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There’s a scientific explanation behind those annoying “ice cream headaches.”

Q: What exactly causes brain freeze? And here’s a better question — how do I prevent it from happening in the first place?

A: Ahhh, the dreaded brain freeze. I’ve experienced too many of those myself, unfortunately. The bad thing about ice cream headaches is that they hurt — a lot. The good thing about ice cream headaches is that they are usually over in a matter of seconds, or at most a couple minutes.

For me, they always seem to come on slowly, with the pain starting at a 3 and working its way up to an 8 or 9 almost instantaneously. (You can tell I’ve been questioned about my level of pain in the ER a time of two.) But they usually subside as quickly as they come, and thank God for that.

Read more: What causes brain freeze?

“Where are my keys?” “What was that person’s name again?” Memory glitches like these, though ordinary enough, can sometimes be an upsetting reminder that our memory may not serve us forever. If your brain function is not quite as sharp as it once was, here are 5 natural ways to protect your memory and boost your brain power, no matter what age you are!

Where does your memory go?
Most people over the age of 40 experience some memory loss. Our memory is facilitated by chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters; these messengers transfer information from one neuron to the next. Find out more about neurotransmitters in The Natural Health Dictionary. As we age, our levels of these chemical neurotransmitters are lowered, and a mild slowing down of the memory and thought processes can occur. Sometimes a glitch in memory is just reflecting physiological swings in the brain, which can be brought on by hormonal changes, reactions to environmental toxins, too much stress, or too little sleep. Emotional stress diminishes blood flow to the brain and stimulates production of the hormone cortisol, which is toxic to nerve cells in high quantities. Also, when plaque narrows the blood vessels, blood flow to the brain is reduced. All of these factors come into play and affect your brain function.

Read more: 5 Ways to Boost Brain Power!

For all of its wild popularity, caffeine is one seriously misunderstood substance. It’s not a simple upper, and it works differently on different people with different tolerances—even in different menstrual cycles. But you can make it work better for you.

Read more here: What Caffeine Actually Does to Your Brain

Compulsive eating of rich food triggers some of the same addiction-like responses in the brain as heroin, a study on rats suggests.

When U.S. researchers offered rats high-calorie foods such as bacon, sausage, cake and chocolate on top of their healthier but less appetizing chow, the animals overconsumed calories, quickly gained weight and continued to overeat — even when they knew they’d receive an unpleasant electric shock.

Read more here: Junk-food addiction may change brain

Someone once said “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are“.

It’s true that connections are being made all the time with the foods we eat and the way we feel, think, and behave.

The burning question is if eating certain foods makes you smarter, happier, or more able to constructively respond to stress.  The key lies in finding those food to help boots your brainpower.

Try these to help your mind

• Antioxidants: Foods and supplements containing antioxidants are known to boost your brain health as well as longevity. To get your share of antioxidants, look for darkly colored vegetables and fruits (blueberries). Green tea is a beverage jam-packed with antioxidants.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are found in all sorts of seafood. This includes salmon, halibut, and scallops. Omega-3′s have been linked to nerve cell regeneration and reduced brain inflammation.
• B vitamins: The B vitamin family is a rich source of food for your nervous system. The messages our brain sends back and forth between our nerves depend on B-complex vitamins, namely folic acid, vitamin B6, and choline. Foods filled with B-complex vitamins aren’t too hard to find. Folic acid can be found in dark green vegetables (spinach, asparagus, romaine lettuce, and turnip or mustard greens). Beans also contain folic acid. For a folic acid feats, try garbanzo or pinto. For choline, crack an egg, because egg yolks are rich in this . Other sources include soybeans, peanut butter, potatoes, and whole-wheat bread.
• Iron: Iron helps our blood to deliver oxygen to our body. Deficiencies in iron have been associated to all sorts of problems, including ADHD, learning disabilities, and lowered IQ. Our reasoning skills could benefit from foods that contain iron. You can easily find iron in foods like spinach, blackstrap molasses, lentils, tofu, broccoli, and brussel sprouts.
• Vitamin E: Some people can stave off mental decline with a daily crossword, Sudoku puzzle, or a few hours of ‘The Price Is Right’. Foods with vitamin E could also help keep you sharp! Vitamin E, especially taken along with vitamin C, has been linked to reduced cognitive decline with aging. The following foods are rich with vitamin E: mustard and turnip greens, spinach, and broccoli. And if green doesn’t do it for you, you can pop sunflower seeds, almonds, or olives for a dose of vitamin E.

Here are a few links that can help you with nutritional make-overs:

• Recipe makeovers: 5 ways to create healthy recipes
• Healthy Eating Makeover
• Overhaul Your Family’s Eating Habits

Contributed by Amy Toffelmire

A French epicurean once said, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” But can eating certain foods make you smarter, happier, or more able to constructively respond to stress? Could junk food lead to a junk attitude? Connections are being made all the time between the foods we eat and the way we feel, think, and act.

Did you know, for instance, that depression and aggression have been linked to diets that are high in harmful fats and low in beneficial fruits and veggies? Or that eating fish and seafood may reduce the risks of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease? Or that tea may bring on a calm yet alert state of mind?

Memory, alertness, and mood can all be impacted by your nutritional choices. And while intelligence and mental functions are complex and involve many bodily systems and processes, there are a few key nutrients that could help to boost your cerebral stamina.

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