Nutrition for Intelligence

When it comes to your brain, there’s always room for improvement. One can never be too smart, too witty, nor full of too many useless facts. Still, all the effort needed to acquire such abilities is rather tiring. If only we could eat a food that would instantly transform us into geniuses. Well, until scientists develop this magic cuisine, here are a few foods that may help out a bit with your brain’s strength.

No one ever started their day wishing that they were less smart. Colleges make billions by promising hopeful 18-year-olds that four years at their institutions will make them more intelligent than the rest of the population. Little do they know that similar results could be achieved by simply consuming…dark chocolate? In a study conducted by Northumbria University in England, students performed better on simple math tests after drinking shakes chock full of cocoa, Fox News reported. It’s not that dark chocolate makes you “smarter” but it does help the knowledge you already have shine through a bit better. The flavonol in dark chocolate boosts the circulatory system, increasing the amount of blood that reaches your brain, according to Fox News. This ultimately increases brain functions which would explain why test scores can improve after a quick chocolaty snack.

When you’re feeling sluggish, you may be tempted to grab a coffee or candy bar for a quick pick me up. Although these foods will give you an instant energy boost, it’s often short lived and the later crash can leave you worse off. Vitamin E filled almonds may offer a more effective alternative. These are the most nutrient filled nuts, according to a 2010 study,Business Insider reported. The vitamin E and magnesium in almonds will keep your brain at top-working capacity without the aforementioned “crash” afterwards. If nuts aren’t your thing, there’s nothing quite like gold old fashioned protein to give your brain a much needed boost to get you through the day. Protein is able to stimulate orexin neurons, the cells in your brain responsible for keeping you awake. All animal by products such as fish, meats, dairy, and eggs are packed with protein.

It happens to the best of us. You get halfway through a perfectly fine work day  when suddenly you find you can’t seem to focus on anything for longer than a few minutes. Maybe next time you should put down the coffee and try reaching for a berry snack instead. Studies have shown that blueberries in particular are able to increase “concentration and memory” for up to five hours. This is due to the large amount of antioxidants they contain. These powerful nutrients are able to stimulate the blood of blood and oxygen to your brain which results in sharper focus, no caffeine needed. The fact that they are able to fight cancer as well doesn’t hurt either.

Who doesn’t want better memory? Studies suggest that eating cold water fatty fish, such as salmon not only helps you to improve memory retention, but can also protect you for degenerative mental disease such as dementia. That is because they contain high levels of essential fatty acids called DHA. According to the BBC, tomatoes can help protect memory loss due to free radical damage to cells, you know just in case you needed a reason to have that second serving of pasta.

Source : http://www.medicaldaily.com/

The proven benefits of learning a second language include improvements in intelligence, memory, and concentration and lowered risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Understanding language is one of the hardest things your brain does. The benefits of learning a second language seem, in fact, to be proportional to the effort expended by the brain. Because language is complex, speaking or learning a foreign language gives your brain  a good workout. It’s good brain exercise that makes the brain stronger.

It’s hard to believe now, but at one time raising children in a bilingual home was believed to stunt their intellectual growth.  (1) Experts thought their brains would become confused and that it might even contribute to schizophrenia or split identities. But times have changed. We now understand  that precisely the opposite is true. It’s now  known  that learning another language is one of the most  effective and practical ways to increase intelligence, keep your mind sharp, and  buffer  your brain  against aging. Here are the  ways  that speaking or learning a second language can benefit your brain, no matter your age.

A lot of research has been done on the effects of learning and speaking languages. People who speak  two or more languages have significantly better overall cognitive abilities than those who speak one.  (2)

Compared to people that speak one language, adults  who speak multiple languages experience  improvements in:

Learning a foreign language can increase the size of the brain’s  language center  and the  hippocampus – the area  of the brain responsible for forming, storing and retrieving memories. (17)

In one Swedish study, young military recruits were taught new languages. By measuring their brains before and after the language training, researchers had a unique opportunity to observe what happens to the brain when learning a second  language. MRI brain scans showed that study participants increased the size of their hippocampus. (18)

Studying a new language can also increase the number of neural pathways  between parts of the brain.  In another study, English speakers’ brains were monitored as learned  the Chinese vocabulary. MRIs revealed that they developed  better connectivity between different regions of their brains.  (19)

Besides changes in brain function, there were also  detectable changes in brain structure after six weeks. This structural change was apparent even in the elderly, leading  researchers  to conclude that brain plasticity — the brain’s  ability to constantly change and grow — is greater than previously realized.

Knowing a second language can postpone the onset  of dementia and Alzheimer’s by  4.5 years. (20) This is significantly better than the best  Alzheimer’s drugs which can only delay symptoms by 6-12 months. (21) Brains scans found a  noticeable difference in brain activity of bilingual seniors. Their brains worked much more  efficiently, more like those of young adults. (22) Scientists believe these seniors’ brains have more reserve brain  power that helps  compensate for age-related memory loss.

Interestingly, there is no correlation between the benefits of speaking two languages and  literacy. There’s always been a question  whether bilinguals stay mentally sharp due to overall better education, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. Bilinguals who cannot read and write experience the same protective benefits against dementia as literate bilinguals. (23)

If knowing two languages is good for your brain, is knowing three or more even better? It looks like that’s the case. There is  evidence that being multilingual  offers even further protective benefits for the brain. (24)

It was once believed that children raised in bilingual households performed worse academically. It was thought that hearing two languages would confuse  them and result in developmental delays. While some studies suggest learning two languages simultaneously can lead to delays in language milestones, these delays are temporary. These children catch up by the time they are three years old.(25) Children who are multilingual experience brain benefits early on.(26) Numerous studies have revealed that children who study a foreign language receive a boost in overall cognitive development, do better on  standardized tests, are more creative, and have better self-esteem and sense of achievement in school.

If you don’t already know a second language, it’s never  too late to learn. Whether you learn a new language as a child or later in adulthood doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to staying mentally sharp for life. (27) Using an  additional language you already know  boosts your brain power — and  so does the process of learning a new language. You may feel that learning a language now  is going to be too hard, or hardly worth the effort. But  you don’t have to be fluent to experience  brain benefits or be culturally enriched. Even minimal knowledge of a second language can help. (28) Just look at what you could accomplish with minimal effort  if you decided to learn just three words per day. Besides  giving your brain a small workout you’ll be  building your new vocabulary.

It’s been said that the 100 most commonly used words of any language comprise 50% of the words used in day-to-day conversation. And that 100 core words is what you need to be  minimally  functional when it comes to conversing with others that speak that language. Google “learn 100 core words” and you’ll find a series of free online lessons that teach 100 core words in numerous languages. At three words per day, you can accomplish that in three months. Then why not keep  the momentum going? The top 1,000 words  comprise  89% of everyday writing in that language. (29) At three words per day, you can become nearly proficient in reading in  less than a year.

Your brain thrives on getting out of your routine  and learning things that are new and complex. Learning a new language definitely fits this criteria. Millions of people engage in activities like playing brain games or doing Sudoku to keep mentally sharp. But we believe learning a second language is a much more practical and rewarding use of your time. Learning a new language can  broaden your horizons in many ways. Having another language under your belt is a great career move. It will make you more employable and increase your bottom line. It enhances cultural experiences when you travel. You’ll feel more confident. You’ll meet more people and have more fun. It opens up a whole world of  options regarding where  you can comfortably work, live, or retire. Plus, it will keep your brain  fit and healthy  so you can enjoy it all.

Source : http://wakeup-world.com/