With optimal brain health, necessary cognitive functions such as basic daily activities can become most favorable to you and, perhaps, those around you. To maintain balance physically and emotionally, let’s look at the essential footing of one’s daily food supply on and off the plate. Either way, nourishment is the fabric of our brains, impacting how we look, feel, the inner workings of sustenance and its effect on comprehension, memory, and emotions.

Several critical cognitive core skills include collecting, storing, processing, and retrieving information, while our memory’s function is to store and retrieve data.

A mental workout can get those creative juices flowing and could be the awakening your brain needs to flourish. Feeding your brain with knowledge puts its vast capabilities into action in addition to mastering or brushing up on something that brings you joy. Information improves mental awareness, reduces stress, and often relaxes the mind.

• Reading, crosswords

• Continuing education

• Challenging games like cards, scrabble, or a puzzle

• A thought-provoking documentary

• Learn a new language

• Meditation

• A new project or hobby. Even a new garden can mentally challenge the brain and inspire stimulus within.

On the other hand, let’s not neglect physical exercise and the impact a consistent regimen can have on an able, fit, and limber body. With physical movement, whatever that may look like for you, exercise increases blood flow and oxygenates the brain. So, get out there and ride a bike, walk the dog, practice yoga, or sign up for some tennis lessons. Most of these suggestions offer both physical and social benefits.

Furthermore, nourishing your brain with healthful food that does not cause inflammation will also affect performance. Remember, the connectivity between what nourishes your body and how your brain functions should be stable and sturdy. Eating poor quality, overly processed, and refined foods open the door to various health issues.

• Superfoods (berries, spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, quinoa, goji berries, avocados, ginger, beets, and beans)

• Antioxidant-rich foods (leafy greens, artichokes, cabbage, pumpkin, asparagus, squash, apples, cherries, plums, beans, and radish

• Omega 3’s (chia, walnuts, flaxseed, seaweed, brussel sprouts, spinach, guava, and berries)

• B’s for brain health (leafy greens, seeds, legumes, edamame, green peas, romaine lettuce, turnip, and bananas

• Whole grains

• Natural sources of lecithin. Lecithin is not only brain food but assists in breaking down cholesterol. Industrial-made soy lecithin is not the same. It is highly processed and made from cheap sources of soy (94% in the US), genetically modified often sprayed with glyphosate. Next time you pick up a protein bar, check your ingredients label for soy lecithin and pass. Look for: (organic, sprouted soybeans or tofu, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and peanuts)