Healthy diet options of spinach and kale may also help keep our brains fit. In a study from the University of Illinois appearing in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 60 adults between 25 and 45 years old having higher levels of lutein, a nutrient found in green, leafy vegetables, avocados and eggs, had neural responses more on par with younger people than others of their own age. Lutein is a nutrient that the body can’t make on its own, so it must be acquired through diet. It accumulates in brain tissues and the eyes, which allows researchers to measure levels without using invasive techniques.

This article appears in the January 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.