Show Notes
Do you run out of go-power in the middle of the morning? Maybe you find it hard to focus and your ability to call on your memory is strained. Or perhaps you suffer from an after-lunch slump. Some people find that their brain fog is troublesome most of the time. While there are some medical conditions that produce brain fog, you just might find that changing what you eat could help your mental clarity and reduce brain fog.
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How You Can Listen
You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EST on Saturday, October 17, 2026, through your computer or smart phone (wvtf.org). Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on Oct. 19, 2026.
How Could Eating Better Reduce Brain Fog?
Our guest, Dr. Uma Naidoo, is a leader in nutritional psychiatry. She found in her practice that what people eat can make a big difference for their mood and even their cognition. Breakfasting on coffee and donuts is often a preamble to needing (not just wanting) a coffee break mid-morning. Evidence has been growing that people may perform differently depending on the type of breakfast that they had. This could well vary from one person to the next. Some thrive on a bowl of steel cut oats with yogurt and berries, while others notice that it doesn’t carry them through the morning. Dr. Naidoo suggests that in most cases a low-carb breakfast with plenty of protein will serve us better than the typical Danish and coffee.
The Impact of Sugar on Cognitive Health
A fascinating study published earlier this year demonstrated the surprisingly persistent effects of consuming sugar. The investigators took advantage of a natural experiment occasioned by the rationing of sugar during and after World War II (NPJ Aging, July 22, 2026). They compared people born between 1951 and 1956. Some of these were exposed to sugar rationing only while in utero, some were exposed to it in utero and up to age two, while the third group was conceived and born after sugar rationing had stopped.
Those babies are now in their 70s. Those with their first thousand days under sugar rationing have dramatically lower risk for developing dementia–a 27% lower risk for any type of dementia and a 46% lower risk for Alzheimer disease. We don’t have any studies showing that limiting sugar in adulthood can benefit the brain in the same way, but the evidence we do have suggests eating less sugar might reduce brain fog.
Is Your Medicine Causing Brain Fog?
When psychiatrists prescribe pills to treat depression, anxiety or other mental illnesses, they are aware that one of the effects might be confusion or lack of mental clarity. These are not the only types of medication that can cause trouble, though. Many people rely on over-the-counter sleep aids night after night. Nearly all of these contain diphenhydramine (DPH) as their active ingredient.
DPH counteracts the activity of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. As a result, pharmacologists classify it as an “anticholinergic” drug. Even by itself, but certainly in combination with other anticholinergic medicines, DPH can lead to brain fog. If you are interested in exploring what those other anticholinergic drugs are, you will find a list here.
The Insomniac’s Dilemma
Many people who frequently have trouble sleeping feel like
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