How Smart Food Choices Make & Keep You Smarter

[View this email in your browser]( How Smart Food Choices Make—and Keep—You Smarter Your brain is a remarkably complex system of interconnected nerves, hormones, neurotransmitters, and other biochemicals that fuel your ability to think clearly and quickly. Luckily, keeping it operating efficiently and smoothly isn’t as complicated. A few simple nutritional choices may help you protect your brain from changes in how it processes information. A new study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease identifies food choices that may enhance your risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by increasing inflammation and insulin resistance and triggering other damaging changes. They include some foods loaded with saturated fats, such as red meat—especially hamburgers and barbecue pork—and processed meats such as hot dogs, as well as refined grains and ultra-processed foods high in sugar. In contrast, the researchers found that other foods that may help protect your brain power. They include green leafy vegetables; red, orange, and purple/blue fruits and vegetables; lentils and beans; nuts; omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, walnuts and flaxseed oil; and 100% whole grains. There are also supplements that may help protect brain health, including grape seed extract and resveratrol. Make sure they are made by high-quality manufacturers and sold by high-quality retailers. Berry Interesting Strawberries are well-known for their great flavor and healthy benefits, including their ability to help reduce inflammation in your body and brain. The Rush Memory and Aging Project showed that people who ate strawberries (and blueberries) were 34% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. And a new double-blind, randomized study in the journal Nutrients found that when middle-age, overweight folks with self-reported mild cognitive decline took strawberry powder for 12 weeks it improved both their memory and their mood. The researchers determined that the findings were likely due to the anti-inflammatory actions of a flavonoid called anthocyanin that is found in strawberries. Strawberries also contain a flavonoid called fisetin. It is another possible contributor to the anti-inflammatory benefit of eating this tasty fruit. Research published in The Lancet found that in a lab study fisetin had potent senolytic activity in mice and human tissues. This means that it works to prevent the replication of damaged DNA, potentially playing a role in healthy aging. When the researchers tested 10 flavonoids—including resveratrol, rutin, luteolin, curcumin and fisetin—they found that fisetin was the most potent senolytic. Fisetin is available through high quality online stores specializing in healthy products. Recipe: Salted Chocolate & Strawberry Pavolva Something sweet, something elegant, something just a touch over the top but easy as... well actually, MUCH easier than pie to make. We’re talking pavlova — fluffy clouds of whipped meringue, baked to a crisp shell with a chewy center, atop which we will slather salty dark chocolate ganache, a pillow of tangy whipped cream, a mountain of fresh strawberries, and the sauciest of fragrant homemade strawberry sauce. [Get the Recipe]( This newsletter is not a substitute for your physician’s advice and the claims have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. Know someone who might be interested in this newsletter? Please share it with them! [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Copyright © 2023 ZoCo Productions LLC, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you signed up for The Good Dish newsletter. Our mailing address is: ZoCo Productions LLC 555 W 57th St.New York, NY 10019 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.