Brain foods, the MIND diet and keeping sharp after 50
Which foods the MIND diet puts first, what its trials found, five NHS steps for keeping your brain sharp after 50, and where B12, vitamin D and omega-3 fit.
- Written by
- George M.
- Last updated
- Reading time
- 11 min read
Overview
Brain foods are the ones the MIND diet puts first, such as leafy greens, berries, nuts, beans, whole grains, fish and olive oil. People who ate this way declined more slowly in long-term studies, but a 3-year trial found no extra benefit over a healthy diet with smaller portions. Programmes adding exercise and health checks did better.
Key points
- We found no trial showing one food on its own protects memory, and most research looks at the MIND way of eating.
- People with the highest MIND diet scores declined more slowly, a gap equal to being 7.5 years younger.
- In a 3-year trial of 604 older adults, the MIND diet did no better than a healthy diet with a mild calorie cut.
- Programmes that combined diet, exercise, brain training and health checks improved thinking scores more than general advice.
- B vitamin and omega-3 supplements made little or no difference in people without a deficiency.
Blueberries won't keep your memory sharp on their own. In a 3-year trial of 604 older adults, a MIND diet with extra berries, nuts and olive oil did no better on thinking tests than a healthy diet with slightly smaller portions, and both groups improved [1].
Brain foods are the ones the MIND diet puts first, such as leafy greens, berries, nuts, beans, whole grains, fish and olive oil. In long-term studies, people who ate this way had a slower decline in memory and thinking [2]. Trials that combined a healthy diet with exercise, brain training and health checks found bigger gains than general advice [3][4]. Here's how to start, one change at a time.
What are the best brain foods?
We found no trial showing that one food on its own protects memory. Most of the research looks at a whole way of eating, the MIND diet, which blends the Mediterranean diet with a diet designed to lower blood pressure. It singles out leafy greens and berries, because earlier studies linked them more closely with slower decline than vegetables or fruit in general [2].
These are the amounts the MIND diet score aims for [2].
| Food | Aim for |
|---|---|
| Green leafy vegetables | 6 or more servings a week |
| Other vegetables | 1 or more servings a day |
| Berries | 2 or more servings a week |
| Nuts | 5 or more servings a week |
| Beans | More than 3 meals a week |
| Whole grains | 3 or more servings a day |
| Fish, not fried | 1 or more meals a week |
| Poultry, not fried | 2 or more meals a week |
| Olive oil | Your main oil at home |
UK advice goes a little further on fish. The NHS suggests at least 2 portions a week, including 1 of oily fish such as salmon or sardines, with a portion of around 140 g [5].
Start with one row. Add berries to breakfast or greens to dinner, and move to the next row when it feels easy.
What is the MIND diet?
MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. Researchers in Chicago built it in 2015 from foods that earlier studies had linked with slower memory decline. It scores 15 food groups, 10 to eat often and 5 to limit [2].
The five to limit are these [2].
- Red meat, fewer than 4 meals a week
- Butter and stick margarine, less than a tablespoon a day
- Cheese, less than one serving a week
- Pastries and sweets, fewer than 5 servings a week
- Fried or fast food, less than once a week
The original score also gave a point for one glass of wine a day. For brain health, the NHS advises no more than 14 units of alcohol a week [6].
Does the MIND diet work?
In the study that created it, 960 older adults were followed for about 5 years. Those with the highest MIND scores declined more slowly than those with the lowest, a gap equal to being 7.5 years younger [2]. A pooled analysis of 8 groups of people, 26,103 in all, also linked higher scores with better thinking, though the link with slower decline was less clear [7].
Studies like these show a link, not cause and effect. People with high scores were also more educated and more active, although the researchers adjusted for this [2].
