4 foods that really do make you smarter

Now I wish I could just announce that NZT is real (and if you don’t know what I’m talking about then you should seriously check out the movie and series called Limitless – side note: Bradley Cooper acts in it and he’s a total cutie – and the story is AMAZING). Alas, NZT is just a fictional brain enhancing drug.

But don’t worry because this world has a number of natural brain enhancers that we can totally rely on for now. About to sit for an exam? Or maybe you just don’t wanna be “the dumb one” anymore. I kid, I’m sure you’re actually really smart… You just need a little boost and these brain foods will do just the trick!

Food for thought.
Photo Source: theodysseyonline

1. BERRIES
Why: A study was done. A bunch of cognitively impaired people were divided in two groups, one got blueberries and one got a placebo. Yeah, you know how this story ends – the blueberry group showed significant improvement in memory, cognitive performance and even increased brain activity! Another study even shows that blueberries, blackberries and raspberries might also help improve verbal and numerical comprehension! YASSS even maths can be improved #dreamsdocometrue.

Extra cool fact: Raspberries have a component in them (ethyl formate) that’s also found in the Milky Way. This kinda means that if you licked space, it’ll taste like raspberries. Yumm.

2. Coffee
Why: Caffeine not only improves short term memory, it also speeds up reaction times. This one’s almost like NZT only it works in short bursts, unfortunately. But wait, having a moderate amount of coffee also has some long term effects – good ones in fact; it’s been linked to a lowered risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Extra cool fact: Expresso beans are a healthy snack option! Chew on them and you can actually regulate your caffeine levels in your body – that is, you can stay buzzed without ever crashing #lifehacks.

3. Egg yolk
Why: There’s a huge group of people who think that the yellow bit is bad and so they skip it and keep nothing but the whites. Well, that’s a shame because it’s the golden middle that’s got all the memory boosting nutrients! Now for the science-e bit: Egg yolks contain choline which is a precurser for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which helps in relaying messages from the brain to the muscle. It also maintains the structure of brain cell membranes.
Extra cool fact: Brown shelled eggs are laid by red feather chickens while white shelled eggs are laid by chickens with white feathers. It don’t matter if they’re white or brown!

4. Pumpkin seeds
Why: Jammed packed with tryptophan, an amino acid needed to create serotonin, which affects mood and brain health – a handful can do wonders! Lowered levels can cause anxiety and depression and this, in turn, affects how well you can study and learn. And wait, there’s more! Pumpkin seeds are all about zen and zinc: Keep your brain calm and cool with the extra magnesium it’s got in there while keeping your immune system and skin function going good with the added zinc.

Extra cool fact: Pumpkin seeds have been shown to help burn fat. Yeah, you read right. Healthy, beneficial and helpful if you’re looking to lose those study-snacking pounds.

Eat right, kids!
Photo Source: imgflip.com

All of these are legitly backed up by science. But the truth is, the skeptic in me wonders why it’s not widespread, why frustrated teachers aren’t shoving handfuls of blueberries and egg yolks at us…

I guess in the end, even if our brains are charged up perfectly, it’s no good if we don’t then feed it with the right info. So don’t forget to pair your munching with some good ol’ fashioned reading, watching and studying!