Calla Vance had always associated clean eating with physical health—clear skin, stable energy, better digestion. But it wasn’t until her mid-thirties, when she began experiencing persistent brain fog and trouble focusing, that she started wondering about her diet’s effect on her brain.
“I’d walk into a room and forget why I was there,” she laughs, “and I’m too young to blame that on age.”
As a freelance editor juggling long hours and shifting deadlines, she depended on her mental clarity to earn a living. So she began researching how food could affect cognition—and what she found changed everything.
“I learned that the brain needs more than caffeine to function,” Calla says. “It thrives on healthy fats, antioxidants, and stable blood sugar.”
She began to shift her meals with one goal in mind: mental clarity. Out went the sugar-laced granola bars and ultra-processed meat alternatives. In came avocado toast with olive oil and hemp seeds, leafy greens with walnuts and citrus dressing, and smoothies packed with berries and flaxseed.
One of the first changes she noticed wasn’t immediate sharpness—it was steadiness. “I didn’t have the mental highs and crashes anymore,” she says. “My focus became more sustained, more calm.”
She also began sleeping better, which only enhanced the mental benefits. “I wasn’t just functioning—I felt present again.”
For Calla, clean eating evolved from something she did for her body to something she does for her mind. “The brain is part of the body too,” she says. “We forget that sometimes.”
