Suggestions anyone? I’m currently pill popping Guarana, Gingko and have been trying to find some Brahmi. Also currently hooked on hot chocolate.
Hot tea after a good workout is a big boost for me.
Hi Dresch88 You may be interested in the below article on food: http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11745528 Unfortunately this article is restricted. If you have access it goes into certain drugs that improve your mental powers. http://www.economist.com/search/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_PTSTQVQ My perfered brain food is coffee.
Fish Oils, Green Tea, fruits and vegetables, and best of all EXERCISE: Article in the New York Times: Exercise on the Brain Sign In to E-Mail or Save This Print Share LinkedinDiggFacebookMixxYahoo! BuzzPermalink By SANDRA AAMODT and SAM WANG Published: November 8, 2007 FEELING a little less mentally quick than you did a few years ago? Maybe you are among the many people who do “brain exercises” like sudoku to slow the cognitive decline associated with aging. We’ve got a better suggestion. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Graham Roumieu Computer programs to improve brain performance are a booming business. In the United States, consumers are expected to spend $80 million this year on brain exercise products, up from $2 million in 2005. Advertising for these products often emphasizes the claim that they are designed by scientists or based on scientific research. To be charitable, we might call them inspired by science — not to be confused with actually proven by science. Environmental enrichment does improve mental function in laboratory animals. Rodents and monkeys that get playmates or toys learn to complete a variety of tasks more easily, at all ages. They also have larger brains, larger brain cells and more synaptic connections than animals raised alone in standard cages. But here’s the rub: standard laboratory environments are tremendously boring. Lab animals rarely need to search for food or avoid predators. In contrast, most of us get plenty of everyday stimulation in activities like finding a new address, socializing with friends or navigating the treacherous currents of office politics. Animal enrichment research may be telling us something important not about the positive effects of stimulation, but about reversing the negative effects of deprivation. Another line of evidence cited by marketers comes from studies of elderly people who improve certain skills by practicing a challenging computer-based task. Although most programs work to some extent, the gains tend to be specific to the trained task. That is, practice can certainly make people better at sudoku puzzles or help them remember lists more accurately. The improvement can even last for years. Similarly, people tend to retain skills and knowledge they learned thoroughly when they were younger. Unless the activities span a broad spectrum of abilities, though, there seems to be no benefit to general mental fitness. For people whose work is unstimulating, having mentally challenging hobbies, like learning a new language or playing bridge, can help maintain cognitive performance. But the belief that any single brain exercise program late in life can act as a quick fix for general mental function is almost entirely faith-based. One form of training, however, has been shown to maintain and improve brain health — physical exercise. In humans, exercise improves what scientists call “executive function,” the set of abilities that allows you to select behavior that’s appropriate to the situation, inhibit inappropriate behavior and focus on the job at hand in spite of distractions. Executive function includes basic functions like processing speed, response speed and working memory, the type used to remember a house number while walking from the car to a party. Executive function starts to decline when people reach their 70s. But elderly people who have been athletic all their lives have much better executive function than sedentary people of the same age. This relationship might occur because people who are healthier tend to be more active, but that’s not the whole story. When inactive people get more exercise, even starting in their 70s, their executive function improves, as shown in a recent meta-analysis of 18 studies. One effective training program involves just 30 to 60 minutes of fast walking several times a week. Exercise is also strongly associated with a reduced risk of dementia late in life. People who exercise regularly in middle age are one-third as likely to get Alzheimer’s disease in their 70s as those who did not exercise. Even people who begin exercising in their 60s have their risk reduced by half. How might exercise help the brain? In people, fitness training slows the age-related shrinkage of the frontal cortex, which is important for executive function. In rodents, exercise increases the number of capillaries in the brain, which should improve blood flow, and therefore the availability of energy, to neurons. Exercise may also help the brain by improving cardiovascular health, preventing heart attacks and strokes that can cause brain damage. Finally, exercise causes the release of growth factors, proteins that increase the number of connections between neurons, and the birth of neurons in the hippocampus, a brain region important for memory. Any of these effects might improve cognitive performance, though it’s not known which ones are most important. So instead of spending money on computer games or puzzles to improve your brain’s health, invest in a gym membership. Or just turn off the computer and go for a brisk walk. Sandra Aamodt is the editor in chief of Nature Neuroscience. Sam Wang is an associate professor of molecular biology and neuroscience at Princeton. They are the authors of the forthcoming “Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life.”
Market America is a huge pyramid scam. I would avoid buying from them. From what I read, the products are overpriced and don’t work as promised … you are clicking on some poor sap at the bottom of the pyramid’s personal webpage (agneschow). From this site http://www.mlmwatch.org/13Victims/wary.html and lots more … don’t post referral sites here, it’s against policy and just bad form! Millions of people are selling health products as “independent distributors.” Product lines typically include vitamin supplements, weight loss formulas, fiber-containing snack bars, and/or herbal remedies. The National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) has received so many inquiries about such products that it has developed some general caveats. Consumers Beware: Products sold in this fashion must be overpriced to finance the greedy profits promised to distributors. Vitamins, weight loss formulas, and fiber supplements are ordinary items readily available in retail stores. Exaggerated claims are generally needed to justify extraordinary prices for these ordinary items. Herbal supplements may contain potent drugs naturally or by adulteration. Herbal supplements are not manufactured or labeled according to the high standards American consumers have come to expect. Salespeople, with little more than company training and subjective personal experience, may be misrepresented as “health counselors” when their real goal is to sell products and/or sign-up distributors. Selling health products one recommends poses a serious conflict-of-interest even when sellers are qualified and products worthwhile. Salespeople are encouraged* to make oral health claims while companies seek deniability for themselves via fine print disclaimers. *Heroic anecdotes to be repeated in sales pitches are promulgated at pep rallies and/or in company publications.
I’ve always thought raisin bran and coffee helped me think better.
I hear cardiovascular exercise aids in neurogenesis. That, combined with a healthy diet, consistent good sleep, and a bit of coffee will make your brain work very well.
I have to agree with sublimity. I am working out 3 times a week and my brain is more “fit” processing information and retaining then when I sacrificed gym for more studying time…
Coffee, Green Tea and Exercise for me.
Not drinking too much. Obviously I’m not refering to the lack of performance when you’re drunk /hungover. I perform better in phases in which I don’t drink at all than in phases in which I casually get drunk once/twice a month. But different people react differently…
I recommend Rodiola Rosea. It’s a herbal supplement that reduces stress/improves concentration. Works well. But don’t use it too often or else it’ll lose its effect.
i’m eating a burrito and i feel smarter for doing so. it’s really delicious.
Pyramid is illegal in US and market America is not a pyramid scam. It is not mlm either. We never promise anyone anything about using the product. What we have are from the best manufacturers and what pol need most. We do not manufacturer anything but we have products more than amazon.com. If we are a scam, why would many brand name stores partner with us and google also work with us. Many sites claim themselves powered by google, but they are not. Check out the YouTube and u will find more about ma. Other brand name products might be cheaper, but please look for the ingredient. I do not think that if this is a scam, the company can still last for 17 years. Why we still have 180,000 independent distributors and 3 millions preferred customers and another 3 million so-so customers. You tell why? If you don’t believe it, do no take the chances away from different people.
B-Vitamins, Ginkgo, Fish Oils, lots of fruits and vegetables (especially dark green), and water should do the trick. Stay away from over processed and greasy foods and try to eat a good amount of lean protein. Other than that, exercise a 3-4 times per week, making sure to do cardio and circulate your blood. DirtyZ