Dr. Majid Fotuhi

I usually go to the supermarket.

I buy a whole bunch of fruits and I buy some real food and I stay in places that are Airbnb and actually cook.

I avoid going to restaurants as much as possible.

Unless there's a good restaurant.

There are a few restaurants.

I know the food is good and I recognize that it's well-prepared.

It's not too salty.

I'm not saying I've never been to restaurants, but I will pick the restaurants that I would go to carefully.

I've got five pillars of brain health.

I will put exercise as number one.

Exercise increases the number of mitochondria, these energy producing organelles inside the cells everywhere in our body.

in our heart, in our kidneys, in our eyes, in our skin, everywhere.

It also reduces inflammation and also increases blood flow.

It increases levels of a protein called BDNF, brain drive neurotrophic factor, which is like a brain fertilizer.

And it reduces levels of amyloid plaques in the brain.

Studies have shown that people who walk three to 5,000 steps have lower levels of these plaques and tangles in the brain.

That's incredible.

Exercise increases the number of neurons in the hippocampus.

People used to think that you die with as many neurons you were born with or fewer because some of them die.

We can't generate new neurons.