If you’re a rich and famous star, chances are you have no problem affording things like soap, shampoo, and deodorant, right? With the money a Hollywood paycheck racks in, cleanliness seems a small cost to pay to keep up red carpet appearances. Some A-listers aren’t so convinced, however, and it may surprise the public to know that many of them are surprisingly some of the biggest and most popular stars of movies and TV.

Would you believe one of the stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe supposedly has bad body odor? What about two beautiful cast members of one of the most successful sitcoms of all time? Well, one of them supposedly has the tendency to smell “like a trucker,” which the other allegedly used to do some particularly private “ladyscaping” right on the couch she shared with a roommate. Heinous, right?

This list goes on and on, and it actually gets worse from there. In fact, some stars are straight up gross. Let’s take a look at Tinseltown’s A-list, and how some celebs get a get a big fat F when it comes to personal hygiene.

Gwyneth Paltrow is suspicious of deodorant’s effect on your health

Remember how actor Gwyneth Paltrow swore off ever going to the Met Gala again in 2013? The Oscar winner complained that the scene was too hot and sweaty for her, but it turns out it was probably an even worse experience for anyone who stood next to her. “Poor Gwyneth looked picture-perfect, but it must have been the hot lights that caused her to be a little strong on the nose,” an insider told the National Enquirer (via Buzzfeed). “It was pretty pungent, and I don’t think she had a clue. I saw at least two people wave their hands in front of their noses after passing her.”

A friend of the actor made an excuse for her, telling the tab, “Gwyneth has heard that aluminum is supposedly carcinogenic, and that putting an aluminum-based deodorant directly on those sensitive armpit glands can increase the chances of breast cancer. She’s trying out new deodorants; she’s bound to fail with some of them … but Gwyneth tells pals she’d rather be smelly than dead.” For the record, the American Cancer Society disagrees with Paltrow, with the organization saying there has been no scientific link between aluminum-based antiperspirants and cancer.

Matthew McConaughey hasn’t worn deodorant in decades

It turns out that the former Sexiest Man Alive doesn’t subscribe to a certain modern hygiene practice. Actor Matthew McConaughey told People (via the New York Daily News) that he hasn’t worn deodorant in 20 years. “I don’t like to smell like someone or something else,” he said, adding, “If my smell starts to bother someone else, I’ll take a shower.”

One person it bothered? His “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” co-star, Kate Hudson. McConaughey told Playboy (via the Boston Herald), “She always brings a salt rock, which is some natural deodorant, and says, ‘Will you please put this on?'”

Not all of McConaughey’s co-stars have found his smell to be off-putting, however. Actor Yvette Nicole Brown Smith starred alongside the “Failure to Launch” star in the 2008 comedy, “Tropic Thunder,” and admitted she had doubts about his hygiene after he admitted to not using antiperspirant in two decades. She was pleasantly surprised about his scent, however, revealing on the SiriusXM “Jess Cagle Show,” “He smells like granola and good living, that’s all I can say. He has a sweet, sweet scent that is just him and it’s not musty or crazy.”

Julia Roberts conserves water by not showering often

America’s sweetheart supposedly stinks. Actor Julia Roberts told Oprah (via HuffPost) in 2008, “I don’t actually use deodorant … It’s just never been my thing.” It’s a surprising statement coming from the stunning starlet, who captured the heart of Richard Gere in “Pretty Woman,” but at least Matthew McConaughey and Gwyneth Paltrow have a friend in the hygiene (or lack thereof) department.

That’s not all the “Ticket to Paradise” star avoids, either. The starlet isn’t the biggest fan of soap as well. A former security guard for the pretty lady told Star (via Life & Style), “Julia is a total hippie. She’ll go days without showering. She likes to save water — she’s really green. And she likes the smell of her natural oils.” The guard added, “She also says that she can’t wash her hair too often because it’s so dry. She may have a point there, but she often gets musty.” Regardless, whatever hygiene habits Roberts chooses to follow haven’t stopped her from appearing dazzling on and off the big screen.

