8 Foods to Avoid to Save Your Memory Naturally

Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is vital for a person's overall well being, as well as their memory. Eating the wrong foods could potentially harm your ability to recollect certain things.

Here are eight foods to avoid to save your memory naturally:

1. Processed cheeses including American cheese, mozzarella sticks, Cheez Whiz and Laughing Cow. According to Alzheimers.net, build up proteins in the body that have been associated with Alzheimer's Disease.

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2. Processed meats such as bacon, smoked turkey and ham contain nitrosamines, which cause the liver to produce fats that are toxic to the brain.

3. Microwave popcorn contains diacetyl, a chemical that may increase amyloid plaques in the brain. Research has linked a buildup of amyloid plaques to Alzheimer's Disease, reports Alzheimers.net.

4. Salty foods. A three-year study of more than 1,200 people found participants with the highest daily sodium intake and the lowest level of exercise performed poorer over time on cognitive tests than those with low sodium intake and an active lifestyle, according to RenegadeHealth.

5. Fast food. According to RenegadeHealth, animal studies showed fatty foods such as those served in fast-food restaurants damage the hypothalamus region of the brain, which produces hormones that control hunger, thirst, sleep, moods and other natural rhythms in the body. Rats and mice fed a high-fat diet had inflamed hypothalamuses after one day. After a short period of time in which the body tried to repair the damage, the inflammation persisted for eight more months until the end of the study.

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6. Sweets, pasta and other foods high in carbohydrates. High carb consumption causes a person's insulin to spike while forcing the insulin-degrading enzyme that exists in the brain to work overtime removing insulin rather than focusing on getting rid of beta-amyloid proteins, the toxic protein that produces Alzheimer's Disease, reports Forbes.

7. Artificial flavorings, artificial sweeteners and artificial colorings. Such foods pose a slight hazard to the health of an adult brain and the degree to which they harm the brain is actually intensified in younger children. .

8. Tofu. Though considered by many to be healthy, excessive tofu consumption may increase the risk of memory loss in the elderly, according to Forbes. A study out of Loughborough and Oxford universities of more than 700 Indonesian people ages 52 to 98 showed that those who ate tofu at least once a day, particularly those in their 60s, had an increased risk of dementia or memory loss.

This article is for information only and is not intended as medical advice. Talk with your doctor about your specific health and medical needs.

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