5 Ways to Create a Brain-Boosting Kitchen

Simple ways to upgrade your kitchen for better brain health

Author

Austin Perlmutter
June 07, 2024

Hello,

Welcome back to the Better Brain Update newsletter from Austin Perlmutter, MD. Thanks for being part of an amazing community of 120,000+ people interested in brain and mental health science to help get unstuck!

Today’s topic: How to Create a Brain-Boosting Kitchen

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Decades of research show us that what we eat influences our brain health. A Mediterranean diet, for example, may help prevent dementia and depression, while an ultraprocessed diet (like the standard American diet) may have the exact opposite effect. All of this is to say that the quality and quantity of our food choices has a direct effect on the structure and function of our brains. One of the most important ways to improve the quality of our food choices is to improve the quality of what happens in our kitchen. In this article, we’ll explore 5 tips for creating a brain-healthy kitchen.

1. Ditch the ultra-processed foods

While it can sound wasteful to get rid of food and beverages, the reality is that almost nobody benefits from consuming ultra-processed foods. Some foods and beverages worth tossing include:

  • Sodas and other sugar sweetened beverages (these include energy drinks, caffeinated beverages, sweet teas and sugary sports drinks)

  • Candies (let’s be honest, we all know these aren’t healthy)

  • Margarine, frosting and other foods that contain trans-fats (linked to vascular disease and dementia)

  • Artificially sweetened foods and beverages (containing aspartame, aceulfame, saccharin, sucralose or neotame)

2. Stock up on non-starchy fruits + vegetables

Somewhere in the crossfire between the carnivore and vegan devotees, we’ve lost an important bit of nuance: people who generally eat more plant-based foods tend to live longer and have better cognitive and mental health. Reasons for this include fiber consumption, polyphenol intake, decreased inflammation and more. This doesn’t mean going vegan, it simply means making a point to purchase diverse and colorful fruits vegetables with each grocery run. As it relates to fruit, some wonderful options include blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and avocados (yes, they’re fruits!). Berries can be purchased frozen in bulk to save money and preserve freshness.  

3. Keep a consistent supply of healthy fats

In years gone by, we were told that all fat was bad for our bodies and would lead to weight gain. The science has since shifted, and we’ve learned that the exact opposite is true. Some of the better-studied healthy fat sources to prioritize include unsaturated fats (both monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats). Some great sources of these fats are nuts and seeds, fatty cold-water fish like salmon, and small fish like mackerel, herring and anchovies.

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Free Education

Catch me on the Ziva Meditation Podcast: Optimizing Your Brain

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 Till next time!

-Austin Perlmutter, MD 

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