What is the MIND Diet and How Does it Protect Your Brain?

Summary

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Health Matters: "What is the MIND Diet and How Does it Protect Your Brain?"

Host: Courtney Allison
Guest: Dr. Matthew Fink, Chair of Neurology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine
Date: June 17, 2026

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Main Theme and Purpose

This episode explores the MIND Diet—a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets—specifically focusing on its role in protecting brain health and reducing the risk of dementia. Dr. Matthew Fink shares practical advice on nutrition, lifestyle modifications, and the science behind how our dietary choices affect brain function, memory, and long-term cognitive wellbeing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Much Control Do We Have Over Brain Health?

• Dr. Fink stresses that lifestyle changes, especially those begun in middle age, can lower dementia risk by up to 50%.

“We have quite a bit of control, much more than most people think. And much of it is related to our health habits and our lifestyle.” (01:32)

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2. What Exactly is the MIND Diet?

• The MIND Diet merges the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
  • Mediterranean Diet: High in leafy green vegetables, fruits of all colors, fish and lean poultry, nuts, berries, olive oil; low in red meat.
  • DASH Diet: Focuses on reducing sodium (salt) and saturated fats—developed to lower blood pressure.
• Both are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods.

“The Mediterranean diet is lots of green leafy vegetables, fruits and vegetables of all different colors, protein derived predominantly from fish, lean poultry, very little red meat ... and a lot of olive oil.” (02:11)

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3. Key Nutrients & Brain Protection

• Green Leafy Vegetables: High in B vitamins (especially B1, B6); essential for healthy metabolism and not stored in the body—require regular intake.
• B12 Note: Mainly from red meat and some beans—vegans/vegetarians may need supplements.
• Berries and Colorful Fruits: Each color signifies a different antioxidant, important for reducing cellular stress and aging.
• “Eat the Rainbow”: Diverse plant-based foods support healthier aging.

"Eating a variety of vegetables that have all different colors, what we refer to as eat the rainbow, will have a very beneficial effect in terms of slowing down the aging process." (04:53)

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4. Why the Brain Needs These Nutrients Most

• The brain has the highest metabolic rate—uses more energy than muscles.
• Proper nutrients power normal brain function and help stave off the effects of aging and neurodegeneration.

“Your brain is burning calories all the time at a much higher rate than your muscles are ... your brain needs them even more.” (05:19)

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5. Antioxidants, Oxidative Stress & Inflammation

• Antioxidant-rich foods reduce “oxidative stress” and inflammation—two key contributors to brain aging and disease.
• No medication so far matches the protective benefit of whole foods.

“There’s been a huge amount of research trying to develop medications that can do the same thing. And so far we have not found a medication that works as well as the proper food that we eat.” (06:33)

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6. Foods to Avoid

• Main offenders:
  • Salt: Reduce or eliminate, don’t add at the table.
  • Sugar: Avoid sugary foods, drinks—including artificial sweeteners.
  • Fried Foods: Increase risk for atherosclerosis and other issues.
  • Ultra-processed/Junk Food: Avoid packaged, processed foods as much as possible.

“Number one, reduce the amount of salt. Eliminate as much salt as possible in your diet... eliminate sugary foods, sugary drinks, and that includes artificial sweeteners ... avoid fried foods of all types ... junk food of all varieties.” (07:22)

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7. Link to Heart Health and Vascular Risk

• These diets not only protect the brain but also reduce risks of stroke and heart attack.

“...it can prevent [cognitive impairment or dementia], but it also reduces your risk of having a stroke and a heart attack. So you get three benefits by adhering to a healthy diet like the mind diet...” (08:38)

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8. Evidence and Long-term Research

• Major insights from population studies—especially the long-running Framingham Study—show positive impacts on rates of dementia, strokes, and heart disease when diet is improved over generations.
• Brain shrinkage (atrophy) is a measurable marker where improvements have been seen.

“The Framingham study... demonstrated in the third generation a dramatic reduction in heart disease, stroke, and dementia ... that used the dietary interventions we're talking about...” (09:33)

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9. Do Small Changes Matter? What About Consistency?

