Nutrition for Brain Health

Adopt a plant-forward diet emphasizing leafy green vegetables, berries, olive oil and other healthy fats, and minimal processed or refined foods. (Pillar: Nutrition)

The foods you put into your body hold incredible sway over the physiology of your brain, shaping not just your long-term dementia risk but your ability to accomplish every task on your daily To Do list. Mediterranean-style eating wins out again. But depending on risk factors, many women will need a few tweaks to maximize the prophylactic effects. The anti-inflammatory nature of Mediterranean nutrition is a boon to brain health, thanks to the synergy between antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and key anti-inflammatory compounds that abound in a plant-centric diet. Study after study has shown that eating this way preserves memory, prevents shrinkage in critical sectors of the brain, and slows amyloid deposition. Closely following the traditional Mediterranean protocol can reduce dementia risk by a quarter. 

Recommendations include:

An emphasis on good fats and very few saturated fats

Making olive oil (EVOO) your number one oil crowds out saturated fats like butter, margarine, lard, and palm oil—a swap that heavily factors into Mediterranean eating’s power to slash Alzheimer’s risk. Olive oil nourishes brain cells with its monounsaturated fatty acids and various phenolic compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It also triggers autophagy.

Besides EVOO, the Traditional Mediterranean Plan is heavy on other monounsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, avocados) and omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, walnuts, flax seeds). Omega-3s slow amyloid-β formation and increase brain functioning; just one weekly serving of fatty fish is enough to lower dementia risk. Your brain itself is about 60% fat, mainly DHA--the same omega-3 fat found in salmon and other fatty fish.

Loads of antioxidants 

These anti-inflammatory plant compounds cross the blood-brain barrier, physically entering the brain where they improve neuronal communication and neutralize memory-sabotaging free radicals created by stress, processed foods, and pollution. Several cognition-enhancing antioxidants exist. Different types tend to hang out in different Mediterranean foods, some of which nature has helpfully color-coded:

  • Anthocyanins 

    • Purple, red, and blue fruits and veggies like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sour cherries, black grapes, red apple, red cabbage, red pepper, eggplant

  • Catechins  

    • Tea, red wine, red and purple fruits (berries, apples, cherries, grapes, plums), cacao, lentils

  • Resveratrol

    • Grapes, berries, red and white wine, cacao, peanuts

  • Quercetin

    • Apples, grapes, dark berries, cherries, citrus, onions, sage, parsley, tea, red wine

  • Carotenoids

    • Orange and dark yellow produce like carrots, apricots, cantaloupe, mangoes, sweet potatoes, butternut and acorn squash, pumpkin, corn.

    • Leafy greens (spinach, kale, romaine, arugula) and broccoli.

  • Vitamin C

    • Citrus strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower)

  • Vitamin E

    • Leafy greens, avocado, asparagus, peppers, pumpkin, mango, cranberries, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, wheat germ

  • Magnesium 

    • Pumpkin and chia seeds, nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts), avocados, dark leafy greens (spinach, chard), brown rice, legumes (black beans, peas, lentils)

A little fat enhances absorption of carotenoids and vitamin E. Sauté leafy greens in olive oil; add avocados and salmon to salads; drizzle cooked sweet potatoes with EVOO-based dressing; wash down nuts and seeds with tea.

Minimal added sugar/processed/fried foods

While your brain depends on sugar as fuel, too much of it in the form of white or brown crystals or corn syrup may cause your brain to shrink. In a study of more than 4,000 people, daily consumers of sugary beverages like soda and fruit juice had poorer memory compared with those who eschewed such drinks, as well as smaller overall brain volume, especially in the hippocampus. Just one or two sweetened beverages a day speeds brain aging by almost six years. 

Ultraprocessed foods—typically loaded with sugar—are also culpable. Following nearly 11,000 dementia-free Brazilian adults between ages 35 and 74 for about eight years, researchers found a correlation between these foods and increased difficulty with memory, learning, and problem-solving. Cognitive and executive function decline quickened in those who got more than 20 percent of their calories from junk foods. Minimizing intake of these foods dampens inflammation and helps prevent insulin resistance, T2D, heart disease, and obesity, safeguarding cognitive wellness.

If one or more of your family members have been diagnosed with dementia, or you’re between 50 and 65, step up your prevention efforts by modifying the Mediterranean diet with several proven brain-defending upgrades. Which leads us to the next Rx:

If you are between the ages of 35 and 50 and have a family history of dementia, or if you are over 50 (regardless of family history), your Rx is the MIND Plan or the Keto-Modified MIND Plan. If you are overweight or have an unhealthy waist to hip ratio (at any age), incorporate personalized energy reduction, too.

The MIND Plan

The aptly named MIND diet was created in 2015 by researchers from Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center and the Harvard Chan School of Public Health who wanted to merge the cognition-preserving power of the Mediterranean diet with the heart- (and thus brain)-protective benefits of the DASH (Dietary Approach to Systolic Hypertension) diet. With some modifications based on what they called “the most compelling findings in the diet-dementia field,” the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet sets its sight on brain health by celebrating the following dietary elements:

  • Green, leafy vegetables: Aim for six or more servings per week (kale, spinach, collard greens, lettuce)

  • Other veggies: One additional vegetable a day besides leafy greens (carrots, broccoli, celery, peas, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes/tomato sauce, beets, potatoes, corn, zucchini, squash, eggplant)

  • Berries: At least twice per week (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

  • Nuts: Five or more servings a week

  • Beans: At least four servings per week (beans, lentils, soybeans)

  • Fresh fish: At least once per week (fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, trout, tuna, mackerel)

  • Poultry: At least twice per week (white meat chicken or turkey)

  • Whole grains: At least three servings daily (quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, 100% whole wheat bread)

  • Olive oil: Used as the main cooking oil

  • Wine: Wine is included as part of the MIND diet, limited to no more than one glass daily (preferably red and white). If you don’t currently drink, though, don’t start now just because wine is a part of this eating plan.

