Written by: Kate Taylor (BA[Hons.], DipION, mBANT, rCNHC, ReCODE 2.0, MoCA) - Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner & Registered Nutritionist
I suspect I know what you might be thinking; uh oh, a Nutritionist is writing to tell us about another diet? Well, the answer to this is both yes and no. Let me explain.
Our Brain is often overlooked as a standalone organ in need of targeted nourishment. But this should very much not be the case, especially since there are so many Brain Axes; the Gut↔Brain Axis probably being the most notable. So what is good for the Brain often has tremendous ripple effects on the health of the rest of our body (and indeed our mental health or simply our susceptibility to ‘Brain Fog’).
Crucially, from a Brain health and Dementia risk-avoidance perspective, the biochemistry of our body and Brain alters as we mature. This is important since the symptoms of Dementia can start to insidiously set in up to twenty years before their outward manifestation. During this time, a piece of research published by The Lancet Journal in 2024 has suggested that up to 45% of Dementia diagnoses could be prevented by dietary and lifestyle modifications.
So, the question is how do we nourish our Brain to give ourselves the best chance of risk-avoiding cognitive decline, and horizon-scan our daily habits to gift ourselves a proactive opportunity for achieving flourishing cognitive function & longevity? A significant part of the answer comes from what we feed and fuel our body because in precisely the same way that we would not build our house from rubbish materials, the same logic applies to our body and Brain. And whilst in today’s World of eye-catching, fact-glossing food marketing, this is perhaps easier said than done, with structured guidance from a research-oriented, evidence-prioritising professional Nutritionist it is very much possible to invest in your Brainspan to risk-avoid your susceptibility to cognitive decline. This is a taster (pun intended) on how, as a Registered Nutritionist, my Brain health programmes work.
Through initial strategic questioning, the principal root cause(s) and cognitive decline trajectory need to be established. This stage of the analysis is broken down into six sub-categories, from which a primary vulnerability can be established and a Nutritional Therapy programme can begin to be sculpted. These sub-categories of cognitive decline are:
Hot – Inflammatory; focusing on chronic, excessive inflammatory influences.
Sweet – Glycotoxic; excessive proportion of refined sugar and processed/ultra-processed food in the diet over a long period of time.
Cold – Trophic; nutrient imbalances (typically deficiencies).
Vile – Toxic; excessive exposure to environmental toxins; ‘Dementogens’.
Pale – Vascular; concerning the cardiovascular system and sleep (quality, quantity and Apnoea).
Dazed – Traumatic; stemming from a head injury or medical occurrence in the Brain.
It is then my job as a ReCODE qualified Nutritionist to ascertain the primary (and sometimes secondary and even tertiary) influence(s) on cognitive decline, from where the nuances of a Nutrition Therapy programme is collaboratively formed between me and the Client.
But what might this nutritional programme involve, you may be asking? This is a good time to mention that Nutritional Therapy recommendations are highly personalised since each Client is taken on an individual basis. There is however, a generalised dietary modus operandi associated with Brain health optimisation and Dementia risk-avoidance a la the ReCODE 2.0 Protocol. This is termed ‘KetoFlex’. As a Nutritionist, I appreciate KetoFlex because it proportionally balances our food group intake, which in a nutshell (again, pun intended) looks like this:
- Emphasising beneficial Omega essential fats (particularly Omega 3 and 9). The Brain’s composition is approximately 60% fat (lipids) therefore its structure, cellular components, and the Blood-Brain-Barrier (a semi-permeable membrane filtering oxygen and nutrients into the Brain, but keeping out larger Brain-unwelcome molecules, pathogens and toxins) needs nourishing and sustaining with beneficial essential fats which are termed ‘essential’ since the body cannot make them itself and therefore they need to be gained through diet. Typically, Omega-rich foods include oily fish (mackerel, sardines, smoked salmon, herring, anchovies, trout), avocados, extra virgin olive oil and olives, seeds (chia, flax) and Walnuts (if allergies and dentition/swallowing permit).
- Emphasising green leafy ‘cruciferous’ vegetables. These are full of Brain-supporting phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and fibre, thus also conferring gut health and digestive support. These foods also support the body’s detoxification organs and pathways.
- Emphasising prebiotic and probiotic foods. These foods offer another nod to gut health since they facilitate the beneficial species of gut bacteria to thrive and out-colonise the less beneficial species of gut bacteria. (We need a diverse variety of gut bacteria species as we and they are synergistic, but we need to ensure that each species is colonising our gut microbiome in the correct proportions.) Prebiotics and probiotics can be an acquired taste, but gentle introductions include organic Greek yoghurt, Kefir (unflavoured), a variety of beans, sauerkraut … or any fermented vegetables you can tolerate the mouthfeel of (and if you are not sensitive/intolerant to histamine).
