As we navigate life's daily challenges and annoyances, did you know what you eat can impact how you react to them or feel about them?
Your brain is the most important organ in your body. It controls everything from your breathing to your heartbeat to how your emotions and feelings. However, to work effectively, your brain needs the right fuel or nutrients from the food you eat.
The best food and nutrients for our brain are the same things that you’ve probably heard you should eat for your overall health. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, nuts, and seeds are among some of the best. They are all rich in nutrients that support our brain health.
Let’s take a look at how food impacts your brain and which foods are good for your brain health.
How Food Can Affect Our Brain Health
We are learning more and more every day that what we eat every day can significantly impact our brain health. Certain foods may improve our memory, help us focus, and even play a role in how we react to stress and even depression.
Nutrient-dense foods are the most important things to choose from, but some foods in particular have a big impact on your mood, emotions, and memory.
Working with my clients, I find that even making small changes in their diet, like swapping grilled fish for a fast-food meal or having a salad full of leafy greens with lean protein for lunch in place of deli meats that are loaded with dyes, nitrates, and unhealthy chemicals can often help improve their outlook and manage their emotions and stress.
These foods contain nutrients that act as traffic signals, basically telling the different hormones in your brain that control your emotions when they are needed and allow them to be released. Many of these foods also have nutrients that act like street sweepers, clearing out the gunk and keeping the communication pathway clear so the right messages can be delivered quickly.
What Foods Are Good For Your Brain?
While there are many healthy foods, there are some that seem to make the most difference. These seven foods are the ones I feel have the biggest impact on your brain health and your emotions.
BERRIES
When it comes to our mood, eating more colorful fruits and vegetables is one easy way to give ourselves a boost.
Berries are full of antioxidant nutrients called anthocyanins, which is what gives the berries their blue and red color. Blueberries and strawberries have some of the highest levels of these nutrients.
Eating more blueberries and strawberries, in particular, has been shown to help reduce inflammation, improve memory, and reduce plaque buildup in our brains. This helps keep those lines of communication open that can help send signals to regulate our moods and emotions.
This is why I suggest adding berries to your morning breakfast or enjoying them as a snack later in the day. A berry smoothie is a great way to add them to your daily routine.
LEAFY GREENS
Other colorful vegetables that can impact our mood are dark green leafy vegetables. These include spinach, kale, swiss chard, and dark green salad greens. In addition to the antioxidants lutein and Beta-carotene, (the nutrients that give these vegetables their dark green color), they also contain the vitamins A and K, and the B vitamin folate that helps to regulate those “feel good” chemicals in our brains.
The other critical nutrient in leafy greens is magnesium. People with consistently high-stress levels tend to have lower levels of magnesium.
Try tossing some baby spinach, arugula, or kale into a salad or mixing them into your morning eggs or smoothie.
SEAFOOD
We’ve talked about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, and seafood is one of the best sources of the types of omega-3s that are important for your brain.
These healthy fats help reduce inflammation in your brain and work to keep your brain and arteries clear of plaques that can block or slow down blood flow. They help keep the lines of communication open so messages and nutrients can travel easily.
They also play an important role in regulating mood and anxiety levels and possibly reducing stress. While we aren’t sure exactly how they help, researchers have found a link between low levels of omega-3s and higher rates of depression.
It is filled with B vitamins, iron, and antioxidants. Fattier fish, like salmon, tuna, and sardines also contain a lot of vitamin D as well. Nutrients that are all important for brain health.
One thing I do talk with my clients about is choosing the best types of seafood for brain health. While the nutrients in seafood are beneficial, some types of seafood can be a source of toxins or chemicals. This is largely due to pollution in our rivers, streams, and oceans, which causes a build-up of heavy metals, including methylmercury, PCBs, and other chemicals in larger, older fish. Many of these toxins have been linked to issues with brain health.
In general, larger fish like king mackerel, shark, and swordfish can be high in some of these heavy metals, and I recommend people avoid them. Smaller fish like sardines, salmon, cod, herring, skipjack tuna, and regular mackerel are better choices. Aim for at least two servings of these types of seafood a week.
We’re still learning about how mercury and other heavy metals in seafood may affect our brain health and the best ways to reduce our exposure while still getting all the benefits from eating seafood. My best advice is to choose mostly wild-caught and smaller species of fish. You can download this wallet card to help when shopping.
If you would like to learn more about how environmental toxins can impact your mental health and how to reduce those exposures, click here to join the waitlist for my upcoming program and receive a special discount.
WHOLE GRAINS
Grains are not all equal. You’ll hear me talk about reducing the amount of refined grains in your diet a lot. But you’ll also hear me talk about increasing the number of whole grains you eat - or swapping refined grains with whole grains. So, what are whole grains?
