15 Best Brain Superfoods to Support Your Health

Embrace a holistic lifestyle and support your brain health with these nutrient-rich superfoods.

— On Jul 21, 2025

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Our brain is a complex machine. Not only does it require a staggering 20% of our total energy expenditure, but it also needs quality nutrients for optimal functioning.

The human brain operates 24/7 and requires a steady supply of fuel, but the source of that fuel makes a huge difference. Consuming the right superfoods for the brain helps keep it sharp and supports cognitive health. Discover how to feed your brain with this comprehensive guide.

At a Glance

What nutrients may support brain function? The B vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin C, omega-3, choline, iodine, zinc, and antioxidants are some of the many nutrients that can support brain health.
What are the best superfoods for the brain? Leafy greens, turmeric, nuts, whole grains, salmon, eggs, chlorella and spirulina, blueberries, pumpkin seeds, green tea, beans, avocados, dark chocolate, tomatoes, and red cabbage made our list.
What are some lifestyle changes you can make to support brain health? Prioritizing sleep, managing your weight, socializing, decreasing your alcohol and nicotine usage, reducing added sugars and processed foods, and keeping your body and mind active are all ways to support cognition.

15 Best Superfoods for the Brain

The best brain foods come from natural ingredients full of powerful nutrients. Eating the following superfoods mindfully and strategically may support your overall brain function and health.

1. Leafy Green Vegetables

All vegetables are nutritious additions to your diet, but greens like kale and spinach are important sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Why Leafy Greens May Support Brain Health:

Vitamins K, C, and E, antioxidant powerhouses found in the brain and shown to quench free radicals and help support brain health
Bioactive compounds like lutein, beta-carotene, and other flavonoids. In studies, higher intakes of these are associated with delayed cognitive decline by helping with age-related brain diseases.

Try it: Salad doesn’t have to be the only way you include greens in your day. Try baby spinach in a smoothie, add chopped kale to your soups, or cook very thinly sliced collard greens into your pasta sauce.

"One of my favorite ways to get even more leafy greens in my daily routine is through a greens powder like Live it Up Super Greens, which is made with 20+ organic vegetables and superfoods.”

Rachel Gargano, MS, RD, CBS

Verified Review

2. Chlorella and Spirulina

Going green helps support your brain function. But not just leafy green, alga green (from chlorella and spirulina) is important as well.

The brain is more prone to free radical-related oxidative stress than any other part of the body. While this process is largely normal, if we aren’t eating the right foods to help quench excess free radicals, they may exacerbate brain aging and cognitive decline.

Both chlorella and spirulina are packed with functional compounds, from such as carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, to phycocyanins and chlorophyll. These help to ease oxidative stress in the brain by being the buffer for damaging free radicals. These two algae also contain vitamins C, E, and B, which are essential for cognitive function and brain health.

Did You Know? The human body cannot break down the strong cell walls of chlorella, so to get full benefits, be sure that your supplement contains cracked or broken cell wall chlorella.

3. Turmeric

Turmeric is more than a tasty golden spice. It contains curcumin, a natural polyphenol with strong antioxidant functions within the brain. Studies have shown that curcumin may support working memory and cognitive speed.

Using turmeric in cooking is a great way to begin increasing this powerful spice in your diet. However, it only contains about 3-8% of the active ingredient curcumin, so the best way to support brain function is through supplements.

Dietitian Tip: Look for a supplement with piperine, a compound extracted from black pepper that drastically increases your body and brain’s ability to absorb curcumin. Live it Up’s Golden Hour has an ideal ratio of black pepper extract to curcumin for best absorption.

4. Walnuts

Walnuts are definitely something to celebrate, as they are one of the most promising nuts when it comes to brain function. This nut contains vitamin E, which may support cognition and help with brain-related conditions. Additionally, walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, which may stimulate blood flow and have been linked with memory function and learning.

Nuts in general may support brain function as they are:

Packed with vitamin E, selenium, and zinc
Rich in anti-inflammatory compounds
Replete with fiber. These fibers feed our gut bacteria, producing short chain fatty acids that helps support our cognition by helping regulate the gut-brain axis

Both omega-3 fatty acids as well as antioxidants help maintain the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, which helps protect the brain from toxic compounds.

Try it: Add a handful of nuts to your protein yogurt, salad, or stir-fry boosts nutrients and flavor. They're also great as everyday snacks.

5. Whole Grains

Whole-grain foods are a potent brain food and another great source of vitamin E. This vitamin, along with healthy fats and phytonutrients, are found in the germ of the whole grain kernel, while important minerals such as iron, zinc, and magnesium are found in the fiber-rich outer bran. During processing, the bran and germ are stripped away, along with their nutrition, which is why choosing whole grains will maximize the nutritional value for your brain.

