Do you feel younger? As get older, we are worried about our brain health. Today, I am talking about how we can keep a healthy brain.
5 Ways to Keep Your Healthy Brain
“You are as old as you feel” has a whole new meaning, when you look at actor Yoon Yeo-Jung, who won the Academy Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
You simply can’t tell the difference between young and old, when you see her. Despite being at the age of 74, she sets an example with her great performance.
Actress Yoon Yeo-jung (74) became the first Korean actress to receive the American Academy Award for Acting /photo from 로이터 연합뉴스
Look at her! Her vigorous acting activities and the way she takes care of herself with her healthy body.
That’s why she deserves respect.
People who think and feel young can live longer than those who think they are older.
That’s because their cognitive abilities are better, they have less chronic inflammation, a lower risk of hospitalization, and a high sense of well-being.
In addition, people who feel younger than their actual age have a weaker link between stress and problems with daily activities.
According to a new study published in the American Psychological Association (APA) journal Psychology and Aging,
“those who reported higher levels of stress on average found a greater decrease in their ability to complete common daily activities over three years.” American Psychological Association (APA) journal Psychology and Aging.
Of course, reducing stress is still an important part of keeping you young and energetic.
But maintaining youthful activities help you feel young. Such as playing board games, making new recipes, completing 9 holes of golf, or doing crossword puzzles.
I watched an interview with actor Yoon Yeo-Jung earlier. She mentioned that “Until I can memorize the script, I want to be an actor.”
It is the story that her brain is young that she can memorize the script even at her 74-year-old, and do her acting.
So, what are some ways to make your brain younger?
5 Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy.
1. Keep your brain sharp regardless of your age.
I see a lot of people around me who are active in social activities, regardless of age. Brain-writing activities are very helpful in preventing brain aging. Such as work, reading, crossword puzzles, foreign languages, computers, games, and memory training.
2. Deep sleep makes the brain rest and improves memory.
In the column of Professor Won-Cheol Shin of Kangding Kyunghee University Hospital,
“Sleep dementia is prevented. On the contrary, dementia can occur if you can’t sleep. In particular, if insomnia occurs after your 50s, dementia increases more than twice.” Professor Won-Cheol Shin of Kangding Kyunghee University Hospital,
Related article: 4 reasons why it’s important to sleep well
3. Exercise regularly.
Aerobic exercise allows oxygen and nutrients to be well supplied to the brain and has a one-stone two-joint effect to blow away stress. Such as walk, yoga, meditation, etc.
Also, try to make the brain rest. Even with just 10 minutes of rest, the brain finds its vitality.
4. Have a hand-crafted hobby that keeps your brain young.
The hand is called the second brain. Playing chopsticks, playing the piano, and playing with hands are not just children’s games.
Playing musical instruments, drawing, making, and simple finger movements stimulate the brain to make cells healthy and improve their function.
Quote of healthy habit
5. Follow a mind diet that rejuvenates your brain.
Eating well is important to keep your brain healthy. I will introduce is a MIND diet that is popular in Australia.
What is the MIND diet?
This means that eating healthy foods to keep your brain young can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
The MIND diet specifically focuses on foods that can help your brain and reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
For decades of research, nutritional epidemiologists Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D., and colleagues at Rush University Medical Center have identified 10 key foods associated with better brain function and reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. Each of these rich foods has been found to protect and nourish the brain.
For more eating healthy, please read the post “Mindful eating Meditation and practices”
Book to read: “Eating mindfully” By Susan Albers, Lilian Cheung
Eating mindfully
By Susan Albers, Lilian Cheung
How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food.
Then, shall we try some good foods on Mindie Diet?
Mind Diet Food
1. Whole Grains
Brown rice, oats, and other whole grains are rich in magnesium, which helps brain cells use energy. This may be the reason why grain bread is more demanding than white bread. I like rice more than bread, and it has been 5 years since I replaced it with brown rice.
2. Green vegetables and vegetables
Greens leaves contain antioxidants, including beta-carotene and folic acid, and are also rich in vitamin K, which is used to build brain cell membranes.
Also, Vegetables are rich in vitamins such as folic acid.
In a 2012 study, women with high levels of Alzheimer’s plaque and folic acid had fewer symptoms of dementia. Try 7 or more times a week (once a day). One serving of vegetables is 1 or 2 cups of raw vegetables.
3. Berry and Yogurt
The compounds in blueberries and other berries relieve inflammation and oxidative damage associated with age-related memory and motor dysfunction.
Berry contains flavonoids that strengthen the connections between neurons, making communication easier.
Although yogurt’s anti-aging properties have never been directly proven, yogurt is rich in calcium and contains “good bacteria” that prevent osteoporosis, maintain gut health, and reduce the risk of age-related gut disease.
Yogurt is also delicious as a snack, but it enhances smoothies, salad dressings, muffins, and more. Why don’t you try yogurt with berry?
4. Nuts and beans
Studies show that those who eat nuts have an average life span of two and a half years longer.
Nuts are rich in unsaturated fats, so they offer similar benefits to olive oil. It is also a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals including antioxidants.
Also, Many beans, including chickpeas, navy beans, and pinto beans, are rich in magnesium, which helps brain cells use energy.
It should be taken at least 4 times per week. One serving of beans is ½ cup cooked.
5. Dark Chocolate
The Kuna people on the island of San Blas, off the coast of Panama, have a 9 times lower risk of heart disease than the people of mainland Panama.
Kuna people drink a lot of cocoa-rich drinks, which are unusually rich in flavanol, which help maintain the healthy functioning of blood vessels.
Maintaining young blood vessels lowers your risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, and dementia.
6. Wine
Drinking in moderation can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and age-related memory loss.
Although all types of alcoholic beverages appear to provide such benefits, the focus of much research has been red wine.
Red wine contains resveratrol, a compound that has the potential to contribute to efficacy, and animal studies may activate genes that slow down cellular aging.
It’s not yet clear why one glass of wine a day is good for the brain, but drinking more than one glass a day seems to do more damage than good.
7. Fish
Fish is a rich source of omega-3 fats, preventing cholesterol buildup in your arteries and protecting against abnormal heartbeats.
8. Poultry
Poultry is rich in choline, a B vitamin that is important for brain development, and a 2011 study suggests that dementia can be prevented; it should be consumed at least 2 times a week. One serving of chicken or turkey is 3 ounces cooked.
9. Olive oil
Researchers in a study of seven countries 40 years ago concluded that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil significantly caused the lower incidence of heart disease and cancer in Crete, Greece. Now you know that olive oil also contains polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants that can help prevent age-related diseases.
Conclusion
As my parents are older, I have become more interested in lifestyle habits and diets that are good for the brain.
My parents always say it’s okay for my body to get older, but the most fearful thing is that I’m worried about reading memories.
The most worrying about dementia is that brain function deteriorates. Such as a decrease in memory or learning ability, and a loss of memory, or a personality change.
I hope this article will be of little help to those who want to change their lifestyle or eating habits.
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