When we talk about whole grains, we are talking about grains that have all their natural components. Whole grains have three parts:
- The bran - the hearty outer layer where fiber, vitamins, and minerals are found.
- The endosperm - this is the part of the grain that is rich in carbohydrates and where some protein is found.
- The germ - This is the seed that is full of vitamin E, B vitamins, antioxidants, and healthy fats.
People who eat more whole grains (or non-refined grains) have been found to have significantly lower rates of depression and anxiety.
Some people may have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease and are unable to eat anything containing gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale - a cross between rye and wheat. If you can’t eat gluten many non-gluten-containing grains are available including corn, rice, buckwheat, quinoa, sorghum, and potato.
You can buy gluten-free flour for baking and most grocery stores carry bread, crackers, pasta, and other grains that are “gluten-free.”
NUTS AND SEEDS
Let’s face it, there are times when you need a little something to munch on. Nuts and seeds are a great choice and can help satisfy that need for something crunchy and give us nutrients that are great for our brains!
Nuts are rich in protein, fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, and polyunsaturated fats, these nutrients may help lower inflammation, protect against stress, and may have a role in reducing anxiety and depression.
Seeds are also a good choice and contain many of the same nutrients but they are also a source of tryptophan – the amino acid found in turkey that so many people associate with sleepiness!
Tryptophan works with our brains' communication systems to send messages to the part of our brains that helps us relax and boost our mood.
LEGUMES
Plant-focused proteins that include beans, legumes, and pulses are rich in fiber, magnesium, tryptophan, and antioxidants which are important for stabilizing our mood. These nutrients help manage the release of hormones that help us deal with stressful situations and manage our emotions.
Some research has shown that people who eat beans regularly have lower rates of depression.
Beans can be hard to digest as they are full of a fiber called oligosaccharides. These fibers can’t be digested so they can cause gas and bloating. While these fibers are healthy, and many people adjust to them over time, you can reduce the discomfort with a few tricks.
- Soak dry beans for at least 16 hours. Then throw the soaking water out and cook them in fresh water.
- Go slowly! Start by adding just a couple of tablespoons of cooked beans into your meals and gradually work your way up. This gives your body time to adjust to the increased fiber.
- Some beans like lentils, mung beans, and peas are easier to digest so if you have trouble, start with those beans first.
For many of us, eating beans is not a part of our daily routine but is something we can, and should be, intentional about. Here are a few suggestions I typically give to my clients to add more beans to their meals. Make a salsa and add kidney beans; mix navy beans into soups or stew; add chickpeas to a salad or mix lentils into rice.
OLIVE OIL
Olive oil is the main oil used in the Mediterranean diet and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that are essential for brain health. It contains antioxidants and other nutrients that help promote brain health, heart health, and the health of our GI tract.
Why is our GI tract important? It sends signals to our brain to release hormones that control our stress levels and moods.
Some research has shown that some people with depression who consume extra virgin olive oil have improved symptoms while other research has shown those who consumed more unsaturated fats like olive oil had lower rates of depression.
Use olive oil whenever you are making salad dressings or as a drizzle over grilled fish or vegetables.
COCONUT OIL
Are you surprised by this one? Many people are but there is emerging animal research that shows virgin coconut oil has some nutrients that may help support memory, reduce oxidative stress, and help manage and control emotions.
When compared with animal fats and some plant-based oils, coconut oil was shown to significantly raise good cholesterol (HDL) levels. The same research found that coconut oil lowered bad cholesterol (LDL) levels when used in place of animal oils.
More research is needed but this is promising and another reason I recommend adding coconut oil to your cooking routines. It is excellent for baking or when you are cooking.
Final Thoughts
Making changes to your diet can be difficult and sometimes overwhelming. Starting slowly and making one or two changes at a time is often a great way to get started. And while many foods are good for your brain health, these are a few that I typically tell my clients to start with.
Many of these foods are familiar and are things you can easily buy in your local grocery store or farmer’s market. Enjoy some of my delicious brain-healthy recipes!
Adding one or two new foods will make it easier to work into your routine. Swap them for other foods and as you get used to them, add a couple more.
As you incorporate more of these foods, pay attention to how you feel. I bet you’ll notice a difference!
Disclaimer: This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. It is being provided to you to educate you about wellness and as a self-help tool for your own use. It is not medical or psychological advice. Please do not stop psychiatric medications or any current medications abruptly as this may cause serious physical and emotional reactions. If your goal is to wean off psychiatric medications, please see your healthcare provider for further guidance.
