What is the most brain-nourishing food?
First of all, know the principle of food nourishing the brain, so it will be easier to choose and more secure to eat.
At present, nutritionists and medical scientists at home and abroad agree that:
Any food rich in the following 14 nutrients is the first choice for strengthening the brain and increasing intelligence. Scientific experiments have proved that it plays a great role in improving intelligence.
1. Trace element zinc
Zinc is one of the most important essential trace elements for human body. Although the content in human body is very small (only 2 ~ 2.5g), it has a great effect on human health. Clinical observation and experimental research in recent years show that zinc is closely related to human metabolism and the occurrence and development of some diseases.
Because zinc has the following important physiological functions:
Can accelerate the growth and development of children-because zinc is closely related to the synthesis of enzymes, protein and nucleic acids in the body, thus affecting cell division, growth and regeneration.
When zinc is deficient, the growth and development are stagnant, and the brain tissue is underdeveloped, which leads to mental retardation, and in severe cases, zinc-deficient dwarfs are formed.
Zinc participates in the synthesis of hundreds of enzymes in human body-up to now, there are about 100 enzymes containing zinc in human body, and zinc is at the active center of these enzymes. If the human body is deficient in zinc 10h, the activity of DNA polymerase will be weakened and the activity of RNA polymerase will be disturbed.
When zinc 18h was deficient, the synthesis of protein was affected, and the growth and development of cells were hindered. It can be seen that the development of brain cells is affected less than one day after zinc deficiency.
It plays an important role in the process of breathing-the human body inhales oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide all the time. Carbonic anhydrase must participate in the process of oxygen inhalation and carbon exhalation. Carbonic anhydrase is an important zinc-containing enzyme. When zinc is deficient, carbonic anhydrase is destroyed. It will make brain cells lack oxygen and affect memory.
It participates in the synthesis of hormones in the body-experiments have proved that the content of growth hormone in pituitary gland and blood is obviously reduced after zinc deficiency.
It is related to vision-zinc is involved in the composition of vitamin A reductase in liver and retina. This enzyme is related to the synthesis and allosteric changes of visual substances (retinaldehyde), which can affect vision and dark adaptation.
Zinc is related to Alzheimer's Harmo's disease-when zinc is deficient, the enzymes that make and repair the DNA of gene code will be inactivated, which will lead to the mental loss of the elderly and form Alzheimer's Harmo's disease.
It is closely related to reproductive function-zinc is an important element to maintain the normal development of sexual organs and functions. Zinc deficiency makes human body function low, secondary sexual characteristics and sexual organ hypoplasia, thus affecting reproductive ability. Foods rich in zinc include oysters, marine fish, meat, liver and shrimp skin.
2. Trace element iodine
Iodine is an important component of human thyroxine. Its content in human body is very small (only15 ~ 20 mg), but it has a great influence on human intelligence development, so it is praised as "the fountain of wisdom" by the international medical and nutritional circles.
The physiological function of iodine is realized by thyroxine. Thyroxine can promote the synthesis of protein and play a key role in maintaining the growth and development of children.
When iodine is deficient, the synthesis of thyroxine and protein decreases, so that cell division and growth will stop, and the growth and development of children will also stop.
If pregnant women lack iodine, it will lead to serious consequences such as miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth and fetal congenital malformation. That is, after normal birth, iodine deficiency before the age of 3 will lead to hypoplasia of many organs (especially the brain), resulting in deafness, dumb, stupid and short.
According to statistics, more than 70% of people with intellectual disabilities in the world are caused by iodine deficiency. There are 65,438+0,065,438+0,700,000 retarded patients in China, of which more than 5 million are caused by iodine deficiency. Foods rich in iodine include kelp, laver and Polygonum multiflorum.
3. Mineral element calcium
Calcium is not only related to bone growth, but also closely related to many physiological functions such as nerve cell information transmission and muscle contraction. Foods rich in calcium include shrimp skin, kelp, milk, soybeans and so on.
4. Mineral element iron
Iron is a component of hemoglobin. Iron deficiency can easily lead to anemia, which will lead to insufficient blood supply to the brain and rapid decline in memory and judgment. Iron-rich foods include liver, soybean, fungus, kelp and so on.
5. Polyunsaturated fatty acids
It is the main component of brain lipid synthesis, among which the most important polyunsaturated fatty acid is 20 C 5 enoic acid (DHA for short), which is extremely important for the growth and development of brain cells. It can also stimulate brain cells, make brain synapses grow continuously, and appropriately increase brain capacity, which is beneficial to the improvement of intelligence, memory and thinking ability.
