Want to keep your brain in tip-top shape and reduce the risk of dementia?
Well, it turns out that munching on colourful fruits and veggies every day might just be the secret sauce! A study tells us that chomping on strawberries, oranges, peppers, and apples can be like giving your brain a superhero cape. Why? Because these delightful foods are loaded with a magical compound called flavonoids.
Brains & Minds Working Together
The clever minds at Harvard University spent 20 whole years observing more than 77,000 middle-aged men and women. They were on a mission to figure out how much flavonoid-filled food these folks were gobbling up. They even asked the volunteers to spill the beans on their memory and cognitive skills. Questions like, "Do you often forget recent events?" or "Can you remember a short shopping list?" were the order of the day.
Guess what they found?
People who feasted on a hearty 600 milligrams of flavonoids every day had a whopping 20% lower chance of their thinking skills taking a nosedive compared to those who settled for a measly 150mg daily.
The Brain's Best Friend
The scientists also played food detective and checked out individual flavonoids. The award for the brain's best friend goes to flavones, which you can find in some spices and those lovely yellow or orange fruits and veggies. These superstars were linked to a mind-blowing 38% drop in the risk of cognitive decline. Imagine being three to four years younger in your brainpower - it's like a fountain of youth in your fridge!
Dr. Walter Willett from Harvard, the mastermind behind the study, summed it up perfectly: "Flavonoids are like brain superheroes, keeping your thinking skills sharp as a tack as you age. So, the results are not just good; they're downright exciting. Just a few tweaks to your diet can make a world of difference in keeping your mind in tip-top shape."
But what are these mysterious flavonoids, you ask?
Well, they're not from another planet, they're polyphenols, powerful antioxidants found in plants. They give your brain a boost by amping up blood flow, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to those brain cells. Think of it as a turbocharger for your neurons, the brain's own little engine.
So, how can you befriend flavonoids and make them your lifelong allies? It's as easy as biting into an apple, sipping on some OJ, or crunching on colourful bell peppers. And guess what? You don't have to be a kid to start - it's never too late to get on the flavonoid train. Even if you didn't care about flavonoids 20 years ago, you can still hop on the brain-boosting bandwagon now.
Here's a list of flavonoid-packed foods to get you started!
It's not just fruits and veggies that are flavonoid rockstars. Fancy a cup of tea? How about a glass of red wine? Even a square of dark chocolate can do the trick. So, whether you're a fruit fanatic or a chocolate lover, there's a flavonoid-rich treat for everyone.
Here's a nifty list of flavonoid-packed foods to get you started:
Apples /Blackberries /Blueberries /Broccoli
Celery / Cherries / Citrus fruits (like zesty limes and lemons)
Dark chocolate / Grapefruit / Kale / Onions
Oranges / Parsley / Pears / Peppers / Red cabbage
Red wine / Spinach / Strawberries
Keep your brain in tip-top shape
To keep your brain in tip-top shape, chow down on a rainbow of flavonoid-rich foods. We appreciate that it’s hard to make this a daily habit and finding great organic fresh fruit & veg, so supplement it daily with our Brain Health product.
A Better Way to be Healthy !