Russell Crowe’s rumored body odor was the talk of Tinseltown

Actor Russell Crowe’s body odor is reportedly as foul as his temper. Joan Rivers once said, “He has a body odor problem. I prefer to sit downwind of him at showbiz bashes.” (Technically, Rivers probably would have been better off sitting upwind, right?) Insiders claimed to the National Enquirer in 2004 that after repeated pleas for better hygiene on the set of “Cinderella Man,” co-star Renee Zellweger insisted on a body double for anything intimate.

One of Crowe’s buddies justified the actor’s odor. “Russell is just an ordinary bloke and he certainly doesn’t have a hygiene problem,” the pal said. “If you stand really close to him you may catch the occasional whiff of alcohol and curry after a night on the town. But you show me a normal, down-to-earth bloke who isn’t like that the morning after he’s had a few beers and some good grub.”

Cameron Diaz believes the natural body is beautiful

Hollywood is full of A-listers against antiperspirants, apparently, and who better to lead the pack but Cameron Diaz? The actor, who’s often seen sporting pit stains on the red carpet, told E! News, “I don’t believe in antiperspirant. It’s really bad for you. I haven’t used it for almost 20 years. You’re stinky, because you use antiperspirant. It keeps all the stink in.” She advised, “Let it go and just trim your armpit hair so it doesn’t hold onto the scent.”

Deodorant isn’t the only thing Diaz has a strong opinion on, either. The “Charlie’s Angels” star detailed her preference for pubic hair in her book, “The Body Book” (via Cosmopolitan), admitting that she’s strongly against lasering off hair … down there. “Pubes keep the goods private, which can entice a lover to come and take a closer look at what you have to offer,” she wrote.

After receiving some blowback over her comments, she clarified further, admitting on “The Graham Norton Show,” “I don’t care what women do with it, but we should be informed about how their bodies work,” adding, “It [pubic hair] is there for a reason and to laser it off is to lose it forever!”

Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis shared bathing habits

For someone who plays a pirate sailing the seven seas, it’s not hard to believe that actor Johnny Depp may not keep up with a regular hygiene routine. After all, who is worried about showering regularly when there’s pirate gold to be plundered, right? Depp has a lot more in common with his on-screen character Jack Sparrow than fans may have originally imagined, given that reports suggest he isn’t the biggest fan of being spick-and-span.

Depp isn’t alone, however, as his ex, singer Vanessa Paradis allegedly doesn’t see the big deal about bathing either. “Johnny usually smells because he rarely showers,” a source told Fox News (via Celebitchy). “He isn’t big on personal cleanliness and Vanessa isn’t much different. They found their perfect match in each other — it’s hard to be around them. Their personal hygiene is not their priority.”

Megan Fox revealed she forgets to flush

Megan Fox may be known for her stunning beauty and for being one of Hollywood’s most iconic symbols, but her hygiene habits may surprise you. Apparently, one of the world’s most beautiful women has surprisingly low standards when it comes to her cleanliness.

The actor told FHM (via Hollywood.com) that her poor memory makes for some awkward (and awful-smelling) situations. “I forget to flush the toilet,” she confessed. “Friends will tell me, ‘Megan, you totally pinched a loaf in my toilet and didn’t flush.'”

The “Jennifer’s Body” star also revealed that she’s not exactly an ideal roommate either. “I’m horrible to live with,” she confessed (via Koi Moi). “I don’t clean. My clothes end up wherever I take them off.” Machine Gun Kelly doesn’t seem to mind, however. After all, it’s what’s in the heart — and not in the hygiene habits — that truly counts, right?