Mental workers often supplement these polyunsaturated fatty acids, which will activate brain nerve cells, improve brain function, improve judgment and thinking ability, and reduce all kinds of mistakes.
Foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids include all kinds of deep-sea fish, especially deep-sea fish oil.
6. Phospholipids (including cephalin and lecithin)
Phospholipids are an important component of brain cells, brain tissues and cerebrospinal fluid. 20% ~ 30% of the whole brain tissue is phospholipids.
A person's daily intake of phospholipids required by physiology will make him smart, quick-thinking, less tired and maintain a high IQ level. When phospholipids are deficient, myelin sheath (oily protective layer around nerve tissue) will degenerate, which makes people easily fall into anxiety.
Teenagers are in the developmental stage, and phospholipids are indispensable for building new cells and higher nervous activity of the brain.
Foods rich in phospholipids include animal brain, liver, soybean, eel, loach, lobster sauce, egg yolk, sesame and sunflower seeds.
7. Quality protein
The metabolism of brain cells needs high-quality protein, especially protein, which is rich in lysine. Because lysine is closely related to thinking activities, when the human body lacks lysine, memory will decline.
Foods rich in lysine include beef, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds.
8. vitamin c
The human brain contains a lot of Vc. Vc can promote the release of energy. Under normal circumstances, the brain needs to consume a lot of blood sugar to release energy for brain cell activity.
Without Vc, the brain cannot work smoothly. The brain has the largest oxygen demand, accounting for 20% of the whole body oxygen demand, which is 20 times larger than the whole body muscle.
The brain's demand for blood sugar is also amazing, and it needs about 140g of blood sugar every day. When you focus on your brain, you need more oxygen and blood sugar. There must be Vc in the process of blood sugar oxidation releasing energy.
Once the supply of Vc is insufficient, it will immediately feel top-heavy, weak, memory loss, inattention, mental stress and other symptoms. In severe cases, even lethargy and shock appear.
Foods rich in Vc include kiwi fruit, Rosa roxburghii, jujube, fresh jujube, tomato and red pepper.
9. vitamin e
DHA and phospholipids mentioned above are easily oxidized, which not only have no nutritional value and physiological function, but also have adverse effects on human metabolism.
VE is an extremely strong antioxidant, so when DHA and phospholipids are supplemented, VE must be supplemented at the same time.
Foods rich in VE include brown rice, oats, corn oil and sesame oil.
10.b vitamins
VB 1, VB2, VB6 and VB 12 are all important substances for improving brain function. Without VB 1, people's thinking and judgment ability, memory ability and self-knowledge ability are all declining.
Lack of VB2 will affect the function of the central nervous system. Lack of VB6, VB 12 and folic acid can lead to mental retardation.
Foods rich in B vitamins include soybeans, nuts, egg yolks, rice bran and various yellow-green vegetables.
1 1. nucleic acid
Scientists have done experiments with mice and found that given a proper amount of nucleic acid, mice will quickly remember what they want to remember, so nucleic acid can improve their memory.
Foods rich in nucleic acids include sardines, beans and liver.
12. linoleic acid
Linoleic acid is an important substance for constructing nerve fibers, which is directly related to the growth, development and function of brain cells.
Foods rich in linoleic acid include walnuts, soybeans and peanuts.
13. choline
Choline is the main component of acetylcholine synthesis, and acetylcholine is the main substance of nerve conduction information. When it is lacking, its reaction ability will drop rapidly.
Choline-rich foods include walnuts, chestnuts, egg yolks and soybeans.
14. Taurus
Taurine has the function of transmitting nerve stimulation, and the thinking ability of the brain will decline when it is lacking.
Foods rich in taurine include black sesame, squid and oyster.
According to the nutrients mentioned above, we can choose some brain-nourishing foods by ourselves.
walnut
Walnut kernel has many benefits for the brain, but it should be eaten scientifically, otherwise it will be counterproductive.
The content of arginine in walnut protein is particularly high, reaching protein 174 mg per gram of walnut, which is extremely high in nut foods, 6 times that of protein in milk and fruits.
Arginine is a substance with nutrition and many unique physiological and pharmacological effects. One of its important physiological functions is as a raw material for synthesizing endogenous nitric oxide. As a biological messenger, nitric oxide plays a key role in the physiological and pathological regulation of human cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems, such as maintaining the normal function of nervous system, which can be regarded as a brain tonic (promoting sleep, improving memory and learning ability, etc.). ).