Trials give a more mixed picture.
| Trial | Who took part | What happened | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIND diet trial [1] | 604 adults aged 65 and over, for 3 years | Thinking scores rose by a similar amount on the MIND diet and on a usual diet, both with a mild calorie cut. Brain scans looked alike | Moderate |
| Spanish Mediterranean diet trial [8] | 447 adults, average age 67, at high risk of heart disease, for about 4 years | A Mediterranean diet with extra olive oil or nuts kept thinking scores steadier than advice to cut fat, where scores fell | Early |
Both groups in the MIND diet trial lost about 5 kg [1]. So a healthy diet with sensible portions looks like a fair goal in itself, whichever version you follow.
How to keep your brain sharp after 50
Two large trials tested a mix of habits rather than food alone. In FINGER, 1,260 people aged 60 to 77 at raised risk of dementia had 2 years of diet advice, exercise, brain training and heart checks. Their thinking scores improved more than in people given general health advice [3]. In the US POINTER trial, 2,111 inactive adults aged 60 to 79 improved on both a structured and a self-guided programme, and more on the structured one [4].
The NHS says around 4 in 10 cases of dementia could be prevented, and that what's good for your heart is also good for your brain [6]. Its advice turns into five steps [6].
- Eat a balanced diet. Use the MIND foods above as your shopping list, and if you're carrying extra weight, losing 5 to 10% of it can help lower your risk.
- Move for 150 minutes a week. Brisk walking, cycling or dancing all count, plus strengthening exercises such as gardening or yoga at least twice a week.
- Keep alcohol to 14 units a week or less, and stop smoking.
- Look after your hearing and keep in touch with people. Hearing loss and loneliness are both on the NHS list of possible risk factors.
- Book an NHS Health Check. It's free every 5 years for adults aged 40 to 74 who don't have heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease and haven't had a stroke. If you haven't been invited, ask your GP surgery.
Pick the step you're furthest from and start there this week.
Do brain health supplements work?
For people without a deficiency, the trials are mostly flat. They tested people in mid and later life.
| Supplement | What trials found | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| B vitamins | Little or no effect on memory and thinking over up to 5 years, across 14 studies of 27,882 people [9] | Moderate |
| Omega-3 | No benefit on memory and thinking tests in 3 trials of 3,536 healthy people aged 60 and over [10] | Moderate |
| Vitamin D | No effect over up to 10 years in one trial of 4,143 people, using 400 IU with calcium [9] | Early |
| Multivitamin | Slightly higher thinking scores after 3 years in one trial of 2,262 adults aged 65 and over, a secondary result [11] | Early |
| Cocoa extract | No effect on thinking scores in the same trial [11] | Early |
A deficiency is a different story. Low vitamin B12 can cause problems with memory, understanding and judgement [12]. It's more likely with pernicious anaemia, which is more common in women around 60, with a vegan diet that has no fortified foods or B12 supplement, and with some medicines, including metformin [13]. If that sounds like you, see a GP, as a blood test can often tell [12]. Our brain fog guide covers other common causes.
Two more points are worth knowing. The NHS advises everyone to consider 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day in autumn and winter [14]. In the UK, DHA, an omega-3 found in oily fish, may be described as contributing to normal brain function, based on 250 mg a day [15].
For a ranking of supplements by goal, see our guide to the best nootropics in the UK, and the studies behind each ingredient are in our Ingredient Atlas.
Where Nooroots fits
Food, movement and the NHS checks above come first. If you'd also like a daily supplement for calm focus, Nooroots Ashwagandha + Lion's Mane pairs certified organic KSM-66 ashwagandha with lion's mane fruiting body extract, and it's caffeine-free.
Frequently asked questions
What is the number one brain food?
We found no trial that singles out one food. The MIND diet gives leafy greens and berries their own places, because studies linked them more closely with slower decline than vegetables or fruit in general [2].
What foods are bad for your brain?
The MIND diet asks you to limit red meat, butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food [2].
Is oily fish good for your brain?
Oily fish is the richest source of long-chain omega-3, and the NHS suggests 2 portions of fish a week, 1 of them oily [5]. Omega-3 capsules didn't improve thinking in trials of healthy older adults [10].