Higher intake of whole grains have been linked with supporting cognitive function and positive measures of mood and anxiety. So next time you’re in the store, toss a whole grain or two into your basket.

Try it: Choose whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, millet, wild rice, bulgur, wheat berries, and barley over their processed counterparts to maximize their nutritional value for your brain.

6. Salmon

Salmon and other oily fish are a fantastic source of omega-3 fatty acids, a polyunsaturated fat with a long list of potential health benefits, including brain function. It turns out that individuals with low omega fatty acids may struggle with memory, depression, and learning challenges, yet increasing omega-3 intake has the potential to support your nervous system, mood disorders, and cognitive health.

Omega-3s are also an integral part of cell membranes, helping with their fluidity and function, and are also essential for the production of nerve cells. For plant-based alternatives, consider adding soybeans, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and canola oil to your diet.

Did You Know? Omega-3s from plants, also called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), are not used as efficiently in the body as omega-3s from animals (EPA and DHA). To get enough, consider a microalgae-based ALA supplement, such as algal oil, which is more bioavailable.

7. Eggs

With crucial nutrients, such as vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and choline, eggs are a powerhouse for a neurofunctional diet and brain health. In addition, the nutrients in eggs may support your brain in the following ways:

Regulated mood and memory by generating brain chemicals called neurotransmitters
Maintaining chemical balance in the brain
Potentially reducing some of the effects of aging on the brain

Choline is worth noting as most people don't get enough of it in their diets. Experts recommend 550mg and 425mg of choline daily for men and women. One egg will provide about 147mg choline, or about one-quarter of your daily needs.

Did You Know? Half of the protein and the majority of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are found in the egg yolk, so make sure you’re not just tossing this golden nutrient powerhouse!

8. Blueberries

Berries have a host of potential benefits, but blueberries are at the top of the antioxidant list. They contain anthocyanins, which have an anti-inflammatory effect.

This is important because when left unchecked, inflammation in the brain may impact our cognitive function. Research suggests that people of all ages who eat more blueberries may experience cognitive benefits related to memory, executive function, and overall cognitive performance.

Try it: Add blueberries to smoothies, yogurt parfaits, and cereal or eat them as a delicious snack—fresh or frozen!

9. Pumpkin Seeds

Don’t leave pumpkin seeds to the fall! Making these a year-round snack helps provide your brain with minerals it needs for many of its cognitive functions.

Pumpkin seeds contain essential minerals like zinc, magnesium, iron, and copper. These minerals play a role in helping control nerve signals, promote executive function, and support learning and memory.

Consuming pumpkin seeds and other minerals from whole foods and supplements may help with brain-related conditions like depression, migraines, and more.

10. Green Tea

Green tea is a vibrant brain-supporting beverage, and not just because of its caffeine content.

Brain health promoting compounds in green tea include:

L-theanine. This amino acid is known to help reduce anxiety and aid in relaxation. It may counter the stimulating effects of caffeine in green tea and calm the brain.
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This polyphenol is neuroprotective, helping to fight inflammation both in your brain and body.
Caffeine. While doses of caffeine in green tea are relatively low (one 8-oz cup contains between 30-50mg), even these lower concentrations may improve cognition.

Try it: This traditional Japanese drink can be taken as a simple hot brew or as a base for smoothies and iced green tea drinks.

11. Beans

Beans beans, a magical fruit for our cognition. It turns out that compared to a diet of mostly animal proteins, a diet rich in beans and other plants seems to allow for more bioavailable tryptophan, which is important in the synthesis of neurotransmitters.

In fact, research suggests that having beans and legumes as a consistent part of your weekly eating pattern may have a positive effect on several cognitive functions. Beans gain their brain health benefits from:

Being plentiful in B vitamins, magnesium, iron, and folate
Having a wide variety of antioxidants and polyphenols with anti-inflammatory power
Fiber! Fiber feeds our good bacteria, which in turn may support brain health via the gut-brain axis

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating 1.5 cups of beans and legumes per week.

Try it: Make beans into a delicious side-dish with chopped veggies and oil-based vinaigrette, toss them into your salad, chili, or soup, or season and pack them into a whole-wheat tortilla for a bean burrito.

12. Avocados

Whether you eat them plain or smashed into guac, avocados and brain function are a match made in dietary heaven. What makes these creamy fruits perfect for brain health?

Antioxidants. With a hefty dose of the carotenoid lutein, avocados help maintain cognitive function. Lutein has been found to accumulate in neural tissues, helping with many neurocognitive functions.
Monounsaturated fat. This type of fat has been linked with memory and visual benefits, as well as overall cognition, and one avocado contains around 13-19 grams of it!
B vitamins. These play an essential role in the breakdown of homocysteine, an amino acid linked with cognitive decline when elevated in the brain.

