Feed Your Brain: Foods Great for Your Brain

Hey everyone. I will being doing a new series of posts that have to do with brain health. These posts will contain natural foods that are healthy for your brain. Let food be your medicine Now lets get to it...

Today's natural food that is healthy for your brain is Cocoa. Cocoa is an antioxidant powerhouse that is high in flavonoids, mostly in the form of catechins and epicatechins. These are antioxidants that have been shown to preserve cognitive abilities during aging and reduce the risk for developing Alzheimer's Disease. Cocoa flavonoids can also enhance mood and improve mental fatigue and performance. However, not all chocolate is created equal. You need to look for high quality options. You want dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa content and ideally no fillers, artificial flavors, or additives (ex soy lecithin). If you like cacao powder, then choose a raw powder. You want to avoid Dutch-processed or alkalized varieties- this makes the powder smoother tasting, but damages some of the antioxidants.

There are plenty of great options out there in health stores today when it comes to high quality chocolate. The higher the cocoa percentage, the better. However, this will also increase bitterness. You may have to work your way up. Or you can even try using a little almond butter or cashew butter on your dark chocolate to help cut the bitterness.

Well I hope you learned something new today. I will be continuing this series, so be sure to lookout for my next natural food that is healthy for your brain. Thanks for stopping by and I will see you soon.