YOU JUST GOT SMARTER!

The Paleo diet does more than power off the pounds and supercharge energy—it can also help you remember your neighbors’ names at the Memorial Day BBQ! Research in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism found that adults with mild cognitive decline saw their brain function improve by as much as 62 percent over 45 days while maintaining a high-fat Paleo diet. The reason, according to neurologist David Perlmutter, M.D., is twofold: “Burning fat for fuel is much more efficient than using carbohydrates, so when the brain utilizes fat as fuel, the process produces fewer damaging free radicals,” he explains. “Also, the presence of ketones—a form of specialized fuel produced from fats—enhances the number and function of energy-producing mitochondria in the brain cells. This drives down the formation of free radicals and protects the function of brain cells even more.”