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• Green leafy vegetables- Leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, or coriander are rich sources of iron that are associated with improving oxygen delivery to your brain. Hence, it is important to include green veggies in your diet and consume a bowlful of these every day.
• Nuts- Consuming a handful of nuts daily can have a remarkable impact on your heart health, and a healthy heart is linked to a healthy brain. Nuts provide healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamin E, all of which contribute to improving your cognitive functions.
• Iodine: Get your iodine through Himalayan sea salt, kelp, and unprocessed table salt.
• Turmeric- This deep-yellow spice is a key ingredient in Indian cuisine and comes with a lot of benefits. Curcumin, an active component of turmeric, helps improve your memory and boosts the growth of brain cells. It also helps in preventing age-related decline and memory loss, thereby improving your mental acuity.
• Carotenoids and Flavonoids: These antioxidants can be ingested through yellow and orange fruits and vegetables. Examples include corn, guava, mangoes, mustard, collard greens, pumpkin, squash, tangerines, and watermelon.
• Fatty fish- Around 60% of your brain is made of fat, and half of that fat is of omega-3. Hence, it is important to consume rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, trout, cod, oysters, and sardines. They form an excellent choice for brain health and helps in improving your mental sharpness. 
• Dietary Lipids: If you’re a fan of fatty fish, you’re in luck. Salmon, mackerel, and cod play a huge role here, as well as eggs, avocados, and non-hydrogenated oils.
• Vitamin C and D- While all vitamins are essential for your body, vitamin C and vitamin D play a significant role in preventing your cognitive decline and keeping your mental health in place. They help fight off the radicals that damage your brain and support your mental acuity as you age. You can get these vitamins by incorporating oranges, guavas, tomatoes, kiwis, and berries into your diet. You should also take a sunbath for a natural intake of vitamin D.

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2) Get more sleep

With an ever-increasing workload, your sleep hygiene has taken a hit. You might often stay up late to work on an important project thinking to achieve more, but in the long run, this leads to a lack of sleep, creating an adverse impact on your mental health. A lack of proper sleep can cause obesity, heart disease, and alzheimers.  With a good night’s sleep, your cognitive performance is restored, and your brain functions smoothly. If you are serious about increasing your mental sharpness, you need to prioritize your sleep time.

Wondering how to improve your sleep quality? Switch off all the lights, create a dim space, put away all your electronics and gadgets, keep a pleasant room temperature, and unwind yourself completely. Also, do not consume caffeine many hours before bed time. Research has varied to 6-8 hours before bedtime. Here are some better options to stay awake without caffeine. And just like caffeine, make sure to not workout 4-6 hours before bedtime, as your energy levels can increase after a workout, thereby increasing the time it will take to fall asleep. By doing this, you can get rid of all the distractions and prepare your mind for a quality sleep.

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3) Regular workout

Regular exercise can make your body healthy and strengthen your mind. When you work out, your body releases a hormone called dopamine, which makes you feel good and gives a natural boost to your brain. Workouts can help reduce stress, elevate your mood, and even lower your risk of chances of getting depression. Moreover, it can help maintain mental acuity in midlife and reduce the risk of dementia. Any different types of workout will help here, from HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), to weight training, to aerobic exercises such as walking and running, or even breathing exercises including meditation and yoga. Exercise is also helpful in increasing blood flow to the brain.

4) Practice meditation

Similar to physical fitness, it is also important to devote time to mental wellness. Practicing meditation on a regular basis gears your brain and memory cells. Meditation is known to increase your cognitive functions and stimulate your abilities to concentrate and focus on work. When you practice a quick meditation session daily, you can prepare your brain for an improved mental health. Meditation is known to help in age-related mental decline and prevents your brain cells from damaging. Additionally, deep mediation can also reduce your stress and anxiety and keeps you positive throughout the day.

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5) Puzzles and games

Now here’s a fun way to keep your brain sharp. There are quite a few games that you may have played in the past, or play today that help boost memory, focus, and overall cognitive function. These games include solving puzzles like jigsaw or Sudoku, playing Chess or card games, solving Rubik’s cube, or learning a new skill. When your brain is involved in these games, it activates your brain cells and keeps them healthy. They create a healthy impact on boosting your brain’s visual and auditory processing. Additionally, playing music, taking a new route to work, or in your regular walk, and learning a new language are great ways to boost your mental acuity.

6) Micronutrients

There are quite a bit of micronutrients that we may miss, no matter how consciously we are eating. Therefore, supplements can make up for these deficiencies. Some good options will be Fish oil, Gingko Biloba, and Ashwagandha. Fish oil keeps stress under control and improves serotonin levels. Gingko Biloba is a natural anti-oxidant helpful for improving mental acuity. Ashwagandha can help your body manage stress, can boost brain function, lower blood sugar levels, and help fight symptoms of anxiety. Visiting a functional and integrative medicine doctor who can help you discover which ones work best for you is recommended.