Foods That Improve Memory - Yes They Exist!

Did you know that there are actually foods that improve memory? It's very hard to imagine this is the case, but it is true. Studies have shown that certain ingredients in food aide in brain function and the ability to retain information. The key in these foods tends to be the ability to aide the brain in absorbing more oxygen which in turn helps your brain function at full capacity.

By consuming foods high in vitamins C and B help keep the brain healthy and prevent diseases that cause memory loss. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide high oxygen and vitamin deposits which aide in the highest possible brain function possible. Being deficient in any category can cause fogginess which in turn can cloud memory retention abilities.

The key to consuming a diet with foods that improve memory can be summed up in one word, "Balance."

Eating at least one fresh fruit a day and either eating fish once or twice a week will help tremendously. Fish, which are high in omega 3 fatty acids are vital to keeping your brain healthy and functioning at full capacity. If you simply aren't a fan of fish, which is completely fine, you will find that supplementation in pill form is often available at your local food store.

One of the most mis-understood ingredients that can help is caffeine. With just the right amount, caffeine will greatly increase not only memory retention, but also concentration. What you see and have read about energy drinks has been highly tested and actually does check out as being a good way to increase memory and concentration, but if you overdo it, you will quickly see an adverse effect.

I often find that a small red bull does wonders for my concentration, but these drinks can't be recommended for everyone as they can be expensive and not everyone enjoys the taste!

Keeping a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, combined with proper protein equal to roughly your bodyweight in any 24 hour period is highly recommended. A great habit to get into is a fresh supply of carbohydrates in the morning. I often enjoy a small amount of oatmeal, which get my body burning carbohydrates and gets my brain functioning and "waking up."

Many of these tips could double for healthy eating habits, but they do work very well! In order to have a healthy mind, you must have a healthy body and this is a great way to get started.

Ways For Improving Your Memory

When we recall information, we have experienced or learned we are performing a mental activity referred to as "memory." Five important areas of the brain are utilized when we form memory. They are the hippocampus, amygdale, cerebral cortex, and neurons. The hippocampus lies deep within the brain. It plays the largest role in storing information as memory.

The amygdale is located near the hippocampus. It takes emotion and marks the memory using the emotion. The outer layer of the brain is the cerebral cortex. Depending on whether the memory process utilizes language, senses, or problem solving, the cerebral cortex stores long term memory in the appropriate zone. Neurons are a communication network within the brain that promotes memory. They become active through brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

Two Basic Categories of Memory
A simple example of "short term memory" is dialing a phone number that someone just told you. Your mind stores the number for a few seconds or minutes until you dial the phone. An example of "long term memory" is making a specific conscious or unconscious effort to retain information for a purpose, such a test or a certain procedure for a job.

Three Stages of Forming and Maintaining Memory
The three stages the brain experiences when a person forms memories are Acquisition, Consolidation, and Retrieval.

When a mother complains to her child that they "are not paying attention," the child is probably not focusing. In order for the Acquisition stage to take place, the child must concentrate intently on what his mother is telling him for at least eight seconds. The information enters the child's brain and be escorted along pathways by neurons to the appropriate spot of the brain.

Consolidation occurs after the child has concentrated enough to encode new information. Then, the hippocampus signals the information to be stored as long-term memory in the brain.

Retrieval occurs when the child needs to remember what his mother told him. His brain will then activate the same nerve cells it used to retain the information.

Exercise Your Brain

Just like anything else you try to improve on, the more you practice, the better you get. The same goes for the brain. The more you exercise it, the better processor you become. One easy way to do this is to change your routine in some way. If you always load the dishwasher with your right hand, use your left hand. Another way would be to take a class in something you know very little about. Alternatively, you could follow some new recipes for this week's dinner menu.

Tips to Improve Memory

Stop multitasking! Use the complete eight necessary seconds it takes to encode information into your brain.

If you learn better by listening, record information and listen to it until you remember it.

If you learn visually, look at the information and recite what you want to remember.

When dealing with complex subjects, work to understand the basic concepts rather than focus too much on the details. Be able to tell them to someone in your own words.

"Over learn" information over a period of time rather than trying to squeeze the learning into a short period.

Relate new information to previous knowledge and build on it.

Use words and pictures when taking notes, and write things down in datebooks and calendars.

Set up success in your brain. Tell yourself you want to learn the information and that you can learn the information.

Mnemonic Devices to Help Memory

If you have ever used a visual image, a sentence, or a word to help you remember something, you have used a mnemonic device. People use helpful mnemonic devices every day without even realizing it. For example, if you think of a rose to remember your new neighbor's name as "Rosie," you are using a "visual image." You might also use a sentence such as "Dad made Sally bring raisins," using the first letter of each word to represent the steps in long division; divide, multiply, subtract, bring down, repeat.

Another mnemonic device is the use of acronyms. The organization "MADD," for "Mothers against Drunk Driving,'' is an example of an acronym. Putting information together with rhyming is another method. Some people like to use joke to put information together because they find them easy to remember. Finally, "chunking" is found to be helpful. Grouping long lists of information into smaller, easier to remember categories has proven to be a reliable mnemonic device as well.