All your daily habits affect the brain and can help it continue to develop and adapt throughout life – an ability called neuroplasticity. Here we go through how you can support the brain with food, lifestyle, and some of the most important nutrients.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to form new nerve connections and strengthen the nerve pathways that already exist. It’s this process that allows you to learn new things and continue developing throughout life.
But the brain’s ability to reorganize and strengthen its connections is also noticeable in many other parts of daily life, not just memory and learning. So how can you give the brain the best possible conditions to succeed with this?
Neuroplasticity is about more than memory
Besides being a prerequisite when you’re learning a new language, getting better at a sport, creating new habits, or letting go of old patterns, neuroplasticity is also an important part of recovery after prolonged stress.
When the brain has been used to a high pace, a lot of worry, or constant alertness, it also needs signals that it’s possible to choose another path. And this is where you can influence the ability to choose new tracks through your lifestyle.
The brain changes by reacting to what you do over and over again. What you eat, how you sleep, and how you move. What you practice and how often you give it something new to work with.
In other words, it’s the small things you repeat often that eventually become the tracks the brain starts building on.
But to have the capacity to create new nerve connections and pathways, the brain also needs the right energy.
The brain needs the right kind of fat
If we’re going to start somewhere, omega-3 is a good place.
The brain is largely made up of fat, and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA is an important part of nerve cell membranes. The membranes are not just a shell around the cell. They affect how easily nerve cells can communicate, receive signals, and send them on.
That’s why DHA is so central to brain health. It helps maintain normal brain function and is one of the fatty acids often highlighted in research on cognition, the nervous system, and mental development.
Fatty fish like sardines, mackerel, and salmon are natural rich sources. For those who eat plant-based, algae oil is the most direct option since it contains ready-made DHA. Flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts contain ALA, a plant-based omega-3 form, but the body needs to convert it to DHA and EPA, and that conversion is somewhat limited.
Many people choose supplements as an easy way to ensure the brain gets the right amount of the fatty acids it truly needs and can use directly.
Colorful food protects the brain from daily stress
Blueberries, aronia, blackberries, cocoa, and colorful vegetables contain polyphenols. These are plant compounds studied for their effects on blood flow, inflammation, oxidative stress, and cognitive function.
Oxidative stress occurs when the body's ability to handle byproducts from cellular energy production is limited, due to high load, stress, inflammation, or aging.
And in this case, the polyphenols help the brain by acting as a kind of support and protection against oxidative stress.
Berries are particularly well studied. Several clinical studies and reviews have linked berry-based foods and supplements to improvements in memory, attention, processing speed, and blood flow in the brain, especially in older people or those with early cognitive impairment.
So a handful of blueberries at breakfast, some aronia powder in a smoothie, dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, and/or colorful plants every day is a valuable addition for the brain.
The brain likes repetition, and this applies to both habits and nutrition.
B vitamins, choline, and magnesium give the brain peace of mind
The brain is one of the body's most energy-demanding organs. It needs energy, but also the right nutrients for the nervous system to function normally.
B vitamins are central here. Several of them contribute to normal energy metabolism and the normal function of the nervous system. B6, folate, and B12 are also important in methylation, a process that among other things affects how the body uses nutrients and forms substances needed in the nervous system.
Choline also deserves to be mentioned. It is a nutrient the body uses to form acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter important for attention, learning, and memory. Choline is found in eggs, liver, and certain soy products, but is also available as a supplement for brain health.
Magnesium has another significant role. It helps the nervous system function normally and is involved in many of the body's enzymatic reactions. At the cellular level, magnesium is also linked to nerve cell signaling and the receptors important for synaptic plasticity, that is, the brain's ability to strengthen and adjust connections between nerve cells.
To explain it very simply, the brain needs both energy and recovery, signaling and calm. And nutrients like B vitamins, choline, and magnesium are an important part of that foundation.
The gut talks to the brain
This is not the first time we talk about the gut's central role when it comes to brain health, and it bears repeating.
The gut bacteria produce substances that affect the nervous system, immune system, and the inflammatory environment in the body. They can also influence the body's signaling through substances like GABA and serotonin – two neurotransmitters that help regulate stress, calmness, sleep, and well-being – as well as short-chain fatty acids like butyrate.
Butyrate is produced when good gut bacteria break down fiber. It serves as nourishment for gut cells and has also been studied in relation to inflammation, the gut barrier, and brain health. (You can read more about butyrate in this article)
Research on the gut–brain axis is growing rapidly, and although there is still much to understand, it’s clear that the brain is influenced by the environment in the gut.
You can help your gut by giving it more fiber, more plant variety, and preferably fermented foods if you tolerate them. Sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt, miso, and other fermented foods can contribute bacteria and bioactive substances that affect the gut environment.
Lactic acid bacteria and butyrate supplements can also be valuable, either periodically or as a regular part of an otherwise healthy lifestyle for a gut that needs a little extra help.
The brain needs to be used
Food and nutrition lay the foundation. But the brain also needs to work and be challenged.
Physical activity is one of the most well-documented ways to support brain plasticity. Exercise affects blood flow, inflammation, insulin regulation, and levels of BDNF – a protein that helps nerve cells survive, grow, and form new connections.
Besides exercise and movement, sleep is also very important. It’s during the night that the brain sorts the day’s impressions, strengthens important memories, and activates its own cleaning system. Waste products from the brain’s metabolism are transported away then, including proteins that at high levels over time have been linked to cognitive disease.
And then we have the challenges. This could mean reading about a topic you don’t usually read about, which forces the brain to engage a bit more. Or learning new words, training your balance, dancing, and challenging your coordination. Taking a new route home or using the wrong hand when brushing your teeth. Simply put, challenging the things you might feel you’re not so good at today. Because the brain doesn’t want to get too comfortable.
The brain builds on what you actually use
In practice, it’s about giving the brain better conditions to stay curious, adaptable, and resilient throughout life. And fundamentally, it’s quite simple. Start where it feels easiest.
- Add omega-3 from fatty fish or algae oil
- Eat colorful berries and vegetables more often
- Check your B vitamins, magnesium, and choline if your energy, focus, or recovery wavers
- Give your gut fiber, fermented foods, and variety
- Move your body
- Sleep as well as you can, and
- Challenge your brain a little more often than it asks for
It's the sum of the signals you send every day that counts; the brain is constantly paying attention to what you do.
