Brain health and diet

Your gut and brain are governed by the same two proteins - occludin and zonulin - that control the permeability of your brain and your gut. When your protective blood-brain barrier is damaged it can lead to increased inflammation levels that have been linked to brain fog, depression, anxiety, and more.

There are many things that can lead to a damaged blood-brain barrier but one of the most offensive is a poor diet. If you are constantly fueling your body with inflammatory foods, your gut and brain are going to be left defenseless.

And that’s just one way your diet contributes to poor brain health. The other way is by not getting enough of the nutrients your brain needs to thrive. Your brain requires a specific set of nutrients that facilitate the growth of new brain cells to improve memory, cognition, and more. 

One example of this is healthy fats. Your brain is actually 60% fat and contains more cholesterol than any other area of your body. Therefore, it only makes sense that you would want to fuel your brain with the very thing it is made of instead of depriving it.

The best foods for brain health

So what foods help repair the brain? It all starts with choosing foods that contain nutrients that fuel specific pathways in the body involved in optimal brain function instead of damaging, inflammatory foods. While this is certainly not a comprehensive list, these are my favorite staple foods that I try to incorporate on a regular basis into my own life and my patients’ lives to enhance cognitive function.

1. Wild-caught fish

Instead of depriving your brain of its very makeup, look for foods high in essential fatty acids like wild-caught fish. Salmon and sardines are some of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids which are necessary for nerve growth and brain function.

2. Eggs

The incredible edible egg may have gotten a bad rep in the past but it’s one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat for brain health! Eggs are high in choline, (1) which is responsible for facilitating the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and supporting cell-membrane signaling.

3. Walnuts

In general, most nuts are great for brain health but walnuts stand apart from the rest due to their high alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) content - a type of omega-3 fatty acids. ALA from walnut consumption has been shown (2) to alleviate oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Hemp hearts

While healthy fats are necessary for optimal brain health, the ideal ratio is 1:1 of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. An imbalance of omega-6 fatty acids can lead to unwanted inflammation. That’s why I love hemp hearts because they are the only plant-based food that has a perfect 1:1 ratio and the same omega 3:6 ratio as fish oil. 

Even if you aren’t plant-based, hemp hearts are great to add to your diet as they are just generally higher in healthy fats with 6 times more omega 3s than tuna and 14 grams of fat per serving. Plus, hemp hearts are high in magnesium - a common nutrient deficiency - that plays a significant role in learning and memory. (3) 

5. Avocados

As we mentioned above the combination of healthy fats and magnesium are a powerhouse duo for brain function and avocados are abundant in both. You don’t have to tell me twice to load up on avocado toast and guac!

6. Coconut oil

This amazing food contains the best possible fat for brain health: medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs. One study (4) found that medium-chain triglycerides improved cognitive function among older folks with memory problems and Alzheimer’s disease. The amazing thing about this study was that cognitive function improved almost immediately following ingestion of the medium-chain triglycerides, not just after continued use.

7. Functional mushrooms

Lion’s mane mushrooms are also a top choice of mine due to their uber-powerful nerve growth factors (NGFs) that help to regenerate and protect brain tissue. Research has shown that cognitive function improves with the addition of this adaptogenic mushroom. (5)

8. Turmeric

This bright yellow spice is abundant in curcumin, the active compound that has been connected to improved brain health due to its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Not only is curcumin able to enhance memory (6) in cases of Alzheimer’s, it can also boost (7) brain-derived neurotrophic factor that facilitates the growth of new brain cells.

9. Blueberries

Blueberries are rich in antioxidants that fight against inflammation and oxidative stress. The antioxidants in blueberries have been shown (8) to protect your brain against neurodegenerative diseases by increasing communication between brain cells with multiple studies confirming their ability to improve memory in both children and adults. (9)

10. Green tea

Yet another reason to love green tea, this beverage is high in protective antioxidants (10) as well as L-theanine, an amino acid that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and increase neurotransmitter activity. 

The Takeaway

There’s no doubt about how important your brain health is to your everyday life. By being proactive in our choices today, including the foods we eat on a daily basis, we can ensure better brain health and function for years to come.

If you are struggling with brain fog, depression, anxiety, or other brain health problems and feel like you’ve reached a plateau with your healing, check out our telehealth functional medicine consultation.

In my telehealth functional medicine clinic, we go the extra mile to uncover all areas of your health that can be contributing to your brain health problems. We run extensive labs to discover what is happening underneath the surface and take lifestyle and diet into consideration when putting together a plan to overcome brain health problems.

Even though brain health problems can be overwhelming, we aim to walk with you on your journey to better health, naturally.

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe.

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