The Brain Health Kitchen Podcast

Neurologist and musician Dr. Josh Turknett on why trying new things, making mistakes, and staying curious matter for brain health.

What does it take to keep your brain learning and adapting as you age? In this episode of the Brain Health Kitchen podcast, Dr. Annie Fenn talks with neurologist and musician Dr. Josh Turknett about neuroplasticity, cognitive reserve, and why learning something new—especially something difficult—may be one of the most valuable ways to challenge an aging brain.

They explore why music and dance are such rich cognitive activities, how mistakes and feedback drive learning, and how to find the “Goldilocks zone” between too easy and too difficult. Josh also explains why our beliefs about talent can hold us back, how creativity benefits from periods of relaxation, and ways to bring more learning into everyday life.

About our guest: Josh Turknett, MD, is a board-certified neurologist, award-winning musician, and founder of Brainjo and the Institute for Performance Neurology. He is the author of Anyone Can Play Music and his latest book, The Genius and the Impostor: The Neuroscience of Unlocking Human Potential.

Chapters

04:18 — Meet Dr. Josh Turknett
15:40 — Music as a brain workout
23:35 — Learning and the aging brain
30:28 — Cognitive reserve
33:39 — Mistakes and the Goldilocks zone
40:19 — The genius and the impostor
53:08 — Creativity and aging
1:05:16 — Takeaways and what to try

Links

Josh Turknett’s Website

Josh Turknett on Instagram

Brainjo Academy

Institute for Performance Neurology

The Genius and the Impostor: The Neuroscience of Unlocking Human Potential

Free Games at Geniusandimposter.com

Anyone Can Play Music

Brains, Banjos, & Beyond on Substack

Better Brain Fitness on Substack

Raising the Threshold on Substack

Performance Neurology Podcast

Better Brain Fitness Podcast with Dr. Tommy Wood

Brain Health Kitchen

NeuroReserve
Use code BHKPodcast for 10% off.

Better Brain
Use code AFENN50 for $50 off your blood panel.

Brain Health Trends, Put to the Test: Creatine, magnesium, coffee, cannabis, sleep, supplements, and what the evidence really says.

Brain health has become a booming topic, with no shortage of advice about what we should be eating, taking, tracking, and doing to prevent cognitive decline. But how much of it is actually supported by science?

In this episode, Annie sits down with psychiatrist Dr. Jake Goodman to rank some of the most talked-about habits, foods, supplements, and medications for long-term brain health. Jake brings a unique perspective to dementia prevention through his work in psychiatry, where he often sees how depression, anxiety, sleep, and other aspects of mental health can affect memory and cognition.

Together, Annie and Jake look at the evidence behind strength training, walking, sleep, therapy, magnesium, extra virgin olive oil, creatine, omega-3s, coffee, cannabis, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, and common medications including benzodiazepines and Benadryl. Along the way, they explore why some of the simplest habits still have the strongest evidence, why something that helps in the short term may look very different when considering brain health over decades, and why recommendations should change as the science does.

Chapters

00:01 — Meet Dr. Jake Goodman
03:45 — Mental health, memory, and dementia prevention
07:35 — Why we need to talk about brain health before symptoms begin
10:20 — Ranking what actually works for brain health
12:25 — Strength training
15:00 — Walking
17:00 — Therapy and mental health
19:00 — Why sleep earns the highest ranking
21:00 — Magnesium and the brain
23:30 — Extra virgin olive oil
27:00 — Cannabis and long-term brain health
31:00 — Alcohol and the brain
35:00 — Benzodiazepines and cognitive health
40:00 — Benadryl and other anticholinergic medications
44:00 — Creatine: strong for muscle, promising for the brain
49:00 — Omega-3 supplements and testing your omega-3 index
54:00 — Coffee and dementia risk
57:00 — Ultra-processed foods
1:00:00 — Why brain health recommendations change with the science

Links

Dr. Jake Goodman on Instagram — @jakegoodmanmd

Goodman Psychiatry

Goodman Psychiatry for Dementia Prevention

The Brain Health Movement on Substack

Brain Health Kitchen

NeuroReserve
Use code BHKPodcast for 10% off.