Dietitian Tip: If you need to ripen your avocado quickly, place it in a paper bag with bananas. The ethylene gas naturally released from the bananas will help speed up the avocado’s ripening process.

13. Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate might not be everyone’s favorite, but its antioxidant power makes it quite a brain superfood.

Dark chocolate is packed with dynamic phytochemicals called flavonoids, specifically cocoa polyphenols. These have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functionality, resulting in cognitive benefits related to memory, executive function, cognitive processing, reaction time, normal brain function, and even gray matter volume. How? These polyphenols help with cerebral blood flow, supporting the transport of nutrients and oxygen in the brain. All from a bit of dark chocolate!

Try it: Go for at least 70% dark chocolate. This percentage (or higher!) will have much more of the important polyphenols for brain health and not as much added sugar compared with milk chocolate.

14. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are not often thought of in relation to brain function, but their lycopene content should make them a staple in your diet.

Lycopene is a carotenoid responsible for the red and pink hues of different fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, pink grapefruits, red bell pepper and more. This antioxidant scavenges free radicals, helping to buffer oxidative stress and inflammation all over the body, including the brain.

Studies have found a relationship between circulating plasma lycopene and a protective association with cognition.
Other research has found an inverse relationship between low lycopene levels and risk of psychiatric disorders
Lycopene may help protect the brain against damage from a high-fat diet with excessive saturated fats

Tomatoes in sauces, such as tomato paste and pasta sauce, have a much higher concentration of lycopene as compared to fresh. Also, this compound is fat soluble, meaning if you eat it with a source of fat (such as the olive oil used in pasta sauce), it will be more bioavailable.

15. Red Cabbage

Like blueberries, red cabbage (also called purple cabbage) is a rich source of anthocyanins. The most fascinating part? These anthocyanins may impact brain health via the gut.

Research has found that this flavonoid promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria while also helping to suppress the growth of harmful ones. Improving the gut microbiome then positively influences the neurotransmitter production by way of the gut-brain axis, which also very likely impacts cognitive function and behavior.

Anthocyanins may also help prevent harmful tau proteins from phosphorylating, creating a compound scientists have linked with neurodegenerative and neurological diseases.

Try it: Red cabbage makes a delicious cole slaw, but it can also be shredded and added to salad, roasted, added to soup, or baked into casseroles.

Which Nutrients Support Brain Health?

It's vital to choose high-quality foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for your overall well-being. However, the brain loves certain foods that support its structure and functions. Look for superfoods for the brain containing the following compounds:

B vitamins aid metabolism, synthesis of neurotransmitters, and are essential for proper functioning of brain cells.
Vitamin E has strong antioxidant functionality within the brain
Vitamin C is both a powerful antioxidant but also plays a critical role in development of neurons and myelin.
Omega-3 fatty acids promote cognition, mental performance, and neuronal preservation
Iodine supports neuromotor function and cognitive performance
Zinc helps regulate synaptic activity and neuronal plasticity. It also works as an antioxidant.
Choline supports cell structures and neurotransmitters in the brain.
Antioxidants protect cells from harmful free radicals linked to brain inflammation and memory loss.

The Brain Explained

Here are some essential facts about the brain you should know:

An adult's brain weighs three pounds (about 1.36 kilograms), or 2% of body weight.
The brain is not a muscle; it's 60% fat, 40% protein, water, minerals, and carbohydrates.
Brain tissue contains blood vessels and nerves that extend to the spinal cord to create the central nervous system.
The brain is the body's control center, processing signals that determine speech, breathing, learning, movement, heartbeat, hormones, vision, etc.

At its core, the brain’s most essential function is to keep us alive. But because “just existing” is not truly living life to the fullest, our brain also gives us the ability to communicate our deepest thoughts, express profound emotions, and feel the enormity of what it is to live both singularly as well as in a community.

All of these functions rely on getting the right vitamins, minerals, phytocompounds, and antioxidants. And if we want to keep making the most of what we have and delighting in life, then we must feed our brain the micronutrients it needs to thrive and not just survive.

How Else Can You Support the Brain?

