The latest science on nutrition that protects your mind
By Tania Haas
Leaders in nutritional psychiatry have created a helpful and evidence-backed food scale that ranks nutrients by their role in nourishing and protecting our brains.
The buzz was strong when the brain food scale was previewed to a standing-room only audience at this year’s American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. While not yet published, its creation represents growing medical support for food as a part of the clinical approach to the treatment and prevention of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.
Spotlight on nutrients critical for brain function
The scale breaks down foods to a micro level and lends insight on each nutrient’s role on the mind, formalizing some of the data nutritional scientists and registered dietitians have been referencing in practice.
The researchers’ scale directly links vitamins and minerals with brain function, such as:
Vitamin A and the biochemistry of mood, memory and learning
Vitamin B12 to mood and memory
Vitamin D to mood, motivation and memory
Magnesium and brain protection
Vitamin E with the delayed onset of Alzheimer’s disease
Choose these critical nutrients for brain health
Foods that rank high on the scale are rich in brain essential nutrients such as: Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, calcium, fiber and vitamins B1, B9, B12, D, and E.
The greatest sources of brain essential nutrients can be found in whole foods such:
fatty fish like mackerel, anchovies, sardines, salmon and herring (Omega-3 fatty acids)
whole grains like quinoa (magnesium, B vitamins, fiber)
dark leafy vegetables like spinach, collard greens, bok choy and kale (vitamin E, fibre and calcium)
walnuts, pecans and legumes, including peanuts (vitamin E, fiber and magnesium)
“While supplements are necessary in special cases where nutrients are not being absorbed properly, whole foods are always the recommended first choice,” said Vandana Gujadhur, a registered dietitian at Medcan.
Vitamin B12 deficiencies should be addressed for long-term brain health
The scale’s researchers spoke to the vitamin B12 deficiency common among vegetarians and vegans. Vitamin B12 was highlighted as a brain essential nutrient and can be found in eggs, milk, cheese, meat, fish, shellfish and poultry, as well as some supplements and fortified soy and rice products.
“It is possible to have normal blood B12 levels with a well balanced vegan or vegetarian diet. More and more products are now being fortified with vitamin B12, which makes it easier to stick to a plant-based lifestyle,” said Gujadhur.
For those considering introducing more meat and fish into their diet, the brain food scale promoted the brain boosting properties in animal products such as organ meats and game meats; bivalves (mussels, clams, oysters); mollusks (octopus, squid, snail) and fish (salmon and sardines) – noting to avoid seafood with high mercury content, and the preference for grain-fed beef.
Lack of nutrient-rich foods linked with brain shrinkage
Foods that rank low on this scale include processed foods with high sugar content, refined carbohydrates, and foods with dyes, preservatives, and trans fats. One of the studies supporting the brain food scale looked at dietary patterns and brain size.
A bigger brain has more brain cells, and around 40 to 45 years, our brains begin to shrink. This 2015 study found people who avoided foods low in brain essential nutrients (and chose colourful plants, seafood and whole grains) had bigger brains at age of 60 to 65. And, their brains shrank at a slower rate.
“This new research adds more validity to the food therapy movement,” says Gujadhur. “It’s exciting to know that more and more people are realizing there’s so much power on our plates.”