How to Supercharge Your Brain to

Boost Memory

ave you experienced memory lapses, slowed information processing, and even fuzzy thinking?

1)

Feed Your Brain

If so, Ive got a secret for you: Your age isnt the issue.
Sure, memory can decline to some extent as we get older,
but there are other more important lifestyle factors that
can either give you a sharp mind or one thats slow as molasses. And if you dont have these areas of your life optimized, you may experience cognitive decline even before
your reach thirty.
For example, did you know that nutrition, physical activity,
emotions, social connection, genetics and the environment
all affect your brains functioning?
Sound crazy, right? But its true, and thats good news, because it means we can take specific steps to improve our
memory simply by changing the way we eat and live.
In fact, we can even regrow brain cells. The old myth that
we have a finite number of brain and nerve cells and they
cannot be replaced once they are damaged or lostwell,
thats totally outdated. New research shows that certain
areas of the brain can, in fact, regenerate cells.[i]
Thats why scientists have been doing a lot of research on
how we can improve memory and mental function by simply modifying the dietary and lifestyle factors that affect
them.
Im going to share that research with you today. Get ready
to learn six proven tips to supercharge your memory starting right now.

Eating a healthy diet that includes a variety of nutrient-dense foods is essential for general health and well-being, but science shows that certain foods may actually supercharge your brain for better memory.
Fruits and Vegetables
These foods are rich in powerful antioxidants that help
protect the brain from damage caused by free radicals.
Research shows that a diet rich in antioxidants can slow

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age-dependent cognitive decline. In particular, certain fruits

and vegetables have been associated with brain-boosting
properties, including blueberries, bananas, apricots, cantaloupe, mangoes, watermelon, and leafy green vegetables
such as kale, broccoli, spinach, chard, romaine lettuce, and
arugula.[ii]
Omega-3 Rich Foods

squash, and various kinds of beans.[iv]

Eggs
Rich in choline (a B-vitamin), eggs help promote acetylcholine production. Choline is also essential for normal brain
development during pregnancy. Low levels of acetylcholine
are associated with dementia and Alzheimers disease.[v]
Grass-Fed Beef
This is an excellent source of protein, omega-3, iron and
zinc, which help improve brain health, concentration, and
memory. Iron helps in the distribution of oxygen in the
blood throughout the body, including your brain.[vi]
Complex Carbohydrates
Your brain needs carbohydrates to fuel its performance,
but it is important to choose the type of carbs that can give
you long-lasting energy. While simple carbs can give you a
quick boost in energy, complex carbs such as whole-wheat
bread, oatmeal, brown rice, high-fiber cereal, whole beans,
and lentils give you longer lasting energy.[vii]
Nuts

These include wild-caught fish, walnuts, and flaxseed,

which are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are important for healthy brain function and working memory.
Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, halibut, herring, and sardines are believed to lower the risk of developing Alzheimers disease.[iii] Non-fish sources of omega-3
fats include ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, walnuts, winter

Nuts, like almonds, are superfoods that are good sources

of vitamin E, an antioxidant that may lower your risk for
age-related cognitive decline. Nuts are also rich in amino
acids and essential oils, which help improve focus and concentration.[viii]
Green Tea

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Green tea contains powerful antioxidants called polyphenols that protect against brain damage, slow brain aging,
and enhance memory and mental alertness.[ix]

Red Wine

Red wine and grape juice, when taken in moderation, may
help improve memory and cognition. Red wine is rich in flavonoids called resveratrol, which boost blood flow to the
brain and reduces your risk of Alzheimers disease. Other
resveratrol-rich foods include cranberry juice, fresh berries and grapes, and peanuts.[x]
Experts recommend adhering to a Mediterranean-style
diet to enhance brain health since it emphasizes fruits and
vegetables, nuts, whole grains, healthy fats and moderate
intake of red wine. To maximize the benefits of a healthy
diet, limit your calorie and saturated fat intake.[xi]

3)

Stay Physically Active

Want to increase your brain size? Exercise! Studies show

that regular exercise can increase brain size and boost
memory.[xix]

2) Supplement
Experts recommend eating
a balanced diet to promote
optimal brain function, but
evidence shows that certain health supplements
may be beneficial as well.
These include:
Vitamin B12 helps you
learn, think critically, and
concentrate.[xii]
Ginkgo boosts blood
circulation to your brain,
thus improving memory,

mental clarity, and reaction time.[xiii]

Ginseng helps enhance memory, increase mental efficiency and boost energy levels.[xiv]
Acetyl L-Carnitine helps in supporting energy function
in the brain and reduces oxidative stress.[xv]
CoEnzyme Q10, a natural enzyme that is necessary for
functioning of cells, decreases with age; taking CoEnzyme Q10 supplements help maintain overall health
and mental function.[xvi]
Fish oil, which contains EPA and DHA (omega-3 fats),
promotes brain health.[xvii]
Resveratrol, a powerful free radical scavenger, works
by inhibiting lipid peroxidation, a destructive process
associated with premature aging. It may improve blood
flow through your brain and support brain health.[xviii]

But Im too busy to go to the gym, I can hear you complain.

