Eat Your Way to Better Poker II ? Remember These Foods to Improve Your Memory

Eat your way to better poker II – Remember these foods to improve your memory

“Are you telling me there is something I can eat to improve my memory?” Yes, we are! And we don’t just mean that eating your Auntie’s chicken noodle soup will bring back memories of summer. By eating certain foods regularly, you will improve your brain’s ability to record new memories and to access them quickly, keeping your brain young and ready to learn.

How does it work?

As the brain ages, it loses the ability to protect itself from daily wear and tear, particularly inflammation (swelling)and oxidation, a process which allows damaging free radicals to attach themselves to cells. In addition to this, brain cells often stop communicating with each other as people age, making it harder for the brain to process thoughts, retain small-term memory and make new cells.

“Ancient neurons are like ancient married couples — they don’t talk to each other very much anymore. They just sit in the room with the remote and stare at the TV,” says Dr. James Joseph, director of the Neuroscience Lab at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

While research in the field of aging and nutrition is just beginning, scientists have found that diet may help minimize the brain’s sensitivity to oxidation and inflammation, as well as improve brain cells’ ability to communicate with each other. This means that by eating correctly you may keep your brain younger, more nimble, and better able to remember.

We will now walk you through several chemicals which have been learned to improve your memory and general brain condition, not to mention your health and looks!

Antioxidants:

We have just read that the brain ages because of oxidation and inflammation, which happen because of the brain’s high demands of oxygen for its daily functioning. Now listen to this: if what you want is to minimize inflammation and oxidation, you could do worse than eating lots of antioxidants. These natural chemicals give plants their bright colors, and are especially effective at – you guessed it! – preventing oxidation.

A study involving 70 beagles showed that dogs which had been fed an antioxidant-rich diet over several years performed better in ancient age than their fellows who had eaten a standard diet. These ancient dogs COULD learn new tricks! Now, we are not calling anyone an “ancient dog”, but while we all wish we were Annette Obrestad, most of us have already left our teenage years behind and are heading towards Doyle Brunson and Dewey Tomko at this stage. This is why it is so vital to get an edge nutrition-wise over all the middle-aged competition out there in the tables, not to mention all those plucky youngsters! So what should you eat to keep your brain as active and healthy as those beagles?

As we said earlier, antioxidants give plants their bright colors, so any bright-colored vegetable or fruit is a excellent bet. Since we really want you to start eating better, we have compiled a list to make your shopping simpler. For best results, try to eat at least 5 (but preferably 9) parts of these foods daily. Don’t underestimate the power of vegetables – remember that Daniel Negreanu is a vegetarian, who brings home-cooked vegan packed lunches to huge tournaments and has the success rate we all wish we had.

The “veg-o-phobes” among you may already be saying “why should I eat all those horrid green things when I can have my cake and take a supplement instead?” We are very sorry, but that just won’t do – most researchers agree that antioxidants present in food are significantly more effective than those from supplements! Reckon salads are for rabbits? In that case try adding vegetables to your stews, pasta dishes and stir-fries, or blend fruits and yogurt for tasty and nutritious smoothies that will keep you running through those all-night online tourneys!

Fruits

- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Cranberries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Plums
- Avocados
- Oranges
- Red grapes
- Cherries
- Red apples

Vegetables

- Kale
- Spinach
- Brussels sprouts
- Alfalfa sprouts
- Broccoli
- Beets
- Red bell peppers
- Onions
- Carrots

Stay tuned, because in later articles we will offer you recipes and menus that are bound to make you ace those tables and lick your chops!

Eat Your Way to Better Poker III – More Memory-improving Foods!

Your mother was right in more ways than one when she told you to eat your vegetables â?? as we have recently learned; brightly colored vegetables and fruits are a fantastic source of antioxidants, which can help keep your brain younger and fitter for those long Razz sessions.

But it does not end there: besides antioxidants there are many other food chemicals which have been proven to be beneficial for your brain in general and your memory in particular. Letâ??s go over some of them and where you can find them.

Choline and acetylcholine:

Alzheimerâ??s patients show low levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter responsible for brain power and memory. Meat lovers will be pleased to hear that these chemicals are found in protein foods, such as liver, meat and fish. Vegetarians need not despair, since choline and acetylcholine can also be bought by eating egg yolks, milk, orange juice, peanuts, wheat germ and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. There is certainly something to suit every taste!

Curcumin:

Are you a fan of curry? If so, this may come as excellent news: turmeric, the ingredient that gives curry its yellow color, contains a chemical called curcumin which has been shown to prevent Alzheimerâ??s. An investigation carried out on over 1000 older Asians showed that those who ate curry twice a year or more often performed better than those who never ate it. So get a takeaway curry before you sit down to play â?? itâ??s excellent for your brain!

