Improving digestion is a vital for good health. By eating mindfully, incorporating fiber-rich foods, chewing thoroughly, and managing stress you can support your digestive system and enhance your overall well-being.
Did you know that fatigue and brain fog can be early signs of dehydration?
Even the smallest amount of dehydration can have a big impact. 2% dehydration can cause cognitive impairment. That’s about 33 ounces of water. By mid-afternoon low-grade dehydration causes energy to slump.
Water is the most important nutrient your body needs. If you feel foggy or unfocused, water can provide immediate help. Studies show that even mild dehydration lowered women’s concentration levels and they performed poorly on tests that measured cognition and focus. When they were fully hydrated, they were able to perform the same tests well. Dehydration also lowers mood. Research shows that neurons in your brain can sense early warning signs of dehydration and alert other neurons that regulate mood.
Repeated dehydration accelerates aging. Chronic dehydration is also linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
Staying hydrated helps your brain by
Cut back on coffee, skip juices, sodas and artificially flavored waters. Drink filtered water. Make your own flavored water with fresh fruit, or herbs. How much water to drink? Pay attention to your body. Symptoms of early dehydration – besides fatigue and brain fog – include
Getting hydration from water and food is the best strategy to absorb water.
How to best absorb water
Water locked in plants hydrates more efficiently and more fully than plain water. Water in plants is already purified, alkaline, mineralized, full of nutrients and easily absorbed into your cells. And plant fiber helps you absorb all that liquid and keeps it in your system longer because you absorb it more slowly.
Water-rich foods are nutrient-rich, packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals; calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium are activated by the electrical charge in water, hello electrolytes. Water conducts electricity not only for fuel but for cognition, judgment, and mood. Aim to get more veggies than fruit.
| Top 12 Hydrating Veggies
(percent water)
|
Top 12 Hydrating Fruits
(percent water) |
| Cucumbers 96.7% | Starfruit 91.4% |
| Romaine 95.6% | Watermelon 91.4% |
| Celery 95.3% | Strawberries 91% |
| Radishes 95.3% | Grapefruit 90.5% |
| Zucchini 95% | Cantaloupe 90.2% |
| Tomato 94.5% | Pineapple 87% |
| Peppers 93.9% | Raspberries 87% |
| Cauliflower 92.1% | Blueberries 85% |
| Spinach 91.4% | Kiwi 84.2% |
| Broccoli 90.7% | Apples 84% |
| Carrots 90% | Pears 84% |
| Sprouts 86.5% | Grapes 81.5% |
When you get more water from plants, you are also giving bacteria in your gut the nutrients, fiber and water they need. Your gut is part of your central nervous system and is often referred to as the “second brain”. Many neurotransmitters are produced by your gut such as
The “second brain” in your gut is in communication with the brain in your head, and plays a key role in diseases and in overall mental health.
What to do?
Resources
Fruit infused water – The Free Range Life
How to make the healthiest green smoothie – Downshiftology
Cold Soup Recipes – Love and Lemons
References
Cohen, Dana, Bria, Gina. (2018). Quench: Beat fatigue, drop weight, and heal your body through the new science of optimum hydration. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group.
Popkin, Barry M., D’Anci, Kristen E. and Rosenberg, Irwin H. (2010). Water, Hydration and Health. Nutrition Review. 68(8); 439 – 458. https.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/
Riebl, Shaun K, Davy, Brenda. M. (November/December 2013). The Hydration Equation: Update on Water Balance and Cognitive Performance. ACSMs Health Fit J. 17(6); 21 – 28.
https.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207053/#R3
Eat Better Fats
One of the best steps you can take to protect your brain is to choose real fats from nature at every meal. Foods in their natural form are high in brain-healthy omega 3 fatty acids. A diet rich in omega-3 fats supports cognitive function.
Choose
Eliminate industrialized fats
Highly processed oils:
They contain a lot of omega-6 fatty acids. Excess consumption of omega-6s can trigger your body to produce chemicals that can lead to inflammation in the brain.
