Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you went in? Or been at a party and suddenly forgotten someone’s name, even though you know them well? Maybe you’ve stood helpless in front of an ATM, unable to recall your PIN. Or perhaps you're searching for a word to complete an article you're writing but just can’t find it—like rummaging through empty drawers.
Most people experience these kinds of memory lapses. And we often chalk them up to aging or just a few stressful days.
But you could also be among the millions suffering from more serious conditions like anxiety or depression—conditions that have reached epidemic levels.
In the UK, for example, the cost of treating mental health issues now exceeds £77 billion annually—more than the combined cost of treating heart disease and cancer.
Whatever your symptoms or current treatments (even antidepressants), there's one simple step that could help everyone: change what you eat.
One doctor in the field says that when he asks patients complaining of forgetfulness or poor concentration whether they’ve ever considered improving their mental function through diet, they often look puzzled. But the simple truth is this: when you feed your brain properly, you can change your life.
Supplying your brain with the nutrients it needs helps it operate at its best. This boosts learning ability, memory, focus, and even mood. You may feel lighter in spirit—and even physically—while thinking more clearly and positively. A well-fed brain creates a “domino effect,” spreading benefits to every cell and organ in the body.
Scientific research into brain health clearly shows that cognitive decline is not inevitable with age. There are practical, simple steps you can take to maintain brain function throughout your life. But if you want your brain to work well in old age, you need to start caring for it now.
We live in a fast-paced, high-stress world—perhaps the most mentally demanding time in human history. With emotional struggles so widespread, brain care is more crucial than ever.
There is now solid scientific evidence that diet affects mood, behavior, focus, learning, and memory. Yet most people don’t connect what they eat with how their brain functions. If you're forgetful, moody, or struggling to learn new things, you probably look elsewhere for reasons—but it could be your food.
Thinking is a biological process involving an intricate network of brain cells, chemicals, membranes, and molecules. The food you eat can impact how this network performs—just as it affects other organs in your body. You can make your brain happy or sluggish simply by choosing the right foods.
In fact, every single meal you eat—or feed to your family—either supports healthy brain function or undermines it.
The brain is made up of billions of neurons that can either grow stronger or shrink. The connections between them can be strengthened or weakened, and new cells can form. These physical changes in brain structure direct the body and show up as new skills or abilities.
When you forget someone’s name or why you walked into a room, it's often a sign of weakened memory connections. To keep those connections strong, good nutrition is key. Nutrients go to work quickly, and the impact of food can be felt within minutes. For example, coffee gives an immediate energy boost, but a small snack like a handful of almonds and sun-dried tomatoes provides a more sustainable lift.
The brain's vast network of cells manages every thought, movement, memory, mood, and focus. Every second, this network processes around 100 million bits of information. No wonder it craves nutrients.
Your brain uses 25% of the oxygen you breathe, 20% of your blood supply, and receives half of the glucose from your food. That’s why your brain requires a cocktail of nutrients to function efficiently.
You should also know that about 60% of the brain is made of fat. After water, fat is the most abundant substance in both the body and the brain. Every brain cell is surrounded by fat, and healthy fats should be a key part of everyone’s diet.
If you’ve been avoiding fat to lose weight, chances are you're dealing with low mood or even depression. Long-term low-fat diets can seriously affect brain function. You might also suffer from joint pain, dry skin, dry eyes, and low energy.
One-quarter of the brain’s fat is made up of special types known as essential fatty acids. And that’s a big concern: researchers now know that lacking these fats can accelerate memory decline and potentially lead to Alzheimer’s disease.
To function at its best, your brain needs a healthy balance of both saturated and unsaturated fats, provided through your diet.
Thankfully, getting enough essential fatty acids naturally reduces the harmful effects of the “wrong” fats. These good fats are soft and flexible, which helps balance out the rigidity of unhealthy ones.
There are over 15 brain-friendly foods that can give your brain what it needs to thrive. These include: Leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale, Legumes, Various types of fish, Lamb, Nuts, Olive oil, Avocados, Tomatoes, Cherries, Cranberries
