Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power

Written by Lisa Mosconi, PhD

Narrated by Norah Tocci

Dr. Lisa Mosconi, whose research spans an extraordinary range of specialties including brain science, the microbiome, and nutritional genomics, notes that the dietary needs of the brain are substantially different from those of the other organs, yet few of us have any idea what they might be. Her innovative approach to cognitive health incorporates concepts that most doctors have yet to learn. Busting through advice based on pseudoscience, Dr. Mosconi provides recommendations for a complete food plan, while calling out noteworthy surprises, including why that paleo diet you are following may not be ideal, why avoiding gluten may be a terrible mistake, and how simply getting enough water can dramatically improve alertness.



Including comprehensive lists of what to eat and what to avoid, a detailed quiz that will tell you where you are on the brain health spectrum, and 24 mouth-watering brain-boosting recipes that grow out of Dr. Mosconi's own childhood in Italy, Brain Food gives us the ultimate plan for a healthy brain. Brain Food will appeal to anyone looking to improve memory, prevent cognitive decline, eliminate brain fog, lift depression, or just sharpen their edge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: May 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781684411597

Reviews for Brain Food

[newsieq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Who DOESN’T want to improve their chances of avoiding Alzheimer’s disease? The author lays out the case that eating the right foods can do just that. And in many cases, eating and other lifestyle choices can trump DNA. The author writes in a very down-to-earth style, without getting overly scientific. However, the book (IMHO) should be read like a textbook, carefully with underlining and notes to one’s self. There are lots of little nuggets hidden away in the prose. At the end, I longed for Brain Food to be a handbook (at least partially), written PowerPoint style with the main bullet points emphasized, and with charts and graphs and an optional narrative. That way, Brain Food could be used easily as a reference book.I found the test that helps place readers on the continuum of unhealthy to brain-healthy diets helpful. Although my diet is fairly well advanced, some recipes contained ingredients I’ve not heard of and/or never seen in my local grocery store. Psyllium, chia seed, brewer’s yeast, tamari sauce and spelt come to mind. I got the sinking feeling that following the author’s advice could turn into a major hobby or part-time job. I believe the author knows people are not going to be as disciplined as she is in her diet, but that moving away from the “bad” stuff and toward the good stuff is possible and attainable for just about anyone. She makes the case well enough that many readers will incorporate at least some of the ideas contained in Brain Food into their own diets. I will. Review based on publisher-provided galley proof.

[Nathan Lane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A gem—in a sea of bad food science books. Anyone interested in eating for cognition well being. Even if you don’t do everything in here (I don’t).

The biggest plus for me is that it’s written by someone who is a researcher. One knee deep in the research. Not an influencer or podcaster.

For this reason they’re balanced and break down very complex issues (eg the mechanisms of the blood brain barrier) clearly.

I loved how this book was not wedded in any fad. As a scientist, I loved that it was grounded in empirical observation.

Their recommendations will ruffle the feathers of dogmatic diet folks, such as paleo ones. However, not intentionally—but by virtue of mechanisms and science.

Anyone will gain from this.

[artheart-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow! Exceptionally well-researched and written book about food requirements for our brain.Author has synthesized complicated subject matter into easy to read and understandable text. I’ve read and re-read this book and plan to purchase copies for my foodie friends who are using food as medicine. Well done!

[David Anguizola · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good review of the evidence and nice recipes. Recommended.

[liliana castro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book, from theory to easy recipes. It includes main dishes, smoothies and even healthy, super power desserts. I discovered plenty of tricks, vegetables and fascinating combinations I didn’t even know existed. If you want to get a good hold and understating on what you put in your mouth, this is a book for you! Beware, there is plenty of theory but its easy to understand. I promise!!!! Hands down to this author!

[mudroom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read a number of nutrition books, including books focusing on brain health. I really enjoyed Lisa Mosconi's comprehensive but accessable style. The density of information in each chapter was almost daunting, but her conversational style of writing, referencing her personal experience with a light touch, made the information easy to understand and be inspired by. I definately recommend having a highlighter and page markers at hand. This is a book that should be thoroughly marked up and annotated with personal notes. I think it would also be a good idea to have a pack of sticky notes at the ready so that you can put relevant reminders and lists on your refrigerator and cabinets if you want to remember to make better choices than your current habits allow. I think this is a timely book, with up to the minute information on the science as it stands right now. It can be read easily from cover to cover, absorbing as much information and inspiration as possible on the first reading, but realistically, most people will only incorporate a fraction of the recommendations into their daily lives. However, with good information at hand we can all move in the right direction, especially when simple swaps in our diet can be so delicious and healthful.