Kendra Wilkinson’s pets may be the culprits of her rumored ‘urine’ smell

Former “Girls Next Door” star and Playboy Playmate Kendra Wilkinson is beautiful, but supposedly smells hideous. A source told Star (via Kiss FM), “Kendra loves to look sexy, but she couldn’t care less how she smells. I don’t know if she has pets but she smells like urine most of the time. She almost never takes a shower, and doesn’t use perfume, either.”

The token tomboy is not afraid to dish out the details of her bathroom habits either. In 2016, the model took to X (via Daily Mail) to air out her dirty laundry, tweeting, “Omg I gotta take a s*** so bad n no bathrooms around me rt now [sic].” She took it a step further when she added, “It’s so bad. That feeling where it comes n goes but when it comes feels like a contraction [sic].” Wilkinson eventually made it to a bathroom, letting fans know, “The weird thing is nothing came out.” No one asked, Kendra.

Brad Pitt taught Eli Roth about baby wipe showers

Brad Pitt may be one of Hollywood’s token golden boys, but that doesn’t mean he always has time to shower. The actor’s “Inglourious Basterds” co-star Eli Roth told People the hunk’s busy schedule doesn’t exactly leave him with a lot of time to freshen up, which has him resorting to fast-hacks.

“He shared that when you’re sweating and don’t have time to take a shower, you just take a baby wipe and rub it under your armpits,” Roth revealed. “After a scene, Brad had to get next to me for a close-up shot, and he said, ‘Damn, you’re ripe.’ I said, ‘I didn’t have time to shower.’ He said, ‘Baby wipes, man, baby wipes. I got six kids. All you’ve got to do is just take them, a couple quick wipes under the pits. Man, I’m getting [peed] on all day. I don’t have time to take a shower.'” We can’t help but wonder, is this a new take on “method acting?”

Britney Spears’ bodyguard said she has ‘obnoxious personal habits’

Britney Spears may have once been the princess of pop, but a source claims she’s not exactly as glamorous behind the scenes. Whether she was distracted with her highly contested conservatorship or simply worse for wear, the “Toxic” singer’s former bodyguard, Fernando Flores, claimed that the “Baby One More Time” singer had some less than appealing hygiene habits.

“Spears had obnoxious personal habits, such as chain-smoking cigarettes, which made her smell continually of stale tobacco,” he claimed in lawsuit documents from 2011 obtained by the Mirror. “She broke wind or picked her nose unselfconsciously and unapologetically … She did not bathe for days on end, did not use deodorant, did not brush her teeth, did not fix her hair, did not wear shoes or socks.” Spears’ camp denied the claims, but we have seen her strolling barefoot in a gas station bathroom.

Bradley Cooper ditches deordorant

Bradley Cooper may be in good company, along with stars like Cameron Diaz, Matthew McConaughey, and Julia Roberts who have sworn off antiperspirants. By the looks of it, it seems like the entire Hollywood bunch may opt for their natural odors over store-bought deodorant any day now. The “Star is Born” actor confessed that he might stink, but he’s taking steps to compensate for it … just not the most obvious step to fix the problem.

“I don’t use deodorant really anymore,” the “War Dogs” star admitted to Esquire. “I do take a lot of showers, so maybe that helps. In the morning and then at night. And after I work out, I’ll take a shower. So maybe three a day.”

Hey, at least he’s doing something, right? He can always take a page out of Brad Pitt’s book and try using baby wipes to compensate for his odor … or simply embrace his “granola” stench like McConaughey.

Orlando Bloom re-wears dirty clothes

Orlando Bloom’s alleged grossness is what may have led to his divorce from model Miranda Kerr, at least according to Star (via Metro). A source claimed Kerr “asked him if he could wash his clothes and perhaps shower more often.” Yikes, doesn’t he know a Victoria’s Secret model when he sees one? The insider claimed the Pirates of the Caribbean hero will “wear the same jeans for a week before he throws them in the washer. Same goes for his sweaters, T-shirts and socks.”

