Health News Share Email Print Feed your brain Here’s food for thought: Science suggests that eating well may play a role in helping keep your brain sharp as you age. Aim for a healthy diet with plenty of nutrients—and consider including these four foods. 4 foods to boost your brain 1. Berries. All kinds of berries, especially dark ones like blueberries and blackberries, pack antioxidant flavonoids. Antioxidants help fight inflammation. 2. Leafy greens. Veggies such as spinach, kale and romaine lettuce are also antioxidant powerhouses. 3. Salmon. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon and other fatty fish, may boost memory. 4. Walnuts. These nuts contain antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and other brain-friendly substances. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain health. Ask your doctor for help to find the right diet for you, or check out our Nutrition health topic center to learn more about healthy eating. Reviewed 11/27/2023 Sources American Heart Association. “Flavonoids are a flavorful way to boost heart and brain health.” https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/03/22/flavonoids-are-a-flavorful-way-to-boost-heart-and-brain-health. American Heart Association. “Two omega-3s in fish oil may boost brain function in people with heart disease.” https://www.heart.org/en/news/2021/11/08/two-omega-3s-in-fish-oil-may-boost-brain-function-in-people-with-heart-disease. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Brain Health and Fish.” https://www.eatright.org/health/essential-nutrients/fats/brain-health-and-fish. Bright Focus Foundation. “Eating for Brain Health.” https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/article/eating-brain-health. National Institute on Aging. “Leafy greens linked with slower age-related cognitive decline.” https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/leafy-greens-linked-slower-age-related-cognitive-decline. U.S. National Library of Medicine. “Beneficial Effects of Walnuts on Cognition and Brain Health.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7071526/. Related stories Health information main Health tools go Select a health topic ADHD Aging Alcohol use disorder Allergies Alternative medicine Alzheimer's disease Arthritis Asthma Babies Backs Bladder Bones Brain Breast cancer Cancer Cancer prevention Caregiving Cervical cancer Children and parenting Cholesterol Colds Colorectal cancer Coronavirus Dental care Depression Diabetes Disaster preparedness Down syndrome Ears Eating disorders Emergencies End of life/Palliative care Environmental health Epilepsy Eyes Fall prevention Family and relationships Feet Fitness and exercise Flu Food safety Hair Headache Health assessments Health calculators Healthcare Heart attack Heart health Hepatitis Hernia High blood pressure Hips HIV/AIDS Holiday health Hormones Imaging Incontinence Joints Kidneys Knees Leukemia Liver Lung cancer Lungs Medications Men's health Menopause Mental health Multiple sclerosis Nails Nose Nutrition Obesity Oral cancer Ovaries Pain Parkinson's disease Pets Pneumonia Pregnancy Prostate cancer Rehabilitation Reproductive health Safety School health Sexuality Sexually transmitted infections Skin Skin cancer Sleep Smoking Sports injuries Stomach pain Stress and anxiety Stroke Substance use disorder Summer safety Surgery Teen health Throat Thyroid Travel Vaccines Vascular health Violence Vitamins and supplements Weight management Winter health Women's health Workplace health Wound care i Providers Family Medicine Internal Medicine Neurology Geriatric Medicine RSS If you have questions or comments, please contact Randolph Health. Problems reading or opening a page? Legal restrictions and terms of use applicable to this site.