[Narcis Mirandes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like the content of the book. It is clear and well explained
- I think it is for experts. It is quite technical and sometimes difficult to follow for a regular person with no background in the area like me. With that the information is useful for someone who just want to have a healthier life.
- The chapter of the book, as the speaker comment, have not the same number than the one that Scribd gives. This seems to be a common problem with audio books in this platform and makes everything quite confusing many times.
- The last chapter is about recipes. The audio version is not a good option for that.
- I could not find an easy way to know the subject or title of each chapter. To have that in text would help to give structure and orientation in an audio book.

[Patricia Iniguez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book. I got somany ideas to start putting into action

[quaintlittlehead · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is extremely thoroughly researched and well-organized. Its basic tenet is that most nutritionists' focus in the past has been on heart health, diabetes and cancer prevention, and weight loss, but that no one has systematically looked at what the brain in particular needs to function well into old age without developing Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. The author describes particular nutrients needed by the brain in detail and lays out what foods are the best sources. She then offers a revised food pyramid for brain health and a quiz for readers to ascertain what level they are currently at in terms of eating for a healthy brain, along with three road maps to improving your brain health based on your level and a selection of recipes.Despite this, Mosconi somehow manages to write a book that will appeal to very few readers. The non-scientifically-oriented will wish her first ten chapters had been condensed into one, while those familiar with nutrition literature will read little that they haven't already heard before, save a few brain-specific twists. While Mosconi is clear that she is interested specifically in a diet for brain health, she doesn't say much about what nutrients are necessary for other organs or body systems; for example, neither calcium nor folic acid get much of a mention, so women are particularly at risk of neglecting these nutrients in an effort to focus more on Omega-3's and -6's. My biggest complaint about the book, though, is the overwhelming cultural superiority and economic privilege with which it is written. The author is Italian and lives in Manhattan. She acknowledges once that healthy, organic food became harder to find when she briefly moved to Brooklyn, and that she can only imagine how hard it is to find elsewhere. And therein lies the problem: she really, REALLY, truly can't imagine it. She has obviously never tried to buy groceries on a reservation in South Dakota or had to travel multiple days a week, multiple weeks of the year for her job. Her recommendations for healthy foods that people should incorporate in their diets include things like goat-milk yogurt, purple Okinawan sweet potatoes, hemp hearts, dandelion greens, black caviar (which she tells us twice "is available in any Russian deli," something I didn't even know was a thing in this country), or, if you can't afford caviar, salmon roe. All of her recipes are based around multiple ingredients of this type and require extensive preparation, so novice cooks will certainly be intimidated. And there is simply no room for leeway; all fast food is an absolute no-no.It shouldn't have to be this way. Mosconi could have written a much friendlier text that said to the average American reader, "A healthy diet for your brain is very close to a healthy diet overall, with a few key differences. Try to add more root vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and fish to your diet. Limit eggs and dairy to a few servings per week. Exercise regularly and get enough sleep." Instead, Mosconi, like so many nutritionists before her, ignores completely the fact that eating habits are culturally embedded. Do you have Anglo-Saxon ancestry? Too bad. Forget all your meat and potatoes. Are you of Hispanic origin? Sorry. You can't have your corn and cheese. Everyone in the world should be content to foresake centuries of culinary tradition to remake themselves as Italians or Okinawans or Indians because there are so many people who live to be one hundred in those regions.It is sadly, subtly clear that Mosconi writes this way because of negative perceptions about Americans, and obese people in general, from something she says twice near the end of her book. Mosconi claims that her three levels of eating offer road maps that will help every reader improve their brain health, but when she gets to describing the Advanced level, she repeatedly says "people of this type." She does not actually believe most of us can get there with practice. She believes that people who are already healthy are fundamentally superior to everyone else.If you're really interested in warding off dementia and Alzheimer's, flip to the one page of this book with the food pyramid and make a photocopy of it. Do what you can to add more root vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and fish to your diet. Limit eggs and dairy to a few servings per week. Exercise regularly and get enough sleep. Then go read Roxane Gay's "Hunger" and commit yourself to striving for a more manageable, less punishing relationship with food and to being kind to the millions of people who are struggling to do just that. And don't worry if you can't find purple sweet potatoes, or a local Russian deli.

[deldevries · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well researched and written in an easy to read and engaging style. Nutrition, health, and our brains/body are the subject of an overload of information. This book organizes and lays out important information that the reader can put to use.

[berthashaver · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is well written and includes a "test" to see how healthy my brain is with regard to my current eating habits. It was really eye opening because I thought I was doing fairly well. It gives tips to change and incorporate certain habits so that I can have the perfect diet.
I especially enjoyed the recipes at the end of the book. I tried some of them and they are actually pretty good.

[ltietz-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this highly readable book by Lisa Mosconi. I always appreciate learning more about neuroscience. However, I do agree with other reviewers who suggested that American society currently has systemic issues regarding food access and affordability that make healthy eating of any kind difficult for the majority of Americans.