• Incremental, sustainable changes are best. Small steps are effective; massive overnight changes rarely stick.
• Preparing food at home and sharing meals with others—social engagement—also benefit brain health.

“Small changes count, and I think it’s always good to start small and do this one step at a time... dining together with the family was a major event ... that social interaction also has a great benefit for your brain.” (10:46, 11:22)

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10. Exercise and Sleep: Other Essential Lifestyle Habits

• Physical Exercise: Promotes chemicals from muscles that directly enhance brain health and new brain cell growth.
• Sleep: Critical for clearing brain waste products. Chronic poor sleep increases risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

“Your muscles release a chemical into the bloodstream when you exercise that goes directly to your brain and improves brain function and can even stimulate the growth of new brain cells.” (11:53)
“If you don’t get enough sleep, your brain will not be successful at clearing all of that out. ... increased risk of getting Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of disorders like that.” (12:36)

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11. Final Encouragement

• Focus on removing the clearly bad (salt, sugar, fried/processed foods) and adding the good (colorful fruits and veggies, nuts, olive oil, fish).
• Dr. Fink emphasizes that individuals have much more control than they often realize.

“You can have a great influence on your long term health and happiness by taking care of yourself, and you have more control over this than most people think.” (13:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Nutrients and the Brain:

  “All of these vitamins and nutrients people think are good for them to be a better runner or a better football player, your brain needs them even more...” (00:00)

• On Food as Medicine:

  “We have not found a medication that works as well as the proper food that we eat.” (06:35)

• On Social and Lifestyle Factors:

  “When a group gets together to dine together... that social interaction also has a great benefit for your brain.” (11:25)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:32 – Dr. Fink on control over brain health and reducing dementia risk
• 02:07 – Mind Diet explanation and origins
• 03:44 – Key nutrients in leafy greens and berries
• 05:14 – Brain’s calorie needs and nutrient importance
• 06:20 – Antioxidants and inflammation
• 07:22 – Foods to avoid for brain health
• 08:38 – Heart health and vascular risks
• 09:21 – Research and long-term studies
• 10:45 – Effective small changes and importance of family/social meals
• 11:49 – Role of exercise and sleep in brain health
• 13:02 – Dr. Fink's parting message

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Summary Takeaways

• The MIND Diet is a practical, evidence-backed approach for maintaining cognitive health and reducing risk for dementia, stroke, and heart attack.
• Emphasis is on whole, colorful, plant-rich foods, healthy fats (especially olive oil), fish, and avoiding salt, sugar, fried and processed foods.
• Small, sustainable changes and mindful eating patterns, supported by exercise, sleep, and social connection, are key.
• Dietary choices have a powerful, direct impact on the brain—and more control is in our hands than we may think.

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Transcript

[A]

Your brain is burning calories at a much higher rate than your muscles are. All of these vitamins and nutrients people think are good for them. To be a better runner or a better football player, your brain needs them even more in order to function normally and also to prevent the consequences of aging.

[B]

Welcome to Health Matters. Your dose of the latest in health and wellness. From New York Presbyterian, I'm Courtney Allison. This season on Health Matters, we're covering your health from A to Z, asking our experts to break down the health topics and wellness trends we're all curious about. Today we're at M for the Mind Diet. Most of us wonder what we can do to sharpen our memory and protect our brains as we age. Today we've got expert advice from Dr. Matthew Fink, who leads neurology at New York Presbyterian and weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Fink breaks down the mind diet and the key nutrients that help power our brains. He also shares how a healthy diet can help reduce risk for dementia and how our everyday choices can make a huge impact on our long term health. Dr. Fink, welcome to Health Matters.

[A]

Well, thank you so much. I'm delighted to be here.

[B]

So many people are worried about memory loss and dementia as they age. For from your perspective, how much control do we actually have to protect our brains?

