5 memory-boosting foods for elderly from eggs to yoghurt

For a better quality of life, it's important to take care of your brain as you age and nutrition can play a huge role. Here are best foods for your brain for elderly.

Brain shrinks with age; research has confirmed and its weight or volume goes down at the rate of 5% per decade after 40. Memory also takes the brunt of brain ageing and it becomes all the more important to eat nutritious foods and keep this crucial organ occupies with challenging tasks, games, and puzzles so as to slow down its decline. The changes in brain due to old age are apparent in many respects - a person having problems with multi-tasking, slower in recalling specific information or reduced ability to focus or pay attention. For a better quality of life, it's important to take care of your brain as you age and nutrition can play a huge role. (Also read: World Brain Day 2022: Simple lifestyle changes to boost brain health)

Seniors need to keep their brain in a healthy position to be able to manage all the activities and ability to memorise stuff and not affect their focusing power(Pexels)

"The brain, the body's most energy-intensive organ and primary control centre, regulates every bodily function, including the heart's ability to beat, the lungs' ability to pump oxygen into the blood, and our ability to think and experience certain emotions appropriately. The entire brain works nonstop every day to allow us to walk, breathe, eat, sleep, cry, laugh, read, and do everything else we do during the day. Which is why seniors need to keep their brain in a healthy position to be able to manage all the activities and ability to memorize stuff and not affect their focusing power," says Rohit Shelatkar, Fitness & Nutrition Expert, VP at Vitabiotics in an interview with HT Digital.

Shelatkar further shares foods that elderly must eat for improving their memory.

1. Fish: Fish is a highly healthy addition to an elderly person's diet since it has a full complement of proteins and poly saturated fatty acids like Omega 3. Fish's heart-healthy fat reduces the chance of heart disease and upholds heart health. Lake trout, sardines, mackerel, herring, tuna, and salmon are among the fatty fishes that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. People with healthy diets that include oily fish have improved cognition and greater cognitive skills due to increased blood flow in the brain.

2. Seeds: Omega-3 fatty acids and many proteins are found in seeds like pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Pumpkin seeds have a high concentration of antioxidants, which shield the brain from damaging free radicals. Numerous vital elements, including zinc, magnesium, copper, and iron, are abundant in these foods. As you age, eating pumpkin seeds can help your brain stay healthy since they protect against numerous neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, migraines, epilepsy, and stress.

Pumpkin seeds are high in phosphorous, magnesium and heart healthy fats. You can serve them raw or roasted on top of a bowl of soup or a salad dish or an open sandwich.(Pixabay)

3. Eggs: The protein requirements of humans increase with age and eggs are the easiest and most effective source for the same. They have a multitude of benefits as they contain 13 essential vitamins and nutrients including Vitamin D as well as choline – a macronutrient that helps in liver function, normal brain development, heart rate management, nerve function, muscle movement, maintaining healthy metabolism and maintaining muscle mass.

4. Green leafy vegetables: These include spinach, kale, broccoli and others. These foods are high in folate and B9, which improve cognition and reduce depression. Broccoli has been strongly linked with lower levels of cognitive decline in older age. It is great source of vitamin K, which is known to enhance cognitive function and improve brainpower. This should be consumed at least once a day.

5. Yoghurt: As one advances in age, their bones become weaker. In order to oppose some of these effects, it is highly crucial to have a daily intake of calcium. Yoghurt is one of the best sources of calcium and must be included in the diet. This food is also rich in zinc, vitamin B, probiotics and vitamin D, which is highly crucial for a healthy heart. Additionally, keeping the weak digestive system of elderly people in mind, simple foods like yoghurt that do not need to be broken down or those that can be broken down easily are suitable for them.

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