Does vitamin B12 help memory?
It helps if you're low in it, because a deficiency can cause memory problems [12]. In people without a deficiency, B vitamin supplements made little or no difference in trials [9].
Are nuts good for your brain?
The MIND diet asks for nuts at least 5 times a week [2]. In a Spanish trial, older adults at high risk of heart disease who added 30 g of nuts a day to a Mediterranean diet kept their thinking scores steadier than those told to cut fat [8].
How can I keep my mind sharp as I get older?
Combine a MIND-style diet with regular exercise, mental and social activity and regular health checks. In trials of older adults, programmes that combined these improved thinking scores more than general advice [3][4].
Read more about memory slips and when to get them checked in our guide to brain fog.
References
Every source here is listed so you can read it yourself. This guide is for general information and doesn't replace advice from your GP. We check it again at least every six months.
- Barnes LL, Dhana K, Liu X, Carey VJ, Ventrelle J, Johnson K et al. (2023). Trial of the MIND Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline in Older Persons. New England Journal of Medicine 389(7): 602-611. PMID 37466280
- Morris MC, Tangney CC, Wang Y, Sacks FM, Barnes LL, Bennett DA et al. (2015). MIND diet slows cognitive decline with aging. Alzheimer's & Dementia 11(9): 1015-22. PMID 26086182
- Ngandu T, Lehtisalo J, Solomon A, Levälahti E, Ahtiluoto S, Antikainen R et al. (2015). A 2 year multidomain intervention of diet, exercise, cognitive training, and vascular risk monitoring versus control to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk elderly people (FINGER): a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet 385(9984): 2255-63. PMID 25771249
- Baker LD, Espeland MA, Whitmer RA, Snyder HM, Leng X, Lovato L et al. (2025). Structured vs Self-Guided Multidomain Lifestyle Interventions for Global Cognitive Function: The US POINTER Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 334(8): 681-691. PMID 40720610
- NHS. Fish and shellfish. Page last reviewed 26 June 2026. Accessed 31 October 2026. nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/fish-and-shellfish-nutrition
- NHS. Can dementia be prevented? Page last reviewed 31 July 2023. Accessed 31 October 2026. nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/dementia-prevention
- Huang L, Tao Y, Chen H, Chen X, Shen J, Zhao C et al. (2023). Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) Diet and Cognitive Function and its Decline: A Prospective Study and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 118(1): 174-182. PMID 37105521
- Valls-Pedret C, Sala-Vila A, Serra-Mir M, Corella D, de la Torre R, Martínez-González MÁ et al. (2015). Mediterranean Diet and Age-Related Cognitive Decline: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Internal Medicine 175(7): 1094-1103. PMID 25961184
- Rutjes AW, Denton DA, Di Nisio M, Chong LY, Abraham RP, Al-Assaf AS et al. (2018). Vitamin and mineral supplementation for maintaining cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in mid and late life. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 12: CD011906. PMID 30556597
- Sydenham E, Dangour AD, Lim WS (2012). Omega 3 fatty acid for the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 6: CD005379. PMID 22696350
- Baker LD, Manson JE, Rapp SR, Sesso HD, Gaussoin SA, Shumaker SA et al. (2023). Effects of cocoa extract and a multivitamin on cognitive function: A randomized clinical trial. Alzheimer's & Dementia 19(4): 1308-1319. PMID 36102337
- NHS. Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia: symptoms. Page last reviewed 20 February 2023. Accessed 31 October 2026. nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b12-or-folate-deficiency-anaemia/symptoms
- NHS. Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia: causes. Page last reviewed 20 February 2023. Accessed 31 October 2026. nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b12-or-folate-deficiency-anaemia/causes
- NHS. Vitamin D. Page last reviewed 3 August 2020. Accessed 31 October 2026. nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d
- Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register, spreadsheet of 19 May 2026. Accessed 31 October 2026. gov.uk
