3 Veggies That Make Your Brain Younger
Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. Consider them a facelift for your brain.
That's because munching on veggies like these -- which belong to the cruciferous family of veggies -- could shave 1 to 2 years off your mind's age. Here's how they help.
The Big Memory Reveal
Women who filled out a food-intake questionnaire demonstrated some pretty significant memory muscle on tests when their questionnaires revealed a true love for all things cruciferous (as well as leafy and green, like spinach). In fact, the veggie-lovers? test scores were more in line with those of women a couple of years younger. That means your brain could be 48 when the calendar says it's 50. Not bad. How's your memory? Test it here.
Mighty Nutrients
Researchers speculate that nutrients like lutein and folate, found in abundance in foods like spinach, may be part of the reason for the brain benefits that cruciferous and leafy green veggies confer.
Want more ways to boost your memory? Visit the RealAge Aging Well Center.
RealAge Benefit:
Eating a diverse diet that includes 5 servings of vegetables per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.
RealAge Smart Search: Boost your brain power with one of these tasty recipes.
Fruit and vegetable consumption and cognitive decline in aging women. Kang, J. H., Ascherio, A., Grodstein, F., Annals of Neurology 2005 May;57(5):713-720.