Better Brain
Use code AFENN50 for $50 off your blood panel.

What if getting better healthcare starts not with another test or tracker, but with knowing what you actually need from your doctor?

In this episode, Annie sits down with Dr. Lucy McBride to talk about how to become a more active participant in your own healthcare—without feeling like you have to become your own doctor.

Dr. Lucy McBride is a board-certified internist who has practiced primary care medicine in Washington, D.C., for more than two decades. She is the author of Beyond the Prescription: A Doctor’s Guide to Taking Charge of Your Health and writes the widely read Substack Are You Okay?

They talk about the growing amount of health information available to us, from wearables and continuous glucose monitors to genetic testing and newer Alzheimer’s biomarkers, and how to think about when that information is useful and when it may create more anxiety than clarity. They also discuss metabolic and cardiovascular health, GLP-1 medications, menopause and hormone therapy, and why good health advice has to fit the person and the life they actually live.

Chapters

05:08 — Why healthcare has to start with a conversation
06:18 — What is your “patient personality”?
09:10 — Asking the question underneath the question
13:31 — How to get more out of a short doctor’s appointment
18:56 — When health data becomes too much
23:18 — Alzheimer’s risk, APOE4, and genetic testing
28:06 — New blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s
35:19 — Wearables, step trackers, and knowing when to stop tracking
39:25 — What continuous glucose monitors can—and can’t—tell us
44:21 — The metabolic health markers Lucy watches
49:37 — GLP-1 medications and brain health
55:02 — Making healthy habits fit your real life
59:42 — Menopause and hormone therapy
1:02:41 — Annie & Jenny’s Review & Do

Links

Dr. Lucy McBride
https://www.lucymcbride.com

Are You Okay? on Substack
https://lucymcbride.substack.com/

Beyond the Prescription
https://www.beyondtheprescriptionbook.com/

Brain Health Kitchen
https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com

NeuroReserve
https://neuroreserve.com
Use code BHKPodcast for 10% off.

Better Brain
https://betterbrain.com/annie

We talk often about the foods to add for brain health. But what about the foods and drinks that are better eaten less often?

In this Summer Highlights episode, Jenny revisits her conversation with Dr. Annie Fenn about six categories of foods to limit or avoid for healthier brain aging. Annie explains why fast and fried foods, packaged pastries and sweets, certain dairy products, sugary drinks, ultra-processed foods, and alcohol can work against the brain—and where the science is more nuanced than a simple “good” or “bad” label.

They also get practical: why plain yogurt and kefir are different from many sweetened dairy products, how to tell the difference between processed and ultra-processed foods, and why replacing butter with extra virgin olive oil may be one of the simplest upgrades you can make.

Plus, Annie explains what frequent sugary drinks can do to glucose and insulin regulation, and why current brain-health guidance on alcohol has moved away from the old idea that a daily glass of red wine is beneficial.

The goal isn’t a perfect diet. It’s recognizing which foods have become everyday habits and finding a few realistic swaps you can repeat.

Listen to the full episode here.

CHAPTERS

00:09 Why talk about foods to limit?
03:16 Fast and fried foods
05:14 Pastries and sweets
08:05 Dairy: butter, cheese, yogurt, and kefir
12:30 The butter-to-olive-oil swap
13:28 Sugary and artificially sweetened drinks
18:14 Processed vs. ultra-processed foods
20:27 Alcohol and the changing brain-health guidance
22:33 One better swap to start with

Links & Resources

MIND Diet Study (Rush University):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4581900/

Brain Health Kitchen Substack:
https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com

FOUNDING SPONSORS

NeuroReserve creates science-backed brain health nutrition products, including RELEVATE, a brain-specific multivitamin with omega-3 fatty acids, Brain Health Kitchen Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Revanta creatine. Visit NeuroReserve.com and use code BHKPODCAST for 10% off.

