If someone asked you whether eating nutritious foods impacted your physical health, of course you would agree. But what you might not know is that the kind of food you eat has a similar impact on your brain’s health. Recently I saw a thought-provoking documentary about the correlation between diet and how well our brain functions—or doesn’t.

I would invite you to watch this inspiring documentary, but it doesn’t seem to be available in the U.S. (I watched it on an Emirates flight during a recent trip to Europe). Anyway, it’s called “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Brain,” and it’s distributed by ARTE, a French film company.

To be honest, I think everyone should see it, but especially parents. I learned that when children eat the right kinds of food, their brains develop optimally, but when they eat diets high in sugar and fats, their brains don’t develop—and ultimately function—as well. Who knew that feeding our kids sugary cereal and soda pop might determine their ability to succeed in school and in life. This is important stuff.

Likewise, the film presented a study showing that adolescents who ate healthy breakfasts made better decisions than the teens who ate junk. In another study, vitamin supplements were given to inmates, who then displayed less violent behavior. Other studies showed that healthy eating reduces depression and slows down the aging process of our brain cells.

The film recommends the Mediterranean Diet as the best one for brain health: lots of veggies and fruits, nuts, legumes, and seeds, healthy grains, lean meats, and dairy in moderation. I am a huge fan of eating Mediterranean foods, so this was good news. The key is to get rid of bad fats and excess sugar. In fact, one study in the film gave lab rats a choice between sugar and cocaine. Guess which one proved more addictive?

OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening. Hope you and yours have an amazing 2020. I know I’m planning to!