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We provide links to products that we think can help you achieve better brain health and performance. We earn revenue when you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. See our Terms of Use for details. Edited and medically reviewed by Patrick Alban, DC. Use our extensive brain foods guide to upgrade your diet and be more sharp, positive, and productive.
Get the data-driven information you need here. Every bite of food you eat is a choice that either helps or harms your brain. The wrong foods — like sugar and trans fats — can leave you feeling mentally foggy, anxious, and depressed, while the right foods help make you mentally sharp, positive, and productive. Certain foods are particularly high in the nutrients needed to create, protect, and repair brain cells. They also supply the building blocks of neurotransmitters — brain chemicals that control how well you learn and remember, how happy and motivated you are, and how well you can relax and enjoy life.
Foods that are rich in essential brain nutrients will not only protect against a variety of mental disorders now, they will also help prevent degenerative brain diseases in years to come. Some of these foods are known for their long-standing healthy reputation, while others are only recently being recognized as the powerhouses they are. We’ve also included shopping, storing, and preparation tips so that you’ll reap maximum brain nutrition from every bite you take and every dollar you spend. Fish deservedly has a reputation as a top-notch brain food.
It’s an outstanding source of protein which is needed to form mood-boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. It’s also an excellent source of vitamin B12, an essential vitamin for a healthy brain and nervous system. Struggle to learn and make decisions? A quality brain supplement can make a big difference. See our MIND LAB PRO review. Unfortunately, typical modern diets are short on omega-3s. Omega-3 EFAs are a key structural component of brain cell membranes and nerve cells.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the quality of your brain cells depends on the availability of these healthy fats. This is important since chronic brain inflammation contributes to depression, anxiety, brain fog, and ADHD, and even serious degenerative disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s. Eating fish is a proven mood booster. SAD in spite of their northern latitudes with long periods of darkness. If you take an antidepressant, eating fish can enhance its effectiveness. Be aware that not all fish are equally abundant in omega-3s.
By far the best sources are cold-water, fatty fish such as herring, salmon, mackerel, and sardines. Typical canned tuna, the most widely consumed fish, is a decent source of omega-3s but is also high in mercury. RECOMMENDED: Harvard Medical School recommends eating 12 ounces of fish per week, but only those low in mercury. Farmed salmon notoriously appears on the Environmental Defense Fund’s list of worst seafood choices for the environment. When buying fish, look for those that are both high in omega-3s and low in mercury and other contaminants. The fish that meet these criteria are on a rather short list. 3 servings of tuna per month.
Eggs are packed with protein, vitamin B12, and can be a significant source of omega-3 fatty acids. Choline is a precursor of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that plays a central role in memory and learning. Adequate acetylcholine is critical for a sharp memory and for quick and focused thinking as you age — low levels have been linked to Alzheimer’s. Choline is also the precursor of another important brain nutrient, citicoline. Citicoline naturally occurs in every cell in the body, but is especially prevalent in brain cells.
Give Mind Lab Pro a try. This brain supplement meets all my requirements for effectiveness, safety, purity, and value. So it’s easier for you to be mentally sharper, happier, and more productive. It increases blood flow to the brain and enhances the brain’s ability to utilize blood glucose, its main source of fuel.
Unfortunately, eggs have gotten a bad rap for containing cholesterol but, in fact, your brain needs cholesterol. As award-winning research scientist Datis Kharrazian, PhD, DHSc, explains in his book Why Isn’t My Brain Working? Additionally, there’s no actual evidence that eggs contribute to heart disease in healthy individuals. If you’ve been avoiding eggs, give yourself permission to add them back into your diet. Even the conservative American Heart Association no longer recommends avoiding eggs and suggests eating one egg per day as part of a healthy diet.
RECOMMENDED: There is no official guideline as to how many eggs to eat, but a reasonable rule of thumb seems to be one egg per day. However, some people eat considerably more with no ill effects. Look for eggs from free-range hens. These contain substantially more nutrients than their mass-produced counterparts.