For balance, I would also recommend reading The Angry Chef: Bad Science and the Truth About Healthy Eating, by Anthony Warner, and Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer, by Barbara Ehrenreich.

[seongeona · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good scientific info on how to feed the brain, I enjoyed learning. I also liked the addition of some recipes to use as examples of how to eat for the best brain health. Dr. Mosconi's credentials can't be beat, but, as with so many books/magazines, the "should do" and the "able to do" are going to be on opposite ends of our means.


It makes sense to me to drink lots of fluids, to eat breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner. However, my job doesn't allow me to use the restroom at will so drinking a full glass of water before breakfast and a cup of tea with breakfast then smoothie as a morning snack plus a glass of water before lunch and another cup of tea with lunch isn't going to fly. Besides that, we don't get more than a 15-minute lunchbreak and certainly no breaks for multiple snacks or tea. A 10-12 hour workday on the factory floor isn't amenable to "Ayurvedic Mung Bean Soup" or "Grilled Salmon in Ginger Garlic Marinade" especially without a refrigerator or microwave. Red wine with dinner or herbal tea before bedtime will keep me awake with heartburn all night.


Organic, grass-fed, and gourmet foods - much of what makes up the recipes - are extraordinarily expensive where I live and while I agree they are better for us, their cost (and expense incurred just obtaining them) is mostly prohibitive. Lastly, the advice to "consider taking naps during the day" is sensible and logical, unless your employer is very much against it or you are rushing from home to work to pick up your kid from the sitter to home to throw something in the microwave so you can get to bed on time and hopefully get 5 or 6 hours sleep before the next 10-12 hour shift. Really, this is not a plan for the masses but for the elite who have the time and money for it. And that's a shame, because everyone deserves to have good brain health and good food and time for naps.


Lifestyle modification, diet, nutrition, and health is going to require the entire village - American society - to change. I, and the masses like me, can maybe manage to follow the guidelines of the diet presented here, if lucky, on weekends (if not working overtime). Someday, someone is going to write a book for us. Until then, I just try to sneak in one more apple slice.

[angiestahl-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow--this is a meaty book and there is a lot of good stuff here. I learned a LOT and am still going back and re-reading bits to better absorb it all. Rather than summarize it, I'm going to distill my reaction to it below so that anyone considering reading this has some context to decide if it's right for them:I got this book from LibraryThing as an early reviewer and am really glad I requested it and was picked. It is probably not a book I would have picked up or been exposed to otherwise. Altzheimers runs in my family which is what drew my interest initially, but I make my living with my brain. 50 isn't that far away and I have greater interest in neuro-nutrition as brainpower insurance and suspected there was, ahem, considerable room for improvement in the nutritional area.This book is very accessible without being patronizing. Although backed up by the author's credentials and with observations and recommendations supported by research, it reads with a ring of truth.The front two-thirds or so makes the case for neuro-nutrition and makes some generalizable recommendations - the importance of sleep for brain restoration, why the right kind of hydration is important, why diets that produce weightloss or other good results for the body (like paleo and others) aren't necessarily giving the brain the nutrition it needs.The back third or so brings it all home, so to speak. There's a quiz to figure out where you stand from a neuro-nutrition point of view, and how to improve, eating plans and recipes.I came away with concrete changes that I can make that will improve my brain and body heatlh. This book is in rare company with a handful of other non-fiction books that have been like a master class in something and I've come away smarter, richer, better for having read it.There biggest criticism that I have of the book isn't really fair to put on the author, but much more systemic societal issues about food manufacturers and retailers that aren't her fault and for which there are no easy solutions.What she's recommending is complicated to act on, for several reasons. Here's what I would have liked to have had/known from the book:1) Where I live, there's ZERO access to some of the foods she recommends. I don't mean they're hard to find, I mean they aren't stocked on shelves within 100 miles of me and Whole Foods (or insert like here) doesn't deliver to my area. There is no butcher/fresh meat or seafood options where I live--nothing but frozen and not much range in that. Walking away from packaged or frozen foods simply isn't an option I have, and many others are in a similar boat. I'd like to have some sort of way to know how to make better choices within limited options. Which brands are best? What do I look for on the package or steer clear of? 2) What she's recommending is very cost prohibitive for most people. Black caviar may be the best brain food ever, but it excludes a lot of people based on price and availability alone. For those of us without deep pockets, what recommendations do you make for us?3) A sense of priority. At times, I wanted to stop reading and chuck the book because it requires such lifestyle change to follow prescriptively that it's almost easier to never start. That's a shame. But I would have liked to know if I only could make two changes, which two give me the biggest bang for my brain? Or, if I'm starting small and working my way to bigger change, where to begin? The way this is written it comes across as all-or-nothing or at least equally important and urgent. That's neither fair, nor helpful.4) If doctors and nutritionists aren't well-trained in this field (and no doubt many aren't), I have no local support and no one to ask questions of. Would have been nice to have a collection of resources, or ways to discern whether a nutritionist/doctor's counsel is sound or something.All in all though, lots of meatiness here and plenty of things I can do to better feed and water my brain. And for that, I'd recommend anyone with passing interest read it--it's like getting direct access to someone's hard-won lifetime body of work.

