{"id":178717,"date":"2025-08-27T03:34:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T03:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/178717\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T03:34:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T03:34:16","slug":"what-are-the-best-foods-for-a-healthy-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/178717\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Best Foods for a Healthy Brain?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is there a way I can eat that protects my brain as I age?<\/p>\n

When I speak with neurologists about how to keep our brains healthy as we get older, their advice is to \u201cexercise regularly, sleep deeply and eat well.\u201d I would like to add that it\u2019s also important to be socially, emotionally and intellectually active. But for now, let\u2019s focus on your question and look at how diet can nourish and protect your brain.<\/p>\n

According to one 2017 AARP survey, people who ate well-balanced, nutritional meals also reported better brain health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Clearly, what we put on our plates plays a powerful role in reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. I\u2019m thinking of the MIND diet<\/a>\u00a0in particular, which stands for (hold on, it\u2019s a mouthful!) the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. Created by scientists at Chicago\u2019s Rush University Medical Center, its meal plans are basically a combination of the familiar Mediterranean diet and DASH<\/a> (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), a diet specifically designed to lower blood pressure.<\/p>\n

What foods are in the MIND diet? For starters, berries, green leafy vegetables and nuts.\u00a0 \ufeffGood science back\ufeffs it up.<\/p>\n

A 2025 study of people ages 45 to 75 found that those who closely followed the MIND diet were less likely to develop dementia<\/a> than those who didn\u2019t adhere to the plan. The diet recommends plenty of berries, especially blueberries<\/a>, which are a great food for your brain. Berries, rich in flavonoids and antioxidants, help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in our brain. And make sure to eat plenty of fresh greens. They provide essential nutrients such as lutein and folate, which are linked to better cognition.<\/p>\n

\"spinner<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/p>\n

Ask Dr. Adam<\/b><\/p>\n

Adam B. Rosenbluth, M.D., is an internist and cardiologist in New York City. Each Monday, he\u2019ll weigh in on your questions about how to make your body work better for you. His AARP book will be published in 2027.\u00a0Join in on the conversation on social media @dradamrosenbluth to learn to move the needle on your personal health in an achievable way.<\/p>\n

Email your questions for Dr. Adam to dradam@aarp.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Snacking on nuts<\/a> is also a big brain booster. A study published this year found that adults 50 years and older who regularly ate nuts had a 68 percent lower likelihood of cognitive impairment than those who didn\u2019t. My personal favorite is almonds; in fact, I\u2019m chewing on them now. Walnuts and cashews are also terrific choices. Keep in mind that nuts are high in minerals but also high in calories.\u00a0 In general, you\u2019ll want to limit your snacking to a handful of around 10 nuts.<\/p>\n

Omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA found in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines, are crucial for brain cell membranes. People who regularly eat fatty fish have a 30 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a> compared to those who eat little or none, according to one important study. Healthy fats reduce inflammation and promote neuroplasticity, which is the brain\u2019s ability to adapt and change through life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is there a way I can eat that protects my brain as I age? When I speak with…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":178718,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[101144,101143,101141,101142,210,67837,1182,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-178717","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-ask-dr-adam","9":"tag-brain-health-diet","10":"tag-brian-health","11":"tag-foods-for-brain-health","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-mind-diet","14":"tag-nutrition","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115098633308502428","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}