Nutrients for Your Noggin
Picture this. Your brain is taking one of those personality tests.
OK, let’s tally up the score. According to this test, your brain is HIGH MAINTENANCE!
Feeding Your High Maintenance Brain
That’s right. Our brains require lots of TLC in order to act as command center for the rest of our body. It simultaneously manages our movement, complex thinking, memory, emotions, reflexes, senses, responses to stressors… and so much more! Ever feel like your brain is on the fritz? This may be why:
- Most Americans do not consume the nutrients they need in order to support a healthy brain.
- Common nutrients that are undersupplied include magnesium, potassium, Vitamin D, Folacin, B12 and omega-3 fatty acids, plus hundreds of plant-based phytonutrients.
- This shortfall means we may not be able to support healthy neurotransmitter levels, like serotonin, for a healthy mood, attention and memory recall.
- Your brain’s metabolic needs are ten times higher than any other organ and is therefore often the first to show the effects of this shortfall with depression, ADHD or brain fog.
Food for Thought… and Mood
How can we take care of our brain, so that it will take care of us?
First, nourish it!
Eat 7-8 (and ideally 10!) servings of fruit and vegetables a day. This is step one to a healthy brain. In fact, studies show that it can reduce your risk of developing mood disorders, like depression, by 62%.1- Omega-3 rich foods need to be daily delicious habits! Fish, flax and chia seeds are all foods that can and will (once we show you how!) be frequently enjoyed!
- Cook with antioxidant-rich spices like ginger and turmeric. This needs to be second nature and joyously received by your family! (This is not a dream!)
Next, supplement it!
Supplements ensure proper levels of needed nutrients when our diet doesn’t cut the mustard.
- Vitamin D. Supplement at 5,000 IU a day if you have not supplemented before, in order to reach optimal levels. Then 2,000 IU per day is now the recommended level, to maintain optimal levels. Studies show Vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent, and is implicated in nearly every disease process. From fighting depression to COVID to cancer, the benefit of maintaining an ideal Vitamin D level is far-reaching.
- Omega-3. Because our brain is made mostly of fat and water, omega-3 fats are critical to our brain health. Omega-3s are grossly limited in the typical American menu, so a careful pro-omega-3 diet plus supplementation can be the best of both worlds. 1,000 mg a day of high quality DHA and EPA are ideal.
- Magnesium (100-200 mg a day) is easily available in a one-a-day type supplement, and can be one way to make up this common shortfall, along with Folacin and B12.
Finally, exercise!
Schedule it. (Amazing how this is the first step!)- Commit to it. (Yes, that means show up when it’s on your schedule!)
- Explore the types of exercise your body needs. Like YOGA. There is so much to learn about what YOGA can do to bring the “Gut Brain” connection together for stress reduction, fitness and overall mind and body health.
Looking for a stepped approach to achieving all of these?
Self-Paced Learning for a Well-Fed Brain
After a crazy 2020, I offered a “Good-bye Dumpster Fire – Hello Inner Fire!” 4-part livestream series called How Greens Fight the Blues.
This same course is now available as a self-paced program, allowing you to become a Blues Buster on a schedule that works for you. In each session, you’ll learn how to use food, supplements, and exercise to boost your mood and become more resilient. We also partnered with yoga teacher, Rita Adams, to share a yoga move in each session that will help you further ease stress and boost your mood while also tapping into the fountain of youth.
And best of all? The recipes! I demonstrate easy and delicious recipes for soups, salads, smoothies, and sweets that will leave you saying, “Give me some of that!” and your brain saying, “Thanks! I needed that!”
What’s Your Greens IQ?
Check this out. At the beginning of How Greens Fight the Blues, participants took a “What’s Your Greens IQ” survey. (You can go ahead and take the survey now if you’d like!) They answered questions about their greens knowledge and habits and totaled up their scores. Based on the number of questions they answered “Yes” to, they were ranked according to this scale:
According to this highly scientific ranking system, we started class with gobs of goobers and a gaggle of guppies. But after the final session and lots of DELICIOUS homework, participants’ Greens IQs improved REMARKABLY.
Can you believe it? Just think of all those healthy brains! This is totally doable. The proof is in the pudding. The chocolate chia seed pudding, that is! Wait. REALLY? YUP! And you will become a master of making this simple, delicious, crowd-pleasing dessert during the 4th class!
Are you ready to make a long-term commitment to your brain?
Stock up on fruits and veggies, and I’ll see you in my kitchen as we fight those blues and turn you into a Greens Guru!
