A great diet is the key to a strong and healthy mind.
By incorporating various foods that improve memory into your daily meal plan, it’s possible to experience noticeable gains in overall cognitive power, including memory function.
These are not simply folk remedy cure-alls. Today, our understanding of how neurochemistry works to create memory function allows us to use food proactively as a targeted memory booster.
The following is an easy guide to which foods are great for boosting your memory, including the science behind each selection. The cognitive effects of these common foods to improve memory can also be amplified by supplementing the active ingredients. You may even find that you already incorporate some or all of these items in your daily diet.

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Best Foods for Improving Memory
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1. Beef Liver
As it turns out, one of the best all-around foods that improve memory has become far more rare on U.S. dinner tables.
Beef liver, once a common meal for American families, has increasingly become thought of an old fashioned and unhealthy form of animal protein. It rarely appears on restaurant menus, except as a gourmet delicacy.
This is too bad from a mental health perspective, because beef liver is one of the most powerful brain boosting foods on Earth. Beef liver is an effective cognitive enhancer because it dramatically boosts levels of choline, and in turn the neurotransmitter it becomes, acetylcholine.
Acetylcholine, more than any other natural neurochemical, is responsible for improved memory formation and recall, along with a host of other important cognitive functions, such as concentration and reaction to stimuli. It even plays a role in mood regulation and is sometimes recommended as a natural treatment for depression.
Abundant acetylcholine levels can be achieved via supplementation through common foods like beef liver. In the modern era, we can supplement specifically for choline without eating any animal products. Many of the most powerful nootropic brain enhancement supplements on the market work to boost levels of acetylcholine and its effects.
2. Fish and Omega 3 Fatty Acids
When it comes to cell metabolism, cell membrane integrity, and anti-aging protection, omega 3 fatty acids can’t be beat. These fats, which the body cannot produce on its own, are essential for regulation of cholesterol and a host of other circulatory effects. They also have been shown to dramatically improve memory function, especially in older adults.
Though scientists are not exactly sure how it works, the specific compound docosahexanoic acid (DHA) has been identified as the most beneficial for memory. It can be found in most fresh fish, one of the top foods that improve memory. If you don’t have access to fresh fish frequently, Omega 3s can be taken in pill form. In addition to fish oils, Phenylalanine and Uridine are other supplements which work well with DHA and EPA.
3. Berries and Flavonoids
Flavonoids are natural plant pigment compounds which occur abundantly in all kinds of berries. They play an important role in the formation of long term memory, also known as long term potentiation. They do this by activating neurotrophic factor, a growth hormone in the brain. Flavonoids also have strong anti-oxidant qualities, protecting cells from oxidative damage. This also plays a role in memory protection.
As we age, neurons and synapses decay and sustain damage. Our ability to grow more neural structures like these diminishes, leading to the loss of long term memory and the inability to form new long-term memories.
Anti-oxidants like the ones found in blueberries can prevent this damage from taking hold. This fruit contains high levels of the memory-enhancing nutrient Pterostilbene. For this reason, blueberries are considered great foods that improve memory.
Flavonoids can also be found in green tea, which is why this beverage is also considered a memory booster. Grape seed extract, a common household immunity supplement, also contains flavonoids and can be a strong memory booster if taken regularly.
4.Coffee and Caffeine
Though it is often the source of controversy in the holistic health community, caffeine is also known to be a strong memory aid. Most people consume caffeine regularly in the form of coffee or tea beverages.
The controversy usually stems around the unpleasant side effects that accompany heavy caffeine use, such as jitters, heart issues, withdrawal, and dependency. Supplementing with L-Theanine can reduce these effects.
Caffeine can improve short term memory and long term memory, or no – depending on which study you read. Opinion and research are sharply divided upon whether or not caffeine improves recall, working memory and LTP.
For every study which advocates caffeine, there is another which discounts it. Anyone who is serious about finding daily foods that improve memory would probably want to look elsewhere, and simply enjoy their coffee for flavor and energy.
Checklist: Other Foods that Improve Memory
In addition to the above, here are more foods that improve memory which should be in everyone’s diet:
- Avocado (Omega 3/Omega 6)
- Coconut oil (medium chain triglycerides)
- Broccoli (calcium/vitamin C)
- Dark chocolate/cacao (flavonols)
- Spinach (folate and vitamin E)
- Tomatoes (lycopene)
What are the right quantities of these foods and vitamins for optimum memory function? That’s a great question. Really, there are no quick fixes when it comes to improving cognitive health via food sources. You really need to incorporate these foods into your diet over many years – even decades – to reap the results.
For more focused memory boosting, these foods can be augmented with some simple daily supplementation with nootropic vitamins.
There are compounds which boost brain chemistry just like foods that improve memory, in order to produce cognitive enhancement. While there are many elaborate combinations of nootropics employed for memory, most people start with a basic brain supplement like Piracetam.
This widely used compound enhances memory by activating acetylcholine effects naturally and safely. Top it off with a handful of blueberries each morning and you’re on your way to superior memory function.
Article last updated on: April 25th, 2018 by Nootriment