Are you interested in improving your memory? Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you were there or bumped into your new neighbor at the grocery store and drawn a blank on her name? Improving your memory can make daily tasks easier, save you embarrassment in social situations, and reward you with quick access to important information. And the good news is that you can fine-tune your memory without expensive programs, medications, or interventions.

Your digestive tract literally is the core of your body and the centerpiece of your health. Drugs and supplements can only enhance (or detract from) the daily choices you make. The good news is that you have control over what you eat, and that gives you a lot of power.

So, hop in the driver’s seat, and let’s get started.

Diet and memory

Everything you eat impacts physical as well as mental health. What you put in your mouth can increase or decrease your mental acuity. Let’s look at how you can tip the balance in your favor.

First, let’s clean house by focusing on what to eliminate from your diet. Next we’ll shift our attention to foods to increase.

Foods to avoid

Sugar (evaporated cane juice)

Elevated blood sugar directly impacts the brain by increasing plaque formation and neuronal “tangles” in the brain. Think of a tangled, knotted ball of yarn – you can’t knit a sweater with a tangled ball of yarn. Similarly, neuronal tangles in the brain thwart speedy, effective signals in the brain. Long term elevation of blood sugar levels can increase plaque formation in the brain, a condition associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Lower rates of blood sugar utilization and higher brain glucose levels correlate with more severe plaques and tangles found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. These plaques and tangles lead to increased symptoms in daily life, including memory loss.[i]

Aspartame

If you are eliminating cane sugar, avoid artificial substitutes. The artificial sweetener Aspartame, also known as “Nutrasweet,” produces deficits in spatial learning and memory in mice. More recent research demonstrates mice given the equivalent of 2 – 4 small (8 ounce) soda drinks per day affected not only the memory of those mice, but also the male mice’s offspring for up to two generations.[ii]

The bottom line, for your sake as well as future generations: dump the diet drinks sweetened with aspartame to improve your memory.

Trans fatty acids

Heating oils to high temperatures alters fat molecules so they are stiff. Think of the difference between fried foods and baked foods, e.g. baked or fried chicken. The fried foods have a crispy outer layer while the baked foods remain relatively soft. The outer crispy layer results from frying foods at high temperatures. These over-heated oils change their structure and become less flexible, stiffer “trans fatty acids.” Just as these foods are stiffer and less flexible on our plates, these altered oils are also less flexible when they enter our bloodstream. Trans fatty acids contribute stiffer, less flexible molecules to build our cell membranes, which in turn affects many aspects of body health, including our brains. Incorporating these altered trans fatty acids into brain cell membranes alters the neurons’ ability to communicate and diminishes overall mental performance. Developing research suggests that trans fatty acids may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline.[iii]

Alcohol

An alcoholic “drink” equals 0.6 fluid ounces or 17 grams of pure alcohol. This is equivalent to:

• 1.5 ounces/3 tablespoons of hard liquor
• 5 ounces of wine
• 12 ounces of beer

If you want to improve memory and cognitive function, alcohol is a liability. Researchers found even light to moderate drinking (1 – 3 drinks per day) in middle to late adulthood decreases cognition and contributes to dementia. They also found heavy alcohol use changed brain structures which in turn caused cognitive impairments and increased risks for all types of dementia.[iv]

The definition of “heavy” drinking is different for men and women. For women, more than three drinks on any day and more than seven drinks in a week is “heavy drinking,” while for men, “heavy drinking” means four or more drinks in a day and more than 14 drinks in a week. “Binge” drinking, for men or women, raises blood alcohol to 0.08%.

Heavy drinking contributes to dementia as well as other health problems including certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and liver disease.[v] As we will explore below, combining alcohol with medications can cause a range of problems.

Now that you have identified food choices that can damage cognition and increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease, let’s look at dietary allies that can boost your brain power.

Foods That Boost Brain Power

Drink water

Water comprises 65% of our bodies and 73% of our brains. Being even slightly dehydrated can have a big impact on mental function.

