PALEO LEAP CHEAT SHEET
BRAIN FOOD
Food is fuel for your body, but it’s also fuel for your brain. Of course, there’s a lot more to
mental health than food – diet is one piece of the puzzle, not the entire solution. But here’s a look
at ways to optimize that one particular piece.
The Brain Food Pyramid
Eat a Nutrient-Dense Diet
Eat Brain Foods
Consider Specific Nutrients
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 1: HEALTHY BIG-PICTURE
DIETARY PATTERNS.
LEVEL 2: EAT BRAIN FOODS.
Any kind of nutrient deficiency could theoretically hurt your brain. But that doesn’t mean
you have to obsessively count and track every milligram of everything you eat. Humans
aren’t designed to get nutrition like that. Instead, focus on a long-
term pattern of nutrient-dense fuel. That means…
After making sure that your diet is generally high in nutrient-dense foods, here are some major food
groups to check off:
Eat a variety of different plant foods, including starchy tubers like potatoes
(yes, white potatoes are OK!)
and sweet potatoes.
Red meat: fatty red meat contains many
different important brain-health
nutrients, including B vitamins, saturated
fat, cholesterol, and iron.
Fish and seafood: on top of the
obvious Omega-3 content, they’re full of important
brain minerals like selenium.
Antioxidant-rich foods, e.g. spices
and berries.
Fermented or probiotic foods.
Keep your gut happy, and your brain will
thank you.
Eat a variety of different animal foods, including seafood, animal
fat and organ meats.
Eat enough food. Macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbs, collectively
measured in calories) are
nutrients, too. Your brain uses
20% of your total calories: is it any
surprise that inadequate fuel will affect your brain function?
An overall brain-healthy dietary pattern should also be low in refined sugar and processed carbohydrates.
Chronically high blood sugar is directly linked to cognitive decline, including
degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.1
LEVEL 3: CONSIDER SPECIFIC
NUTRIENTS.
Overall dietary patterns have more effect on your health than individual foods, and individual
foods have more effect than isolated nutrients. But in some
cases, it might be helpful to consider individual vitamins
and minerals.2 Here are some suggestions:
NUTRIENT
DEFICIENCY IS BAD
BECAUSE…
YOU MIGHT NEED
MORE IF…
WHAT TO EAT/DO TO GET MORE
Magnesium
Magnesium has calming
and anti-depressant
effects.
You’re constipated, an athlete, or don’t eat a lot of nuts.
Or even if you aren’t any of those things: magnesium deficiency is extremely common.
Eat nuts, spinach,
avocado, and potatoes, or take a
supplement.
B vitamins
B vitamins are necessary
for brain development in children, memory; energy,
and overall “sharpness.”
You are or used to be
a vegetarian or vegan, or you’re pregnant.
Eat red meat.
Vitamin D
Inadequate Vitamin D puts you at risk for degenerative
mental diseases,
mood disorders,
and cognitive decline.
You rarely see the sun. Food can’t supply
adequate Vitamin D; you have to make it yourself from
sunlight.
Get more sunshine or take a
supplement. You can get some from
fatty fish like salmon, but
you’d have to eat a lot of
fish to meet your needs that way.
Iron
Iron is important for overall brain
health. In cases of iron deficiency,
resolving the deficiency improves cognitive
performance.
Two groups of people are
frequently deficient in iron:
women and people with
malabsorptive digestive
disorders.
Eat red meat, and heal your
gut so you can absorb
the iron you actually do
eat.
11 Source here.2 Source with links to other studies here.
ONE FINAL NOTE: all of the above will help keep your brain healthy, but no amount of salmon will make you a genius, and megadosing individual nutrients in the
absence of a deficiency is unlikely to do anything. Don’t go searching for the perfect brain food to make you “superhuman” overnight – stick to healthy patterns
in the long run and have fun exploring just how great ordinary old “human” can feel.
Copyright © 2015 by Paleo Leap, LLC.
All material in this cheat sheet is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action
or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents oæf this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health
professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.
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