The 3 Best Diets For Your Brain

Key Takeaways

• The MIND, Mediterranean, and DASH diets have strong evidence for protecting cognitive function as you age.
• All three are rich in leafy greens, berries, oily fish, olive oil, and nuts — nutrients that are shown to protect your brain cells and reduce inflammation.
• The MIND diet was specifically designed to support brain health; it is a more targeted version of the other two diets.

Losing your cognitive abilities as you age isn’t always inevitable. Sure, genetics play a role, but so does your lifestyle. How physically active you are, how well you sleep, socialise, and maybe most importantly, what you eat all affect how well your brain works.

What you choose to eat has been shown to affect brain inflammation (called “neuroinflammation”), the health of the blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to your brain, how well your brain cells work, and your long-term risk of developing brain diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The good news is that there are diets and dietary patterns that support brain health. In this article, we’ll go through how your diet affects your brain, what nutrients and food groups you should target (and avoid), and then give you three tried and tested brain health diets.

Why diet matters for the brain

Your brain is “metabolically active”. It burns through a fifth of your body’s total energy despite only accounting for two percent of its weight. Your brain is well vascularised (meaning that it receives a lot of blood) and is sensitive to what’s in your blood, and thus, what you eat. 

It’s not just the energy, oxygen and building materials that your brain needs from your diet; it also responds to micronutrients and other small molecules or peptides that are part of your diet.

Inflammation (even at low-levels) can damage brain cells and is associated with cognitive declines. Damage to your brain cells that is caused by free radicals can also be minimised by eating enough “antioxidants”. 

Although they are often overlooked, the blood vessels that control blood flow to and from your brain are critically important. If they are damaged or not working correctly, it can starve your brain cells of the things it needs to keep them alive and prevent the build-up of brain-damaging waste products. 

Even the health of your gut microbiome and “gut-brain axis” has been linked to mood, inflammation and how well your brain functions¹.

The best brain health diets will address all of these issues at the same time: they should be anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-rich, and keep your blood vessels and gut microbiome healthy.

The dietary elements linked to brain health

Diets that are good for your brain contain specific foods and nutrients that have independently been shown to protect and improve cognitive function^1,2,3.

Leafy green vegetables

Spinach, kale, rocket, and other leafy greens are among the most proven brain-protective foods. They are rich in vitamin K, folate, lutein and beta-carotene antioxidants. Eating one to two servings per day has been associated with notably slower cognitive decline in older adults.

Berries

Blueberries, strawberries, and other dark-coloured berries are rich in flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Regular berry consumption has been shown to delay cognitive decline as you age by up to 2.5 years⁴. A minimum of 2 servings (or handfuls) of berries a week is generally recommended.

Oily fish and omega-3s

The long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are found in oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and herring. They are critically important as they form part of your brain cells’ membranes, which keep them healthy. 

Eating oily fish and omega-3 supplements has been shown to reduce brain inflammation, support brain cell function, and is consistently linked to better cognitive function and lower dementia risk⁵.

Olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is rich in vitamin E (an antioxidant) and a polyphenol called oleocanthal, which has anti-inflammatory properties; sometimes called nature's ibuprofen. Regular use is associated with reduced lower inflammation and better cognitive function.

Nuts

Most nuts are high in an essential fat called alpha-linolenic acid (a plant-based omega-3), vitamin E, and lots of polyphenols. Higher nut intake is linked to better cognitive function in older adults⁶. And walnuts in particular seem to be associated with better cognitive function in adults of all ages; they seem to contain more omega-3s and polyphenols than other nuts.

Whole grains

Whole-grain, low-GI or slow-release carbohydrates are able to maintain a steady supply of energy to the brain to meet its needs. Whereas sugary, refined carbohydrates spike your blood sugar levels, which can (eventually) increase inflammation, cell damage, and impair brain function. 

Fibre-rich, whole-grain carbohydrates are linked with a reduced risk of getting brain diseases and maintaining good cognitive function⁷.

Limiting saturated fat, sugar, and ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods, too much sugar and saturated fat increase inflammation, disrupt your gut microbiome, and damage the blood vessel system that supplies your brain. Keeping ultra-processed foods to a minimum or completely avoiding them is generally recommended if you want to optimise your brain health.

The top 3 diets for brain health

1. MIND diet

The MIND diet is the only major diet that’s designed specifically for your brain health. It was developed from the Mediterranean and DASH diets, but with a sharper focus on keeping your brain healthy with age. 

This means more leafy greens (at least six servings per week), more berries (at least twice a week), and stricter limits on the foods that are linked to poor brain health — butter, cheese, red meat, and ultra-processed foods. 

Like other Mediterranean-style diets, it prioritises consistency over perfection, which means that it is flexible and practical. People who closely follow the MIND diet tend to have better cognitive function and a lower risk of brain diseases (e.g., dementia and Alzheimer’s). And some studies have shown that the MIND diet actually performs better than its parent diets (i.e., the Mediterranean and DASH diets) for supporting brain health⁸. 

Read: The MIND Diet: A Review

2. Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is the most widely researched diet for general health, and its evidence for brain health is just as good. It’s based on vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, and oily fish, with moderate poultry and dairy, and limited red meat and sweets, and no ultra-processed foods. 

Several high-quality studies have linked the Mediterranean diet to better cognitive function, slower cognitive decline with ageing, and lower chances of getting brain diseases like dementias and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have shown that the closer the Mediterranean diet is followed, the better your brain health prospects are as you age⁹. 

The high intake of olive oil, oily fish and colourful antioxidant-rich plants specifically keeps inflammation under control and your blood vessels healthy. 

In addition to the brain health benefits, the Mediterranean diet also has the broadest range of health benefits — the diet also supports heart health, mental health, healthy body weight, metabolic health, longer life expectancies, and better quality of life. 

Browse: Mediterranean Diet resource page

3. DASH diet

The DASH diet was originally developed to lower blood pressure, but its brain-health benefits have also been researched. The DASH diet emphasises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, and lean proteins, while restricting sodium, saturated fat, red meat, and added sugars.

The case for the DASH diet rests on its positive effects on your blood vessels. It may be suprising but high blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors behind cognitive decline and dementia. So, by lowering blood pressure through your diet, you can protect the small blood vessels that supply your brain, which in turn can reduce the risk of blood vessel damage that harms your brain health.

The DASH diet seems to perform particularly well for brain health in people who are also at risk of cardiovascular disease¹⁰. It is known for its blood pressure-lowering effects, so if high-blood pressure is an issue, the DASH diet is a proven, practical and straightforward diet that can help manage your brain (heart and blood vessel) health simultaneously.

Read: The DASH Diet: A Review

Bottom Line

The evidence is fairly clear and consistent: dietary patterns rich in leafy greens, berries, oily fish, olive oil, and nuts, and low in saturated fat, added sugar, and ultra-processed foods, are good for your brain health. The MIND, Mediterranean, and DASH diets each deliver these foods in their own way; they are all safe, flexible, proven and nutritionally sound for most adults¹¹.

If maintaining your brain health is a priority, choosing any one of these diets is a good place to start. Out of the three, the MIND diet just about pips the lead, offering the most targeted approach.

However, the Mediterranean diet offers broader health benefits if you’re more interested in general, overall health benefits. Whereas the DASH diet also supports brain health, but is particularly effective for lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and improving cardiovascular health (if also an issue).