Brain health isn’t just determined by genetics or age—your daily diet plays a major role, too. While certain foods can help protect cognitive function and support healthy aging, others may do the opposite. Neurologists and nutrition experts warn that regularly consuming highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and sugary products can contribute to inflammation, impaired blood flow, and metabolic issues that may accelerate brain aging over time. If you’re looking to keep your mind sharp for years to come, these are some of the foods experts suggest limiting.
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1. White Bread
Although eating a few slices of white sandwich bread every once in a while isn't going to do much damage, frequently keeping it in your diet can do more damage than you think. White bread is known as one of the least healthy versions of bread, as it's a refined carbohydrate that's been stripped of its beneficial nutrients. "Refined carbohydrates may also affect the gut-brain axis and cause inflammation in the body, including the brain," noted health experts at Healthline. "These effects have been shown to affect your ability to think and increase the risk of anxiety and depression."
2. Frozen Meals
Frozen dinners you see in the freezer aisle at the grocery store are tempting to pick up, as they're often flavorful, full of yummy ingredients like pasta or fried proteins, and are super easy to make. After all, it can be a lot more convenient to heat up a frozen dinner versus cook something from scratch on a bad day. However, these meals are often examples of "ultra-processed foods," which are notorious for hurting various aspects of your health. "People who eat diets high in ultra-processed foods, such as packaged cereals, frozen meals, and sweets, may have a higher chance of feeling depressed and anxious than those who eat fewer of these foods—and they may also have an increased risk of cognitive decline," wrote researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.
3. Margarine
There is a lot of misconception out there that butter is one of the worst foods you can eat. While it is very high in fat, which can be dangerous for your health in large quantities, its alternative, margarine, isn't super great for you either. Margarine is typically made from seed or vegetable oils, and, as Dr. Janine Bowring, a naturopathic doctor, says, "has a lot of those trans fats." Consuming large quantities of foods that are heavy in trans fats can easily harm your cognitive function and slow you down.
4. Sugary Drinks
If you struggle to get through a day without a fix of some kind of full-sugar soda or juice, you might want to reconsider and swap it for something cleaner. While a soda is fine in moderation, consistently drinking beverages that are high in refined sugar won't just add inches to your waist, but can also hurt your brain. "By damaging metabolic health, messing with the brain's vascular system, and increasing inflammation, it's no wonder that a higher consumption of SSBs (sugar-sweetened beverages) is linked to a higher risk for dementia," Dr. Austin Perlmutter wrote for Psychology Today. "Right now, there are over 50 million people with dementia, and that number is slated to hit over 150 million in the next few decades. If cutting back on SSBs could offset even a fraction of this, we really need to be taking this seriously."
5. Candy & Sweets
Although everyone loves a sweet treat from time to time, enjoying a dessert or a few pieces of candy, eating a lot of refined sugar throughout the day is one of the most notorious ways to hurt your health through diet. Like saturated fat, refined sugar can cause weight gain in addition to a decline in other aspects of your health. "Excess sugar can impair insulin sensitivity and contribute to oxidative stress," notes registered dietitian Kristen Carli, MS, RD, from WOWMD. "This can age the brain faster."
6. Processed Meats
Processed meats such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and deli meats have long been associated with negative health outcomes, and brain health may be no exception. These products are often high in sodium, preservatives, and compounds called nitrates and nitrites, which can contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress throughout the body. Research suggests that chronic inflammation may negatively affect cognitive function and increase the risk of age-related brain changes. Processed meats have also been linked to cardiovascular issues, which can impact blood flow to the brain and potentially affect memory and thinking skills over time.
7. Fried Foods
French fries, fried chicken, onion rings, and other deep-fried favorites may satisfy cravings, but they could come at a cost to your brain health. Fried foods are often high in unhealthy fats and advanced glycation end products (AGEs), compounds that form when foods are cooked at very high temperatures. Some studies suggest that diets high in fried foods may contribute to increased inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which have been linked to cognitive decline. In addition, regularly eating fried foods can raise the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes—conditions that are themselves associated with a greater risk of dementia and accelerated brain aging.
