Ever heard of the phrase “brain food”? Certain foods are packed with nutrients that support brain health both short-term (like when you need to focus on something for a prolonged amount of time) and long-term (helping to protect against cognitive decline and dementia).
You might have even heard of the MIND diet, a combination of the Mediterranean diet and DASH diet, that is scientifically shown to help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. In fact, this way of eating has been shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s up to 53% —that’s major!
While keeping your memory sharp doesn’t come down to eating one specific food and can’t be controlled through diet completely, a neurologist shared with us one food that many people who have a great memory even in their old age have incorporated into their diets. It’s been scientifically linked to support long-term memory when eaten regularly.
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How Much of Your Memory Can You Control Through Diet?
It bears repeating that no one can control their memory completely through what they eat. Memory loss is complicated and it doesn’t just come down to one factor. That said, diet does play a significant role in brain health, including long-term memory.
According to a 2024 analysis of 23 different scientific studies that took into account diet and memory of people in old age, researchers found that maintaining a whole foods diet (such as the Mediterranean diet or MIND diet) in old age can lead to significant effects on memory and may play a role in protecting against dementia.
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“When considering brain health, whether related to Alzheimer’s disease or not, it is best to focus on a broad and well-balanced diet such as the Mediterranean diet or the MIND diet,” saysDr. Greg Cooper, MD, PhD, the chief of adult neurology and the director of the Memory Center at Norton Neuroscience Institute. This means eating lots of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, fish, herbs and unsaturated fats (found in foods like avocado, nuts and seeds, in addition to fish).
One Food To Eat Every Day
If you want to add one food to your diet that is scientifically linked to supporting memory, walnuts is a good one to stock up on. “Walnuts are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as antioxidants, both of which are thought to be important for brain health, possibly by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation,” Dr. Cooper says.
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Scientific research shows that a diet including walnuts is linked to better memory, learning, motor coordination and less anxiety than a diet that doesn’t include walnuts. As Dr. Cooper explained, this is because the nutrients in walnuts—specifically omega-3s and antioxidants—help lower inflammation. Lower inflammation in the brain means better overall brain health, including memory!
Eating walnuts may benefit short-term memory as well. In one 2025 scientific study, young adults who incorporated walnuts into their breakfast experienced better memory recall six hours later than those who didn’t have walnuts as part of their breakfast. (However, it should also be noted that the walnut eaters actually had a worse memory two hours after eating, so the benefit was delayed.)
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How many walnuts do you need to eat regularly to experience the brain-supporting benefits? “Some studies have shown that eating approximately a handful of walnuts can improve our cognitive function. The MIND diet, a diet specifically designed for brain health, recommends consuming at least five servings of nuts, such as walnuts, per week,” Dr. Cooper explains.
While walnuts can certainly be enjoyed as-is, Dr. Cooper says some other ways of incorporating them into your diet include adding them to salads or on top of oatmeal—two meals that have other brain-healthy ingredients.
Though there is scientific research showing the connection between walnuts and brain health, it’s important to remember that they are not the only brain-healthy food. To best support your brain health, eat a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods, not walnuts only. But for a quick, satiating snack, a handful of walnuts is a great one and an excellent example of brain food.
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Sources
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Dr. Greg Cooper, MD, PhD, chief of adult neurology and the director of the Memory Center at Norton Neuroscience Institute
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MIND Diet Associated with Reduced Incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 2016
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Beneficial Effects of Walnuts on Cognition and Brain Health.Nutrients. 2020
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