Dairy
Swap Refined Carbs with Carbs from Nature
Think of refined carbohydrates (pasta, bread, and baked goods) as a treat instead of an everyday food. If you must have bread, choose minimally processed breads such as
Always add good fats from nature fats and/or protein on your bread. Here are a couple of ideas
Eliminate Refined Sugar
Excessive sugar consumption slows down your thinking, causes memory difficulties, mood imbalances and can literally shrink your brain.
If you can’t live without sweets, use sweet sources from nature in moderation – honey, maple syrup, molasses.
Enjoy baked goods and sweetened foods as an occasional treat, rather than daily.
Recipe Ideas
Pesto Crusted Fish – Color My Food
Bean Salads that Beat Brain Fog – Color My food
Nutrient-Dense Lentil Salads – Color My food
Healthy Quinoa Bowls: 6 Healthy Ways – Simply Quinoa
You can mix and match these recipes with other ancestral grains
For More Empowerment
Which Food Group is a Proven Brain Booster?
High Blood Sugar Levels Tied to Brain Shrinkage
How Healthy Is Sourdough? How to Make It and More
Pumpernickel Bread Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
References
1. Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function (2008). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2805706/
2. Sourdough Microbiome Comparison and Benefits. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8306212/
Do you experience brain fog, mood swings or constant anxiety?
Eating more nutrient-dense whole foods can help balance your emotions, your mood and improve your cognitive function. Good mental health, just like physical health, depends on adequate nutrition. If you are low on a few key vitamins or minerals, you are more likely to experience issues with mood swings or anxiety. Give your brain the building blocks it needs to thrive.
[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Drew Ramsey, MD” source_title=”Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety” full_quote=”There are a variety of food categories that can aid in your quest for a healthier brain –and remission from depression and anxiety symptoms. They are leafy greens, rainbow fruits and veggies, seafood, meat, eggs and dairy, fermented foods, dark chocolate. Foods from these groups contain the important nutrients you need to feed the good bugs in your gut, reduce inflammation, and put your brain into grow mode. All things that can help with depression and anxiety” short_quote=”Foods from these groups contain the important nutrients you need –and can help with depression and anxiety symptoms.”]You can get brain essential nutrients in these food categories. Make greens and rainbow foods the major components of your meals.
Greens and Cruciferous Vegetables
Leafy vegetables are the most nutrient-dense (nutrients per calorie) foods on the planet. Spinach, kale, arugula, watercress, beet greens, collards, Swiss chard are all great options. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.
Every color in our vegetables represents a different family of phytochemicals (protective, healing chemical compounds found in plants).
Red/purple foods are especially nourishing for your brain. Berries are the rock stars for brain health, but all red/purple foods have especially powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and DNA-enhancing properties that help keep your brain fighting fit.
[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Leslie Korn” source_title=”Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health” full_quote=”There are a variety of nutrients that act as antioxidants to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain. Carotenoids found in fruits and vegetables, especially the dark leafy greens and red spectrum, are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and they improved cognitive health. Several high fat foods like avocado or avocado oil significantly increase absorption of the carotenoids” short_quote=” There are a variety of nutrients that act as antioxidants to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.”]Quality-sourced Protein:
Essential Fats: Avocado, coconut, olives, nuts and nut butters, olives, grass-fed butter. Omega-3 fatty acids are vital to the brain. They also help you absorb the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients essential for brain health.
Fermented Foods: Kefir, yogurt, miso, sourdough, sauerkraut, kombucha and kimchi add beneficial bacteria to your system to help support brain health. These feed the good bacteria in your gut that support brain health.
Nuts, Beans and Seeds: A small serving nuts and seeds gives you a mix of plant-based protein, healthy fats and slow burning carbs, fiber, zinc, iron and essential vitamins. Think of nuts and seeds as a condiment; add to overnight oats, salads, grain bowls, curry, and meatloaf.
