Best Breakfast Foods for Brain Power

If you often find yourself tired, sluggish, and unable to think clearly throughout the day, it could have something to do with your breakfast or lack thereof. There's a reason why they called breakfast the most important meal of the day, and it's because it will give you all of the calories, energy, and nutrition that you need to get through a long day.

Without the right nutrients, your brain just can't function properly. Your ability to solve problems, make decisions, your memory recall, energy levels, focus and concentration, and overall cognitive abilities can all be negatively impacted by not eating breakfast.

This is besides the fact that skipping breakfast is also associated with a variety of negative health consequences. According to official studies, you need to eat your breakfast if you expect to be able to concentrate throughout the day. 

However, just eating anything for breakfast is not good enough. It's not just about eating, but about what you eat.

Eating an extremely sugar-laden cereal for breakfast or heavy pancakes with syrup isn't your best bet. Today, we will look at all of the best breakfast foods for brain power and how they can help you throughout the day.

Key Takeaways

• Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and more all have specific benefits for the brain.
• Dark chocolate, whole grains, eggs, leafy greens, nuts, berries, and avocado are some of the best breakfast foods for brain power.
• TUNE IN is considered a great way to start the day thanks to its possible cognitive and energy boost.

How Does Food Benefit Your Brain?

To examine exactly how food benefits your brain, it's important to look at the different nutrients and vitamins your brain needs to function.

Energy

First and foremost, your brain needs energy to function properly, specifically glucose, a form of sugar that we usually get from carbs. Many different foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes, can provide your body with carbohydrates and glucose, which the brain needs to function properly.

However, remember that we are talking about complex carbs, not simple carbohydrates. White sugar is a simple carbohydrate, but that certainly isn't good for you.

Furthermore, healthy sources of glucose, especially from whole grains and fruits, can also help maintain blood sugar levels. 

The result of getting enough carbs and glucose in your system is that you should feel less mentally fatigued throughout the day and have proper cognitive function. Here are some drinks that can help provide your brain with the focus it needs to get through a long day.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Another substance that your brain needs to survive is omega-3 fatty acids. Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, is the most important one of all. Many different foods, particularly fish, such as sardines, trout, and salmon, are very high in DHA.

DHA is closely linked to the function and structure of your brain cells. Increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA have been scientifically linked to a reduced risk of cognitive decline, combined with improved cognitive function throughout the day.

Antioxidants

Yet another important type of substance for your brain is antioxidants. Various foods such as green tea, dark chocolate, and berries are all very rich in them, combined with other fruits and vegetables.

Antioxidants are essential for protecting the brain from inflammation and oxidative stress, which, in the long run, may be able to help reduce cognitive decline. This is apparently the case as far as neurodegenerative diseases and age-related cognitive decline are concerned.

Protein

Protein is another important substance for the health of your brain. Dietary protein contains a variety of amino acids, which are important for producing neurotransmitters in the brain. These are the messengers that allow your nerve cells to communicate with each other. 

Various foods, such as eggs, fish, poultry, lean meats, and legumes, are fantastic ways to get more protein into your system. Getting more protein in your system is directly linked to better memory recall.

Minerals and Vitamins

Although we don't have time to cover them all here right now, the reality is that a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that can be found in various food sources are very important for the health of your brain.

When combined, minerals and vitamins such as magnesium, zinc, vitamins E, D, C, and B all play vital roles as far as brain health is concerned.

They come together to help increase nerve function, produce neurotransmitters, maintain brain communication, and much more. Each of these individual vitamins and minerals has a plethora of benefits for the brain and body.

Best Breakfast Foods for Brain Power

Now that we know exactly how food can help boost your brain power, particularly when it comes to all of the different substances contained in all of our delicious meals, let's find out what foods are the best for your brain.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is well known for producing various brain-boosting effects. Cocoa high in flavanol is shown to help improve blood flow to the brain, which may help improve attention, memory, and verbal learning. 

Cocoa also contains caffeine, which can provide a short energy boost over the short term. Dark chocolate is also a great source of antioxidants, which, as discussed above, is fantastic for your brain. 