Try walking more, climbing steps, doing chores, playing with
the kids, and walking the dog. Dancing is another great exercise because it challenges several areas of the brain while
learning new steps, moving in time to the music, and interacting with others.
Exercise improves blood circulation and increases oxygen
supply to the brain. It also helps prevent obesity, diabetes,
high blood pressure, and other chronic diseases that can
affect brain function.[xx]

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4)

Do Brain Workouts

brain cell growth and help seniors find new ways to compensate for age-related memory deficits.[xxii] There are
various ways you can challenge your brain through brain
workouts:

Jigsaw puzzles
Video games
Find a new way home or try new routes when driving
Mental calculations instead of relying on a calculator
Memorize phone numbers, lists, addresses, and passwords instead of relying on your gadgets
Crossword puzzles. Play chess, cards, and other games
that help enhance memory and recall
Mentally-challenging apps. Use while waiting in line
Practice doodling

5)

Learn Something New

Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Nobody is too old to learn something new. Challenging
yourself to learn new things can help increase your brain
power and can even help you feel younger.
Aside from physical exercise, experts recommend doing
regular brain exercises to improve memory and other
cognitive functions.

Read More

Researchers at the UCLA Longevity Center found that

healthy seniors who regularly played an online brain fitness
program that focused on language, short- and long-term
memory, visual-spatial processing, reasoning, and problem-solving skills showed improvement in memory.[xxi]

Join a book club or get a library card. Studies show that

reading stimulates the growth of new brain cells and connections in the brain. A higher level of reading skills is associated with better performance in cognitive tests, regardless of age or length of schooling. Experts say that reading
books, magazines and newspapers improves focus, concentration, and memory.[xxiii]

Scientists believe that brain fitness programs promote new

Get a New Hobby

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Any activity, when practiced diligently, can stimulate brain

function.[xxiv] These include knitting, playing the keyboard, or skiing. You are never too old to start a new hobby such as gardening, collecting coins, making jewelry, or
painting.

Many of the symptoms of anxiety and depression include

difficulty remembering, concentrating, and making decisions. You may also experience sleep disturbances, changes in eating habits and loss of energy, which can influence
the way you think and use your mental abilities.

Practice Creativity

Chronic stress may result from many factors, including

family and social relationships, work issues, chronic health
problems, and other things. Although you may not be able
to solve your problems easily, there are many ways you can
manage stress and cope with challenges during the day in
order to improve your physical and mental health.

You do not have to have artistic talent to practice creativity. Creativity can be expressed in various ways. Many people have started to enjoy blogging online about their travels, recipes, and DIY projects. You can learn now to recycle
stuff you have at home. Try taking great photos out of your
smartphone and share them with friends.
Enroll in a New Course
A recent study found that learning a new language helps
improve memory.[xxv] Other experts also recommend going back to school or enrolling in courses that interest you.
You can also learn to play a musical instrument such as the
violin or continue where you left off from your childhood
piano lessons. Or, you can enroll with some friends in a
cooking class.

6)

Manage Stress

Anxiety, stress, and depression can take their toll on the

brain. Although stress and anxiety are part of normal daily
life, chronic worry and distress can destroy brain cells and
damage regions of the brain involved in memory.[xxvi]

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De-Clutter

need to remember. Sort your emails and tasks according to

priority and deal with the most essential ones in the morning and the less important ones in the afternoon.
Stop Multitasking
For many people, multitasking means having the ability to
do more than one task simultaneously. However, studies
have shown that when you think you are multitasking, what
really happens is that your brain is just rapidly switching
its focus among the various tasks, which actually impairs
productivity and even reduces your memory. Furthermore,
habitual multitasking reduces your ability to relax or to focus on anything.[xxviii] Over time you will realize that you
are always tense or stressed. One reason why you cannot
remember where you placed your keys or your eyeglasses
just a few moments ago is that you did not pay attention to
what you were doing and your mind was somewhere else
trying to do another task. So instead of you being able to do
more things at a time, you lose more time trying to remember where you placed your glasses or your keys, which adds
to your stress.

