Feed Your Brain: What to Eat (and What to Skip) After 50

Let’s be honest—our brains deserve better than a steady diet of sugar and processed snacks. Especially after 50, what we eat can either help us stay sharp or slow us down. The good news? AARP has the scoop on foods that fuel your brain and protect your health and a few that might be worth ditching.

Nuts & Seeds: Tiny but Mighty

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When it comes to brain food, nuts and seeds are small but seriously powerful. According to AARP, these six stand out for their brain-boosting benefits:

• Walnuts – Rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid that may help improve mood and reduce depressive symptoms.
• Almonds – A great source of vitamin E, which has been linked to a reduced risk of cognitive decline.
• Chia and flaxseeds – Both are packed with ALA, supporting overall brain health.
• Brazil nuts – High in selenium, an antioxidant that may improve brain function and mood.
• Pistachios – Shown in studies to promote gamma brain waves, which are associated with learning, memory, and cognition.

Because nuts are high in calories, keep your snacking to about 1 ounce (¼ cup) of nuts per day; that’s about 23 almonds or 14 walnut halves. Just a handful a day can help keep your brain humming along.

Heart-Healthy Foods = Brain-Healthy Foods

What’s good for your heart is also good for your head. AARP’s heart health foods list includes:

• Berries – especially blueberries, which are loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C. From sharper memory to better focus and lower dementia risk, science shows that eating blueberries regularly may help keep your brain healthy as you age.
• Cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens – think broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach and kale are linked to a decline in blood vessel disease.
• Fatty fish – such as salmon and sardines, rich in omega-3s help stave off the risk of heart failure, stroke and other coronary disease.
• Whole grain rives and quinoa – which help maintain steady blood flow to the brain and reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease and type-2 diabetes

These foods don’t just help you think better, they help you feel better, too.

Foods to Avoid After 50

Now for the tough love. AARP’s list of foods to avoid includes some usual suspects:

• Sugary drinks – linked to weight gain and increased risk of chronic disease.  Instead try water infused with fresh fruit in flavors such as orange, blueberry lemon, and kiwi watermelon.
• Processed foods and snacks – high in sodium and preservatives that can affect heart and brain health. Get back into the kitchen and cook keeping the recipes simple, using whole ingredients and using seasonings that have no added sodium. And, don't forget you can’t go wrong with whole nuts, like pistachios in the shell or shelled almonds.
• Fried foods – tasty, yes, but are probably not good for our brains according to a Global Council on Brain Health governance committee member.

And speaking of sugar...

AARP’s article Is There a Link Between Sugar and Cancer? clears up the confusion. While sugar itself doesn’t directly cause cancer, excess sugar can lead to obesity and chronic inflammation—two major risk factors. So moderation is key.