There’s a reason why the age-old adage ‘you are what you eat’ is still around today – it couldn’t be more true. The fuel we put into our bodies can help with everything from growing stronger muscles to supporting immune health. And that’s not forgetting the impact our nutritional choices can have on our brain health.

As well as helping to protect you from conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia, taking care of your brain can impact everything from your ability to concentrate to your overall mental wellbeing.

But what does a brain-friendly diet actually look like? As well as prioritising nutrients that help your brain perform at its best, you want to be taking care of your gut, too.  

“When it comes to brain health, so much of it comes down to what’s going on in our gut,” says nutritionist Cheryl Telfer. “Our gut plays a huge role in sending the right signals and hormones up to our brain. What we eat can optimise the microbiome in our gut and that will have an effect on mental health.”

Alongside this, there are some brain-friendly food choices you can reach for to keep things ticking along. Keep reading to check out all the foods that should be at the top of your shopping list for better brain health in 2024.

If you want to give your gut microbiome a boost to help your brain, complex carbs are the answer, says Cheryl. “This is because these foods act as a prebiotic, meaning they feed the bacteria in your gut,” she explains, recommending sweet potato, root vegetables and whole grains.

And these carbohydrates aren’t just key for supporting our mood. They can also improve concentration and energy levels. “They are filled with soluble fibre, meaning that the body doesn’t process it as fast, so your energy is more sustained,” explains Cheryl. 

Carbohydrates aren’t the only substance we should be including in our diet when we need a mental boost. Certain herbs called adaptogens can help to reduce mental stress and fatigue. They have been used in Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional, natural healing belief, for years, and while they are not widely studied there is some research that suggests they can support our brains with little side effects. Some adaptogenic herbs that Cheryl recommends are:

• Rhodiola, which was found to potentially be helpful for enhancing physical performance and alleviating mental fatigue in research from the University of Alberta.
• Holy basil, “an effective treatment for lifestyle-related chronic diseases including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and psychological stress,” according to a study from Melbourne University.
• Ashwagandha, which has been found to safely and effectively improve an individual’s resistance towards stress by researchers at Asha Hospital, India. 

When it comes to long-term brain health, there are two types of food to think about: omega-3s and vitamin D. 

“When it comes to diseases like Alzheimer’s there’s a huge link with these nutrient deficiencies,” says Cheryl. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, omega-3s are “involved in protecting cells from a harmful process called oxidative stress [which] may contribute towards the development of Alzheimer’s disease.” 

And, according to the American Academy of Neurology, people with low levels of vitamin D have a 53% increased risk of developing dementia. 

That means we need to make sure that we eat enough fish (current NHS guidelines say that we should eat two portions a week, including one portion of oily fish) to get in those brain-supporting omegas, as well as get enough vitamin D through spending time outside in the sunshine and supplementing where necessary. 

When you’re eating for your mental health, you can’t overlook the benefit of plants. Not just because they contain the all-important fibre (as mentioned above) which is good for your gut microbiome, but also because of their phytonutrients.

“’Phyto’ means ‘plant’, so these are compounds that can only be found in plant-based foods,” James Vickers, a registered nutritionist at Vitality, previously told Strong Women. “They include compounds such as carotenoids, polyphenols, resveratrol and isothiocyanates, which can be found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains and tea.”

Part of the reason why phytonutrients are so important is because they have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These can reduce free radicals – unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and ageing.

Prioritising these kinds of anti-inflammatory foods is beneficial to your brain and can reduce your risk of illness, Telfer adds.

“There’s always a level of inflammation in the body but we don’t want to over-inflame it,” explains Cheryl. “An anti-inflammatory diet is one that is full of whole foods that work to regulate the body so that all part of it are working optimally, including the brain.”

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