MIND eating limits these foods and food groups, all considered neurotoxic:

Red meat: No more than three servings per week (burgers, hot dogs, cured meats)

  • Cheese: Less than once per week. 

  • Pastries and sweets: Less than five servings per week

  • Fried and fast food: Less than once per week

  • Butter and stick margarine: Less than one tablespoon per day.

Strictly adhering to the MIND diet can lower the risk of future cognitive impairment by more than 50%. This staggering number demonstrates how a simple nutritional intervention is far more powerful than any dementia medication. But I think the following statistic is even more encouraging: Moderately adhering to this way of eating—meaning you follow the guidelines but aren’t super strict about it—can reduce future dementia odds by 35%.  

The MIND Diet includes:

  • Green Leafy Vegetables

    • ≥6 servings/week

  • Other vegetables

    • ≥1 serving/day

  • Berries

  • Nuts

    • ≥5 servings/week

  • Olive oil

    • Primary oil used

  • Butter, Margarine

    • <1 T/d

  • Cheese

    • < 1 serving/week

  • Whole grains

    • ≥3 servings/day

  • Fish (not fried)

    • ≥1 meals/week

  • Beans

    • >3 meals/week

  • Poultry (not fried)

    • ≥2 meals/week

  • Red meat and products

    • < 4 meals/week

  • Fried foods

    • <1 time/week

  • Pastries & Sweets

    • <5 servings/week

  • Wine

    • 1 glass/day

Here’s why the subtle yet critical adjustments that occur in the Mediterranean → MIND diet evolution matter:

Even more antioxidants from leafy green vegetables and berries

MINDful eating prioritizes leafy green vegetables and berries over other produce—and with good reason. Spinach, kale, and chard contain anti-inflammatory antioxidants linked with cognitive preservation. Add those greens to a smoothie with some berries and you’ll be golden; berries stimulate blood and oxygen flow to the brain, slowing age-related memory decline.

Brain-boosting berries 

Just one serving of blueberries or two servings of strawberries a week is linked with up to a 2.5-year delay in cognitive aging. 

The MIND plan also emphasizes non-starchy vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and peppers.

Even fewer pro-inflammatory foods, including saturated fats/red meat, cheese, and ultraprocessed foods, than the Mediterranean diet

On a per-week basis, the MIND diet includes less than four servings of red meat; less than one serving of cheese and fried food; less than five servings of pastries and sweets; plus less than one tablespoon of butter or margarine per day. 

If it’s good for the heart, it’s good for the brain

Heart health and cognitive functioning are strongly intertwined  

Pretty much anything that will help keep arteries healthy will reduce risk of dementia,” said Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Number to know: 19 years younger

Researchers from Rush University’s Memory and Aging Project recently published the results of nearly 600 autopsies performed on the brains of donors who had consented to annual blood draws and clinical evaluations in the years leading up to their deaths with the goal of helping medicine better understand the inner workings of cognitive decline and dementia. They found fewer aβ plaques and tau tangles in the brains of donors who followed the Mediterranean or MIND diet in the decade prior to death. The hero food? Leafy green veggies. 

The brain tissue of people who ate the most leafy greens—seven or more servings a week—looked almost 19 years younger in terms of plaque buildup compared with those who ate one or no servings a week.

Conversely, those who ate more sweets, pastries, and fried and fast foods had far higher levels of plaques and tangles in their brains compared to those who ate less.

Keto Modified MIND Plan

While ketosis has not traditionally been supported for midlife women’s brain health, recent research supports the potential of a Mediterranean Keto approach. 

The midlife female brain’s ability to use glucose falters, forcing it to rely on brain-formed ketone bodies for energy. Brain-formed ketones cause neuroinflammation, harming cognition.

Here's where a Keto-influenced dietary approach comes in. Ketosis deprives the body of glucose, forcing it instead to burn body fat for fuel and creating ketone bodies in the process. When this happens, the brain can grab onto those ketones for energy rather than creating its own out of brain matter. In other words, if you feed your brain ketones by sufficiently limiting carbohydrate intake, it takes the onus off the brain to create its own ketone bodies, thus reducing memory-wrecking inflammation and oxidative stress. 

Besides this improved energy efficiency, research suggests ketone bodies created by a healthy Keto diet have antioxidant effects.

Keto-style eating was created for brain health

Ketogenic nutrition was formally introduced in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy. Its anti-seizure effects are clear evidence of how intensely brain functioning can be impacted by very low-carb eating. (The Keto-based epilepsy protocol is 90% fat.) More recently, ketosis has been investigated as a possible treatment for migraines, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, aggressive brain tumors, and traumatic brain injury, and as a way to treat or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease. 

Multiple cognitive studies have shown the benefits of a healthy keto approach for long-term brain health. Some have even shown a cognitive boost within two hours of eating a single keto-friendly meal.

While a nearly all-fat diet may improve epilepsy, A healthy, brain-friendly take on MIND eating involves tweaking your macros. You’ll limit carbohydrates to less than 50 grams a day, focusing on heart-healthy unsaturated fats, plant-based protein, and low-GI vegetables for the bulk of your meals and snacks.

In summary:

To protect your brain and preserve and enhance cognitive function:

Follow the MIND diet and consider healthy Keto.