The content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in walnut accounts for 76.2%, which can provide essential fatty acids for human body. α -linolenic acid (18: 3) in polyunsaturated fatty acids accounts for 12.2% of total fat. α -linolenic acid belongs to ω-3 fatty acid, which is transformed into docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the body, which is also commonly known as brain gold. It is an essential substance to form brain nerve cells and retinal cells, and plays an important role in regulating attention and cognitive process.
But eating walnuts also has precautions.
1) Eat walnuts in moderation. Because walnuts contain more fat, eating too much at a time will affect digestion. Generally speaking, the weight of walnuts taken every day should be about 20-40 grams, which is equivalent to about four or five walnuts.
2) Don't peel the thin brown skin on the surface of walnuts. Some people like to peel off the thin brown skin on the surface of walnuts, which will lose some nutrients, so don't peel off this thin skin.
3) You should take the fat contained in walnut kernel for a long time. Although it is an unsaturated fatty acid, it is beneficial to clear cholesterol, but the fat itself is high in calories. If you eat too much and can't make full use of it, it will be stored as cholesterol by the human body, and the result is counterproductive. At the same time, we should appropriately reduce the intake of other fats to avoid excessive calorie intake.
(hen's) egg
Brain activity and memory are closely related to the content of acetylcholine in the brain. Experiments have proved that the beauty of eating eggs is that when lecithin contained in egg yolk is decomposed by enzymes, it can produce rich acetylcholine, which can reach brain tissue quickly after entering the blood and enhance memory. Foreign studies have confirmed that eating one or two eggs a day can supply enough choline to the body, which is of great benefit to protecting the brain and improving memory.
3. Milk
Milk is a nearly perfect nutrient. It is rich in protein, calcium and essential amino acids for the brain. Calcium in milk is most easily absorbed by people and is an indispensable and important substance for brain metabolism. In addition, it also contains vitamin B 1 and other elements that are very beneficial to nerve cells. If you have excessive insomnia with your brain, a cup of hot milk before going to bed will help you fall asleep.
4. Pumpkin
Pumpkin is an excellent source of β -carotene The content of vitamin A in pumpkin is better than that in vegetables, and it is rich in vitamin C, zinc, potassium and cellulose. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that pumpkin is sweet, has the function of clearing the heart and refreshing the brain, and can treat dizziness, upset and thirst due to yin deficiency and excessive fire. Therefore, people with neurasthenia and memory loss can cook pumpkin/kloc-0 times a day, and the course of treatment is not limited, which has a good therapeutic effect.
peanut
Peanut is rich in lecithin and cephalin, which is an important substance needed by nervous system. It can delay the decline of brain function, inhibit platelet aggregation and prevent cerebral thrombosis. Experiments show that eating peanuts regularly can improve blood circulation, enhance memory and delay aging, which is a veritable "longevity fruit".
6. Xiaomi
Vitamin B 1 and B2 in millet are 1. 5 times and/kloc-0 times, protein contains more tryptophan and methionine. Clinical observation shows that eating millet can prevent aging. If you usually eat more millet porridge and rice, it is beneficial to the health care of your brain.
7.fish
Fish is one of the first choice foods to promote intellectual development. Fish head is rich in lecithin, which is an important source of neurotransmitters in human brain. It can enhance people's memory, thinking and analytical ability, control the degeneration of brain cells and delay aging. Fish is also an excellent source of high-quality protein and calcium, especially containing a large number of unsaturated fatty acids-3 fatty acids, which are particularly important for the normal development of the brain and eyes.
spinach
Spinach is cheap and humble, but it is a brain-nourishing vegetable. Because spinach is rich in vitamins C, B 1 and B2, it is one of the "best suppliers" of brain cell metabolism. In addition, it also contains a lot of chlorophyll, and it also has the function of strengthening the brain and improving intelligence.
day lily
Day lily is called "brain tonic" and has the effect of calming the nerves. It contains 15 times as much protein, fat, calcium and iron as spinach, so eating day lily often is very beneficial to strengthening the brain.
10.sesame
Mash sesame seeds, add a little sugar and take them with boiling water, or buy sesame paste, sesame biscuits, sesame paste and other products, and eat them/kloc-0 each time in the morning and evening, with 7 days as a course of treatment. After 5-6 courses of treatment, you can get better brain-strengthening effect.