This Is the Best Nut for Brain Health, According to a Neurologist and Alzheimer's Expert
Diet plays a huge role when it comes to preventing brain fog, supporting long-term memory, and even boosting mood. (Hey, "hanger" is real.) According to numerous scientific studies, the best way to eat with brain health in mind is to eat a plant-forward diet high in leafy greens, other vegetables, nuts and seeds, berries, beans and legumes, whole grains, fish, poultry and olive oil.
Nuts and seeds in particular are majorly good for brain health because they are high in fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which all play crucial roles in supporting the brain. In one study of 3,266 people over 65, people who ate nuts regularly had a 17 percent less risk of cognitive impairment than those who didn’t eat nuts regularly. There’s one nut in particular that brain health experts say is especially good for the brain. Keep reading to find out what it is.
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What Is the Best Nut for Brain Health?
When asked what the absolute best nut for brain health was, Dr. Raphael Wald, PsyD, a neurologist with Baptist Health Marcus Neuroscience Institute, and Dr. Annie Fenn, MD, a physician and chef focused on Alzheimer’s prevention, gave the exact same answer: walnuts.
“Walnuts are the healthiest nut because of the amount of nutrients and healthy fats,” Dr. Wald says. He explains that healthy fats (specifically polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fats) are good for controlling cholesterol levels, controlling blood sugar and preventing heart disease. Dr. Wald explains that there’s a direct connection between heart health and brain health. “This is because heart and vascular health allow the body to more easily supply the brain with the nutrients and oxygen that it needs to thrive,” he shares.
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Besides being high in polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, Dr. Fenn says that another reason why walnuts are especially great for brain health is that they’re high in antioxidants, specifically vitamin E and polyphenols. “These nutrients are important for blocking the inflammation that prematurely ages the brain,” she says. Dr. Fenn points to a 2022 study showing that adding an extra serving of walnuts to the Mediterranean diet was a polyphenol-boosting strategy that resulted in brain volume gains over time. “Walnuts even look like little brains, making it easy to remember they are neuroprotective,” she says.
When buying walnuts, or any nut for that matter, both Dr. Fenn and Dr. Wald say to look for ones that are unsalted, which are lower in sodium.
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How To Incorporate Walnuts Into Brain-Healthy Snacks and Meals
Incorporating walnuts into your diet is easy, particularly because they can be eaten as-is and can be incorporated into both sweet and savory meals. Dr. Fenn likes to include walnuts in homemade granola, made with oats, dried fruit and other nuts—all ingredients that also support brain health. Oats are good for brain health because they contain the nutrient choline, which the body needs to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which helps with memory and learning.
Dr. Fenn also likes to use walnuts when making pesto. (She incorporates pine nuts and pistachios too, for extra brain health benefits.) To make homemade pesto, simply combine these ingredients in a blender with olive oil (also a great source of healthy fats) and spinach (full of brain-healthy antioxidants) and blend until smooth.
Dr. Fenn says that one of the most popular recipes from her cookbook, The Brain Health Kitchen: Preventing Alzheimer’s Through Food, is walnut “parm,” in which walnuts combine with garlic, nutritional yeast and miso paste into a crumbly topping that tastes like Parmesan cheese. “It’s the secret ingredient in my turkey parm burgers and turkey zucchini meatballs,” she says. “Sprinkling it on salads and pasta dishes adds umami flavor, along with a good dose of healthy fats and antioxidants.”
As you can see, there’s no shortage of ways to incorporate walnuts into your meals and snacks. Of course, the best way to reap the brain health benefits of walnuts is to ensure your diet as a whole is one that supports brain health. “Brain-healthy foods should fit realistically into your life. This means figuring out which neuroprotective foods you love to eat, that you enjoy cooking, that fit within your budget and your lifestyle,” Dr. Fenn says, on how to make eating brain-healthy foods regularly a reality. “Brain-healthy eating is not a diet that you go on in January, and then go off the next month. It’s a way to enjoy foods that will protect your brain for life.”
In addition to filling up on brain-healthy foods, Dr. Fenn says to limit or avoid fast and fried food, pastries and sweets, dairy (including butter and cheese), ultra-processed food (especially processed dairy and meat), sugar- and artificially-sweetened drinks and alcoholic beverages—all of which are linked to negatively impacting the brain.
With these healthy eating habits in place—and a pantry stocked with walnuts—you’ll be supporting your brain both in the short and long term. Now that’s eating mindfully!
Next up, check out this list of 11 foods that will keep brain fog far away.
Sources
Dr. Raphael Wald, PsyD, neurologist with Baptist Health Marcus Neuroscience Institute
Dr. Annie Fenn, MD, physician and chef focused on Alzheimer’s prevention and author of The Brain Health Kitchen: Preventing Alzheimer’s Through Food