The nutty snack that makes your memory young again!

Firing up your focus, your smarts, your recall and your mood . . . you can do all that—and cut your risk of Alzheimer’s—by nurturing your neurons with these delicious foods:

1 Dark chocolate! The darker the chocolate, the more flavonols it has, and that’s important: A new three-month Columbia University study found that a high intake of flavonols reversed age-related memory decline in healthy 60-year- olds, restoring it to the memory of a typical 30- to 40-year- old!

2 Berries! Women who eat a few 1/2-cup servings of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries each week are 35% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, reveals Rush University Medical Center research. “Berries are particularly rich in antioxidants, which may be why they’re linked to better brain health,” says lead study author Martha Clare Morris, SCD.

3 Beets! Inexpensive ruby red beets are a top source of the B vitamins that your brain requires to quickly process information and sort through memories, Oxford University research shows. In addition, Harvard researchers discovered that beets are loaded with a natural antidepressant compound called uridine!

4 Nuts! Eating a handful of nuts (any kind!) most days helps keep your memory razor sharp, even after age 70! Their healthy fats, fiber and antioxidants lower the “bad” LDL cholesterol that a just-published study in the journal Circulation reveals can be especially harmful to memory.