Brain food: Eating smart can improve mood and memory

The right nutrition can improve your mood, increase your concentration and improve your memory. It can even make your medication for anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder work better.

These nutrition tips can boost your brain power and your mood:

Good food
Protein: Protein contains the essential amino acids important for your mood, sleep, energy, and appetite regulation. Find it in meat, dairy products and eggs, as well as vegetable proteins combined with beans or whole grains.

"Your brain requires that you make new chemicals, called neurotransmitters, each day, which must be made of protein in your diet," says Martie Fankhauser, M.S. Pharm., at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. "Many psychiatric medications, such as antidepressants and antianxiety agents, cannot work unless you eat foods that contain essential amino acids and have good glucose control." If your diet is severely lacking in protein, you need to improve it.

Complex carbohydrates: Fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains provide a steady supply of glucose in the blood and are important to maintain body and brain energy.

When the brain is attacked from free radicals of oxygen, the damage may lead to memory decline and the fatigue, irritability, and mood disturbance of depression, according to some research. Flavonoids are antioxidants that neutralize free radicals. Flavonoids are found in fruits and veggies, especially deeply colored ones, like berries and spinach.

Vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, in your diet are important for improving memory and intellect.

Omega -3 fatty acids have been found to have mood stabilizing properties. Eating cold-water fish such as tuna, mackerel and salmon, two to three times per week, or taking fish oil supplements may significantly reduce depression and anxiety, and improve memory, sleep and cognitive function.

Woman choosing vegetables Bad food
Sugary and starchy foods cause sugar highs and lows, which can make it hard to concentrate. They make us feel better temporarily, but then we crave more. And, they can lead to weight gain.

Caffeine can wake you up, improve your disposition and even enhance your performance, at least for awhile. It works by stimulating the central nervous system. Four or more cups can cause restlessness, irritability, insomnia. Too much caffeine may aggravate the symptoms of existing anxiety disorders, and can trigger panic attacks, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Sources:
Martie Fankhauser, M.S. Pharm, Clinical Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy
University of Maryland Medical Center
DBSA
Harvard School of Public Health
Free Radic Biol Med. 2004 Dec 1;37(11):1683-93. Flavonoids and the brain: interactions at the blood-brain barrier and their physiological effects on the central nervous system.
Psychology Today Magazine, July 8, 2003 Youdim KA, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA.
Jerry Cott, PhD, of the US Food and Drug Administration,