Do you sometimes feel your brain can’t keep up with your busy lifestyle? There are things you can start doing to help preserve and protect your gray matter and enhance your brainpower.

1. Food for Thought – and Memory. Eating certain types of food can improve our sharpness. Minimize your saturated fat consumption, which is often found in red meats, and follow a Mediterranean style diet including lots of fish, fresh fruit, vegetables, and wine. Dark colored fruits and vegetables such as: cantaloupe, mangos, broccoli, and spinach increase the communication between your brain cells. Fish containing Omega-3 fatty acids such as: salmon, tuna, and herring can also boost your memory.
2. Supple-mental Strategy. Although all the nutrients we need to be healthy can be obtained through our diet, often times people don’t consume sufficient quantities of healthful foods. This is where a dietary supplement could be useful. Important nutrients to optimize mental health include: folate, B-vitamins, Omega-3 fats, and vitamins C and E together.
3. Drinking and Thinking. Red wine is beneficial for the brain because it contains the antioxidant, resveratrol, a compound produced to fight off disease. However, alcohol is capable of also destroying brain cells, so drink in moderation. No more than a couple drinks for men per day, and no more than one drink for women.
4. Fitting the Pill - Aspirin and Ibuprofen. A promising therapy for brain health in some older adults is a daily dose of a non-steriodal anti-inflammatory such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Chronic inflammation is known to cause nerve tissue damage, which could be correlated to dementia. It is important to discuss the pros and cons of this approach with your doctor.
5. Minding your Meditation. As little as 15 minutes a day is all you need to reap benefits of meditation. Meditation can reduce levels of cortisol in the brain, which is known as the stress hormone. Studies have shown meditation can counteract cardiovascular ailments that can cause impaired brain function.
6. Get on the Laugh Track. You have heard laughter is the best medicine, and doctors are agreeing. Laughing reduces stress and relaxes your arteries reducing cholesterol build-up. Not to mention, it’s also a great belly workout!
7. Social Studies. People who have large social networks report to have a higher quality of life, and also show to have lower death rates. Relationships are stimulating for the brain, so go mingle! Join a new bowling league, card club, or book club to expand your networks.
8. You Snooze, You Win. No matter how much coffee we may drink, when our bodies do not get enough sleep our brain struggles with alertness, concentration, memory, and learning abilities. When we are asleep our brain cells get a chance to rebuild and repair themselves. So do your brain a favor and try to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
9. Jumping Jacks for the Brain? You can actually improve your cognitive function and decrease your chances of developing mental illnesses such as dementia by simply stimulating your mind. Your brain requires change and new challenges to stay sharp. Tap into your creative senses and learn new hobbies or begin a new activity that forces your brain to remodel itself. Here are some suggestions: learn a new language, do a crossword puzzle, take dancing lessons, or learn a new sport.
10. Pump up the Hippocampus. Regular cardiovascular exercise is a great stress-reducing activity that also increases blood flow, strengthens the connections between brain cells, and increases neurons. Studies show that people who exercise have greater levels of concentration and attention than those who do not exercise. Fit people have a thicker gray matter, which protects the brain against mental decline as we age. Think about it, you can strengthen your brain just by moving your feet!
11. Learn the word “neurobics”. It is exercise for your brain cells. This involves sensory stimulation that secrets molecules called neurotrophins, to improve cellular health. Engage your senses that are not normally part of your daily routine. Take a different route to work, shower with your eyes closed being mindful of the sounds and how the water feels on your skin, practice using your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth or comb your hair. The more senses you include the better. These exercises will help your brain build neuronal connections.

Source: Alzheimer‘s Disease, MSN Health Center