Iron:

Excellent ancient iron is not only excellent for your body, it is also vital for your brain: Iron carries oxygen to the tissues in your body, and the brain is the highest oxygen-consumer among all organs. You do the maths! If you do not get enough iron, you will be prone to fatigue, poor concentration, memory loss and a shortened attention span â?? hardly ideal if you want to win those WSOP qualifiers. Keep your iron levels high by eating plenty of extra-lean red meat (dried beans and peas are a excellent vegetarian option), dark green leafy vegetables and dried apricots. A excellent cheating trick is to cook in cast iron pots â?? it will honestly raise the iron content of your meals! And for maximum iron absorption, drink orange juice with your iron-rich meals.

Epicatechin:

This sounds too excellent to be right: chocolate could improve your memory! Letâ??s not get too excited yet â?? although studies have shown that epicatechin (a chemical that can be found in chocolate, tea, grapes and blueberries) can improve the memory of mice, it has not yet been proven to also work on humans. Weâ??ll wait nervously for the results of that one!

Zinc:

If you thought zinc was only used for roofing, reckon again: over 100 enzymes in your body depend on zinc to work well! It has been recently learned that zinc is necessary for the excellent functioning of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that deals with memory: a test made on seventh-graders showed that those who took zinc supplements over a few months performed better on memory tasks and had a longer attention span. Anything that improves a seventh graderâ??s attention span must be worth a try! If you want your memory to be better than Annette_15â??s, try eating more meat and seafood. Eggs and milk also supply you with zinc, but in smaller amounts, and you can also get some by eating whole-grain products, pumpkin seeds, miso soup and black-eyed peas.

Sage:

OK, sage is not a chemical, but it has been proven to improve memory nearly immediately after consumption! Clinical tests with young adults (18-37 years ancient) showed that those who took sage oil capsules remembered word lists better than those who didnâ??t. Capsules are fine, but sage is a deliciously flavored herb, and you can work it into quite a few recipes that are bound to impress… and to be remembered!

Weâ??ll give you some yummy thoughts to work these brain-healthy foods into your diet in an upcoming article.

Eat Your Way to Better Poker III – More Memory-improving Foods!

Your mother was right in more ways than one when she told you to eat your vegetables â?? as we have recently learned; brightly colored vegetables and fruits are a fantastic source of antioxidants, which can help keep your brain younger and fitter for those long Razz sessions.

But it does not end there: besides antioxidants there are many other food chemicals which have been proven to be beneficial for your brain in general and your memory in particular. Letâ??s go over some of them and where you can find them.

Choline and acetylcholine:

Alzheimerâ??s patients show low levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter responsible for brain power and memory. Meat lovers will be pleased to hear that these chemicals are found in protein foods, such as liver, meat and fish. Vegetarians need not despair, since choline and acetylcholine can also be bought by eating egg yolks, milk, orange juice, peanuts, wheat germ and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. There is certainly something to suit every taste!

Curcumin:

Are you a fan of curry? If so, this may come as excellent news: turmeric, the ingredient that gives curry its yellow color, contains a chemical called curcumin which has been shown to prevent Alzheimerâ??s. An investigation carried out on over 1000 older Asians showed that those who ate curry twice a year or more often performed better than those who never ate it. So get a takeaway curry before you sit down to play â?? itâ??s excellent for your brain!

Iron:

Excellent ancient iron is not only excellent for your body, it is also vital for your brain: Iron carries oxygen to the tissues in your body, and the brain is the highest oxygen-consumer among all organs. You do the maths! If you do not get enough iron, you will be prone to fatigue, poor concentration, memory loss and a shortened attention span â?? hardly ideal if you want to win those WSOP qualifiers. Keep your iron levels high by eating plenty of extra-lean red meat (dried beans and peas are a excellent vegetarian option), dark green leafy vegetables and dried apricots. A excellent cheating trick is to cook in cast iron pots â?? it will honestly raise the iron content of your meals! And for maximum iron absorption, drink orange juice with your iron-rich meals.

Epicatechin:

This sounds too excellent to be right: chocolate could improve your memory! Letâ??s not get too excited yet â?? although studies have shown that epicatechin (a chemical that can be found in chocolate, tea, grapes and blueberries) can improve the memory of mice, it has not yet been proven to also work on humans. Weâ??ll wait nervously for the results of that one!

Zinc:

If you thought zinc was only used for roofing, reckon again: over 100 enzymes in your body depend on zinc to work well! It has been recently learned that zinc is necessary for the excellent functioning of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that deals with memory: a test made on seventh-graders showed that those who took zinc supplements over a few months performed better on memory tasks and had a longer attention span. Anything that improves a seventh graderâ??s attention span must be worth a try! If you want your memory to be better than Annette_15â??s, try eating more meat and seafood. Eggs and milk also supply you with zinc, but in smaller amounts, and you can also get some by eating whole-grain products, pumpkin seeds, miso soup and black-eyed peas.

Sage:

OK, sage is not a chemical, but it has been proven to improve memory nearly immediately after consumption! Clinical tests with young adults (18-37 years ancient) showed that those who took sage oil capsules remembered word lists better than those who didnâ??t. Capsules are fine, but sage is a deliciously flavored herb, and you can work it into quite a few recipes that are bound to impress… and to be remembered!

Weâ??ll give you some yummy thoughts to work these brain-healthy foods into your diet in an upcoming article.