How to build a better brain: The 5 foods you need to protect your memory, mood and to cut dementia risk | Prof Felice Jacka & Prof Tim Spector

0:00Welcome to Zoe, Science and Nutrition, where world leading scientists explain how their research can improve your health.

0:15Every meal that you eat is the start of a remarkable journey through the body.

0:19The food you eat is broken down into nutrients, absorbed into the bloodstream, and transformed into the energy that powers every heartbeat, every movement, and every thought.

0:29But what if food isn't just fuel?

0:32What if it's essential for how your brain operates?

0:35Every meal you eat also provides nutrients to the trillions of microbes living in your gut.

0:40And these tiny organisms aren't just passengers along for the ride.

0:43Like mini pharmacies, they produce chemicals that send signals directly from your gut to your brain.

0:50And that begs the question, could what you eat shape how you feel?

0:55When we think about mental health and brain health, most of us picture medications, upbringing, or genetics.