How Food Shapes Your Brain: What a Psychologist Wants You To Know - with Kimberley Wilson

Can food really shape your brain? Chartered psychologist Kimberley Wilson on the science of nutrition, mood and mental health.We treat the brain and the body as if they’re two different projects. A cardiologist for the heart, a gastroenterologist for the gut, a psychologist for the mind. But the brain is an organ, oxygenated by the same blood, fed by the same nutrients, and shaped by the same lifestyle as everything else.As “brain health” becomes the next wellness buzzword and the internet is flooded with gut-brain axis claims, supplement pitches and mood-food promises, working out what’s actually supported by evidence has never been harder.In this episode, Dr Frankie is joined by chartered psychologist and MSc-qualified nutritionist Kimberley Wilson, author of How to Build a Healthy Brain and Unprocessed, for a grounded, evidence-based conversation on what food, sleep, stress and movement actually do to your brain - and where the popular claims fall apart.Drawing on more than a decade of clinical work, including seven years running the therapy service at Europe’s largest women’s prison, Kimberley explains where the science is strong, where it’s overstated, and why looking after your brain is about far more than doing a crossword.In this episode, you’ll learn:Timestamps:00:00 Why We Can’t Separate the Brain from the Body01:42 What Working in a Women’s Prison Taught Her About Nutrition and Behaviour04:30 The Ultra-Processed Food Problem: What It Does to Your Brain06:51 Insulin Resistance, Type 3 Diabetes and Dementia Risk10:41 Why Healthy Life Expectancy in the UK Is So Low13:19 Sleep as a Jet Wash for the Brain16:12 Exercise, Brain Volume and Building Cognitive Reserve19:28 Why the Benefits of Movement Are Independent of Weight Loss22:00 The Gut-Brain Axis: What’s Real and What’s Overhyped25:25 The 90% Serotonin Myth — and What It Actually Means31:57 Why We Reach for Sugar When We’re Stressed34:00 The Milkshake and Horror Movie Experiment36:14 What Alcohol Really Does to Your Brain38:11 The Red Wine Myth and the J-Curve Explained39:52 Why the Mediterranean Diet Has the Strongest Data42:25 The Truth About Blueberries and “Brain Foods”46:05 The Reversed Flynn Effect: Are We Getting Less Intelligent?50:04 Mindfulness and Gratitude — Fluffy or Physiological?52:07 When Mindfulness Isn’t the Right Tool55:41 Three Practical Tips for Building a Healthier BrainYour brain isn’t a separate machine sitting on top of your body. It’s an organ, and it responds to the same things every other organ does - what you eat, how you sleep, how you move, and how you handle stress.The evidence doesn’t support magic foods, single supplements, or one-size-fits-all fixes. It points, consistently, to overall dietary patterns, physical activity, sleep quality and social connection as the levers that actually matter for long-term brain health.Connect with Kimberley WilsonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodandpsychFollow Dr Frankie Jackson-Spence on Instagram: @drfrankiejshttps://www.instagram.com/drfrankiejs/FOLLOW Vision of Health on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visionofhealthpod/If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who’s tired of oversimplified “brain food” advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.