Grease fryer basket

Illustration: Kagan McLeod

Hold the Grease
Fatty diets have been regularly linked to poorer brain function. According to a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, rats eating a diet loaded with saturated fat performed much worse on memory tests than other rats. If you find it impossible to cut out pizza and potato chips entirely, there's still hope: Scientists recently have found that resveratrol, a substance abundant in red wine, improved animals' recall, even if they ate a high-fat diet.
Exercising body and mind

Illustration: Kagan McLeod

Think While You Sweat
A Union College study suggests that you can amplify the cognitive benefits of exercise by using your head during a workout. Participants played an "exergame," in which they rode a bike equipped with a virtual reality display that showed them navigating a 3-D landscape. After three months, the exergamers fared better on tests involving short-term memory than a control group that rode a traditional stationary bike.
Sushi

Illustration: Kagan McLeod

Don't Forget Your Omega-3s
In research published earlier this year, aging mice fed kibble enriched with omega-3 fatty acids had less inflammation in their brains and showed an improvement in memory power after two months compared with animals that continued to eat their usual feed. Skip the kibble and head to a sushi counter with sustainable seafood options instead: Salmon and seaweed are loaded with omega-3s.

Next: Take the brain fitness quiz