A cluttered home or work space can place a greater demand on your brain.[xxvii] Your working memory cannot
focus on accomplishing the task at hand if it is distracted
by disorder. Sometimes, you are looking for something you
need, but you come across something else that distracts
you from your task. Clutter may apply not only to physical
objects, but assorted emails, projects, appointments and
tasks that demand your attention in varying degrees. The
way to deal with these is to organize everything using a
day planner or a smart phone calendar, which can help you
keep track of activities and appointments that need to be
done. You can also use it as a journal to write anything you

Stop Smoking, Alcohol Abuse and Illegal Drug Use

These unhealthy chemicals may cause short-lasting stimulation to the brain, but ultimately, they may cause damage
not only to the body, but to the brain as well.[xxix]
Studies suggest that acute smoking, chronic smoking, and
abrupt withdrawal, as well as nicotine administration can
affect ones performance on tests for working memory.
Compared to non-smokers, chronic smokers are more likely to show slower responses and to commit errors, especially after a short period of abstinence.[xxx]

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Alcoholic intoxication can lead to blackouts, where people

forget everything they did before getting drunk. Habitual
heavy drinking may lead to short-term memory loss, sluggishness, as well as risky behaviors.[xxxi] According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA),
most cases of memory loss occur because of binge drinking
(drinking five or more standard drinks in two hours), which
causes blood alcohol levels to shoot up rapidly. Binge drinking is prevalent among young adults, usually students.
Studies show that marijuana has ill effects on working memory and can reduce your ability to process information for
comprehension, learning, and reasoning. Marijuana has a
major psychoactive ingredient that impairs memory.[xxxii]
In addition to marijuana, Ecstasy, heroin and cocaine have
also been linked to memory loss. Aside from recreational
drugs, some prescription drugs may have side effects that
can affect mental functioning. Ask your doctor about these
side effects.

Your brain cannot work to full capacity when you are

chronically deprived of sleep. Sleep deprivation compromises your problem-solving abilities, critical thinking skills,
and creativity. Studies show that sleep is critical to memory and learning because it plays a role in memory consolidation, which usually occurs during the deep stage of sleep.
[xxxiv] University of Pennsylvania researchers have found
that losing even three or four hours of sleep in one night
can affect memory.[xxxv] Nature Neuroscience also reported that improving the duration and quality of sleep can
help slow mental decline in aging adults. It is believed that
during deep sleep, the brain shifts memories from short to
long-term storage.[xxxvi]

Make Time for Enjoyment

To have balance in life, you must find time to enjoy yourself.
Laugh more.
Listen to music. Go out with friends and family. Take care of
a pet. You do not have to go far or spend much to find ways
to enjoy life more. Research shows that laughing, socializing, and having meaningful relationships are important not
only for emotional health, but also to mental health.[xxxiii]
Get Enough Rest and Sleep

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Conclusion
Its never too early to start taking care of your brain. All you
have to do is eat right, exercise, take the right supplements,
manage stress, do brain work-outs, and always try to learn
something new.
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[vii] Nourish Carbohydrates Fuel Your Brain, The Human

Brain, The Franklin Institute Online, Retrieved April 6,
2015.
[viii] Eat Smart for a Healthier Brain, Carol Sorgen, WebMD, Published December 18, 2008, Retrieved April 6,
2015.

References

[ix] Green Tea May Boost Your Working Memory, Joseph

Mercola M.D., Mercola.com, Published June 05, 2014, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

[i] Get Smart: Brain Cells Do Regrow, Study Confirms, WebMD, Published March 6, 2000, Retrieved April 4, 2015.

[x] Brain Health: Health Benefits of Drinking Red Wine,

Mens Journal, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

[ii] Fruits & Vegetables That Are Good for the Brain, Tracy
Morris, Livestrong, Published January 13, 2014, Retrieved
April 6, 2015.

[xi] The Mediterranean Diet: Myths, Facts, and Health Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet, Greg Boose and Robert Segal, M.A., Helpguide.org, Last updated February 2015, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

[iii] Study: Eating Omega-3s May Help Reduce Alzheimers

Risk, Alexandra Sifferlin, Time, Published May 03, 2012,
Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[iv] 14 Best Vegan Sources of Omega-3, Diane Vukovic,
PlenteousVeg.com, Published November 12, 2013, Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[v] Choline, Jane Higdon, Ph.D., Micronutrient Information Center, Micronutrient Research for Optimum Health,
Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Written
November 2013, Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[vi] Why Is Grass-fed So Important? Peter Bongiorno, Psychology Today, Published June 11, 2012, Retrieved April 6,
2015.

