We know it’s important to eat with your heart in mind. Favoring nutritious fruits and vegetables and avoiding salt, processed foods, and trans fats will keep your blood flowing through healthy arteries.
It’s equally important to eat with your brain in mind. Once again, fruits and vegetables provide the nutrition you need and contribute to the gut-health that eases digestion and fuels your brain. Limiting the intake of sugar can ensure healthy blood glucose. Foods rich with antioxidants can prevent harmful oxidation.
The following recipes lean in on all the good things your brain needs and limit the stuff it doesn’t. Enjoy interesting tastes and improve your thinking and emotions at the same time.
Anything with Salmon
Washington is rich with fish that are packed with fatty acids that help the brain function. Preparation can be as simple and wrapping a portion in foil and baking in the oven. Eating Well has a recipe that boosts the Omega-3 acids and antioxidants in fish with those found in Walnuts.
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 (1 pound) skinless salmon fillet, fresh or frozen
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Chopped fresh parsley and lemon wedges for garnish
Combine the mustard and other seasonings in one bowl. In another bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, walnuts, and olive oil. Place portions of salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread the mustard mixture across each piece. Top with a sprinkling of the breadcrumb mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until done. Serve with parsley and lemon wedges.
Brain Food Smoothie
There’s no easier way to work brain healthy foods into your diet than to throw a bunch of them into a blender and hit the purée button. Simple Green Smoothies has a recipe that includes all the stuff that helps your mind: the unsaturated fats found in avocado, antioxidant-rich berries, and the protein of nuts. The results are both tasty and fortifying for the mind.
- 1.5 cups of spinach
- 1 cup coconut water
- 1 pear
- 1 1/2 cup mango (frozen)
- ¼ avocado
- 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts
What are hemp hearts? They are the soft interior of hemp seeds, much like the soft centers of sunflower seeds. Like chia or flax seeds, they are high in protein, healthy fats, and an array of vitamins and minerals. Blend the spinach and coconut water until smooth, then add the other ingredients and blend again.
Brain-healthy toast
Sometimes eating healthy comes down to making small changes to the simplest dishes. Brain and Life suggests one of the simplest: instead of spreading butter and jam over your whole-wheat toast, use almond butter and fresh blueberries. The almond butter is rich in monounsaturated fats and the berries are rich in antioxidants and fiber. If this combination isn’t sweet enough for you, then drizzle a bit of maple syrup over the top.
Fermented options
There is a direct connection between gut health and brain health and fermented foods are rich in ingredients that help the gut. Yogurt, Kimchi, Kombucha, Miso, and Tempeh are all made from fermented dairy, vegetables, or beans. Each benefits gut health by providing important probiotics that support digestion.