Bloom’s unkempt hygiene is allegedly aided by his pets as well. The source revealed that the actor allows his dog to sleep in the bed with him, resulting in a slobber-fest that adds to his bad odor. He’s in good company, however, as he can always hang out with his former co-star Johnny Depp when he wants to shamelessly avoid grooming.

Marilyn Monroe: icon or epic slob?

Marilyn Monroe is an American icon, from her jaw-dropping looks and acting roles in the 1950s to her iconic rendition of “Happy Birthday” sung for John F. Kennedy. As far as celebrities go, it’s hard to believe the blonde bombshell would be remembered for anything other than being immaculate. Think again, however, as sources say the late star was not exactly the tidiest when it came to personal hygiene.

In the book “Clark Gable: Tormented Star” (via Thought Catalog), David Bret wrote about some of Monroe’s less savory habits, which included eating in bed and passing lots of gas. Bret described her as “flatulent, dirty, and ate in bed … Like Jean Harlow, she bleached all her pubic hair and never wore panties.” Don’t let her glamorous looks and effortless aura fool you, as Bret claims she wasn’t exactly the striking sex symbol that many high-fashion magazines portrayed her to be while in the privacy of her own home. “She rarely bathed, slept in the nude, and ate a lot in bed — shoving what was left on her plate under the sheets before going to sleep,” wrote the author.

Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t past farting in his co-star’s face

He may be the actor formerly known as the Governator, but Arnold Schwarzenegger could also be called by a more cheeky name. Among the lesser known facts about Schwarzenegger, he is apparently a serial flatulator. When filming 1999’s “End of Days” with him, “Harry Potter” series actor Miriam Margolyes claimed that the action star broke wind in her face on purpose while on set. “Now, I fart, of course I do — but I don’t fart in people’s faces,” she revealed on the Australian “I’ve Got News For You” podcast in 2022. “He did it deliberately.”

It would be one thing if it was called for in the scene, but Margolyes claimed that this was simply an ill-timed joke. As her character was lying on the floor, Schwarzenegger let one loose right in her direction. “It wasn’t on film, it was in one of the pauses, but I haven’t forgiven him for it.” As a result, Margolyes shared that she has no respect for the famous hunk. “He’s a bit too full of himself and I don’t care for him at all,” she stated. While “Ahh-nold” has never publicly commented on the claim, it goes to show that not all behind-the-scenes stays stagnant.

Nicki Swift

From next-day delivery to kids’ TV shows on demand, have we forgotten how to wait for … anything? The good news is that patience is a skill that can be cultivated – by parents and children alike. Here’s how

Your kids want to know why their new book (ordered 18 hours ago) is “taking so long” and need you “NOW” because Netflix “isn’t loading” (it “tu-dums” milliseconds later). For parents who had dial-up internet, endless TV adverts and long car journeys soundtracked by Dad’s AM Test cricket, modern kids’ inability to be patient can feel galling. Except, with our Deliveroo habit and boiling-water taps (who has time for a kettle?), we can be just as bad.

“Our environment and culture has trained our nervous systems to expect immediacy,” says Anna Mathur, psychotherapist and author of How to Stop Snapping at the People You Love (As Well As the Ones You Don’t). “The issue is our brains are plastic; they adapt to the level of easy dopamine we’ve got at our fingertips.” Our brains are changing, confirms child psychologist Dr Michele McDowell: “A recent study indicated the brain instantly responds to notifications and takes seven seconds to refocus. Consequently, the brain is becoming overstimulated and is increasingly more responsive. Over time, this erodes the brain’s capacity to tolerate waiting and to be patient. So each time your phone pings, it’s reshaping your mind’s ability to wait.”

I remember my own parents constantly reminding me that “Patience is a virtue!” Are today’s kids really worse than we were? Yes, and no, says clinical psychologist and co-founder of Kove mental health services Dr Jenna Vyas-Lee: “Children aren’t inherently less patient, but in a world where things happen very quickly, they may have fewer opportunities to practise waiting, persisting and working towards longer-term goals. Patience is a skill, and like any skill it develops with experience.”

