It’s effective at improving memory and cognition, and reducing anxiety.Īnd research shows that bacopa increases BDNF in rats that are undergoing chronic stress (60). I sometimes take rhodiola to boost my mood and energy when I’m working really hard. Rhodiola is one of my favourite adaptogenic herbs, and it’s been shown to increase BDNF expression in the brain (59). They increase your resilience to physical and mental stress, calm you down, or increase your energy, depending on what your body needs. I usually rotate between them.Ĭooked and cooled white rice and potatoes also contain some resistant starch.Īdaptogens are plants and herbs containing bioactive compounds that can support your brain.

Other high-quality resistant starches include banana flour, plantain flour and waxy maize. I discussed prebiotics and resistant starch in this previous article. It has to stay raw though, so don’t cook it. It is bland so you can simply add it to beverages, smoothies and meals. It's one of the easiest and cheapest ways to incorporate more resistant starch into your diet. Resistant starch is one of the most potent ways to boost your prebiotic intake.Ī convenient way to incorporate more resistant starch into your diet is by using Unmodified Potato Starch. These foods are included in my free grocery shopping guide for optimal brain health and you should try to eat them as much as possible. Prebiotic-rich foods include sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, asparagus and squash. Prebiotics are substances that humans can't digest, so they pass through our gastrointestinal tract and promote the growth of many different strains of good bacteria in our lower bowel.Įssentially, they are food for the good bacteria in our intestines.īacteria convert prebiotics into butyrate, a substance that has been shown to increase BDNF (43, 44) And by doing so, you can reverse depression and protect yourself from Alzheimer’s disease (46-50, 31, 64-65, 67).Īfter suffering two concussions, living in a moldy house, and falling into a deep depression in 2010, I started searching far and wide for ways to boost BDNF and heal my damaged brain.īelow are 31 ways that significantly helped me, and they likely will help you too. Research suggests that if you struggle with mental illness or poor brain function, you likely have reduced levels of BDNF. But luckily, there are ways to boost it. In fact, many researchers consider it a natural antidepressant (12-17, 66). One way to do this is by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor, also known as BDNF.īDNF is a naturally-occurring protein in the brain that improves brain function and lowers your risk of mental disease.īDNF protects and repairs your brain cells, increases the growth of new brain cells, and improves learning, memory and mood. Just like some people are able to drop massive amounts of weight and never gain it back, you can drop your chronic depression, anxiety and poor cognition and never have it consume you again.

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