Proper brain function has a critical role in everyday behavior and social behavior – it supports your ability to communicate, make decisions, problem-solve and live a productive and useful life.

Here are 5 ways to nurture and boost your brain health for optimal cognitive function:

1. Eggplant activates the brain

If busy days make you feel scattered or foggy, try including 1/2 a cup of eggplant in your daily diet to sharpen your focus, memory and concentration. 

According to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, eggplants are full of a rare compound – called nasunin – that stimulates neurons in the memory center of the brain.

Tip: When shopping for eggplant, look for ones that are smooth and shiny and are heavy for their size.

2. Timed eating safeguards the brain

According to British research published in the journal, Molecular Psychiatry, narrowing the time you earth throughout the day to 8 to 10 hours can keep memory sharp.

Eating your daily calories in a set window – called intermittent fasting – can increase the activity of the longevity gene, called the kloth gene, which is known to play a role in the creation of new cells in the brain that enhance memory.

Tip: Using a phone app to track your eating start and stop time can help keep you on track.

3. Take the stairs to ward off dementia

Just 8 minutes of stair climbing daily releases a hormone that Ohio State University scientists say helps raise HDL – the good cholesterol – by 12%. Higher levels of HDL in the bloodstream are associated with lower levels of amyloid plaque deposits in the brain – the type of plaque formation that has been found contributes to the onset of dementia.

Tip: Add on a few extra sets of stairs each day for even more brain protection – just 20 minutes of exercise daily cuts Alzheimer’s risk by 20% by boosting new brain cell growth. 

4. Learn a new language to increase brain volume

According to a study published in the journal NeuroImage, researchers found that consistently practicing a language generates higher hippocampal volume – a complex brain structure embedded deep in the temporal lobe, responsible for memory. Increased volume makes for better memory retention!

Tip: Improve your comprehension skills, pronunciation and grammar through watching foreign-language TV programs.

5. Take a daily supplement specifically formulated to boost brain health.

There are a variety of nutrients needed to keep your brain working properly, but these nutrients can be tough to get in the quantities needed to promote healthy brain function on diet alone.

Tip: Try Regenera Medical Omega Max, a blend of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), Vitamin E and rosemary extract to promote better brain function, enhance cardiovascular health, and support healthy skin, joints and connective tissues.

Or, click here to shop all Regenera Medical high quality brain and cognitive function support supplements, curated by Regenera Medical’s founder, Elroy Vojdani, MD, IFMCP.