Diet for the Brain

A proper diet keeps the brain well-fed and healthy as we age well, as numerous studies have now shown. But, says British health expert Angela Dowden, it is not only what you eat, but how you eat it, that counts -- and she has a set of rules to help you keep your thinking parts running smoothly.

Dowden says food psychologists are convinced small is preferable to big. "Small meals eaten regularly will keep you psychologically more efficient than one or two large meals a day." And breakfast is a daily must, to avoid blood-sugar lows later in the morning that the experts say can adversely affect memory.

Glucose is vital to the brain's function, Dowden says, and it's important to eat sufficient amounts of carbohydrates to get it -- 140 grams a day, on average. This equates to four bowls of cereal or eight slices of bread. "Much less, and your body will break down muscle tissue to make glucose."

At the same time, cut down on the butter, cream, pate and pastries containing saturated fats, which can clog arteries delivering oxygen and nutrients to the brain. The good news, she says, is red wine and grapes (which contain a substance that fights infection) and beer in moderation (which provides B vitamins and boron, a trace element that affects mental function) are desirable in the diet.

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