- Emphasising lean proteins. ‘Lean’ typically means white meat and fish (which are less pro-inflammatory than red meat as a source of protein), and plant-based proteins such as quinoa. These are also recommended to support the musculoskeletal system, which is important for risk-avoiding physical frailty as we chronologically mature.
- Occasional enjoyment of ‘indulgences’. This includes a daily square-or-two of 75%+ cacao content dark chocolate and a palmful of colourful berries; blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, goji berries or pomegranate being examples. These are rich in nutrients of the polyphenol family, which confer whole body and Brain benefits, and quite frankly lift your spirits. I don’t know about you, but if my Nutritionist recommended I eat dark chocolate and berries, I would be skipping out of the Consultation room.
- Minimising processed & ultra-processed foods, refined sugar and alcohol (the latter for which there is no evidence that any amount is Brain-beneficial). This is not to say they are completely prohibited, but rather that the point of a KetoFlex dietary protocol is to achieve metabolic flexibility and for the Brain to be able to switch to using Ketones (from beneficial essential fats) as its primary fuel source, as opposed to glucose sugar from carbohydrates, which the Brain and body naturally finds easiest to do. (Ketones are considered a ‘cleaner’ fuel since they do not spike blood sugar levels and hence also have a more stabilising effect on energy levels; avoiding the energy peaks and troughs associated with carbohydrate sugar spikes.) This takes a bit of physiological (and often psychological) adaptation, but the cognitive alacrity rewards when this is achieved are notable in terms of executive function and, as recent evidence suggests, may be paving the way to support cognitive decline reversal through precision functional medicine strategies. (This information is gleaned from the 2025 EVANTHEA Randomised Control Trial with Human participants. A Peer-Review is due in mid-2026, and the pre-publication results are extremely optimisti,c with 100% of the Trial’s active treatment group improving their cognition scores!)
In addition to dietary factors, the ReCODE protocol also emphasises the importance of movement, detoxification & toxin exposure/diminishment, sleep, stress management & mindfulness, continued learning & Neuroplasticity, socialisation, and support from a Medical Doctor to appropriately medicate any existing health conditions, (including Menopause, should a chronologically early or systemically impactful Menopausal symptoms be experienced).
There is no space to elucidate them all here, but suffice to say, once a cognitive decline (Alzheimer’s Dementia) sub-group is identified, then the Brain Health Programme begins to take shape. This also presents a perfect example of when it is vital to professionally refer and embrace a multi-therapeutic approach to Brain health and Dementia risk-avoidance, so to bring the protocol into direct relevance for Cherry Tree Therapy Centre, I would refer to an appropriate Counsellor if the Client is perceptibly struggling with Stress.
There are also several functional medicine tests (utilising blood, saliva, stool, and urine samples) which aim to provide clarity in defining health status particulars. These need to be professionally recommended, overseen and accurately interpreted by a Registered Nutritionist or a Medical Doctor. The same applies to dietary supplements since certain supplements can be Brain-beneficial BUT they are ‘supplementary’ to a dietary and lifestyle programme and must be taken under guidance from a Registered Nutritionist who can personalise the dose, dosage and check for pharmaceutical contraindications.
So, we are at an interesting and progressive point in the Brain health landscape from both mental health and cognitive function perspectives. Increasing emphasis is being placed on precision functional medicine to support and optimise the health of our Brain and Brainspan. It is no secret that Brain health programmes must be multi-therapeutic, with nutrition at the centre of a multi-factorial Brain health programme. And the earlier you and your Clients start with a ‘prevention is better than cure’ mindset, the better, for surely our greatest asset is our Brain and any investment in our health and healthspan is one that is, in my professional and personal opinion, worth making.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The information given above is of a general nature and is not personalised to suit specific individual health or nutritional needs. If you or a Client are needing to nuance diet due to an allergy, intolerance or medical condition, please seek professional Registered Nutritionist or Dietician and Medical Doctor guidance to avoid the risk of malnourishment or contraindications with any medications being taken.
Kate Taylor is a Registered Nutritionist with a specialist qualification in the ReCODE 2.0 Protocol for nutrition, diet and lifestyle recommendations for Brain health, cognitive function and Dementia risk-avoidance.
Kate offers in-person and online Consultations and can be contacted via The Cherry Tree Therapy Centre. Please complete the enquiry form below for further information.
For light touch educational Nutr’isms you can Follow Kate on Instagram at: eat.drink.think.nutrition
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