As little as 1% dehydration can cause a 5% decrease in cognitive function. A 2% decrease in brain hydration contributes to memory loss and difficulty with math computations. Many elderly people have been dehydrated for years. If dehydration continues long term, the brain cells shrink in size and mass. In addition to affecting cognition, dehydration may contribute to depression, sleep issues, inability to focus, and brain fog.[vi]

What you can do:

• Drink 8 ounces of water every hour. Drinking some water every hour helps the body stay hydrated, rather than drinking large amounts of water followed by no fluids for hours at a time. Drinking 8 ounces of water an hour also sounds much less daunting than drinking two or three quarts of fluid a day.
• Increase water intake if you live in a hot, dry climate, during hot weather, and/or if you are exercising and sweating more.
• Drink more water to make up for alcoholic or caffeinated beverages. According to dietician Katherine Marengo, alcohol and caffeine are diuretics that will cause you to dump more water than you drink, particularly if you drink five or more cups of coffee a day.[vii]

 

Eat the MIND Diet

Researchers have combined the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet to create the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, or MIND diet.[viii]

4066 seniors followed the MIND diet over 9 years. Those who adhered to the MIND diet had better cognitive function and slower cognitive decline in later life.[ix]

What you can do:

The MIND diet emphasizes eating nine foods:

• Leafy green vegetables
• All other vegetables
• Berries
• Nuts
• Whole grains
• Fish
• Beans
• Poultry
• Olive oil

The MIND diet recommends avoiding the following five foods:

• Butter and margarine (saturated and trans-fatty acids)
• Cheese (one serving or less per week) Cheese is basically butter with a little bit of protein swirled in.
• Red meat (three servings or less per week)
• Fried foods
• Pastries and sweets[x]

Summary

Now that you know the best foods to build your brain and boost your memory, choose one food you will ADD to your diet this week. Adding new things generally is easier than subtracting your favorites. Once you have mastered adding one food, focus the next week on eliminating one food. Alternate back and forth until you have mastered these suggestions. You will be building a foundation that will serve you well for years to come.

ENDNOTES/REFERENCES

Dr. Boice always includes references so that you can see the sources for these credible, evidence-based recommendations.

[i] An Y, Varma VR, Varma S, et al. Evidence for brain glucose dysregulation in Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2018;14(3):318-329. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2017.09.011

 

[ii] Jones SK, McCarthy DM, Stanwood GD, Schatschneider C, Bhide PG. Learning and memory deficits produced by aspartame are heritable via the paternal lineage. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):14326. Published 2023 Aug 31. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-41213-2

 

[iii] Ginter E, Simko V. New data on harmful effects of trans-fatty acids. Bratisl Lek Listy. 2016;117(5):251-253. doi:10.4149/bll_2016_048

 

[iv] Rehm J, Hasan OSM, Black SE, Shield KD, Schwarzinger M. Alcohol use and dementia: a systematic scoping review. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2019;11(1):1. Published 2019 Jan 5. doi:10.1186/s13195-018-0453-0

 

[v] Rehm J, Hasan OSM, Black SE, Shield KD, Schwarzinger M. Alcohol use and dementia: a systematic scoping review. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2019;11(1):1. Published 2019 Jan 5. doi:10.1186/s13195-018-0453-0

 

[vi] Riebl SK, Davy BM. The Hydration Equation: Update on Water Balance and Cognitive Performance. ACSMs Health Fit J. 2013;17(6):21-28. doi:10.1249/FIT.0b013e3182a9570f

[vii] Killer SC, Blannin AK, Jeukendrup AE. No Evidence of Dehydration with Moderate Daily Coffee Intake: A Countrerbalanced Cross-Over Study in a Free-Living Population. :PLOS Open Access. January 9, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0084154

 

[viii] Dominguez LJ, Veronese N, Vernuccio L, et al. Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Other Lifestyle Factors in the Prevention of Cognitive Decline and Dementia. Nutrients. 2021;13(11):4080. Published 2021 Nov 15. doi:10.3390/nu13114080

 

[ix] Wengreen H, Munger RG, Cutler A, et al. Prospective study of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension- and Mediterranean-style dietary patterns and age-related cognitive change: the Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;98(5):1263-1271. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.051276

 

[x]Pearson, Keith and Burford, Molly. Reviewed by Richter, Amy. The MIND Diet: A Detailed Guide for Beginners. Healthline, updated February 7, 2025. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mind-diet