We put a lot of thought into what we eat, but does your brain health factor into your diet?
With dementia on the rise in the U.S. you may want to tweak your diet to be more brain health-centric and these are the spices and herbs to add to your spice rack because they can help boost brain health:
- Turmeric - Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, improved memory in adults by 28% over 18 months.
- Saffron - This spice is rich in antioxidants and another study shows it was as effective as the Alzheimer’s drug Memantine after one year of use.
- Rosemary - Not only is it tasty, this herb has been shown to improve memory in older adults and it’s also been found to protect against neurodegenerative diseases.
- Sage - This herb has been found to improve learning and cognition in older adults with mild to moderate Alzheimers, and improve memory in healthy individuals.
- Cinnamon - An extract made from cinnamon helped protect lab rats from cognitive impairment in one study
- Nutmeg - Research suggests a nutrient found in this spice may help improve cognition and memory.
- Ginger - Along with aiding digestion and fighting inflammation, ginger has been found to be useful in treating dementia and Alzheimer’s.
- Pepper - We use it all the time and it’s a good thing because regular old pepper has been shown to improve memory deficit.
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