What to Do?
Choose the foods in these categories that you enjoy eating. Experiment and gradually add in those you’re not familiar with. Try new ways of eating foods you may think you don’t like. Here are a couple of ways to are just a few fun ways to add in more of these foods on a regular basis.
Be mindful of what you eat. Keep a food journal for a week and jot down the foods from each category that you every day. How many colors did you get? How many plant foods? Quality protein? This about progress, not perfection. Wherever you are is ok, just build up one food, one day at a time.
Eating nutrient dense, whole foods from nature is a powerful way to care for your brain and your body.
References
Ramsey, Drew (2021). Eat to beat depression and anxiety. New York, NY: HarperWave.
Korn, Leslie (2016). Nutrition essentials for mental health. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company.
Learn more:
Mood Food: Nutrition for Your Brain – GBC Nutrition
20 Foods to Naturally Increase Your Brain Power – Mind Body Green
Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety – Drew Ramsey MD
Updated – original posted August 2021
The foods you eat impact the structure and health of your brain. It is the most complex organ in your body — home to tens of billions of neurons and cells. It uses 20-percent of everything you eat. Give it plenty of good fuel to maintain concentration throughout the day.
Your brain also requires certain nutrients to stay healthy. When it doesn’t get enough of these essential nutrients, your cognitive function, mood and overall brain health will suffer. Nutritional deficiencies such as vitamin B12, B9 and zinc, can cause symptoms of depression and dementia — low mood, fatigue, cognitive decline, and irritability.
A food lifestyle rich in brain food can help you
A quick look at these brain essential nutrients and their benefits.
| Brain Essential Nutrient | Benefit |
| Folate (Vitamin B9) | Helps create new cells |
| Iron | Builds hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen from your lungs to your brain. |
| Omega-3 fatty acids | Builds and repair brain cells |
| Magnesium | Helps regulate several important neurotransmitters, including those that facilitate mood |
| Potassium | Needed for every electric impulse that travels along a neuron |
| Selenium | Helps create powerful antioxidant in your brain and is necessary for proper functioning of the thyroid gland which is involved in regulating mood, energy, and anxiety |
| Thiamin (Vitamin B1) | Fundamental to your brain health because of its role in energy production |
| Vitamin A | It is linked to neuroplasticity – your brain’s ability to grow and adapt in response to the environment |
| Vitamin B6 | Plays a pivotal role in brain development and function |
| Vitamin B12 | Vital for production of mood-regulating brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine; helps, transmit signals more efficiently and effectively across brain cells |
| Vitamin C | antioxidant that can counteract damage caused by free radicals in your brain cells |
| Zinc | helps to regulate your brain signaling and neuroplasticity |
Bottom line: You can choose the building materials you provide your brain
What to do?
Always aim to first get your nutrients from whole foods from nature. The power is in the synergy, they way the work together with other nutrients in food, rather than supplements only. Mix and match from your favorite foods in these brain nutrient-rich food categories.
What will you feed your brain today?
Recipes ideas
4 Nutrient Dense Breakfast Casseroles – Color My Food
Sheet pan dinners – Cooking Classy
15 Healthy Buddha Bowls – Fit Food Finds
Mix and Match Stir Fry Recipes – Fannetastic Food
For More Empowerment
Brain Food – Scientific American
Eating with Mental Health in Mind – Mental Health America
Eating for Your Neurotransmitters – Deanna Minich
References
Ramsey, Drew. (2021). Eat to beat depression and anxiety. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Your body is constantly detoxifying — literally taking out the toxins. The problem is that it is often overwhelmed by inflammatory foods.
By eating more of these salads more regularly, you displace inflammatory foods on your plate and in your diet. Loaded with nutrients to help remove toxins and waste, these salads will aid your digestion and elimination.
General guidelines for a nutrient dense salad that supports your body’s natural detoxifying processes:
One of my superpowers is crazy delicious, nutritious salads.
