Challenges
Healthy foods can help support brain function. You know the drill: plenty of green leafy vegetables, fruit, whole grains and healthy fats. But what if you’re on the run and don’t have the time to sit down to three square meals a day? You’re in luck. You can make small changes to your diet that have a major impact on brain health.
Boston University nutrition professor Joan Salge Blake always carries a small tin of almonds in her briefcase or purse. “They’re my go-to snack, no matter where I am,” she says. “When I’m hungry, I just reach for a few almonds and don’t have to think about searching out something healthy at a nearby convenience store.”
Healthy choices benefit more than your brain. “If you make these kinds of small changes in what you eat and make them a habit, you’ll benefit not only your brain but the rest of your body, as well,” says Pennsylvania State University nutritionist Penny Kris-Etherton. But she cautions that there’s more to good brain health than just food. “It’s not about nutrition alone; it’s the whole package of healthy living — eat well, exercise, don’t smoke, and control blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure.”
Here are five small tweaks that you can do in a fraction of the time it would take you to order takeout.
1. Stockpile packages of berries in your freezer.

“They’re washed, they’re clean, they’re ready to go, and there’s no work involved,” Salge Blake says. Add some to your smoothie mix in the morning and put a handful into your water bottle before you head out the door.
What's in it for you? Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and cranberries contain high levels of antioxidants, compounds that may support brain health. Studies have found that the fruits might protect against the effects of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, according to a 2021 review in Molecules that examined multiple studies on berries and health.
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