6大類食物改善你的記憶力

——Sera Filson

You』ve probably heard that certain foods can help your memory improve, and will allow you to think with better clarity.

        你可能聽說過一些食物能改善記憶力，使人的思路更清晰。

「But what foods are actually considered brain foods?」 you may ask.

        你會問：到底哪些是健腦食品呢？

Believe it or not, there are a copious amount of foods that protect your brain, improving how good it』ll work, and can even generate new brain cells.

        信不信由你，很多食物都有保護大腦、改善大腦的功能，甚至能使大腦產生新的腦細胞。

Yes, you read it right… new brain cells! You can still generate new brain cells–even when you』re an adult. A common myth recently espoused that brain cells quit occurring once you』ve reached adulthood, but reputable and prolific new research has debunked this myth. Regardless of how old you are, you can make new brain cells.

        對，能使大腦產生新的腦細胞。即使是成年人，腦細胞也能再生。近年來，人們一直以為成年以後，腦細胞就停止了再生。但是大量有說服力的研究表明不論你年庚幾何，你的大腦一樣會產生新細胞。

Keep in mind that all cells need nutrients to continue their growth. This means your brain needs foods that will give it the building blocks it needs to work right. When you have more neurons and connections within your brain, it means you have a stronger memory and your mind can work better.

        要記住，所有的細胞都需要營養來生長。這意味著大腦需要食物來為其正常工作提供營養基礎。大腦中的神經元越多，記憶力越好，思路越清晰。

Keep your life』s memories alive longer, and sharper than ever, with these six foods that will help keep your brain whole and healthy:

        想讓記憶力不減當年，頭腦敏銳靈光，下面6類食物將會使你的大腦保持健康活力。

1 – Build Your Brain: Healthy Fats

1—構建你的大腦：健康脂肪

The majority of the cell structure in the brain consists of healthy fats, including the most important healthy fats, called Omega-3 fatty acids. As the brain continues to fix itself and grow additional neurons, it needs a good amount of Omega-3s to be consumed.

        腦細胞細胞骨架主要是由脂肪構成的，這些脂肪包括最重要的健康脂肪：不飽和脂肪酸（歐米伽三脂肪酸）。隨著神經元的不斷生長，大腦需要補充大量的不飽和脂肪酸。

The best food sources to get your Omega-3 from, in order of importance, are:

        按重要性排序，富含不飽和脂肪酸的食品包括：

Salmon 

Albacore tuna 

Flaxseed oil 

Canola oil 

Walnuts 

Wheatgerm 

Eggs 

 

2 – Protect Your Brain: Antioxidants 

        鮭魚

        長鰭金槍魚

        亞麻籽油

        芥花籽油

        核桃

        麥胚

        蛋類

2—保護你的大腦：抗氧化劑

As people get older, substances called free radicals, which are floating through the bloodstream, will break down the brain cells. If you don』t put up a fight, you』ll experience loss of memory as you age. However, there are a good deal of antioxidant food sources to choose from. Antioxidants will merge with these free radicals, turning them harmless. Make sure you eat foods that have this healthy food source. Several good sources of antioxidants include:

        隨著年齡的增長，浮游在腦血管中的自由基會摧毀腦細胞。如果你不防護，記憶力就會減退。好在我們有大量的抗氧化食物。抗氧化劑與自由基融合，使自由基失去攻擊能力。多吃些抗氧化劑的食品將會保護你的大腦。這類健康食品包括：

Blueberries (other berries too) 

        藍莓以及其他莓類

Broccoli 

        西蘭花

Carrots 

        胡蘿蔔

Garlic 

        大蒜

Red grapes 

        紅葡萄

Spinach 

        菠菜

Soy 

        大豆

Tea 

        茶

Tomatoes 

        番茄

        穀類

Whole grains 

3 – Spark Your Brain: High Tyrosine Proteins

3—激發你的大腦：酪氨酸蛋白

Your brain doesn』t just have neurons, but also neurotransmitters, which are messengers that bring brain signals from one neuron to the next one. Your brain structure might be good, but if your neurotransmitters are insufficient, your brain won』t work right. Some parts of the neurotransmitters, like the tryptophan, are not able to be made by your body. Thus, you must consume food to get them. However, the body can make tyrosine, but you still need to get the proper foods into your diet.

        除了神經元，大腦還包含神經元遞質。神經元遞質是信使，它們將信息從一個神經元傳遞到另一個神經元。如果大腦神經元遞質不足，大腦雖看上去完好無缺，工作起來卻不怎麼靈光。有些神經元遞質（像色氨酸）是人體不能合成的，必須通過食物來補充。人體倒是能合成酪氨酸，不過我們仍需要通過合理膳食來獲得酪氨酸。

The greatest sources of food to boost your alertness, concentration, and energy are:

        富含酪氨酸的食物能讓你機敏靈活、精力集中、活力四射，這些食物包括：

Dairy products 

        奶製品

Eggs 

        蛋類

Seafood 

        海鮮

Soy 

        大豆

Don』t sabotage yourself, though. Rather, choose the varieties that are low in salt and unhealthy fats.

