Eating for your brain health

What’s on our plates can play an important role in our brain health. Food has the power to protect brain cells from damage, reduce inflammation, and improve how our brain cells communicate to our body. Accredited Practising Dietitian Laura Thomas unpacks the best diet for supporting our brains and her top tips for adopting brain-healthy eating habits.

What is the best diet for brain health?

Two of the main diets associated with brain health are the Mediterranean diet, and the lesser-known MIND diet.

The MIND diet is an acronym, and it stands for the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.

“Put in more simple terms, what that means is it essentially combines the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. The DASH diet was put together as a diet to reduce high blood pressure and, both of these diets together, create an eating pattern that studies show positively support our brain health,” explains Laura Thomas.

“(These diets) focus on, quite heavily, things like leafy greens, berries, nuts, whole grains, legumes, beans, olive oil, fish. And in terms of things that play a lesser part are foods like our red meats, or processed meats, full fat dairy products and sweets and pastries.”

Thomas suggests you don’t necessarily need to follow a particular diet, though.

“It's not essential to follow a specific named diet such as the Mediterranean and MIND diet. A good diet for brain health is one that is prioritising fruit, vegetables, our whole grains, legumes and sources of good fats – which could be things like oily fish, extra virgin olive oil, avocados – because they are providing those essential nutrients that our brain needs to function well.”

The good news is eating for your brain health can support other parts of your body too.

“These are not just dietary patterns that support our brain health, but also our heart health, which is important to keep blood flowing to our brain – making sure that we are getting nutrients into our brain. These dietary patterns are really good for our guts as well, which has been linked to supporting our brain function and our mood as well,” explains Thomas.

5 top foods for brain health

Thomas shares her top 5 brain-loving foods:
 

1. Oily fish: such as salmon, sardines, or tuna should be eaten once or twice a week. If canned is all that’s available to you, Thomas says they still contain those all-important omega-3s.
2. Leafy green vegetables: like spinach and kale, even broccoli (although technically not leafy).
3. Berries: particularly blueberries, are a good source of antioxidants.
4. Nuts and seeds: Try different varieties for a range of brain-loving nutrients.
5. Whole grains: are a source of glucose that our brain thrives on as our main energy source. Things like brown rice, oats, and whole grain bread provide the long-lasting energy our brain really needs.

Should you be taking vitamin supplements for brain health?

There are endless bottles of vitamin supplements on the chemist and supermarket shelves touting improved cognition, mental clarity and mood-boosting qualities. And whilst Thomas says there is a place for supplements, she encourages speaking with your GP or dietitian before popping them in your shopping basket.

“Things like low vitamin D, B12 or folate, they can affect our brain with memory problems, low mood, tiredness. In these cases, taking a supplement to correct the deficiency could potentially help. But I do recommend speaking to your medical professional before you do take any of these supplements – more vitamins aren’t necessarily better for us.”

Thomas explained that the symptoms you’re experiencing could have an underlying medical cause or even be as simple as needing to drink more water.

“Brain fog, for example, has different causes as well. It could be… things like dehydration, chronic illness, low iron or thyroid issues.”

5 simple dietary changes to support your brain health

Looking after your brain health doesn’t have to be difficult. Thomas shares her favourite simple changes you can adopt to support your brain health.

Aim for a colourful plate at every main meal

“If your plate is brown, beige or white predominantly, then we know that we can make some improvements. Adding colour with foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds; those are the things that are going to provide those vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that our brain thrives on.”

Brain-friendly snacking

“Eat a handful of nuts or seeds as a snack, or add them to your yoghurt, cereal, baked goods.”

Enjoy healthy fats

“Use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and try to minimise or reduce the amount of butter that we use. Of course, you can still have some on your toast every now and then but consider substituting for avocado or some nut butters. Those can provide those sources of healthy fats that our brain really likes as well.”

Add leafy greens

“Adding those leafy greens can be really simple. You can add them in a sandwich, you can add them to a salad. Try adding them to some cooked pasta. You can add some spinach, wilt that in there – different things like that.”

Eat regularly

“Make sure that you're eating regularly. Your brain likes to be fuelled all day long, so we don't want to go long periods without eating. If you're feeling hungry, it's probably time for you to have a snack or a meal. Listening to those cues your body's telling you can be really helpful.”

As a dietitian, Thomas believes looking at what’s on your plate is a great place to start, but she also highlights that diet is just one factor in looking after your brain health.

“Getting enough sleep, exercise, managing stress, keeping our brains active, and being socially connected with others are really important factors that can contribute to our brain health overall.”
 

READ MORE: Why connection matters