My kryptonite is that I can’t seem to write down the combinations and concoctions that come out of my kitchen every day.
So here are 4 recipes to use as building blocks for 2023. Rich in nutrients – vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals oh my! – you will also improve your immune system.
Use them as building blocks for meal planning throughout the year. As a start, pick one of these salads to make each week for the next four weeks.
CAVEAT! – Every body is unique. A mega dose of salad may not be best for everyone. If you have gut health issues all these raw veggies may be too much for your system. This is where mindful eating and a Food and Mood Diary come in. Eat a small serving. Pay attention to what you eat and how you feel. For at least 5 – 7 days write down what you ate and how your body feels.
Seriously Delicious Detox Salad – Gimme Some Oven
Variations
Rainbow Power Greens Black-Eye Peas Salad – Cotter Crunch
This salad is similar to the previous one. I share this one
Variations
Kale Detox Salad – Well and Full
I share this one for the roasted vegetables and the pesto. Easy to make with leftover roasted vegetables and store bought pesto. You can use any herb to make pesto; cilantro helps remove heavy metals and protects against oxidative stress. Make a double batch of pesto and use it:
Variations
Super Food Detox Salad – Fit Foodie Finds
Yes, I chopped this by hand. For me cooking can me a mindful meditation practice. It’s a major mind shift to go from cooking being an obligation to considering it a privilege. Far too many people go hungry each day.
I share this salad for its Brussels sprouts. Often people who don’t like cooked Brussels sprouts discover they like them raw. And sharing for the almonds too. Almost all my salads have nuts or seeds -one of the most nutrient dense food categories – and loaded with vital brain nutrients.
Variations
30 Healthy Salads – Dinner at the Zoo
A fabulous collection of delicious, nutritious salads – make one each week and you have 34 weeks of salads.
Let’s make it a delicious, nutritious year!
Which salad will you start with?
Updated from January 2022 post
January is an opportunity to “reset” for health and habits. December always brings excess sugar and flour, stress and craziness – happy crazy but crazy nonetheless. Smart eating, routines, and exercise go out the window. So how do I reset this first month of the year?
Detox sounds like a trend. But the human body has a miraculous capacity to detoxify and eliminate waste. The problem is the explosion of processed and fast foods over the last century AND exposure to environmental pollutants humans never experienced before. “Detox” is a necessary conscious choice to support a natural process.
In a healthy body, the process of detoxification runs smoothly. But we’re exposed to a staggering amount of toxic chemicals in the air, water and our food (pesticides). Add to that, from Halloween in October through New Year’s Day we pile on excessive sugar, white flour (same inflammatory effect as sugar) and stress.
When excessive toxins build up, our livers get overwhelmed; toxins remain active longer than our systems can handle. This impedes normal metabolism, causes fluid retention, bloat, and puffiness. As waste builds up, we get fat and sick. Did you know that most environmental chemicals like pesticides and plastics are stored in our fat tissue?
“We are exposed to 6 million pounds of mercury and 2.5 billion pounds of other toxic chemicals each year. Very few have been tested for their long-term impact on human health.” Mark Hyman, 10 Day Sugar Solution
Why Detox?
Nearly every chronic disease is linked to toxicity, including food allergies, and digestive issues, dementia, heart disease, and autoimmune disease.
When our detoxification system becomes overloaded we start developing symptoms and get sick. It may take years of accumulated toxins and stress to get to that point, but why take the chance of chronic, possibly fatal disease?
So January rings a bell in my head to recommit to a nourishing eating lifestyle. I know from experience that detoxifying makes me feel better, more vibrant, happy and full of energy. Adios fatigue, brain fog, headaches and lethargy!
Let’s reboot! Detox drinking water (half your body weight in ounces of water and with simple, delicious foods.
Foods that help detoxify
Focusing on plant-rich meals, quality protein and fats from nature. These are foods not only detoxify our body but can reignite our metabolism and reduce inflammation.