        不過也不要對這類食物不加選擇，還是要盡量吃低鹽低脂的。

4 – Hydrate Your Brain: Water 

4—充盈你的大腦：水

You already know that your body is made mostly of water. And you also know how easy it is to not consume much water and become dehydrated. Even a mild case of dehydration can reduce your mental energy and capacity, causing your memory to become impaired. You should drink at least four liters of water each day, or six to eight 8-ounce glasses.

        我們知道人體大部分是由水組成的，沒有充足的水分，很容易脫水。輕度脫水也會降低思維能力，損傷記憶力。所以每天至少要喝4升水；或者8盎司的杯子，每天喝6到8杯水。

5 – Brain Building Blocks: Vitamins & Minerals

5—腦建基礎：維生素和礦物質

There are certain kinds of vitamins and minerals that are necessary building blocks for your brain. Of course, you don』t want to become vitamin deficient. So the vitamins and minerals very important to brain functions include:

        有些維生素和礦物質對大腦來說非常重要。你當然不希望體內缺乏維生素。對腦功能最關重要的維生素和礦物質包括：

Vit. B6 

        維生素. B6

Vit. B12 

        維生素. B12

Vit. C 

        維生素. C

Iron 

        鐵

Calcium 

        鈣

Deficiencies of the above have been shown to cause learning impairment.

          缺乏上述物質會造成學習障礙。

But remember, there are many other nutrients you need, especially micronutrients, that are best found in food. The easiest way to get all your vitamins and minerals every day is to take a multivitamin. Yet it』s hard to find any one multi-vitamin that contains all your micronutrients, so don』t rely on multi-vitamins alone. And never take your vitamins on an empty stomach. No only does doing so often cause you to have an upset stomach, but taking them with food helps the digestive system better assimilate the, so your body (and brain) can better use them.

        不過，要記住，人體還需要其他的營養元素，尤其是微量營養素，微量營養素可在食物中獲得。要獲得每天所需維生素和礦物質，最簡單的方法是食用多種維生素劑。不過那種包含人體所需的全部微量營養素的多種維生素劑幾乎不存在，所以不要單純的依賴多種維生素劑。也不要空腹吃維生素，這會讓胃不適。而維生素和食物一起食用將會有利於消化系統對維生素的吸收，身體和大腦也就能更好的利用維生素。

6 – Regulate Your Fuel Supply: Fiber

6—控制能量的攝入：纖維

Most people don』t realize that fiber is important to the brain, but it』s extremely important. It can help with your brain functions because it can slow down sugar absorption. Your brain works on 100 percent sugar; however, it needs to be delivered steadily and in the proper amounts so as not to overload your brain.

        纖維對大腦來說是極其重要的，雖然大部分人都沒意識這一點。纖維可以減緩大腦對糖分的吸收，從而協助大腦工作。雖然大腦百分之百的依賴糖分，但是大腦需要的是糖分能穩定適量的運送，而不是過載給大腦帶來負擔。

True, fiber in itself might not be considered 『food,』 but you often get it through foods. Consuming a fiber-rich diet will slow down digestion and gradually release the sugar into your bloodstream.

        當然，纖維本身不是「食物」，但我們可以從食物中獲得。食用高纖維膳食將減緩消化，使糖分緩慢的釋放到血液中。

Foods that contain a good dose of fiber include:

        富含纖維的食物包括

Dried fruits – apricots, dates, prunes, raisins 

        果脯—杏脯、干棗、梅干、葡萄乾

Vegetables – broccoli, green peas, spinach 

         蔬菜—西蘭花、青豆、菠菜

Peas and beans – black-eyed peas, kidney beans, lima beans 

        豌豆和蠶豆—豇豆、四季豆、利馬豆

Nuts and seeds – almonds and flaxseed 

        堅果和種子—杏仁和亞麻籽

Whole fruit – avocadoes, kiwi, oranges, pears and skin-on apples 

        水果—鱷梨、獼猴桃、桔子、梨、蘋果（帶皮一起吃）

Whole wheat grains – barley, brown rice, etc. 

        穀物—大麥、糙米等等

That』s it! If you』re looking to improve your memory, consuming the foods above will help you. And remember, steer clear of a high-sugar, high fat diet to help keep your brain as healthy possible as you age.

        想要改善記憶力，食用上述食物吧。要記得遠離高糖高脂食物，即使年齡大了，腦袋也靈光。

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