Top 15 Brain-Boosting Foods for Exam Season 2020

Fish is a highly beneficial food for the body. It provides the body with ample protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are excellent for heart health, the nervous system, and the development and maintenance of brain functions. Therefore, it's recommended to incorporate various types of fish into the family's meals, such as tuna, basa fish, and catfish. For students aiming for stable memory and a healthy brain, it's advisable to consume fish three times a week. Additionally, supplementing with fish oil can further enhance its effectiveness.

Many worry that consuming avocado might lead to weight gain, but in reality, during sunny days like these, it's an essential fruit for health. Avocado not only enhances the taste of your meals but also contains monounsaturated fats that prevent blood clotting in the brain, promoting good blood circulation for your intelligence. Moreover, Avocado is rich in essential vitamins such as B, C, and K, which help boost memory power. Eating avocado directly as a fruit or blending it with a little milkshake several times a week helps maintain brain health.

Furthermore, prolonged exposure to sunlight during exam season can often lead to nervousness, high blood pressure, or even strokes. Those with high blood sugar levels or hypertension should consume mashed avocado or avocado smoothies as they contain monounsaturated fats that help maintain normal blood sugar levels. Avocado is truly an essential food to include in your diet. So, add avocado to your menu now! However, you should only eat half an avocado per meal as it is high in calories and may cause weight gain.

When it comes to enticing and brain-nourishing dishes during exams, one must mention pumpkin. Pumpkin is rich in zinc, glutamic acid essential for brain function, enhancing memory and quick thinking. Moreover, pumpkin is rich in magnesium minerals that reduce stress, tryptophan amino acid - serotonin synthesis component (chemical component with uplifting effects), these minerals will support students' ability to think faster. Therefore, pumpkin dishes will help students enhance memory and study effectively.

Seeds are excellent foods for improving brain function and enhancing memory. Cereals contain folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 that keep the mind sharp, maintaining good working conditions. Students should consume dishes made from cereals such as bread, soy milk, black beans, etc., to provide essential vitamins like folic acid, vitamin B12, B6. These vitamins are essential for the body and help the brain function sharply, promoting nerve cell work more efficiently.

We should regularly use foods made from cereals such as bread, soybeans, to provide adequate amounts of vitamins needed for nerve cells. In addition, vitamin B6 in these seeds plays an important role in the formation of myelin - the sheath around nerve fibers that allows signal transmission between nerve fibers to be maximally effective. Moreover, supplementing these foods will increase the amount of blood supplying oxygen to the brain and help the brain be supplied with enough glucose for better functioning.

Blueberries are a classic example of brain-boosting foods that don't compromise taste. They contain high levels of vitamins, minerals with antioxidant properties, and anti-inflammatory compounds known as anthocyanins that can reduce age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's. According to the MIND Diet journal, a diet rich in berries like blueberries can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's by over 50% by enhancing brain health.

Moreover, blueberries are rich in vitamins C, K, and essential fibers for the brain, helping to reduce stress from the brain, protect against oxidative stress, and reduce the risk of memory decline. Blueberries also aid in the regeneration of brain cells, thus keeping your brain healthy. A study published by the University of Cincinnati (USA) revealed that older adults could improve their memory after consuming blueberry juice daily.

Dark chocolate isn't just a delicious treat but also great for the brain. It contains magnesium and flavanols - compounds responsible for controlling blood pressure. Supplementing with dark chocolate helps to improve blood flow to the brain and support the normal functioning of other organs. So, if feeling too stressed or tired during exam season, students can indulge in some dark chocolate to relieve stress and uplift their mood, feeling more refreshed and alert.

Moreover, dark chocolate helps increase blood flow to the eyes, relieving eye fatigue and improving vision. Chocolate boosts serotonin levels, a brain messenger that regulates mood and sleep. It acts as an antidepressant, stimulates the nervous system, contains many polyphenols with antioxidant effects, prevents cell aging, and reduces the risk of heart disease.

You can nibble on a few pieces of dark chocolate every week. But opt for dark chocolate with 70 - 80% cocoa content. Bitter-tasting chocolates are very good for your mind and body. Therefore, adding some chocolate to the exam season truly helps you cope with stress and fatigue better.