[A]

We have quite a bit of control, much more than most people think. And much of it is related to our health habits and our lifestyle. The research that's been done seems to indicate that with proper lifestyle interventions beginning in middle age, we can reduce the risk of getting dementia by 50%.

[B]

Wow. So I'm excited to talk about these interventions. Could we start by focusing on the Mind Diet? What is the Mind Diet?

[A]

The Mind Diet is an acronym of two other diets that were studied in various population studies. The first is the Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean Diet refers to the general diet that is adhered to by people living around the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France, Italy, Greece, North African countries and their traditional diet. The Mediterranean diet is lots of green leafy vegetables, fruits and vegetables of all different colors, protein derived predominantly from fish, lean poultry, very little red meat, and the addition of berries, nuts, and particularly a lot of olive oil instead of saturated fats. And we've known for a long time that people that adhere to the Mediterranean diet have a reduction in cardiovascular problems, reduction in heart attacks, reduction in stroke, and they live longer. They live longer than the average person. And then the other diet which was included in the Mind Diet is referred to as the DASH diet. And that was developed to Help reduce high blood pressure through dietary interventions. And the main features of that is significant restriction of sodium salt in diet and restriction of saturated fats.

[B]

It seems like green leafy vegetables and berries are emphasized in this diet. Could you share what it is about these foods that help protect our brain? Are there any specific nutrients that are helping us?

[A]

Green leafy vegetables have a large number of B vitamins. B vitamins are extremely important in terms of your healthy metabolism, and they're not stored. B vitamins are not stored in the body, so you have to ingest them all the time. And green leafy vegetables have lots of B vitamins. B1, B6 are very, very important. B12 is not in green leafy vegetables. B12 is. Is in mostly red meats and certain kinds of beans. And so people that are on strictly vegetarian or vegan diets May become deficient in B12, and they need to take a supplement. The berries and the different colors of fruits are all antioxidants. Every color that you see in a fruit, Whether it's green, red, yellow, orange, the colors are antioxidants, which are extremely healthy elements for your body's metabolism, and they probably have a major role in slowing down the aging process.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So eating a variety of vegetables that have all different colors, what we refer to as eat the rainbow, Will have a very beneficial effect in terms of slowing down the aging process.

[B]

Is there anything else to share about this mix of nutrients and way of eating that protects the brain?

[A]

Vitamins that we're talking about are extremely important and essential for brain function. Most people think that the metabolism in the body is driven by muscle activity. It turns out that that the part of your body that has the highest metabolic rate and burns up more calories than anything else 24 hours a day around the clock, is your brain. Your brain is burning calories all the time at a much higher rate than your muscles are. And therefore, all of these vitamins and nutrients we're talking about, which people think about, are good for them. To be a better runner or a better football player, your brain needs them even more. Your brain depends on getting all these nutrients in large quantities in order to function normally and also to prevent the consequences of aging.

[B]

That's so interesting in the research. It seems like some of these foods reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Is that correct?

[A]

The different colors that you see in fruits and vegetables, those colors are chemicals that are antioxidants. They reduce what we refer to as oxidative stress, and they reduce inflammation. There's been a huge amount of research trying to develop medications that can do the same thing. And so far we have not found a medication that works as well as the proper food that we eat.

[B]

So it sounds like whole foods are anti inflammatory. So all these foods can help reduce inflammation.

[A]

Absolutely, yes. The brain is a dynamic living organism which is constantly burning up nutrients, producing toxic byproducts which have to be cleansed from the brain and then producing healthy cellular function afterwards. And the brain can actually produce new brain cells under the proper circumstances.

[B]

And what foods should we avoid?

[A]

Number one, reduce the amount of salt. Eliminate as much salt as possible in your diet. Whatever food is brought to you, don't add salt. The second thing to eliminate is sugar. Eliminate sugary foods, sugary drinks, and that includes artificial sweeteners. They are chemicals and those chemicals are bad for you. We want to avoid fried foods of all types, because when you fry food, whatever kind of oil you're using increases your risk of getting atherosclerosis and other problems like that. And then the last thing is junk food of all varieties. When you go into a grocery store, you've got aisles and aisles filled with bags of ultra processed junk food. Try to avoid that as much as you can.

