Eat Right & Feel Right - It sounds simple to eat right, but with all the fad diets and questionable plans out there, the best thing you can do is just to eat right for your needs. No matter what type of diet you go on, eating fresh local produce is better for you than any other type of food. Try making half your plate veggies and a fourth of it fruit, and you will automatically feel healthier. Your mind will become sharper too. The reason is that your brain needs glucose to work best, and the easiest way to use glucose in a healthy way is from fresh produce like fruit and veggies.

Eat More Fruit – Some people are afraid of fruit but if you don’t have diabetes, you can and should eat fruit. Don’t drink fruit; eat it. Eating berries is especially very good for you. Fruit is fantastic for brain health. The more colorful the fruit, the more you should eat of it. Dementia is marked by plaque build-up in the brain, but fruit can help reduce that.

Eat More Veggies – Just like fruit, veggies help reduce oxidative stress which is thought to be one of the causes or contributors to different forms of cognitive decline (including various forms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease). This makes veggies one of the most important things you should consume.

Drink Lots of Fresh Filtered Water – Most of us are walking around slightly dehydrated because we have learned to ignore our thirst cues. In fact, your body wants water so much that sometimes it tells you that you are hungry in hopes you’ll eat something with moisture. Your brain cells require a certain balance of compounds, including water, to work properly. If you are fully hydrated, you’ll be less likely to suffer cloudy thinking.

Avoid Processed Food and Sugar – Every diet that exists asks that you stop eating processed food and sugar. No one is ever going to say that it’s a good thing to eat this stuff. Therefore, regardless of the type of diet that you choose to follow, stop eating processed food and sugar as much as you can other than the occasional treat.

Eat Fewer Simple Carbohydrates – While today there is no such thing as "complex carbs" or carb combining to create a "complete" protein, the fact is that some carbohydrates can contribute to weight gain as well as blood sugar issues in some people. White rice, white noodles, white pizza crust are all examples of this. However, you don’t need to stop eating it; just eat less and watch your serving sizes.

Eat When You’re Hungry – You really don’t need to eat at prescribed times. Just because the clock says it's time to eat, doesn’t mean you need to eat. If you are not hungry, you don’t need to eat. If you just eat when you have real stomach hunger, you usually can’t overeat. If you need to be on top of your game brain-wise, it’s a great day for starting the day with a fruit and yogurt smoothie bowl.

When you focus on eating right at least 80 percent of the time and moving enough at least 80 percent of the time, guess what - you will experience at least 80 percent of the results that you wanted before you started. This is just a way to tell you that you don’t have to be perfect to experience the benefits of eating right when it comes to your brain health. Add in exercise, and you can eat more and still benefit from a proper diet.