How Whole Foods Feed Your Brain | Neurotransmitters Explained

The most brain healthy foods are whole, natural and nutrient-rich: vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts and other minimally processed foods. In this short video, holistic nutritionist Andie Kalifer explains why, connecting what you eat to your gut bacteria and to the chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, that shape how you feel.

Key takeaways

• What you eat affects how you feel and, as Andie puts it, "how our different neurotransmitters are being produced in the gut."
• Whole foods that are "natural and nutrient-rich" feed the good bacteria in your gut and nourish your body.
• Refined and unnatural foods do the opposite, she explains, "because they're not naturally meant to be in our body."
• When the body gets foods it doesn't recognize, Andie says, inflammation goes up and blood sugar falls out of balance.

What Andie Kalifer says

"Food impacts brain chemistry," Andie says, and her explanation starts in the gut rather than the head. What we eat, she says, has an impact "not only on how we feel but how our different neurotransmitters are being produced in the gut." When you focus on whole foods, "we're feeding all the good bacteria, we're adding proper nutrients to our hormones, and we're nourishing our body."

Refined foods are the contrast. When we eat foods "we don't know how to digest and we don't recognize as food," she explains, "that's when our body increases inflammation and our blood sugars imbalance," and we end up feeding bacteria that affect "physical, mental health." The message is less about one perfect superfood and more about the overall pattern: mostly whole foods, fewer highly processed ones.

What are brain healthy foods?

According to Harvard Health, research shows that the best brain foods are the same ones that protect your heart and blood vessels (Harvard Health). Its list includes:

• Leafy greens like kale, spinach, collards and broccoli, which research suggests may help slow cognitive decline.
• Fatty fish such as salmon, which are rich in omega-3 fats. Flaxseeds, avocados and walnuts are plant sources of omega-3s.
• Berries, whose natural pigments, called flavonoids, have been linked to better memory.
• Tea and coffee, since caffeine may offer more than a short-term focus boost.
• Walnuts, which have been linked to better scores on cognitive tests.

How does food affect neurotransmitters?

Your gut holds much of the body's serotonin, one of the best-known neurotransmitters. In a study published in Cell, researchers found that certain bacteria from the mouse and human gut help control how much serotonin the gut makes (Yano et al., Cell). The study was done in mice and looked at serotonin's role in digestion and the blood, not mood, so it's a reason to look after your gut, not proof that any one food changes how you feel.

Food supports your overall health, but it is not a treatment for depression, anxiety or any other mental health condition. If you're struggling, talk with a doctor or therapist.

Easy ways to eat for your brain

Start with one swap a day: berries instead of a packaged snack, or greens added to a meal you already make. For more on the food and mood link, read how your diet affects mental health and mood, and for focus, see why ditching junk food can help your mental clarity.

Video transcript

Transcript (lightly edited for reading):

Food impacts brain chemistry because what we eat really has an impact not only on how we feel but how our different neurotransmitters are being produced in the gut. So when we're focusing on whole foods that are natural and nutrient-rich, we're feeding all the good bacteria, we're adding proper nutrients to our hormones, and we're nourishing our body. Whereas refined foods and unnatural foods are going to do the opposite, because they're not naturally meant to be in our body. And when we eat foods that we don't know how to digest and we don't recognize as food, that's when our body increases inflammation and our blood sugars imbalance, and we're feeding into different bacteria that are impacting physical, mental health.

Common questions

What drink is good for brain memory?

Harvard Health notes studies linking caffeine to better scores on tests of mental function. Keep it moderate if caffeine makes you anxious or disrupts sleep.

How do avocados benefit brain health?

Harvard Health lists avocados, with flaxseeds and walnuts, as plant sources of omega-3s. They fit the whole-food eating Andie describes.

What is the number one fruit for brain health?

There's no single winner, but berries come up most often. Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries all contain flavonoids, the plant pigments linked to better memory. Variety matters more than picking one.

What foods are bad for your brain?

Andie points to refined and unnatural foods, which she says can increase inflammation and throw off blood sugar. Cutting back gradually is easier than quitting overnight.

About the expert: Andie Kalifer is a Toronto-based holistic nutritionist and certified nutritional practitioner trained at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition. Her work focuses on digestive health and stress.

Related: Nourish to Thrive: Whole Foods for Gut & Mind