[B]

So, switching gears a little, you had shared with me that the American Heart association also recently released some new guidelines for healthy eating. And it seems very similar to what's in the mind diet. So I'm wondering if a lot of these things we're speaking about with diet, does it also have to do with reduced vascular risk? These diets also seem heart healthy.

[A]

Yes, it does. The mind diet has multiple benefits. We were talking about prevention of cognitive impairment or dementia. Yes, it can prevent that, but it also reduces your risk of having a stroke and a heart attack. So you get three benefits by adhering to a healthy diet like the mind diet, which can improve your health, improve your well being as you get older, and extend your life. The other most important risk factor for stroke is also a major risk factor for dementia. And that's high blood pressure as an independent risk factor.

[B]

What kind of research has been done on the mind diet? What are the studies showing?

[A]

There were a number of studies. Some of them were population studies over several decades. And that's where it really was demonstrated to be beneficial over a long period of time. The studies that I like to look at are based on a four generation study that was done in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was referred to as the Framingham Study. It started in the 1950s and continues to the present day. And they went through risk Factors for cardiovascular disease for the entire population that lived in Framingham, Massachusetts. And they demonstrated in the third generation a dramatic reduction in heart disease, stroke, and dementia. In the third generation that used the dietary interventions we're talking about, it wasn't specifically the mind diet. They didn't call it that, but it was quite similar to the mind diet. The Framingham study, as well as many other studies, look at brain shrinkage or refer to it as brain atrophy as a function of aging and neurodegeneration. We believe that if we do an intervention early in life that will be beneficial, then it will reduce the amount of brain shrinkage that occurs.

[B]

Do small changes count? How consistent do we need to be to see these improvements in our brain health?

[A]

Small changes count, and I think it's always good to start small and do this one step at a time. If you try to do a drastic change in your diet, you probably will not succeed. It's too difficult. One of the smartest things we could all do is start doing more of our own food preparation and cooking at home. One of the characteristics of the Mediterranean diet is that in that part of the world, dining together with the family was a major event. So it wasn't just the food that they were eating, it was also the family and social interaction. So when a group gets together to dine together, rather than eating alone or eating in your office or eating in front of the television set, that social interaction also has a great benefit for your brain.

[B]

What are some other lifestyle habits that could help us protect our brains?

[A]

The most important thing you can do for yourself as you get older is to increase your physical exercise. It turns out that exercising your muscles has a direct effect on your brain health. Your muscles release a chemical into the bloodstream when you exercise that goes directly to your brain and improves brain function and can even stimulate the growth of new brain cells. And then the last of the most important things is getting good sleep at night. When you are sleeping, your brain is clearing out all of the waste products that accumulated during the day. It's an extremely important function. And if you don't get enough sleep, your brain will not be successful at clearing all of that out. And it has a long term consequence of causing brain harm and an increased risk of getting dementia. People who have long term sleep problems have an increased risk of getting Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of disorders like that.

[B]

So you've shared so much with us today about how to protect our brains. Any parting message for listeners looking to protect their brain health?

[A]

Part of the message I'm trying to get across is for people not to get too hung up on using a diet. I think it's easier to focus on eliminating what's really bad for you and adding in things that are good for you. You can have a great influence on your long term health and happiness by taking care of yourself and you have more control over this than most people think.

[B]

Dr. Fink, thank you so much. That is great advice. Very encouraging. Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing all this wisdom about protecting our brain health.

[A]

You're very welcome.

[B]

Our many thanks to Dr. Matthew Fink. I'm Courtney Allison. Health Matters is a production of New York Presbyterian. The views shared on this podcast solely reflect the expertise and experience of our guests. To learn more about Dr. Fink's work with patients, check out the show Notes. New York Presbyterian is here to help you stay amazing at every stage of your life. Join us next time when we talk about how to manage night sweats and other effects of perimenopause. That's in two weeks right here on Health Matters so you don't miss it. Be sure to follow and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.