We’ve long known that what we eat affects our physical health, but some new research shows that a healthy, balanced diet also gives us superior brain health, cognitive function, and mental well-being.
Researchers from the University of Warwick in the UK and Fudan University in China tracked the food preferences of nearly 182,000 older people in Britain and examined the link between the foods people liked and disliked and their mental well-being and cognitive health.
If you’re a picky eater, consider the finding that a balanced diet means better mental health, superior cognitive function, and even higher amounts of brain gray matter (which is linked to intelligence) than people with a less varied diet.
Genetic predispositions and lifestyle choices also influence well-being and the link between diet and brain health.
A “balanced” diet includes vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, moderate amounts of dairy products, eggs and fish.
And it’s that variety of foods and flavors that seems to be the key to brain health. So, a restricted diet could affect how you’re fueling your brain.
The study findings suggest that a limited diet could make you more susceptible to anxiety, depression and other forms of mental distress.
Diets high in sugar and fat have been linked to poorer brain performance, while the “Mediterranean diet,” rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil, has been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