Eggs are a highly popular food in everyday life. Moreover, eggs are extremely nutritious thanks to the “hidden secret” inside the egg yolk. Egg yolks contain a variety of essential vitamins such as A, B, D, E, along with trace elements like phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, and especially choline, which is excellent for health and particularly for memory. Choline is also considered an important substance in preventing depression and Alzheimer's disease. Eating eggs will help you become more alert and improve the clarity of your cognition.

In this exam season, make sure to include oranges regularly in your meals because oranges are rich in vitamin A, B1, and C, as well as important minerals beneficial for brain function. Having an orange with each meal, or drinking orange juice regularly, will help boost your body's immunity against hot sunny days. Moreover, oranges have the effect of sharpening the mind, reducing fatigue and tiredness during study sessions. Oranges are rich in vitamins such as A, C, B, and essential minerals that are good for the body, especially the brain. The sweet and tangy taste of oranges helps alleviate fatigue and stress, creating a refreshing mental sensation.

Apples contain a variety of nutrients tailored to the brain's needs such as sugars, vitamins, and minerals. Especially, apples are rich in zinc, which is beneficial for enhancing memory. In addition to protecting memory and the brain, apples have also been proven to reduce the risk of many types of cancer. Apples are also known as the 'fruit of intelligence'. Science has also shown that consuming plenty of this fruit brings about an optimistic and refreshing spirit.

Research by scientists at Cornell University (USA) has shown that apples contain quercetin, an antioxidant. This compound works wonders in combating neurodegenerative diseases and enhancing memory. Quercetin also helps to destroy cancer cells. It is advisable to choose apples of origin and certified safety to ensure hygiene, and maintaining the habit of eating one apple a day will help boost memory, reduce stress, fatigue, and promote health.

Pumpkin seeds contain potent antioxidants and are rich in magnesium, iron, and zinc, which help protect the brain from damage. Zinc deficiency is associated with many neurological disorders such as depression, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. Meanwhile, magnesium deficiency can cause headaches, depression, and seizures. Iron deficiency reduces brain function, making it less flexible. Therefore, munching on nutrient-rich pumpkin seeds regularly is also considered a way to enhance brain food for better memory.

Pumpkin seeds are the only seeds that contain a large amount of alpha-linolenic acid, which can promote blood flow and bring more oxygen to the brain. Additionally, research presented at the International Alzheimer's Conference showed that mice fed with plenty of pumpkin seeds significantly improved their learning, memory, emotional regulation, and motor coordination compared to mice not fed with pumpkin seeds.

In addition, pumpkin seeds also contain omega-3 fatty acids that help maintain the structural fat, a type of substance that makes up 60% of the brain. This structural fat helps the brain function properly. The brain is the body's processing center, and providing it with adequate nutrients will enhance memory and cognition. It also helps reduce the risk of depression and behavioral issues. During the stressful exam period, students can choose to add pumpkin seeds to their diet to best support their brain!

Sweet in taste, neutral in nature, with the ability to nourish and moisturize, detoxify, dubbed the 'essence of a hundred flowers'. Honey is very rich in nutrients, especially containing various enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, and trace elements essential for the central nervous system, thereby improving memory. The ancient Chinese herbal text, Materia Medica, wrote: 'Honey is used for a long time, it strengthens the mind and body, keeps one young and vigorous, and lives a long life like a deity'. There are many ways to use it, but the simplest is to regularly drink 2 teaspoons of honey before bedtime every night.

Similar to coffee, caffeine in green tea enhances brain function. Particularly, green tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that increases the activity of neurotransmitters, helping to reduce anxiety and promote effective relaxation. Additionally, green tea is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants that can protect the brain from cognitive decline, improve memory, and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. However, when drinking green tea, it's advisable to wait at least an hour after meals to avoid interfering with your body's iron absorption process.

Aside from the foods mentioned by Mytour, water spinach is a brain-friendly vegetable due to its high content of vitamins A, C, B1, and B2. It is also one of the best foods providing nutrients for the brain. Moreover, water spinach contains a large amount of chlorophyll, which also contributes to brain nourishment. You can explore different ways to prepare this vegetable to incorporate it into your diet and take good care of your brain.

Lotus seeds have a sweet taste and mild properties, beneficial for nourishing the spleen, calming the mind, and supporting kidney function. The ancient Chinese medical book Shennong Ben Cao Jing states: 'Lotus seeds strengthen the spleen, benefit the spirit, enhance vitality, eliminate various diseases, and prolong life.' They are commonly used in various culinary and medicinal preparations such as lotus seed preserves, lotus seed desserts, and lotus seed porridge.