Imagine a situation
where you have the memory of a
supercomputer. You can remember every word that you glance through once in
the dictionary. You can recall every person whom you have met till now by their
face, name and other details. You can solve all the complex arithmetic problems
in seconds without a calculator. You have the ability to solve every puzzle
that comes your way. You have a super-brainpower!
Situations such as
these are unreal and impracticable. However, there is always room for us to
improve our mental ability to reach a level close to the above scenario. A
person with a higher intellectual ability is always at an advantage as he has
more chances of promotions in jobs, better prospects of revenue in business, or
higher possibility of success in examinations.
With
the advancement of age and lack of proper exercise, our bodily organs age and
lose the vitality of their youth. The brain is no exception.
We all have experienced being unable to concentrate at the end of a long day,
or being frustrated when we realise back at home that some important shopping
items have been left out. Therefore, it is necessary for the brain to remain at
its peak performance throughout our life.
Fortunately, it is possible to enhance brainpower by
improving memory with the use of some simple tips, prescribed in the ancient
texts of Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda.
Ayurveda describes
three aspects to mental performance—dhi
(learning and comprehension), dhriti
(retention of knowledge), and smriti
(memory or recall). If each of these three factors individually is at its peak
and if coordination among them is also optimal, we can hope for the realisation
of the maximum mental potential.
In the paragraphs that
follow, we have put forward some of the tips to can help to boost brainpower by
increasing the three distinct types of memory: sensory memory, short-term
memory and long-term memory, in the light of Ayuveda.
Avoid Food without Chetna or Prana: From the Ayurvedic
perspective, the most healthy diet consists of whole food, eaten in as natural
a state as possible. Peeling or cooking is the only exception as this helps
increase digestibility and assimilation.
Food items that are frozen, canned, refined (so as to
denude the food of its nutritive value), genetically altered, grown with chemical
pesticides or fertilisers or processed with artificial colours, flavours, additives or preservatives, are not recommended by Ayurveda. Such food
lacks in Chetana (living intelligence) and Prana (vital life-energy) and will
disturb the intellect as well as the the coordination between the three aspects
of mental prowess—comprehension (dhi), retention (dhriti) and recall (smriti).
For the above reasons,
it is best to choose food products that are locally grown or
produced, are in-season, and are at the same time
organic, natural and sattvic. In case you happen to reside at a place where
very few locally grown food items are available, it is always better to import
items that are as fresh and natural as possible.
Eat a Wide Variety of Food: Eat a wide variety of food for balanced nutrition—whole grains, lentils and
pulses, vegetables, fruits, dairy, nuts, healthy oil or ghee, spices and pure
water. Ayurvedia recommends that you include all of the six tastes at each main
meal you eat—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Avoid aerated
drinks as they interfere with the absorption of nutrients by the body.
If you find yourself
eating the same dishes several times a week, or if you gravitate towards the
same food product every time you shop, make a resolve to start making your
meals an adventure. Every week, try at least a few new food items or fix
familiar dishes in new ways, so that both your taste buds and your digestion
are constantly exposed to some new stimuli.
According to Ayurveda,
each meal should be a feast for all of your eyes. When your plate reflects an
appealing variety of colours, textures, flavours and aromas, your digestive
juices start flowing freely in anticipation and your body, mind and heart are
all fulfilled by the eating experience.
Add a Little Fat and Some Proteins: Although
excessive intake of fats is considered harmful, do not count out fat entirely
from your diet since essential fatty acids are vital for our brain the solid
part of which is primarily composed of fat. The synapses in the brain that are
involved in creating and maintaining memories are formed from fats. As the body
does not produce fats, it is important for us to get them from external sources
such as our daily intake of food. Ayurveda prefers ghee (clarified butter) over
other forms of oils and fats. The use of almond oil too is good for your mental
health.
Similarly, protein is
also important for the brain as it stimulates the neurotransmitters that are
associated with memory. Therefore, eating natural food products containing
high-protein contents can improve verbal and non-verbal memory together with
mental flexibility. The list of high-protein food items may include soyabean,
all varieties of dals, gram and moong sprouts, milk, yogurt, cabbage,
cauliflower, broccoli, beet, carrots, celery, corn, cucumber, and endive. Since
Ayurveda advocates sattvic food, it is always better to get your proteins from
vegetarian food only.
Switch to Natural Antioxidants:
The brain is susceptible to damage by free radicals produced due to a variety
of factors such as stress, environmental pollution, bacteria and parasites,
prescription drugs, chemotherapy and radiation, smoking, alcohol, and exposure
to excessive heat or cold. Free radicals have been widely linked to disease and
aging. Antioxidants are, therefore, crucial for the effective functioning of
the brain. The best way to provide your system with antioxidants is through whole, uncooked plants in the form of
fruits, vegetables, sprouts, and algae such as spirulina, chlorella.
Naturally-occurring plant phytonutrients such as those from the maidenhair tree
(Ginkgo Biloba) are also good sources of antioxidants. Amalaki, the Indian
gooseberry, considered the richest natural source of vitamin C is one of the
best sources of antioxidants.