It’s essential to develop that skill – because it’s a necessary one. “Patience underpins so much of life,” says Mathur. “It supports frustration, tolerance, empathy, long-term goal setting and emotional regulation.”

With that in mind, here’s how you can help build your kids’ patience – and your own.

Model it

Most experts say parents modelling patience is the surest way for kids to learn. Mathur suggests saying things like, “I feel frustrated. I’m going to take a breath before I answer,” or evidencing longer stretches of waiting – for example, “I would love to buy this dress, but I’m going to wait until payday.” Children are always watching: “The next time you’re waiting in line and are about to reach for your phone to fill the gap, don’t – model the art of nothingness,” advises McDowell. Finally, when you see them make the effort, celebrate it. Headspace family therapist Sarah Hodges explains: “Kids repeat what gets acknowledged, so naming their effort increases the chances they’ll try again next time.”

Build your own capacity

“Patience isn’t a personality trait; it’s actually a nervous system state,” says Mathur. “We need a buffer, a bit of energy that allows our cognitive brain to stay online. If we don’t have that, our amygdala – the threat system – perceives noise, discomfort or challenge as a threat and we are fuelled with stress hormones that find us reacting instead of responding.”

So, if you’re hoping to be more patient, “Build capacity before you need it. We often try to summon patience when we’re already at breaking point – build it proactively by planning.” Try things you know fill your personal battery, such as enforcing sleep boundaries or spending time outside to increase stress tolerance ahead of a patience-testing event, whether that be a difficult work meeting or dealing with a person you know can trigger you.

Practise the ‘patience of a vicar’

Forget the patience of a saint, the Rev Kate Bottley says she has honed her skills in hospital visits, long conversations with parishioners – and parenting: “It’s about surrendering” to situations, such as being stuck with someone telling you a long story you’ve heard before, and that it’s as much a physical act as a mental one. “You have to accept where you are. You feel your feet on the ground and listen more intently to the person that’s speaking,” she says. “Once you stop fighting it, things seem to go quicker anyway, because you’re not in the battle with yourself.”

Normalise waiting

When was the last time your kids had to wait for something, asks Dr Charlotte Armitage, psychologist and psychotherapist in parenting, device use and child development. In her work with schools she is increasingly seeing older children unable to even queue. “Normalise waiting for everything and anything, where safe and appropriate,” she says. “If they want an answer from you straight away but you’re in the middle of doing something, tell them that you’re busy but will discuss the matter with them when you’ve finished the task.” She says parents who have stopped kids using screens at mealtimes“noticed a dramatic improvement in their communication skills, tolerance for loud environments and boredom, and patience”.

Headteacher Sean Helliwell-Kenny agrees. When he was teaching early years, he set up enticing new play areas and made kids wait days until it could be used. “They’d be itching to get into these areas, and by developing their patience skills they treated those areas well, played correctly in them and tidied them, because they had waited so long to finally get in there,” he says.

Walk it out

Journalist Kathryn Jezer-Morton’s parenting column went viral in January, when she resolved to make 2026 the year of “friction-maxxing” for her family – “the process of building up tolerance for ‘inconvenience’” in a world that offers the opposite. She advises prioritising walking. “My 12-year-old walks around by himself all the time,” she says. “He walks himself home from his friends who live 20 minutes away. I could go pick him up, but I don’t want him to expect that I always will. No Ubers unless it’s an absolute emergency. For little kids, just walking accompanied by an adult, instead of driving everywhere, is a great start. Stamina of the body and stamina of the mind are not totally unrelated.”

