Why Fish and Leafy Greens Can Help Your Brain

The Power of Diet: Fruits and Greens

The study by Morris et al. (2018) showed that “consumption of approximately 1 serving per day of green leafy vegetables and foods rich in phylloquinone, lutein, nitrate, folate, ?-tocopherol, and kaempferol may help to slow cognitive decline with aging” (p. 214). This is a really important finding for people concerned about retaining their cognitive abilities as they get older. The solution—or at least part of the solution—appears to be in eating a good diet, such as bananas, fish, greens, and leafy vegetables. I used to think there was not a lot to the idea of this kind of diet and that one could survive on fast food alone—but as I myself get older I find myself paying more attention to what I eat and thinking about how certain foods might be more healthy for me in the long run.

Likewise, as Subash et al. (2014) point out, “berry fruits can prevent age-related neurodegenerative diseases and improve motor and cognitive functions” (p. 1557). This is another great finding. Like with the information in the above-mentioned article, I was unfamiliar with this. I will definitely be including more berries in my diet along with the greens and fish mentioned above.

Thus, the nutritional lifestyle changes I plan to make are to have fish be a staple of my diet along with berries, which I can mix in with regular meals in different ways to make them more fun. No need for chocolate syrup on ice cream, for example: I can use berries and help myself out. And I will be keeping dinners more simple by making leafy greens part of the meal plan. No need to whip up some fancy desert when I can make a wholesome good-for-me salad that includes all the food items that will support cognition over time.