Snacks: Brain Boost or Brain Drain?
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In fact, snacking is one of the easiest ways to sabotage your long-term brain health and memory. Most people wouldn’t eat a plate of sugar at mealtimes (unless they start the day with shop-bought cereal or sweetened yoghurt), yet it’s common to reach for a bar, a biscuit, or something from a petrol station or coffee shop without a second thought.
These everyday choices are a silent driver of brain fog, low mood, memory problems – even dementia. It’s time to upgrade your brain by upgrading your snacks. Below, we share a free Brain Boost Bites recipe and some other smart snack ideas – perfect for long drives, picnics, or busy days on the go.
The Problem with Typical Snacks
The modern snack aisle is a minefield of ultra-processed foods: cereal bars, crisps, flavoured yoghurts, granola bites, and biscuits – many of them marketed as “healthy”. But beneath the surface, they’re often:
- High in sugar or refined carbs – causing a rapid blood glucose spike followed by a crash. Many so-called healthy bars contain over 15g of sugar with little fibre, protein, or healthy fat to balance them.
- Low in brain-essential nutrients – such as omega-3s, magnesium, or phospholipids.
- Full of artificial additives – emulsifiers, preservatives, and even excitotoxins like MSG.
- Designed for instant gratification – often with addictive properties rather than sustained energy.
As explained in our Four Horsemen of the Mental Health Apocalypse series (read Part 1 here and Part 2 here), poor glucose control is a key driver of accelerated brain ageing and cognitive decline. A high-sugar snack spikes blood sugar, then causes a crash that reduces brain energy and impairs mental performance. Over time, this rollercoaster leads to insulin resistance, which is strongly linked to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
The Smart Snacking Solution
The answer isn’t to stop snacking altogether – it’s to snack smart.
Our in-house chef and lecturer in culinary nutrition and functional health, Kim Close, shares a free recipe below from the Upgrade Your Brain Cook App. It’s packed with brain-supportive nutrients and perfect for keeping your energy and focus steady.
And if you’re not sure what to eat for better brain health, the Cook App includes 120+ recipes (and growing) to guide you meal by meal.
Brain Boost Bites
Refined sugar-free | Fibre-rich | Brain-fat fuelled | Brain Boosting
Ingredients:
- 100g (3½ oz) almonds
- 30g (1 oz) walnuts
- 50g (1¾ oz) goji berries
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tbsp water (if needed for blending)
Method:
- Blend all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture becomes sticky and holds together.
- Roll into small balls.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Servings: Makes 10-12 balls
Cook’s Tips: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Add orange zest or vanilla extract for flavour variation.
Other Smart Snack Ideas:
- Oatcakes with almond butter or smoked mackerel pâté
- Olives
- Square of Dark Chocolate Bar (Recipe in Cook App)
- Hummus or nut butter with raw veggie sticks
- A boiled egg with cherry tomatoes
- A handful of walnuts or pumpkin seeds
- A small cup of full-fat Greek yoghurt with blueberries
- Chia pudding made with coconut milk (recipe in the app)
- 2 squares of 85%+ dark chocolate
Snacking wisely is one of the easiest daily upgrades you can make for your brain. And with the right ingredients, it can be delicious too.