Resist problem-solving

It’s worth considering whether your helicopter parenting is removing opportunities for learning patience. “One of the most powerful things parents can do is resist solving problems too quickly,” says Vyas-Lee. “When a child says, ‘I can’t do this,’ instead of stepping in immediately, it can help to say something like, ‘Let’s try one more step together.’ That small pause gives children the chance to work through frustration and discover they can cope with difficulty. It’s also helpful to talk openly about frustration. Let children know that feeling impatient when something is hard is completely normal; it’s part of learning.”

Use props

“Young children struggle with abstract time,” says Mathur, so use props such as visual timers. Hodges also recommends clear timelines, such as “after dinner”.

“I use music with my kids,” she says. “Try: ‘After three songs we will …’ Music gives them something concrete to track, helps shift their focus, and gets their bodies moving while they wait. That movement can help release built-up energy, regulate their nervous system, and significantly decrease frustration during the wait.”

Mathur also suggests building patience into games: “For instance, who can stay quiet the longest, or spot the most red things in the room while you wait.” She adds: “Playfulness shifts the brain out of frustration and makes the wait feel shorter.”

McDowell says stories like The Hungry Caterpillar or ‘Slowly, Slowly, Slowly’ Said the Sloth can illustrate patience and appreciating slowness. She also suggests using the “if/then” method. Try saying, “If you finish your chores, then you can play.” Or, “If you read one chapter, then you can use the PlayStation.” She adds: “Every time a child is able to stop before taking an action they are developing their ability to be patient.”

Meditation

Meditation could be a key tool for expanding your patience, reducing stress by settling down your nervous system. Jillian Lavender, a co-founder of the London Meditation Centre, especially favours Vedic meditation – the practice involves a mantra that is repeated silently or quietly to bring your mind back to stillness. She says it can work well with children: “When I teach Vedic meditation to children, they settle down very quickly. The first thing you notice is the change in their body. Children who were restless and fidgety are quiet and settled within minutes. They come out feeling calm and are more able to be patient when things don’t go as planned.”

Be realistic

While parents can do a lot, then, it’s important to know what is realistic, developmentally, for kids. If nothing else, it might help your patience with their progress. “A baby requires immediate access to their caregivers, but as they mature, their brain develops and so does the tolerance to regulate their emotions around having to wait,” says McDowell. “This is a main focus of play-based learning – to support a child to wait their turn and understand that it is OK to not receive something immediately. By the age of seven, it is expected that most children understand the concept of patience and are beginning to put it into practice.”

“Patience is developmental,” agrees Mathur. “Young children are not wired for long delays because the brain regions involved in self-regulation are still maturing well into the 20s.”

Interrogate your impatience

Don’t necessarily just scold yourself for your own impatience – it could be a sign that something needs attention, says Mathur. Interrogate where it’s coming from to try to fix the source, whether that’s overload, lack of sleep or a deeper situation at home or work. “When we respond to those signals with curiosity and compassion instead of shame, we can create more space between trigger and reaction,” she says.

The Guardian

Research increasingly shows that everyday lifestyle choices, including diet, play an important role in preserving brain health as we age.

Studies suggest the MIND diet, for example, can slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. (MIND is short for Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.)

Evidence connecting the healthy dietary pattern to long‑term changes in brain structure is sparse, but a new study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry strengthens the case for the MIND diet’s cognitive benefits.

Closer adherence was associated with slower progression of key brain structural changes that are widely recognized as markers of brain aging.

Here’s what to know about the research, plus a breakdown of the MIND diet.

Here are the best diets to ward off cognitive decline

About the latest research

For the study, published March 17, participants were drawn from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort, a second-generation arm of the landmark U.S. Framingham Heart Study, which launched in 1948.

The ancillary study involved 1,647 middle-aged and older adults who were tracked for about 12 years on average.

Participants completed detailed dietary questionnaires, underwent at least two brain MRI assessments between 1999 and 2019 and were free of dementia and stroke at their first brain MRI.

Researchers used their dietary intake data to calculate MIND diet scores. These ranged from 0 to 15, with a higher score indicating closer adherence.

