4 Foods to Boost Memory and Concentration

One of the curses of growing old is the feeling that your memory is failing you and your powers of concentration are in decline. In the most severe cases, there is the specter of Alzheimer’s Disease lurking on the horizon. But, as with so many of the physical and mental problems, there are things you can do to overcome them. The starting point is, as always, what you eat.

As with all bodily functions, a constant supply of glucose and oxygen is required for your brain cells to work at their optimum level. This means the regular consumption of balanced meals to provide a constant, even conversion of food into glucose, plus an adequate intake of easily absorbed iron in order to ensure the blood has adequate oxygen-carrying properties.

In addition, maintaining your IQ requires memory and concentration, both of which depend on good nutrition. Several studies of children have shown that those on the worst diets showed the biggest improvement in IQ and learning ability when they were given an all-in-one vitamin, mineral, and fish oil supplement. There’s no doubt that boosting nutritional status with this type of pill is s good insurance policy for those of any age who may be having difficulty with memory or concentration, but taking a pill does not wholly compensate for a bad diet. People have survived down the millennia by eating food, not by taking pills.

is a particularly rich source of zinc, which is key for both memory and concentration and is commonly lacking in diets that consist largely of convenience foods. Oysters are the richest source of all, but there’s plenty of crab, other fish, whole grain cereals, beans and peas, mushrooms, wheat germ, pumpkins and sunflower seeds.

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