Coffee

Coffee, or more specifically caffeine, is also shown to have various brain benefits, particularly by making you feel more energetic, focused, and aware. If you feel more alert, it should also help you focus and concentrate much better. 

That being said, having too much caffeine may also have negative effects, which is why a little bit is good, but a lot is most likely detrimental. Coffee is something that most people already drink, so you're on the right track already.

Whole Grains

Whole grains are a fantastic source of complex carbohydrates, which can provide your body with a sustained, slow, and steady supply of glucose. Glucose is one of the main energy sources for your brain. 

Furthermore, whole grains often contain a lot of B vitamins, which in itself is shown to help boost memory and other cognitive functions. Although many people prefer white bread and white cereals, whole grain foods can taste pretty good too, and are much more nutritious.

Berries

There are studies out there that link berries, specifically their antioxidant properties, to increased brain health. They are shown to help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may even be able to help prevent cognitive decline due to old age. If you want to add berries to your breakfast, just mix them in with some yogurt or eat them plain.

Eggs

We then have eggs, which are a staple breakfast food in many places around the world. In terms of your brain health, eggs are a fantastic source of choline, which is closely linked to promoting brain function, such as communication between brain cells and memory, as well as reducing inflammation. 

Leafy Greens

Although most people probably won't be eating many leafy greens for breakfast, the simple reality is that they are very healthy for your brain. There are a variety of studies out there that suggest that most of the nutrients contained in leafy greens have some sort of beneficial effect on your brain. For instance, they are linked with decreasing age-related cognitive decline.

Nuts

There are many studies out there that suggest that nuts are beneficial for the brain. For instance, this study shows that the long-term consumption of mixed nuts improved brain vascular function and could also help improve cognitive performance.

Here is another study that suggests that walnuts may have a beneficial effect on brain health and cognition. Mix them in with some yogurt if you like! 

Avocado

Avocados contain plenty of B vitamins, and vitamin B is linked with brain health. Avocado is absolutely delicious and a great substitute for jam and butter on your toast. 

The monounsaturated fat content in avocados can help reduce high blood pressure, with high blood pressure being linked with cognitive decline.

Salmon

As discussed above, omega-3 fatty acids are absolutely essential for the function of your brain, and salmon is one of the best foods to eat on this front. 

Admittedly, most people might not see salmon as a breakfast food, but there are some pretty creative ways to prepare it. Furthermore, if the health of your brain is in question, we'd recommend at least giving it a shot.

Water

Hydration is absolutely essential to remain healthy, and it's something that your brain most certainly needs to function properly. Water accounts for 75% of the mass of your brain, and dehydration is directly linked to decreased cognitive performance.

Supplements for Brain Power

If you want a supplement that can help boost brain power, try our TUNE IN drink mix! This powdered drink comes complete with a variety of beneficial ingredients that are designed to help increase energy, memory, recall, and focus.

It contains cordyceps, ashwagandha extract, Rhodiola rosea root extract, lion’s mane, alpha GPC, and a variety of B vitamins, along with other beneficial substances.

One of the most important ingredients here, lion’s mane, is shown to contain various substances that are beneficial for brain health, as is also the case with cordyceps, ashwagandha, and alpha GPC, just to name a few.

You can easily mix it in with water, juice, or any of your other favorite drinks right at breakfast. 

Final Thoughts

The foods you eat can greatly affect your overall cognitive function throughout the day. This is true in terms of your memory, recall, focus, concentration, energy levels, problem-solving skills, and more. 

If you're looking for something that should help provide you with a bit of energy and brain boost in the morning without caffeine, our TUNE IN drink is the way to go. 

Supplements for Brain Power: FAQs

Does Breakfast Boost Brain Power?

There are various substances contained in many different breakfast foods which are shown to help boost brain power.

What Breakfast Foods Help with Memory?

There are many different breakfast foods that help with memory, with whole grains being one of the best.

Which is the Best Super Food for the Brain?

Lion’s mane and cordyceps are often considered some of the best brain foods out there.