[bonnieclyde-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very clear, backed up by science and definitely motivating! This book was interesting to read and gave me a lot of information in an easily readable format, not dry or boring. This is all extremely helpful and I plan on rereading it every couple of months to encourage myself. I am in my 50's and am using this book in planning meals around foods that will prolong my brain's useful life! I have shared it with my son also.

[rascalstar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I lost 2-3 pounds reading this book! That sounds funny, but it's true. This is the best and most profound book I've read on such a subject. When it's published, several in my immediate family will receive a copy from me. And I want to give my ARC copy to another, so I'll buy one for myself. That's how much I think of the book. It's going to change my life. Today I went grocery shopping, list in hand, to a health food store I already frequent. My husband seemed spellbound and dubious.

The book is about eating in a way that creates a healthy environment for your brain and heart, and your whole body, of course. Although I've read similar books, none has motivated me like this one. I can't praise it enough. Is it for everyone? Yes. But no. The truth is, some people may read it and change nothing; you know them. They already know everything and aren't going to change. If you are interested in getting healthier in a doable way, this book might help you.

I lost those couple pounds doing only a few of the suggestions. It will take time to incorporate the things I don't already do. I was partway there already. And it's easy to see that even if you don't follow the suggestions to the letter, your entire body will benefit from changes you make at the start. Small changes work and are better than doing nothing. Much of this is easy, unless you are starting from no healthy eating, and then, it's doubly important that you do something to get healthier. There are three levels near the end, places where you might be starting from with suggestions and steps to help you get started. You find that level by taking a test, easy questions about what you do now. The test can be taken again and again, as you progress.

So gentle readers, if you care about your health and especially your brain and how to avoid dementia, Alzheimer's and more, this book might be the one that changes your life for the better. The book is pure science. It's well researched and written by an author who lives what she knows. It's written in an easy-to-read way with tables and all kinds of helpful information. Readers will learn much about the brain and workings of the body as pertains to nutrition and more. There are recipes and apparently more advice and recipes online. In my house, the book will be often referenced until I have it all memorized enough that it comes naturally.

I have ingredients now to make a couple of the recipes and they sound good and easy. There are also recipes for your sweet tooth, and some of the changes are super easy and beneficial to not only your brain but other organs. If everyone ate this way, doctors might not have as much to do!

This book came to me from LibraryThing as an ARC copy for review.

[seriousgrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I admit it. I underline passages in my books. I mark them up, make notes in the margins, circle and highlight. With Mosconi's Brain Food I was doing a lot of all of that. Pages upon pages were worthy of notation; simply chock full of interesting information. To say that I had several ah-ha moments is an understatement. Those moments were like finally figuring out how to get out of a maze; driving a tangle of street before you finally find a signs for the highway. What Mosconi is trying to relate makes sense. There is just a lot to process.
But, here's another element to Brain Food that I didn't expect. Mosconi makes the information so compelling that you want to listen to it and what's more, follow it. Case in point: how many times have you heard about the benefits of drinking more water? Me too. Except it never sunk in. No matter how many times I heard the about the science of staying hydrated, it never prompted me to fill the water bottle a second time. Something about Mosconi's writing made me sit up and take notice. Something she said finally resonated with me. I may only fill the water bottle a second time, but that's a start.
I think what makes Mosconi's book different is her approach. The language is not snooty, doctor on high advice. Her tone isn't didactic or preachy. She simply tells it like it is. She makes it personal and the information, approachable.
Bonus points for the quiz on dietary brain health and the recipes.

[satxreader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Hmmm. A lot of info I already knew and some I don't agree with, like stuffing yourself with grains. Because it calls itself whole-wheat does not make it good for you or your gut IMHO.

[realbigcat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brain Food by Lisa Mosconi is an excellent book about nutrition and tips for optimizing your cognitive brain function. There is a big emphasis and a lot being written on healthy eating and anti aging. This book is well written and organized to provide a lot of beneficial information from the latest scientific research. There are recommendations and sample menus and recipes. One thing is that this information while being promoted as brain health really is beneficial for any heath regime. It not only tells what to eat but also what to avoid. I think anyone that reads and follows the advise in this book will benefit not only your brain but your overall health.

[glennbell_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent book that combines knowledge in neuroscience and nutrition. The author appears knowledgeable and is articulate. She provides practical advice including menus and recipes. There is a questionnaire that provides insight into your nutrition and exercise status. The main thing missing from the book is an analysis of clinical data pertaining to the health claims associated with the recommended foods. I recommend the book.