A Holistic Approach to Superfoods for The Brain

Eating superfoods is just one way we can support our brain function and health and overall nutrition. To bolster your cognition even more, a well-rounded diet should be paired with beneficial lifestyle choices. Here are the top five ways to help maintain excellent physical and mental function:

Keep Your Mind and Body Active. To stimulate your neurons, challenge your brain with activities like arts and crafts, math problems, and puzzles. Keep your brain engaged in generating new, healthy cells that sharpen your focus, memory, and learning abilities. Physical exercise also contributes to a healthy brain by regulating stress, increasing oxygen intake and blood flow, and helping overall bodily functions.
Prioritize Sleep. Sleep is essential to having a healthy brain. When you're sleep-deprived, you feel fatigued and lose focus. Health professionals recommend sleeping for at least seven hours daily.
Limit Smoking and Drinking. These drugs heighten your risk of long-term health concerns, including cognitive decline.
Socialize. Poor social connections are linked with poor cognitive outcomes. Meeting new people, engaging with our communities, and spending family time all contribute to a healthy brain.
Manage Your Weight. Great health means maintaining your optimum weight. Make a mindful effort to eat nutritious foods most of the time, manage stressors when able, and sleep enough hours to help keep your weight consistent. Consider taking a greens powder to help fill diet gaps.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and their impact on the health of your brain. Research has linked a diet high in UPFs and risk of cognitive impairment. While cutting out all processed foods is not practical, trying to find a balance is important. Aim for 80-90% of your diet coming from whole foods while choosing foods you enjoy (and that may be processed) as part of the remaining 10-20%.

Fortify Your Superfoods with Live it Up Super Greens

Fortify Your Superfoods for The Brain with Live it Up Super Greens

Adjusting your diet to incorporate nutrient-dense superfoods could positively affect brain health, performance, and even mood. While a diet rich in whole foods is best, a great way to supplement these brain foods is with a greens powder like Live it Up Super Greens.

With over 20 superfoods, Super Greens is an easy way to incorporate nutrient-rich plants we normally wouldn’t be eating. Each scoop contains a multitude of essential vitamins and minerals, helping to bridge nutrient gaps as you work to boost your superfood intake.

Super Greens can fit many diets and lifestyle preferences and is free of artificial colors and sweeteners. It’s gluten-free, nut-free, vegan, and third-party tested for ingredient quality. You can add Live it Up Super Greens to most liquids, including water, plant-based milk, cow milk, or orange juice, or blend into a superfood smoothie.

Your health and goals are individual, so always chat with your healthcare professional about the right foods and supplements for your needs. But as I often tell my clients, anytime I can easily add in more nutrient-dense plants, I’m going to take it! Super Greens makes it a great habit to adopt.

FAQs about Superfoods for Brain Health

What is the best superfood for the brain?

While it would make life much easier if there were one brain food we could focus on, this organ needs many nutrients for healthy brain function and cognition. The better question is: “What are the best nutrients for the brain, and which foods contain them?”

Here are the top 5 nutrients (and superfoods) for the brain:

Omega-3 fatty acids: Salmon and other oily fish, chia seeds, ground flax, walnuts
B vitamins: Whole grains, avocados, legumes
Fiber: Beans, green vegetables, whole grains, avocados
Antioxidants: Berries, red cabbage, tomatoes, dark chocolate, green tea, avocados, turmeric
Minerals such as zinc, choline, and iodine: Salmon, eggs, pumpkin seeds, beans

What is the number one food for memory?

Memory and brain function rely on several vitamins and antioxidants, such as vitamin E, omega fatty acids, and minerals like zinc and magnesium. Foods that contain these nutrients include avocados, salmon, walnuts, turmeric, eggs, and pumpkin seeds.

If your focus is to improve memory and help prevent cognitive decline, other lifestyle factors that may be helpful include exercise, getting enough sleep, and stress reduction. Additionally, a healthy diet with primarily whole foods and minimized ultra-processed foods is important for normal brain function. These lifestyle tips also play a critical role in our general well-being.

What is the #1 drink for memory loss?

While no one drink is the absolute number one to boost brain function and memory, a drink with specific nutrients may help the brain work its best. However, results may vary depending on your health and lifestyle. For example:

100% blueberry or cherry juice with no-sugar-added is packed with antioxidants that may help reduce oxidative stress in the brain.
A clean greens powder, such as Super Greens, contains chlorella and spirulina, along with fiber and micronutrients to help support brain health.
Veggies in a berry-packed smoothie with blueberries, avocado, and baby kale will provide monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, and micronutrients.
Green tea will provide Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), L-theanine, and a small amount of caffeine to help with cognition and calm energy.
A turmeric-rich drink, such as Golden Hour, contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant for healthy brain function.

How do I make my brain stronger?

What you eat is one factor that helps to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and keep your brain sharp. In addition to foods rich in omega fatty acids, such as fatty fish, and fruits with anti-inflammatory properties, a brain-targeting diet should prioritize cruciferous vegetables.

These contain compounds called glucosinolates, which scientific evidence suggests may help protect brain cells via antioxidant power. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.

Another food helping to promote brain power is fortified nutritional yeast. This food is plentiful in B vitamins, which play a role in neurotransmitter formation and may assist memory.

References

About the author:

Lena Bakovic, RDN, CNSC

Lena Bakovic, RDN, CNSC, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Support Clinician dedicated to helping others lead healthier lives through evidence-based nutrition advice.

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