When it comes to your brain health, not all foods are created equally.

As Dr. Daniel Amen said in his book, Memory Rescue, “if you eat a fast-food diet, you will have a fast-food mind that is less capable of quick thinking and reliable decision making.”

Choosing brain healthy foods to support clear thinking and defend yourself against neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, is one of the most important strategies for overcoming and preventing memory loss. Though, it's often overlooked.

What is a brain healthy diet?

Many of us are familiar with the concept of a heart healthy diet. However, there seems to be a disconnect when it comes to the relationship between food and your brain. Much like your heart is a major organ responsible for blood flow, your brain is a major organ responsible for most bodily functions.

And similar to your risk of heart disease, that can occur from lifestyle factors such as eating an unhealthy diet, being overweight, lack of exercise... your brain is susceptible to disease from the same lifestyle factors. 

However, unlike heart disease that manifests in physical side-effects, brain disease, such as Alzheimer's and dementia, shows up with physical, mental and cognitive changes. These changes can begin in your brain years before you ever see any symptoms which is why is it's critical to adopt a brain healthy lifestyle as soon as possible. 

The good news is that you can begin making changes to your diet and lifestyle to support clear thinking and reduce your risk of neurological diseases at any time. To help you get started on your journey to brain healthy eating, I’m sharing a few of my all-time favorite brain food cookbooks.

But before I do, we need to touch on one topic... meat. 

Meat or no meat, that is the question

If you’ve traveled down this road before, researching “foods that improve memory” you may have stumbled upon the meat or no meat debate.

I won’t be diving into that specifically today, but I do want to say that this list includes books to support brain healthy eating from either side of the argument.

Regardless of where you stand, research on either side of this debate suggests that a diet rich in whole, plant foods (aka fruits and vegetables) is essential to your gut health, brain health and longevity.

So, allow me to introduce you to your new favorite brain food book.

The 3 Best Cookbooks you Need for Foods that Improve Memory

These super guides top of the list of my favorite cookbooks to boost your brain power now and protect it as you age because they are well researched, well written and chock full of delicious but easy to make recipes. 

Not only do they make it easy to cook up delicious food, but they also provide great education on what foods to eat, what foods to avoid and how these changes impact your brain. 

Here are my favorites, in no particular order.

An unexpected brain food book: The Fiber Fueled Cookbook

1. The Fiber Fueled Cookbook: Inspiring Plant-Based Recipes to Turbocharge Your Health Written By: Will Bulsiewicz

Have you heard of the gut-brain connection?

Dr. B, or the Gut Health MD (as he refers to himself) is a leading gastroenterologist revealing the importance of eating a fiber rich diet. His NY Times Bestseller Fiber Fueled is one of my all-time favorite nutrition reads.

In his books, he guides you through understanding the role of your gut microbiome and its impact on your overall health and well-being. His conversational approach makes the information easy to digest (pun intended) and easy to apply to your everyday life.

I can’t tell you how excited I was when he announced the release of The Fiber Fueled Cookbook! I instantly went to purchase it and dove right into the recipes, which did not disappoint!

It’s hard to pick a favorite recipe from this book but here are my top 3 picks:

• The Roasted Eggplant Dip... seriously, you have to try this
• The Sweet Potato Shawarma Bowl
• Warm Apple Pie Oatmeal – perfect for a crisp fall morning 

Dr. B's style incorporates a diverse variety of plant foods rich in nutrients that your brain and body need to thrive. The best part... He makes it fun and easy for you to adopt this eating style, too. 

In the Fiber Fueled Cookbook, you'll learn all about 'plant points' and how to incorporate more of them into your diet. It's a new way of looking at what you're eating without diet culture breathing down your neck.

How many 'plant points' can you add into your day? 

The well-researched brain food book: Genius Kitchen 

1. Genius Kitchen: Over 100 Healthy and Delicious Recipes to Make Your Brain Sharp, Body Strong and Tastebuds Happy By: Max Lugavere

I first stumbled upon Max Lugavere in some of my research on memory health and nutrition. His story was quick to grab my attention because it started with a very raw and real experience navigating an early onset dementia diagnosis with his mom. While I'm not too keen on his argument for red meat, his attention to the science behind the other memory helping foods is noteworthy.

Max put his successful career on hold to learn everything he could about brain health. His research continued for almost a decade, and he compiled the best of what he learned to create this book. His book, Genius Foods, reveals how to use food to sharpen your mind, clear brain fog and prevent dementia.

Needless to say, I was quick to add Genius Kitchen to my cart when it was released. It features over 100 delicious recipes to keep your brain sharp and body strong and it’s totally worth the hype.

So far, my favorite recipes in this book have been:

• Garlic and curry snacking almonds
• Herb and Avocado Scrambled Eggs - which make the perfect Sunday morning breakfast
• Vegan Carrot Noodle Mac and “Cheese” – you just gotta try this one!

I love this book because the entry level is so approachable, especially if you're a meat eater who is not looking to become plant based. This book will meet you right where you are and guide you to healthier choices that effortlessly fit into your lifestyle.

The dementia busting brain food book: The 30-Day Alzheimer's Solution

2. The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution: The Definitive Food and Lifestyle Guide to Preventing Cognitive Decline By: Dean Sherzai, MD, PHD and Ayesha Sherzai, MD, MAS

This one is a must have, especially if you’re fearful of your family history, genetics or you’ve been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or early onset dementia.

In their book, Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai highlight the impact of lifestyle and nutrition on brain health, cognition, and dementia risk. They present the information in a way that is easy to understand, and they give you a step-by-step approach to incorporating brain healthy foods into your diet. Their passion for your brain health basically radiates from each page.

This book is chock-full of delicious real food, plant-based recipes that improve memory now and protect it as you age.

My favorite recipes in this book so far:

• Golden Waffles with Strawberry Sauce
• Memory Boosting Granola - so easy and delicious
• Taco Quinoa (Brain healthy tacos? Yes, please.)
• Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry – so cozy!

The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution is your ultimate guide to dementia prevention eating and lifestyle strategies.

Grab a brain food book today!

You can't go wrong with any of these brain healthy cookbooks. Here’s a quick look at the list once more before you go:

1.  The Fiber Fueled Cookbook: Inspiring Plant-Based Recipes to Turbocharge Your Health
2.  Genius Kitchen: Over 100 Healthy and Delicious Recipes to Make Your Brain Sharp, Body Strong and Tastebuds Happy
3.  The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution: The Definitive Food and Lifestyle Guide to Preventing Cognitive Decline

Which brain food book are you most excited to try? Grab your favorite one from the list and try out a recipe! 

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