What a world it would be if you could waltz into the supermarket and find drinks labeled "Get Smart," "Be Strong," "Fountain of Youth," "Lose Weight," and "Lift My Mood."
Unfortunately, life is not scripted that way — and products that do claim they’re great for helping you lose weight or boost strength are usually packed full of sugar, and not actually good for you at all. In this article, I want to touch upon drinks that actually do boost brain power.
What we put into our body, whether in the form of food or drink, plays an immense role in our mental and physical health. You cannot just exercise and expect to be healthy. I have had patients who look like they can win body-building competitions, but once I check their blood work, it's safe to say a lot of these patients are utterly shocked to see what a discrepancy there is between how they look on the outside and what is going on inside their bodies. Conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hormonal imbalances, and micronutrient deficiencies can have very negative effects on what's going on in the brain, affecting neurotransmitters and plaque deposition.
I have chosen a list of drinks that can make you feel like your IQ has increased.
They’re not special products manufactured by a particular company, they’re just extremely healthy choices. It’s also important to know what drinks to avoid in order to be kind to your brain. Moderate alcohol intake is fine, and can be beneficial, but going overboard not only harms the liver, but causes brain fog, too — and it's cumulative. Sugary drinks are not just bad for your heart and waistline, but over time, they cause significant neurological issues, affecting memory and concentration. Drinks with artificial sweeteners and dyes are toxic to the brain, eventually affecting normal cognition. Studies have shown them to be carcinogenic and mutagenic.
So start playing some "brain games" on your smart phone or do it the old-fashioned way with crossword puzzles, and grab one of these drinks to amp up your intelligence.
1. Pomegranate Juice
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This exotic fruit has tons of unique antioxidants that have been shown to improve cognition and memory. Drinking a glass of this daily will make you smarter.
2. Tea
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Choose green or black, whichever your particular cup of tea may be. Tea is a great way to enhance the activity in your brain, since EGCG, or epigallocatechin-3-gallate, which is found in green tea, has been shown to increase brain cell production while sharpening memory. Tea is also loaded with antioxidants, and drinking even one cup of black tea daily has been shown to improve reaction time.
3. Dark Chocolate Cocoa
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The flavonols in cocoa are beneficial in relaxing the lining of blood vessels that in turn decreases blood pressure, which means there are less damaging effects to the brain over time. Drinking a cup of hot chocolate may reduce risk for stroke and cognitive deficits.
4. Berry Smoothies
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Load up on blackberries and blueberries, and you'll feel like you can win the next Scripps National Spelling Bee: that's supercalafragalistic excellence! Both of these berries enhance neuronal activity and connection in the brain, and prevent early onset of mental decline. Memory — along with motor and cognitive skills — is sharpened.
5. Cinnamon and Turmeric Tea
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This is one of my daily secrets, along with some other herbs; cinnamon contains two compounds, proanthocyanidin and cinnamaldehyde, which may decrease tau proteins in the brain that cause plaque build-up in the brain implicated in dementia. Turmeric, like cinnamon, has also been shown to inhibit dementia development due to its active component, curcumin. Add a dollop of olive oil, which contains oleocanthal, a compound thought to guard against Alzheimer’s, for good measure.
See more powerful brain foods.
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