dont worry your brain and Your body needs exercise to stay strong, and so, too, does your brain. A
healthy brain is important for just about everything you do—from
remembering where you parked your car to keeping your emotions in check.
Thankfully, there are several things you can do to train your brain as
you age and possibly reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
One way to exercise your mind is by challenging your brain and keeping
it stimulated and active. That’s where quizzes and games can help! Part
quiz and part game, we’ve created this tool to help keep your mind
healthy as well as give you practical information about lifestyle
changes that may help improve your brain health. This 10-question quiz
should take you about 3 to 5 minutes to complete. And although we won’t
be keeping score, we’ll tell you how you’re doing with each question.
You may be thinking that this is about so-called ‘superfoods’,
a term used to describe certain foods with very high quantities of
particular nutrients. From the early descriptions, you might almost have
thought these foods had magical powers to improve mental and physical
health. Most sources now, however, suggest that the term is simply a
marketing tool. The European Union has even banned the use of
the term 'superfood' in marketing except where the claim is backed by
credible scientific evidence of a proven medical benefit. However, the Mental Health Foundation notes that a
good diet is important for mental health. It also suggests that diet can
play a role in the development, management and prevention of several
specific conditions, including schizophrenia, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Alzheimer’s disease.
That is not to say that diet can control
these conditions, nor that it should be looked upon as a panacea or
cure-all, or that other treatments should be stopped in favour of a
particular diet.
However, diet may play a role, alongside other treatments, in the management of these conditions.
The Mental Health Foundation also notes that fewer
than half of those who report mental health problems consume fresh
fruit every day, compared with more than two thirds of those who do not
report mental health problems. The issue here may be somewhat ‘chicken
and egg’: does a poor diet contribute to the problem, or does the
problem cause the lack of interest in eating healthily?
Either way, there is little doubt that feelings of
health and well-being are more likely if you consume a balanced diet,
with the correct balance of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins,
minerals and water for you.