BetterBrain is a dementia-prevention program covered by insurance for most people, offering brain-health testing, expert coaching, and a personalized action plan. Learn more at betterbrain.com/annie.

In this Summer Highlights episode, Annie revisits her conversation with preventive neurologist Dr. Kellyann Niotis about what we can learn from our genes—and why they are only one part of dementia risk.

They talk about APOE4, why genetic risk is not destiny, and why midlife is such an important window for paying attention to brain health. Dr. Niotis also explains some of the earliest cognitive changes she looks for, including changes in language, problem-solving, sleep, and sense of smell—and why subjective cognitive decline can matter even when someone performs well on a standard cognitive test.

They also get practical about prevention: why Annie asks about ApoB in addition to a standard cholesterol panel, why a high HDL doesn’t necessarily cancel out a high LDL, and why hearing and vision checks belong on your brain health to-do list.

This is a conversation about knowing your risk without being defined by it—and using the information we have now to make better decisions for our brains.

Full episode

Founding Sponsors

We are grateful to our founding sponsors for helping us keep the Brain Health Kitchen Podcast open to everyone.

NeuroReserve creates science-backed brain health nutrition products, including RELEVATE, a brain-specific multivitamin with omega-3 fatty acids, Brain Health Kitchen Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and REVANTA creatine. Visit NeuroReserve.com and use code BHKPODCAST for 10% off.

BetterBrain is a brain health and dementia prevention program covered by insurance for most people, offering brain health testing, expert coaching, and a personalized action plan. Learn more at betterbrain.com/annie.

Nearly half of dementia cases may be linked to risk factors we can change. That means there are meaningful steps we can take—through healthcare, lifestyle, and the choices we make every day—to help lower our risk over time.

In this Summer Highlights episode, Annie explains why midlife is such an important window for prevention and takes a closer look at hearing loss, LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, alcohol, and physical inactivity. She also explains how vascular health and brain health are closely connected. We also go beyond those risk factors to talk about nutrition and exercise—two of the most important tools Annie recommends for protecting the brain—as well as sleep, stress, social connection, and preventive healthcare.

The takeaway: you don’t need to change everything at once. Know your numbers, get your hearing and vision checked, move your body, eat for brain health, and pick one place to begin.

00:00 Dementia prevention and what we can change
02:01 What is a modifiable risk factor?
02:49 Why midlife matters
05:25 Hearing loss and brain health
07:55 LDL cholesterol and dementia risk
09:47 Blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes
13:49 Alcohol and the brain
15:46 Exercise as a brain-health tool
16:29 Why nutrition matters
18:47 Annie’s framework for protecting your brain

Links

Listen to the full episode

Brain Health Kitchen

Lancet Commission Report on Dementia

Dr. Fenn’s paper in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease: Air Pollution and Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention: The Science and a Prevention Plan

How fiber, the microbiome, stress, and the aging gut shape brain health.

In this Summer Highlights episode, Dr. Annie Fenn and Jenny Shilling revisit key moments from two season-one conversations about the gut-brain connection.

Gastroenterologist and microbiome expert Dr. Will Bulsiewicz explains how fiber feeds the gut microbiome, which then produces short-chain fatty acids with anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body and brain. He also describes how the microbiome helps maintain the gut barrier, regulate the immune system, and transform polyphenols from colorful plant foods into compounds the body can use.

Neurogastroenterologist Dr. Trisha Pasricha explains why the gut is much more than a digestive organ. It has its own nervous system, communicates constantly with the brain, and may even offer early clues about neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.

Together, these conversations explore how stress affects digestion, why gut symptoms are never simply “all in your head,” what happens to the gut as it ages, and why constipation, sleep changes, and loss of smell may deserve attention when they occur together.

