A nutritious diet rich in “brain foods” is essential for optimal health. Brain health affects everything from memory and other cognitive abilities to your ability to perform daily activities, maintain balance and process emotions. It affects how well you respond to pain, pressure and temperature, too.
“Brain health is a critical piece of our overall health, underlying our ability to communicate, make decisions, problem solve and live a productive and useful life at all ages,” says Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D., director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and author of Brain Food.
Fortunately, the best brain foods are readily available at most grocery stores and easy to incorporate into your daily diet. FEATURED PARTNER OFFER Partner Offers feature brands who paid Forbes Health to appear at the top of our list. While this may influence where their products or services appear on our site, it in no way affects our ratings, which are based on thorough research, solid methodologies and expert advice. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services Onnit Alpha BRAIN On Onnit's Website
Brain Food: Important Nutrients for Cognitive Health
Incorporating foods into your diet that supply your body with key vitamins, essential fats and high-quality protein is crucial to keeping your brain healthy.
“As a society, we are familiar with the notion that the foods we eat have an effect on the way we look,” says Mosconi. “But the nutrients contained in those same foods also become the very fabric of our brains, therefore impacting not only the way we look, but also the way we think and feel.”
The best brain foods to add to your diet contain important nutrients, including:
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids provide calories for energy and help the heart, lungs, immune system, blood vessels and hormone-producing glands function properly. Research suggests consuming enough omega-3s may also lower a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia[1]Omega-3 Fatty Acids. National Institutes of Health. Accessed 4/1/2022. .
Omega-3 fatty acids are plentiful in certain fatty fishes and other seafoods. Omega-3s are also abundant in walnuts, seeds, plant-based oils and some brands of fortified eggs, juices, yogurt, milk and soy beverages.
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Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is found naturally in many foods, including fish, organ meats like beef liver, starchy vegetables like potatoes and non-citrus fruits. Vitamin B6 plays a crucial role in cognitive development and helps maintain normal levels of hom*ocysteine, an amino acid in the blood that, in high levels, has been linked to the development of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
“Vitamin B6 helps synthesize dopamine and serotonin,” says Paula Doebrich, a registered dietician and owner of Happea Nutrition in New York. “Dopamine, which is associated with pleasure and motivation, communicates with brain cells and makes them act in a euphoric way.”
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Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is necessary for protein metabolism. This vitamin also helps form red blood cells and maintain the central nervous system. Foods that naturally contain vitamin B12 include eggs, milk and milk products, fish, meat and poultry. Fortified breakfast cereals can also be a good source of vitamin B12. It’s important to eat a variety of food types to provide the brain with optimal amounts of B vitamins.
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Vitamin K
Vitamin K has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps brain cells to proliferate and survive. Some research suggests there may be a direct correlation between levels of vitamin K and cognitive performance[2]Alisi L, Cao, R, De Angelis, C, et al. The Relationships Between Vitamin K and Cognition: A Review of Current Evidence. Frontiers in Neurology. 2019;10(239):1023. . Vitamin K is found mainly in green leafy vegetables.
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Best Foods for Brain Health
A diet rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients helps protect the brain from oxidative stress and inflammation, says Mosconi. Oxidative stress is a process that can cause cell damage and is linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
“The brain can become inflamed like the rest of the body,” says Mosconi. “Chronic, low-grade inflammation can negatively impact brain structure and function, raising the risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other brain degenerative diseases.” Low-grade inflammation is a common response to disease that can chronically affect areas throughout the body.
Eating for brain health is easy since most brain-enriching foods are readily available at your local grocery store. Below are some of the best foods to incorporate into your diet to maximize brain health.
Fatty Fish
Fatty fish contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which fight brain inflammation. Some of the best fatty fish for brain health include:
- Salmon
- Herring
- Sardines
- Tuna
- Mackerel
“Chronic inflammation impacts the brain just as much as any other system in the body and contributes to poor mood,” says Doebrich. “Seafood is the best way to get omega-3 fatty acids, but they are also found in nuts and seeds or some oils.”
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Leafy Greens
Leafy greens, such as spinach and kale, are rich in B vitamins, have antioxidant qualities and are excellent sources of vitamin K, lutein and beta-carotene. Eating leafy green vegetables daily may also help maintain brain health as you age.
Additional leafy greens include:
- Cabbage
- Bok choy
- Collard, mustard and other dark greens
- Lettuce and salad greens
To add servings of leafy green vegetables to your daily diet, steam them or add them to soups, scrambled eggs, omelets and salads.
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Berries
Blueberries are packed with flavonoids, plant compounds that may help lower risk for cognitive decline, cancer, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Other berries with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities include:
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Blackcurrants
- Chokeberries
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Walnuts
Walnuts have a significantly higher omega-3 fatty acid content than almonds, peanuts or pistachio nuts. Eat a handful of walnuts as a snack, and add them to salads, oatmeal and other foods to boost your omega-3 intake easily.
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Turkey and Chicken
Turkey and chicken contain tryptophan, a protein used to make serotonin and melatonin. “Serotonin influences mood while melatonin is responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle,” says Doebrich. “The two hormones help us feel better by regulating mood and helping us get better sleep.” Naturally, better sleep can lead to better cognitive function in both the short and long term.
Turmeric
This bold yellow spice is loaded with curcumin, a compound that contains powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and supports healthy memory. Turmeric is a mainstay of Indian and other Asian cuisines. Try adding it to vegetable and meat stir-fry dishes.
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Plant-Based Oils
Flaxseed oil contains the highest level of omega-3 fatty acids essential for brain health among all plant-based oils. Other oils high in omega-3s include canola oil and soybean oil. Olive oil also contains omega-3s but in a significantly smaller amount.
Use flaxseed oil for dips and salad dressings but never for frying or sauteing. Flaxseed oil has a low smoke point, the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke and lose its nutritional value.
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Coffee
Caffeine has vasodilating (widening of blood vessels) effects, increasing blood flow to all your body’s organ systems, including the brain. Coffee beans also contain the antioxidant hydrocinnamic acid, says Mosconi.
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Dark Chocolate and Raw Cacao
Dark chocolate contains antioxidants and flavonols, a plant compound that protects against cell damage and helps fight inflammation. Consuming dark chocolate is linked to better brain function and improved memory, according to research[3]The Benefits of Having a Healthy Relationship with Chocolate. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Accessed 4/1/2022. . For best results, stick with a 1-ounce serving of dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao content or raw cacao.
“Raw cacao (cocoa) is a rich source of theobromine, an antioxidant with vasodilating effects, which means it improves blood flow to the brain,” says Mosconi. “Hot chocolate made with raw cacao powder, hot water and unsweetened plant-based milk like almond or oat milk is a good way to give your brain a quick energy boost.”
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