Boost Your Brain Health with These 30 Everyday Foods

29. Sardines

Sardines, the small fish that everyone loves to hate. But wait, they're actually pretty darn healthy! Just like salmon, tuna, and halibut, sardines are chock-full of nutrients. And they won't break the bank like those other fancy fish. Plus, because they're tiny, sardines have less chance of soaking up nasty toxins. Unlike their big fish friends, who accumulate toxins just by being old and hungry. We're not saying stop eating fish altogether, just go for the wild-caught kind when possible.

But back to those little sardines. Did you know that they can even activate your brain? Yup, tests have shown that sardine oil gets your cerebral cortex fired up. And that's the part of your brain that's responsible for all the important stuff: memory, attention, language, and thinking. Keeping it active can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. And if that's not enough to convince you to give sardines a try, they're also packed with brain-boosting Omega-3s, selenium, calcium, and phosphorus. These fancy minerals do all sorts of good things for your body, like reducing inflammation, helping your nerves talk to each other, and keeping your brain healthy.