Your diet could be killing your brain! It turns out that certain foods increase your risk of mini-strokes - which decreases your brainpower. Here are the details: Researchers at the University of Miami and Columbia University looked at images of volunteers' brains and compared them to their eating habits. Specifically, they were looking at how closely they followed a Mediterranean-style diet that focuses on vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains, and nuts. It turned out: The people whose diets were farthest from the Mediterranean ideal, had the highest risk of mini-strokes, meaning people who ate a lot of red meat, hydrogenated oil, refined grains, and sugar. They had more lesions on the small blood vessels in their brains. When that happens, it causes "silent" or "mini" strokes. Most people don't notice mini-strokes because they only kill small numbers of brain cells, but they add up. And over time, the loss of grey matter hurts your mental performance. What's the fix? Limit the amount of refined and processed foods you eat - and increase your consumption of fresh fish and veggies.