You’ll also learn why many of the same habits that support the brain—eating more whole plants, exercising, managing stress, and limiting ultra-processed foods—also support the gut.

Chapters

00:00 The gut-brain connection
03:48 Why a gastroenterologist studies Parkinson’s
06:24 How fiber feeds the microbiome
09:50 Stress, digestion, and the two-way gut-brain loop
15:26 The gut barrier, immunity, and inflammation
21:45 The aging gut and early Parkinson’s clues
31:44 Fiber, polyphenols, and eating the rainbow
34:22 What this means for brain health

Links Mentioned

Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

Dr. Trisha Pasricha

Full episode with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

Full episode with Dr. Trisha Pasricha

Brain Health Kitchen Substack

NeuroReserve. Our founding sponsor NeuroReserve has a special discount code that can be applied to their brain health nutrition products: Relevate, Revanta creatine, and the new release of BHK EVOO Order here and use code BHKPODCAST at checkout for 10% off.

BetterBrain. If you are curious about having a brain health check-up, our founding sponsor BetterBrain is offering BHK Podcast subscribers a special deal: use code AFENN50 for $50 off your assessment, which includes key biomarkers for brain health. Check them out at BetterBrain.com/annie.

How do we build a brain that can stay resilient as we age?

In this summer highlight, Dr. Annie Fenn revisits her conversation with Dr. Tommy Wood, author of The Stimulated Mind: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age.

Tommy explains the idea of cognitive headroom: building more brain reserve and resilience now so we have a greater buffer against aging, stress, and disease later. He also shares why even brief “exercise snacks” can benefit the brain, especially when they break up long periods of sitting.

Finally, Annie and Tommy explore why many everyday memory lapses may begin with attention. Constant task-switching, scrolling, and information overload can make it harder for the brain to encode what we are trying to remember.

You’ll learn how small, practical choices—moving more often, taking real breaks, focusing on one thing at a time, and continuing to challenge the brain—can support cognitive health at any age.

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Summer Highlights
03:38 Building cognitive headroom
09:39 Exercise snacks and sedentary time
15:51 Memory, attention, and overstimulation
22:15 Three takeaways to use now

Links Mentioned

Dr. Tommy Wood
https://www.drtommywood.com/

The Stimulated Mind
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/751292/the-stimulated-mind-by-dr-tommy-wood/

Better Brain Fitness Substack
https://hdrmdocs.substack.com/

Full Brain Health Kitchen episode with Dr. Tommy Wood
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-build-a-brain-that-lasts-the-science/id1869700282?i=1000757728384

Brain Health Kitchen Substack
https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com/

Thank you to our founding sponsors, NeuroReserve and BetterBrain, for helping keep the Brain Health Kitchen Podcast open to everyone.

NeuroReserve creates science-backed brain health nutrition products, including Relevate, Brain Health Kitchen Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Revanta creatine. Visit neuroreserve.com and use code BHKPODCAST for 10% off.

BetterBrain provides brain health testing, expert coaching, and personalized action plans that are covered by insurance for most people. Learn more at betterbrain.com/annie.

What the latest research says about DHA, APOE4, cognitive decline—and the emerging science of creatine 

Dr. Ed Park is Annie’s go-to expert for making sense of omega-3 research. In this episode, they break down what omega-3 fatty acids do in the brain, why DHA and EPA matter, and how food, supplements, genetics, and aging may affect how much we need.

They also examine two recent studies that generated conflicting headlines about omega-3 supplements and cognitive decline. Ed explains what the studies actually found, their important limitations, and why the broader body of research remains encouraging.

You’ll learn how APOE4 may affect the brain’s ability to transport and use DHA, why the form and dose of an omega-3 supplement matter, and how an omega-3 index test can help guide a more personalized approach. Annie and Ed also discuss practical intake targets, when supplementation may be useful, and why omega-3s should be considered as one part of a broader brain-healthy lifestyle.

