By Dianne Camille Teran / Layout by Suzanne Pagkaliwangan
You may not have heard of them before but ADDLs (or amyloid B-derived
diffusible ligands) are Alzheimer’s-inducing proteins that are toxic to the brain; and luckily, it’s not found
on olive oil. Instead, it contains oleocanthal, a compound that disables dangerous ADDLs. So don’t go
easy on olive oil, it will not only make your meal ‘sosy’, but mind-healthy as well.
Coffee is more than a kick-start to your day but has a long term effect on
your memory as well. Thanks to the positive effects of caffeine and some anti-oxidants in coffee, in a
recent Finnish study of 1,400 longtime coffee drinkers, it revealed that people who sipped between
three to five cups of coffee a day in their 40s and 50s reduced their odds of developing Alzheimer’s
disease by 65 percent compared with those who downed fewer than two cups a day.
Chocolate is known to reduce risk of heart attack, but Alzheimer’s
researchers believe on the thinking, “What’s good for your heart is good for your mind”. Thanks to
polyhenols that improve blood flows to the brain and optimize communication of brain cells to keep
your mind sharp.
Tea has been a symbol of health. Aside from relaxing the mind, it keeps it away from agerelated degenerative illnesses. Thanks to a potent anti-oxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin3- gallate) that
green tea naturally contains. You normally skip reading it on the menu but try it next time you visit your
favorite milk tea house.
Lucky for us, eating healthy won’t compromise our sweet tooth. Honey, which
is far better than natural sugar, not only gives sweetness to our life, it also contains kaempferol and
quercetin that prevents inflammation of the brain making it sharper and fights depression as well.
An ever present part of our Filipino breakfast, everything with egg gets a little
more special. Everything with the suffix –log, sisig with egg, bacon and egg, brain with… egg!? Yes it’s
true, egg is one of the best sources of choline, found in the myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibers
throughout the brain, which facilitates rapid transmission of electrical impulses, an important nutrient
used to produce acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in memory.
Bubble gum is a brain food. It may not be very healthy for you but it actually
helps improve brain performance and short-term memory. That’s not all, according to research, chew
a flavored gum while reviewing and chew on the same flavor on your test. The sensation of chewing
the gum and the flavor helps your memory recall what you have reviewed while chewing gum.
Not necessarily just salmon, but other sources of oily fishes as well, like
sardines, tangigue, and others. These kinds of fishes are rich in DHA (docosahexaenoicacid), a type
of omega3- fatty acid that’s an essential for optimum brain performance and memory. These healthy
brain fats keep the lining of brain cells flexible so memory messages can pass easily between the cells.
Emerging research from the University of California at Santa Barbara reveals
that two compounds in cinnamon -- proanthocyanidins and cinnamaldehyde -- may deactivate these
tau proteins. Tau proteins make up tangles in the brain cells that could cause the cells to die. While this
research is still in its infancy stage, a sprinkle of cinnamon on your oatmeal or yogurt will not hurt.
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Walnuts are really considered brain foods. They don’t only protect your lawn from
zombies wanting your brain as food but also,they’re an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid, a type
of omega3- fat that the body uses to make DHA, needed to improve memory. Walnuts also contain
an antioxidant called ellagic acid, which helps protect the brain from free radical damage. Start
munching these memory-boosting brain food today.
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