If we could remove all the confusion about healthy nutrition And reducing good nutrition to an easy-to-follow rule, a daily choice that requires very little brainpower or willpower, wouldn’t that make your life so much easier?
Don’t hold your breath: Nutrition rarely fits so well in an if-then statement:if you eat this then this will happen.
However, research in food science continues to identify certain nutrients that appear to be essential for the optimal function of the most important parts of our body. like our brain.
We asked a member of our board of medical expertsregistered dietitian Toby Amidor, MS, DR, CDN, FANDto pick from the garden the best vegetables that you think will be the most effective in maintaining our healthy brains for the long term. Now, that’s an almost impossible task for someone who advocates eating a variety of whole foods to reap the cornucopia of nutrients that are essential for good health. Therefore, she wisely chose a category of vegetables instead of a single specific plant to maintain young brainpower: “green leafy vegetables.”
“Research suggests that including green leafy vegetables in a balanced diet can help slow cognitive decline,” says award-winning nutritionist and author of the Wall Street Journal best seller Diabetes Create Your Plate Meal Prep Cookbook.
“Greens, how?” we asked.
“Kale, spinach, broccoli and collard greens.”
Those mighty green leafy vegetables, he says, are rich in the proven brain-boosting nutrients vitamin K, folate, beta-carotene and lutein.
Amidor highlights an observational study published in 2018 in the journal Neurology, in which more than 950 people, from 58 to 99 years old, participate in the investigation of the Memory and Aging Project. In the study, subjects completed a food frequency questionnaire and two cognitive assessments over nearly 5 years. Analyzing the data, the researchers found that people who ate from one to two daily servings of spinach, kale, collard greens or mustard greens had the same memory strength and mental capacity as people 11 years younger. The scientists speculated that those key nutrients in the vegetables were responsible for slowing cognitive decline.
Here’s what those important compounds in vegetables are thought to do to your brain:
vitamin k
You may be aware of the role of K in blood coagulation, but phylloquinonethe scientific name for K, has been shown to protect neurons from damage and death by toxins in the brain.
folate
This B vitamin is essential for the production of neurotransmitters and myelin, the protective insulating layer that covers nerves in the brain and spinal cord and allows electrical impulses to fire rapidly along nerve cells.
beta carotene
The compound best known for giving carrots and bell peppers their orange and red color, and for healthy vision, is also prevalent in leafy greens. As an antioxidant, it is useful in limiting the damage caused by oxidative stress, which is thought to be a major factor in cognitive decline. Studies have shown that beta-carotene improves memory skills.
lutein
This antioxidant known to reduce age-related macular degeneration is also a carotenoid, like beta-carotene, but may be even more important for brain health, as lutein accounts for 60% of the brain’s carotenoid content. Studies have linked breastfed infants who get lutein from their mother’s diet with higher cognitive function compared to formula-fed infants. And researchers are investigating lutein as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease due to the antioxidant’s role in preventing cell death.
Now, you’re probably thinking, “My brain needs more vegetables.” Well, here are some ideas: Take a look More than 35 healthy salad recipes to lose weight. But also introduce green, leafy vegetables into your diet in ways other than salads and side dishes, such as at breakfast.
“If you love smoothies for breakfast, add a handful of spinach or kale before blending,” says Amidor. You won’t even notice the difference!
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jeff csatari
Jeff Csatari, a contributing writer for Eat This, Not That!, is responsible for editing books and magazines for Galvanized Media and advising journalism students through the Zinczenko Center for New Media at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. read more