00:00 Meet Dr. Ed Park
02:20 A shared connection to neurodegenerative disease
05:26 Omega-3s explained
11:26 Why the brain needs DHA and EPA
15:59 Plant-based omega-3s
17:17 APOE4 and omega-3 metabolism
22:33 What the new PreventE4 study found
33:14 Do omega-3 supplements accelerate cognitive decline?
38:00 A different finding from the same research database
41:17 How much omega-3 do you need?
44:04 Omega-3s for people with APOE4 or other risk factors
45:32 Why supplement form and DHA-to-EPA ratio matter
47:51 How to test your omega-3 levels
52:10 Can you take too much?
53:49 The story behind NeuroReserve and Relevate
59:22 A new omega-3 product from NeuroReserve
1:02:54 Creatine for muscle and brain health
1:07:37 A more strategic approach to supplementation

We are grateful to our founding sponsors:

NeuroReserve: Use code BHKPodcast for 10% off:

• Relevate: a brain-specific blend of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) and nutrients based on the Mediterranean and MIND diets
• Revanta Creatine: a highly dissolvable pure-grade creatine monohydrate
• BHKEVOO: our recent harvest of extra-virgin olive oil—organic, high in polyphenols, and sources from family friends in Tuscany, Italy

Better Brain: Use code AFENN50 for $50 off your assessment, which brings the cost of a full brain health biomarker panel down to $39; most people pay $0 out of pocket for the coaching sessions. Check them out at BetterBrain.com/annie.

In this episode of the Brain Health Kitchen podcast, Annie talks with Cédric Gousseau, co-founder of BetterBrain, about what it means to be proactive about brain health before symptoms begin.

Cédric came to this work personally after learning in his early twenties that he carries an APOE4 gene variant, which increases risk for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. That discovery led him deep into the science of dementia prevention and the question so many people ask: if I care about my brain health, where do I start?

Annie and Cédric talk about the promise and complexity of genetic testing, why APOE4 is a risk factor but not a diagnosis, and how people may use that information to make more targeted choices. They also discuss brain health biomarkers that are not always included in a routine doctor’s visit, including homocysteine, APOB, Lp(a), B vitamins, inflammation markers, and newer tests like p-tau 217.

The bigger theme is what happens after testing. Cédric explains why numbers alone are not enough, and why interpretation, coaching, and follow-through matter if people are going to turn brain health information into real-life changes.

This episode is for anyone who wants to move from worry to a plan — and understand what proactive brain care may look like in the years ahead.

Chapters

07:07 — Discovering APOE4 in his early 20s

10:56 — The emotional impact of genetic risk

12:10 — Should you know your APOE4 status?

17:33 — From personal risk to building Better Brain

22:29 — How a personalized brain health system works

25:03 — Why testing alone is not enough

38:27 — APOE4 and p-tau217 testing

44:52 — Brain health labs beyond a standard panel

46:15 — Homocysteine and B vitamins

49:11 — ApoB, Lp(a), and vascular risk

52:42 — Can brain health become the next preventive cardiology?

56:08 — Preventive cognitive testing

1:00:30 — Personalized AI and brain health

1:04:09 — The future of dementia prevention 

Links

About Better Brain and Cédric Gousseau
betterbrain.com/about-us

Brain Health Kitchen
brainhealthkitchen.substack.com

We are grateful to our Founding Sponsors.

NeuroReserve: Use code BHKPodcast for 10% off:

• Relevate: a brain-specific blend of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) and nutrients based on the Mediterranean and MIND diets
• Revanta Creatine: a highly dissolvable pure-grade creatine monohydrate
• BHKEVOO: our recent harvest of extra-virgin olive oil—organic, high in polyphenols, and sources from family friends in Tuscany, Italy

Better Brain: Use code AFENN50 for $50 off your assessment, which brings the cost of a full brain health biomarker panel down to $39; most people pay $0 out of pocket for the coaching sessions. Check them out at BetterBrain.com/annie.