The Brain Health Kitchen Podcast

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 sc...

In this episode of the Brain Health Kitchen podcast, Annie talks with Travis Macy — endurance athlete, coach, speaker, author, podcast host, and longtime Alzheimer’s advocate. Travis’s father, Mark “Mace” Macy, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at age 64. Before his diagnosis, Mace was an accomplished attorney, endurance athlete, adventurer, and one of the few people to complete a...

In this episode of the Brain Health Kitchen podcast, Annie talks with cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Julie Fratantoni about how to support cognitive longevity — the ability to keep thinking clearly, learning, remembering, and making good decisions across the lifespan. Julie explains why brain health is not just about doing crossword puzzles or downloading another brain game. Instead, she helps us th...

In Part 2 of this conversation, Dr. Annie Fenn continues her interview with Dr. Drew Ramsey, a psychiatrist, author, and pioneer in nutritional psychiatry. This episode gets practical: how food, nutrients, the gut microbiome, and everyday habits shape mood, focus, energy, inflammation, and long-term brain health. Annie and Drew also talk about how to support teens and young adults without shame or...

In this first part of a two-part conversation, Dr. Annie Fenn sits down with her friend and colleague Dr. Drew Ramsey, a board-certified psychiatrist, psychotherapist, author, and pioneer in nutritional psychiatry. Drew is the founder of the Brain Food Clinic, a digital mental health practice, and Spruce Mental Health in Jackson, Wyoming. His latest book, Healing the Modern Brain: Nine Tenets to B...

Dementia can feel frightening and inevitable, but the science tells a more hopeful story: many risk factors are modifiable, meaning they can be influenced by habits, health care, environment, and choices across the lifespan. In this episode, Dr. Annie Fenn and Jenny Shilling discuss the Lancet Commission’s 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia, which may account for up to 45% of cases globally....

In this episode of the Brain Health Kitchen podcast, Annie talks with Barbie Boules, a registered dietitian specializing in women’s midlife brain health and Alzheimer’s prevention. Together, they explore how heart health, metabolic health, hormones, inflammation, and nutrition all shape the way the brain ages. Barbie explains why midlife is such an important window for prevention, especially for w...

Dr. Kellyann Niotis is the first fellowship-trained preventive neurologist specializing in risk reduction strategies for neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. In this episode, Annie talks with Dr. Niotis about what preventive neurology means, why neurodegenerative diseases often begin long before diagnosis, and how to think about ri...

The Gut-Brain Connection, Part 2: What to Eat for a Healthier Gut and Brain with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, we move from understanding the gut microbiome to learning what we can do to support it. Dr. B walks us through the four nutrition “workhorses” he highlights in Plant Powered Plus : fiber, polyphenols, healthy fats, and fermented foods. We talk...

This one dietary shift can influence gut health, inflammation, and cognition. In this episode, Dr. Annie Fenn is joined by Will Bulsiewicz—known to many as Dr. B—to explore the powerful connection between the gut microbiome, inflammation, and brain health. Dr. B is a triple board-certified gastroenterologist, lifestyle medicine physician, and author of Fiber Fueled and Plant Powered Plus. They dis...

In this episode, Dr. Annie Fenn and Jenny Shilling shift the focus from what to add to a brain-healthy diet to what to limit. While most guidance emphasizes abundance—vegetables, beans, whole grains—this conversation tackles the question Annie hears most often: what should we actually be eating less of? Drawing on research from the Rush University MIND diet and newer data, Annie walks through the...

In this special episode, Dr. Annie Fenn sits down with Emma Heming Willis to talk about the reality of caregiving—what it demands, what it takes out of you, and why no one should have to do it alone. Emma shares her experience navigating her husband’s diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the lack of support she encountered early on, and why she wrote her book, The Unexpected Journey. Togeth...

In this episode of the Brain Health Kitchen podcast, Dr. Annie Fenn is joined by Dr. Lauren Streicher, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a leading expert in menopause medicine. Together, they explore what happens to the brain during perimenopause and menopause, including brain fog, hot flashes, sleep disruption, and the rol...

What does your gut have to do with mood, anxiety, and long-term brain health? In this episode, Dr. Annie Fenn talks with Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a neurogastroenterologist and gut-brain researcher, about what the gut-brain connection really is, what science supports, and what your symptoms may be trying to tell you. They cover why stress can trigger gut symptoms so quickly, how the gut’s own nervous s...

Everyone wants a supplement for brain health—but most don’t do what they promise. In this free preview of our first Ask Annie episode, Dr. Annie Fenn breaks down which supplements are actually backed by science, which ones are overhyped, and how to build a smarter, more personalized routine. The goal is not to take more. It’s to take the right things, in the right dose, for the right reason. If yo...

In this episode of Brain Health Kitchen, Dr. Annie Fenn talks with neuroscientist Dr. Tommy Wood about what it really takes to build a healthier brain across the lifespan. They discuss Tommy’s new book, The Stimulated Mind , the concept of cognitive “headroom,” why exercise may be the most powerful tool we have for brain health, how muscle mass and metabolic health shape cognitive aging, and why s...

In this episode of the Brain Health Kitchen Podcast, Dr. Annie Fenn sits down with neurologist and public health advocate Dr. Ray Dorsey to explore the growing global burden of Parkinson’s disease—and what we can do to prevent it. Drawing on decades of research, Dr. Dorsey explains how Parkinson’s is increasingly understood as a largely preventable disease driven by environmental exposures, includ...

Top 10 Neuroprotective Foods for Brain Health Discover the science-backed top foods that can support and protect your brain over decades. Join Dr. Annie Fenn and producer Jenny Shilling as they explore dietary strategies to enhance cognitive longevity and prevent neurodegenerative diseases. In this episode: What does "neuroprotective" really mean? Berries support cognitive function through anthocy...

Annie Fenn introduces her new podcast, The Brain Health Kitchen, which focuses on brain-healthy diet and practical tools for brain health. Takeaways Brain-healthy diet Practical tools for brain health Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Brain Health Kitchen Podcast