Can Food Really Heal Your Brain? | Dr. Jeff Bland & Dr. William Li

Mark Hyman

Feb 24, 2025

Episode description

There is a significant impact of food on brain health and overall well-being, with great importance placed on nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods. Unfortunately, nutrient levels of modern crops are declining, but regenerative agriculture is helping to restore food quality. Specific brain-boosting foods such as leafy greens, small cold-water fish, and polyphenol-rich plants have an ability to reduce neuroinflammation, protect against cognitive decline, and enhance mental clarity. And, ultimately, identifying whole food sources of essential nutrients will support your entire body.

In this episode, I discuss, along with Dr. Jeff Bland and Dr. William Li, practical tips on choosing the most nutrient-dense foods and how to harness their benefits for overall health.

Dr. Jeff Bland is the founder of Big Bold Health, a company on a mission to transform the way people think about one of nature’s greatest innovations—the immune system. Through Big Bold Health, Dr. Bland is advocating for the power of Immuno-Rejuvenation to enhance immunity at a global level, often through the rediscovery of ancient food crops and superfoods. To get there, he is building a network of small farms and suppliers throughout the US that take a clear stance on regenerative agriculture, environmental stewardship, and planetary health. Dr. Bland’s career in health spans more than 40 years. A nutritional biochemist by training, he began in academia as a university professor. He then spent three decades in the natural products industry, working alongside other pioneers. A lifelong educator, Dr. Bland has traveled the world many times over in his role as the “father of functional medicine.” In 1991, he and his wife, Susan, founded The Institute for Functional Medicine. In 2012, he founded another educational nonprofit called the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute. Dr. Bland is the author of The Disease Delusion: Conquering the Causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life, as well as countless additional books and research papers.

Dr. William Li is a world-renowned physician, scientist, speaker, and author of Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. He is best known for leading the Angiogenesis Foundation. His groundbreaking work has impacted more than 70 diseases including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity. His TED Talk, Can We Eat to Starve Cancer? has garnered more than 11 million views, and he has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Martha Stewart Live, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, Voice of America, and has presented at the Vatican’s Unite to Cure conference. An author of over 100 scientific publications in leading journals such as Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and more, Dr. Li has served on the faculties of Harvard, Tufts, and Dartmouth Medical School. Find Dr. Li’s Eat To Beat Disease Masterclass at drwilliamli.com/masterclass and get a

Episode description

In this episode, I discuss, along with Dr. Jeff Bland and Dr. William Li, practical tips on choosing the most nutrient-dense foods and how to harness their benefits for overall health.

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Choose frozen produce for superior nutrition

Frozen fruits can be more nutritious than fresh ones because they are flash-frozen at peak ripeness, which preserves the nutrients that would otherwise degrade during transport.

#food

#nutrition

Rejuvenate immunity with Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat

Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat contains over 130 phytochemicals, some found nowhere else in nature, that have powerful properties to rejuvenate the immune system.

#immune-system

#nutrition

Trigger mitophagy with phytochemicals for cellular rejuvenation

Phytochemicals in foods like Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat can trigger mitophagy, a process that cleans out and rejuvenates the damaged mitochondria (energy powerhouses) within your cells.

#mitochondria

#regeneration

Track immunity with wearable devices for better health insights

Wearable devices like the Oura ring can act as surrogate markers for your immune system, as immune stress directly impacts your body temperature, heart rate variability, and sleep.

#immune-system

#wearables

Rebalance immune system instead of boosting it

You shouldn't always try to 'boost' your immune system, because if you are already in an inflammatory state, you need to rebalance it instead.

#immune-system

Choose fish oils rich in pro-resolving mediators for inflammation resolution

Many commercial omega-3 supplements are stripped of Pro-Resolving Mediators (PRMs), which are crucial compounds that help resolve inflammation.

#omega-3

#supplement

Increase fiber intake to reduce cancer mortality by 30%

A study on melanoma patients found that for every five to six grams of dietary fiber consumed, mortality from the cancer decreased by 30%.

#cancer

#fiber

Choose organic plants for enhanced health benefits

Plants grown organically without pesticides are forced to produce more protective polyphenols as a natural defense, and these are the same compounds that benefit our health.

#organic

#polyphenols

Reframe amyloid plaque as inflammation byproduct, not Alzheimer's cause

Amyloid plaque in the brain is not the cause of Alzheimer's but rather a side effect or bystander resulting from inflammation.

#Alzheimer's

#inflammation

Maximize omega-3 conversion from plant sources for brain health

Only about 10% of plant-based omega-3s (ALA) from sources like flax and chia seeds get converted into the EPA and DHA forms that your brain actually needs.