• Chemicals : Our brain has chemicals that help our brain cells talk to each other and control how we think, feel, and act. For example, foods  like turkey, eggs, cheese, or nuts, can make more serotonin, a brain chemical that makes us happy, calm, and sleepy. Foods like meat, fish, milk, or soy, can make more dopamine, a brain chemical that makes us motivated, rewarded, and pleased.
• Hormones: Hormones are chemicals that control different things in our body, like how we grow, use energy, make babies, and deal with stress. Food can affect how much and how well our hormones work.For example, foods high in sugar or white bread can make the levels of insulin go up quickly. Foods high in protein or healthy fats can make the levels of GLP-1 go up slowly, a hormone that makes us feel full and helps insulin work better.
• Microbiome: Our gut bugs are the tiny living things that live in our stomach and intestines and talk to our immune system, nervous system, and hormone system. Our gut bugs can affect our brain. They can change how we feel, think, or act. For example, some gut bugs can make GABA, a brain chemical that makes us less anxious and stressed. Some gut bugs can make SCFAs, which can lower inflammation and help new brain cells grow.

• Berries: Berries have natural chemicals that can protect our brain from damage and swelling. Berries can also help more blood and oxygen reach our brain, making us think and remember better. Some good berries for our brain are blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
• Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds have healthy fats that are good for our brain cells. Nuts and seeds also have protein, fiber, minerals, and other natural chemicals that can help our brain stay healthy and sharp. Some good nuts and seeds for our brain are walnuts, almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.
• Leafy greens:  Leafy greens have vitamins, minerals, and other natural chemicals that can feed our brain and protect it from getting old and weak. Leafy greens can also change how our genes work and affect how we act and feel. Some good leafy greens for our brain are spinach, kale, broccoli, and cabbage.
• Eggs: Eggs are one of the best foods for our brain, as they have many things that our brain needs. Eggs have protein that can help make brain chemicals that control how we think, feel, and act. They have healthy fats that can help keep our brain cells working well. Eggs have choline that can help make a brain chemical that is important for memory and learning. They also have lutein and zeaxanthin that can protect our eyes and brain from damage.
• Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate is not only yummy but also good for our brain. Dark chocolate has cocoa flavanols that can help more blood and oxygen reach our brain, making us feel happy, focused, creative, and smart. It also has caffeine and theobromine that can make us more alert and energetic, as well as magnesium that can help us relax and reduce stress.

Conclusion

Food is more than just fuel for our body. It can affect our mood, memory, cognition, creativity, and even our personality. By eating foods that provide the right balance of nutrients, phytochemicals, and probiotics, we can improve our brain health and overall behavior.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned something new about how food can improve your brain and overall behavior. If you want to learn more about self-improvement topics or get some tips on how to live your best life, check out our other blog posts about health here. Thank you for reading!