Foods That Help With Memory

Specific Nutrients for Memory and Brain Health

A healthy diet is essential to maintaining brain function as you age. Food can help improve memory by providing specific beneficial nutrients, decreasing inflammation, and improving gut health.

Specific nutrients that benefit brain health and memory, include:

• Omega-3 fatty acids
• B vitamins
• Antioxidants
• Polyphenols
• Choline
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

Foods rich in these nutrients improve brain health by providing the building blocks and materials needed to connect brain cells and produce neurotransmitters (chemicals that allow communication between brain cells). These connections help brain cells communicate with each other, making the circuits necessary for memory formation.

Whole foods, or their original and unprocessed form, are powerhouses for memory improvement because they contain several vitamins and minerals that work together to improve brain health.

Creating a nutrition plan rich in these nutrients can improve overall health and memory.

Decreasing Inflammation

Foods that help with memory also decrease inflammation in the body, a common cause of health problems. Inflammation contributes to several diseases of the brain, including memory loss and mental illness.

The Mediterranean, plant-based, and anti-inflammatory diets all contain substances that decrease inflammation and foster long and fruitful lives. Adopting a healthy eating lifestyle is vital to improving memory by reducing inflammation.

Gut Health and the Microbiome

Nutrition is the most critical factor influencing the health of the microbiome or the bacteria that inhabit the digestive system. Substances secreted by these bacteria impact the nervous system and brain. A microbiome with the correct type of bacteria can contribute to a healthy mind, and an accumulation of unhealthy bacteria can adversely affect brain health. Feeding these beneficial bacteria with healthy nutrition can also feed your memory.

What Is the Best Diet for Memory?

Several different dietary patterns are beneficial for memory. They all emphasize natural, whole foods and plenty of plants. The Mediterranean diet, the plant-based diet, and the Nordic Diet all contain examples of anti-inflammatory foods that help with memory loss.

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is the most studied dietary pattern for improving brain function and memory. This eating pattern enhances processing speed in people with and without memory problems.

Beneficial foods in the Mediterranean diet include olive oil, fish, nuts, plenty of colorful vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and legumes. It also limits processed food and emphasizes whole, real food.

World Health Organization recommends the Mediterranean diet to reduce the risk of dementia and associated memory loss. Moreover, supplementing the traditional Mediterranean diet with dairy and pork can further improve memory in older adults at risk for memory problems.

The Plant-Based Diet

Polyphenols, compounds found in plants, protect against memory loss. A plant-based diet with plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables can provide polyphenols and protect against memory loss later in life. Other foods that contain polyphenols are mushrooms, cocoa, and coffee.

You don’t need to be a vegetarian to reap the benefits of consuming a diet based primarily on plants; simply increasing your intake of plants can provide nutrients known for optimizing memory and brain health and fiber to feed the microbiome. Focusing on plant-based nutrition may prevent dementia and memory decline.

The Nordic Diet

Another anti-inflammatory dietary pattern, the Nordic diet, emphasizes vegetables, legumes, whole grains (rye, oat, barley), fruits (berries, apples, pears), low-fat dairy, rapeseed oil, low-fat meat, shellfish, and fatty fish (mackerel, herring, and salmon). It also restricts sugar, alcohol, and salt.

This diet is associated with a lower risk of memory problems later in life due to its anti-inflammatory components, antioxidants, and flavonoids.

While these diets can help protect and improve memory, you do not have to follow them strictly to reap the benefits since they have several foods in common. Incorporating these foods into your lifestyle can boost memory function.

What Foods Help Improve Memory?

Several foods have been studied for their effects on brain health and memory. Incorporating these foods into your diet can improve your overall health and help you live a more fruitful life.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts benefit brain function and memory throughout the lifespan but are particularly helpful in older adults.

Walnuts are especially beneficial due to their high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Other nuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, a substance necessary for cognitive health. Nuts such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, and pistachios contain several anti-inflammatory and antioxidant molecules, vitamins, and healthy fats that favor healthy aging and improved memory.

Salmon

Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy fats that improve brain health. These fatty acids make up the membranes of brain cells and are vital to the conduction of electrical impulses in the brain. These electrical impulses allow communication between brain cells, encouraging memory formation. Omega-3 fatty acids are also anti-inflammatory, further contributing to overall health. A comprehensive review of omega-3 fatty acids found that they benefit memory, specifically in older adults.

For optimum benefits, aim to consume two servings of fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies) per week.

Dark and Leafy Greens

Dark and leafy green vegetables contain several important compounds for memory and may help slow cognitive decline with age. These power foods contain vitamin K, lutein, β-carotene, nitrate, folate, kaempferol, and α-tocopherol. Examples of dark and leafy greens include kale, arugula, and spinach.

A study published in the journal Neurology equated eating 1–2 servings of green leafy vegetables daily to being 11 years younger. These vegetables also contain plentiful amounts of fiber, food for the microbiome.

Whole Grains

Whole grains like brown rice, oats, and barley provide fiber. Although our bodies do not use fiber directly, it is food for the bacteria in our gut. These bacteria can secrete substances into the bloodstream and interact with the brain to improve memory.

Try to eat at least one serving of whole grains daily.

Olive Oil

Olive oil contains several substances that combat inflammation and improve memory. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that long-term olive oil consumption enhanced cognitive function in people with memory problems. Aim to include olive oil in your diet by cooking with it or incorporating it into salad dressing.

What Foods Are Bad for Your Memory?

Foods that negatively impact memory include the neurotoxins found in alcohol, processed food, sugar, and artificial sweeteners. Minimizing these ingredients can contribute to a healthier body and mind over time.

Alcohol

Heavy drinking is associated with a faster decline in memory and brain function. A study published in the British Medical Journal demonstrated that even moderate drinking can change the hippocampus, the area of the brain where memories are stored.

Processed Food

Overlyprocessed, sugary, and fatty food is associated with a higher degree of inflammation and contributes to memory impairment. Food high in saturated fat, such as red meat and fatty processed food, could be harmful to memory.

Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

Sugary foods and artificial sweeteners can contribute to a decline in brain function and memory, likely due to an interaction between the microbiome and the brain. To protect your memory, try to avoid food with excess sugar and consume more fruit instead.

Should I See a Nutritionist?

If you have a medical condition, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or high cholesterol, a nutritionist could help you tailor an individual plan to improve your overall health. These conditions affect the arteries in the heart and the brain and contribute to a higher risk of memory impairment later in life.

A nutritionist can teach you how to consume food that lowers blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, or weight. They can also help you brainstorm strategies to incorporate changes into your daily life so that it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or complicated.

Improving Your Memory With Smart Food Choices

Eating for improved memory starts with incorporating the foods known for their beneficial compounds into your diet daily and avoiding foods that can hinder brain function.

Incorporating these changes doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You can make changes slowly or enlist the help of a nutritionist to start eating your way to improved brain health.