[xii] Vitamin B May Protect Against Alzheimers, Say Researchers, Joseph Mercola, M.D., Mercola.com, Published
June 3, 2013, Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[xiii] Ginkgo biloba, The University of Maryland Medical
Center Medical Reference Guide, Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[xiv] Effects of Korean Red Ginseng on Cognitive and Motor Function: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial, Hye-Bin Yeo, Ho-Kyoung Yoon, Heon-Jeong
Lee, Seung-Gul Kang, Ki-Young Jung, and Leen Kim, Journal
of Ginseng Research, Published April 2012, Retrieved April
6, 2015.

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[xv] Chronic acetyl-L-carnitine alters brain energy metabolism and increases noradrenaline and serotonin content in
healthy mice, Smeland OB, Meisingset TW, Borges K, Sonnewald U, Neurochemistry International, Published April
23, 2012, Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[xvi] Coenzyme Q10 administration increases brain mitochondrial concentrations and exerts neuroprotective effects, Russell T. Matthews, Lichuan Yang, Susan Browne,
Myong Baik, and M. Flint Beal, Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Published July 21, 1998, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

Michael A. Smith, M.D., Life Extension, Retrieved March

27, 2015.
[xxiii] 10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day, Lana Winter-Herbert, Lifehack, Retrieved April 6,
2015.
[xxiv] How hobbies can boost our brain power in retirement: Sports, reading and travelling help stave off depression, The Daily Mail, Published October 2, 2013, Retrieved
April 6, 2015.

[xvii] Fish Oil Might Guard Against Loss of Brain Cells, Mary
Brophy Marcus, WebMD, Published January 22, 2012, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

[xxv] Working memory development in monolingual and

bilingual children, Julia Moralesa, Alejandra Calvob, and Ellen Bialystokb, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology,
Published February 2013, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

[xviii] Resveratrol Boosts Brain Blood Flow, Joseph Mercola M.D., Mercola.com, Published May 27, 2010, Retrieved
April 6, 2015.

[xxvi] Chronic Stress Can Damage Brain Structure and

Connectivity, Christopher Bergland, Psychology Today,
Published February 12, 2014, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

[xix] Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills, Heidi Godman, Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School, Published April 9, 2014,
Retrieved April 6, 2015.

[xxvii] Clearing Out Clutter is Good for You But Why?

Dann Albright, makeuseof.com, Published January 21,
2015, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

[xx] Why Do I Think Better After I Exercise? Justin Rhodes,

Scientific American, Published June 6, 2013, Retrieved
April 6, 2015.
[xxi] UCLA program helps slow the minds aging, one exercise at a time, Anna Gorman, UCLA Longevity Center, Published March 4, 2013, Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[xxii] Train Your Brain for Better Memory and Cognition,

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[xxviii] The Ability to Multitask Isnt All Its Cracked Up to

Be, Laura McClellan, Lifehack, Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[xxix] Recreational Drugs May Impair Memory, Rick Nauert, Psych Central, Published February 24, 2010, Retrieved
March 27, 2015.
[xxx] Working memory in cigarette smokers: Comparison
to non-smokers and effects of abstinence. Adrianna Mendrek, John Monterosso, Sara L. Simon, Murray Jarvik, Ar-

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thur Brody, Richard Olmstead, Catherine P. Domier, Mark

S. Cohen, Monique Ernst, and Edythe D. Londona, NCBI,
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[xxxi] The Effects of Alcohol on Your Memory, Alcoholic.
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[xxxii] Marijuanas health effects: Memory problems, addiction, Cathy Payne and Michelle Healy, USA Today, Published December 7, 2012, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

For more information, please visit

Rockwell Nutritions blog at

http://rnblog.rockwellnutrition.com/.

[xxxiii] How can I improve my retention power? Quora, Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[xxxiv] Sleep, Learning, and Memory, Division of Sleep
Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Last reviewed December 18, 2007, Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[xxxv] Heres A Horrifying Picture of What Sleep Loss Will
Do to You, Laura Schocker, The Huffington Post, Published
January 8, 2014, and Retrieved April 6, 2015.
[xxxvi] Poor sleep in old age prevents the brain from storing memories, Yasmin Anwar, UC Berkeley News Center,
Published January 28, 2013, Retrieved April 6, 2015.

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