In What Ways Does Food Influence Our Thinking?
Updated: Oct 14
Could what we eat be connected to more than our physical health?
You have an assignment due, a shift tomorrow, messages to answer and not much left in your bank account until payday. Cooking a meal might be the last thing on your mind. Something quick, convenient and affordable makes sense.
And sometimes, it is simply what life allows.
For young people, as for many of us, eating well is not always as simple as knowing what is nutritious. Time, money, convenience and the pressures of everyday life can all shape the options available to us.
Food doesn't just fuel the body. It feeds the brain that thinks, weighs up choices and makes decisions.
A 2025 study published in PLOS ONE explored how diet, physical activity and sleep related to metacognition in young adults. Metacognition is our ability to notice how we are thinking, evaluate our approach and adjust it when something is not working. It can be useful in situations such as studying, working through challenging problems, or recognizing when a different approach might work better.
The researchers found associations between dietary behaviour and aspects of how young adults monitor and regulate their thinking. This does not mean a particular food will make you think better, but it adds to our understanding of how everyday lifestyle factors relate to the way we manage our thinking.
A 2026 study of US college students also explored food insecurity, stress and aspects of cognitive functioning. Food insecurity means having limited or uncertain access to enough food because of financial or other resource constraints. The findings linked food insecurity and stress with differences in how students processed information, maintained attention and made decisions.
Together these findings reinforce the importance of food for more than physical health, highlighting its connection to how our brains function in everyday life.
Food is not a magic solution to stress, and eating does not have to be perfect to be nourishing. Enjoying takeaway with friends or choosing something convenient after a long day can be part of everyday life, too.
With so much competing for our attention these days, what if we thought about food not just in terms of how we look, but how we think?
Want to explore this further?
Metacognitive function in young adults is impacted by physical activity, diet, and sleep patterns (2025), PLOS ONE
Food insecurity and stress are associated with cognitive function and dietary intake among college students (2026), Nutrition Research