What is the MIND diet?

The MIND diet, focused on protecting the aging brain, was developed by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The diet combines elements of the Mediterranean and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets. It also targets specific foods and nutrients that past studies linked to brain protection.

The dietary pattern emphasizes nutrient-dense whole plant foods, plentiful in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, and limits foods associated with vascular risk and accelerated brain aging, such as red and processed meats, as well as foods high in added sugars and saturated fat.

What the new study found

Greater adherence to the MIND diet was consistently linked to slower brain atrophy over the 12-year follow-up period. Specifically, participants had a slower loss of grey matter, the part of the brain involved in thinking, memory, information processing and decision-making.

Each three-point increase in the MIND diet score was associated with 20-per-cent less grey matter shrinkage, equivalent to a 2½-year delay in brain aging over the study period.

Brain imaging also identified slower enlargement of brain ventricles among participants with higher scores, which equated to about one less year of brain aging. Ventricles in the brain are fluid-filled spaces that expand to fill the void left when brain tissue atrophies.

Stronger associations were observed in older participants, suggesting greater benefits among those at higher risk of brain aging.

Protective effects were also more pronounced in people who were more physically active and in those with a healthy body weight, implying combining the MIND diet with other healthy lifestyle strategies provides greater value.

To arrive at these findings, the researchers adjusted for other risk factors including age, sex, education level, daily calorie intake, body mass index, physical activity and smoking status, as well as health factors such as depression, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.

This was an observational study that identified associations; it did not prove that the MIND diet directly slows brain aging.

Even so, with more than a decade of observations, the findings provide additional support for the potential cognitive benefits of long‑term adherence to this brain-focused diet.

What to eat – and limit – on the MIND diet

The MIND diet has daily and weekly consumption guidelines for nine brain-healthy food groups.

Leafy greens such as spinach, kale and arugula are recommended daily (at least a half-cup cooked or one cup raw), as are other vegetables (at least one half-cup).

Other daily foods are whole grains (at least three half-cup servings) and olive oil (two tablespoons).

Brain‑healthy foods to eat weekly include berries (at least five half-cup servings), nuts (five one‑ounce servings), beans and legumes (at least three half-cup servings), fish (at least one three- to five‑ounce serving) and poultry (at least two three- to five‑ounce servings).

The diet also puts limits on five brain-unhealthy food groups.

These include red and processed meats (no more than three servings a week), butter and stick margarine (no more than one teaspoon a day, or seven teaspoons a week) and full‑fat cheese (no more than one small serving a week, about one ounce).

Pastries and sweets should be limited to no more than four small servings a week and fried or fast foods to no more than one meal a week.

You don’t have to follow the MIND diet perfectly. Even moderate adherence has been associated with cognitive benefits in observational studies.

Leslie Beck’s tips for healthy living

THE BEST OVERALL DIET: Anti-inflammatory eating plans like the Mediterranean or DASH diet can fight inflammation in the body, lowering the chance of it contributing to a host of chronic illnesses.

GET ENOUGH PROTEIN: Protein is a muscle-building, wound-healing nutrient that can help boost your immune system. For optimal health, distribute your protein intake throughout the day, add plant-based options such as beans, nuts and seeds, whole grains and dairy alternatives such as soy milk to your diet.

VEGETABLES TO EAT: Three vegetable and two fruit servings a day is a secret to longevity. Try a fruit-rich smoothie at breakfast, chop kale, spinach or other dark green leafy vegetables into a soup at dinner, and trade the ultra-processed options like a granola bar for snacks like carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes or bell peppers with hummus. Is your diet missing any of these 25 longevity-boosting foods?

EAT CHEAP (AND HEALTHY): Here’s how to find the cheapest sources of nutrition, plus more tips to save on groceries. Make at-home meals easier by keeping your pantry and freezer stocked with options like edamame, green peas and avocado.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan.

The Globe and Mail