News from NeuroEM

‘I’m a Neurologist—This Is the One Diet Trend I Beg My Patients To Avoid’

You might have some of these not-so-healthy foods in your pantry right now.

Published: September 03, 2026, by Emily Laurence Sardinha, Parade

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Supplement stacking, fiber maxxing and the carnivore diet are just a few of the many diet trends people on social media can’t stop talking about. That’s on top of the diets that have been making waves for a while, like intermittent fasting, the keto diet, Paleo diet and intuitive eating.

With so many different, conflicting opinions about what it means to eat healthy, it’s hard to know what advice is actually worth following. If one of your goals is supporting your brain health as you age, the dietary advice you choose to follow is crucial.

Some diets have been scientifically shown to lower the risk of dementia. For example, the MIND diet (a mashup of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet) has been scientifically shown to slow the rate of cognitive decline by as much as 53%. In one study, those who followed the diet had brain function equivalent to someone 7.5 years younger compared to those who didn’t follow the MIND diet. That’s pretty profound.

Of course, there is a lot of lousy diet advice out there too, including one diet trend that neurologists we talked to wish everyone would avoid.

Related: Neurologists Warn This Nightly Habit Could Be Secretly Shrinking Your Brain

The Diet Trend That’s Bad for Your Brain, According to Neurologists

According to Dr. William Scott Burgin, MD, a professor of neurology and stroke division chief at the University of South Florida and the chief medical officer of NeuroEM, the absolute worst foods for the brain are ultra-processed foods.

Maybe you already knew that and do your best to minimize consumption of foods like candy, packaged pastries and deli meat. But even health-conscious people can be fooled and deceived into eating foods that are branded as healthy, yet just as bad for the brain as the candy you’ll find in the checkout aisle. Some examples: protein bars, granola bars, flavored yogurt and store-bought smoothies. All of these foods sound healthy, but can actually be high in added sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Related: So Long, Brain Fog! Here Are the 11 Best Foods To Keep Your Mind in Tip-Top Shape

Dr. Burgin explains that ultra-processed foods are typically high in either sugar or sodium, both of which are associated with a higher risk of dementia. To this point, a study of 789 older adults published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that those who ate sugary foods

regularly were twice as likely to get dementia compared to those who didn’t eat sugary foods regularly. And a 2020 review published in the same journal found that a high-sodium diet was associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease, both of which are linked to dementia.

While in general, it’s best to eat whole foods and not ultra-processed ones, Dr. Burgin notes that not all ultra-processed foods are unhealthy. “Interestingly, there are foods that get technically classified as ultra-processed, but are more likely neutral or may even be good for you, such as fortified whole grain cereals, dairy-based foods like [plain] yogurt and packaged breads and grain products,” he says.

With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to read the ingredients list and nutritional panel when deciding if a packaged food is truly nutritious or not. If it’s high in added sugar or sodium, that’s a sure sign that it isn’t.

Related: The Supplement That Neurologists Say Is a Waste of Money for Brain Health

How To Support Your Brain Through What You Eat

While it’s important to watch your sugar and sodium intake if you want to support your brain, that doesn’t mean you can never enjoy salty chips or a bowl of ice cream. “A cookie every now and then is not a problem,” Dr. Burgin emphasizes. It’s what your diet looks like the majority of the time that matters most, not the foods you only eat once in a while.

Dr. James Bateman, MD, MPH, a behavioral neurologist at VCU Health, agrees. “Too much sugar is bad, but avoiding anything sweet if you enjoy a treat occasionally is ill-advised, given the relatively small impact overall,” he says.

Dr. Bateman also points out that food isn’t solely about nutrition. “Humans consume food for a variety of social, cultural and nutritional reasons, and it is important to consider all of these in helping people arrive at a diet that supports happiness and brain health,” he tells Parade.

The goal, both neurologists say, is to minimize consumption of ultra-processed foods and focus on eating primarily whole foods. Both neurologists are big proponents of the MIND diet, which, as mentioned earlier, has been scientifically shown to slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia.

Certain nutrients are especially crucial for brain health, and it’s important to get enough of them. “Vitamin B, including B6, B9 and B12, supports homocysteine regulation, high levels of which correlate with dementia,” Dr. Burgin says, adding that magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids are two other nutrients that support cognitive health.

“I also recommend antioxidant-rich foods, including blueberries, strawberries, dark leafy greens and dark chocolate to combat oxidative stress linked to cognitive decline,” Dr. Burgin says. He adds that polyphenols found in turmeric, green tea and cocoa are also important, explaining, “Curcumin in turmeric may reduce amyloid plaques [linked to dementia] and EGCG in green tea enhances neurogenesis [the formation of new neurons].”

Other Neurologist-Recommended Ways To Support Your Brain

Diet is only one habit that impacts brain health. Dr. Burgin explains that aerobic exercise is also important, revealing, “This form of exercise increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which supports neuron growth and memory.”

To this point, a scientific article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings states that aerobic activity may reduce dementia risk. It references one study that found that one year of regular aerobic exercise in a large randomized controlled group of senior adults was associated with significantly larger hippocampal volumes and better spatial memory. That means exercise can literally make your brain larger.

Dr. Burgin says that resistance training is also important, and not just for maintaining muscle and bone density, noting that it’s also linked to improved executive function and slower cognitive decline.

If you want to stay mentally sharp, Dr. Burgin says it’s important to continue to learn new skills and stay cognitively stimulated. If you can learn new skills with others, even better. “Strong social ties lower dementia risk by stimulating cognitive resilience,” he explains. Additionally, having healthy ways to manage stress in place, such as meditation, is important. “Regular meditation practice increases gray matter density in the prefrontal cortex,” he says.

Last, but certainly not least, Dr. Burgin notes that it’s important to consistently get enough sleep. He says that deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, is especially important for transferring short-term memories into long-term storage. “Aim for between seven and nine hours of sleep each night,” he explains.

As you can see, there’s a lot you can do to maximize your brain health. While lowering the risk of dementia doesn’t come down to one singular habit, minimizing your consumption of ultra-processed foods is a great place to start. That means even before buying something labeled as healthy, such as a protein bar or store-bought smoothie, it’s best to read the label and make the decision for yourself.

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