“70 to 80 percent of all major chronic diseases are lifestyle diseases, so the only way to treat them effectively, and even reverse them, is to change the lifestyles that led to them in the first place. Primarily that’s what we put in our mouth. The number one cause of death in the United States — and the number one cause of disability — is our diet. Cigarettes now only kill about a half million Americans every year, whereas our diet kills hundreds of thousands more. Food — what we eat three times a day — is killing more Americans than cigarettes. Michael Greger, How to Not Die.
I’ve posted many times about the importance of phytonutrients (natural chemicals in plants to for survive against pests and infection). These phytonutrients can help detoxify our bodies, strengthen our immune system and help us function better. Eating organic food provides higher concentrations of these protective detoxifying, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory compounds.
So what to eat?
Food choices help enable important normal detoxification mechanisms. Fasting signals our immune system to discard old cells and waste, shifting our body into a mode of maintenance and repair.
“The body has detoxification mechanisms that are working all the time, both healthful eating and intermittent fasting accelerates those processes. The body enhances the removal of toxins when not digesting food and burning fatter for its energy needs. Our fat supply stores toxins, and when we lose body fat we release more toxic waste simultaneously. The body also needs adequate phytochemical and antioxidants for the liver to most effectively process fat-soluble toxins so they can be excreted via the urine. Fasting stimulates autophagy, an important self-repair process. Autophagy removes damaged components from cells and tissues.” Joel Fuhrman, How To Live
RECIPE SUGGESTIONS
Breakfast
3 Breakfast Smoothies: Antioxidant, Digestive Healer and Energizer
Overnight Oats for a Gentle Digestive Cleanse
Overnight Date Oats with Berries
Soups
Chili and Curry
Dinners
Baked Paleo Meatballs with Kale Pesto
Salads
Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad
Probiotic Beet and Red Cabbage
For More Empowerment
Dr. Hyman: The Truth about Detoxification
Includes 10 Simple Steps to Enhance Detoxification
Dr. Hyman: 7 Reasons to Detoxify
Dr. Hyman: Ultimate Detoxification Foods
24-Hour Ginger Detox Cleanse Meal Plan
Eating Clean: The 21 Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation and Reset Your Body
Originally posted January 2019
Generous golden sunshine
pouring down from an azure blue sky
A glorious summer day
this Christmas Eve in our Cochabamba valley
embraced by Andes mountains
in the heart of Bolivia
Perched on a kitchen stool
my mama is rolling out gingerbread dough,
Shaping rabbits and deer and stars,
Hansel and Gretel, the witch, and her house
Fragrant aromas of gingerbread trees baking,
a whole forest in the making
Fragments of happy childhood memories,
an ember of love that glows anew
every December
Looking back now, my heart wonders
how much she must have been dreaming
of a white Christmas in Salzburg
Working her own Austrian baking magic
dozens and dozens of indescribably
delicious cookies in the making,
each lovingly shaped
into bite-size tastebud heaven
Suddenly stolen from us
in a car accident,
on a November morning
she’s been gone now
for more than thirty years
a love so great, I miss her still
Yet every Advent when
spices and honey and eggs
roll out into Hansel and Gretel,
a witch and her house,
the forest, the animals and stars
She is here, a love so true
that the gingerbread making,
baking and decorating
connects us again and through me
my mama and my daughter
Love fills my heart and overflows
Sharing our gingerbread magic
to wish you and yours
Love and Light this holiday season
‘Tis the season of overeating. Delicious, nutrient-dense soups help flush out toxins from your body and reduce inflammation. The anti-inflammatory and immune-protective micronutrients in rainbow foods and spices support your body’s natural detoxifying and defensive abilities. These soups are also an effective great way to prevent:
Ahoy the marvelous combinations of GBOMB nutrient-density stars Greens, Beans and Onions!
[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Joel Fuhrman, MD” source_title=”Super Immunity” full_quote=”GBOMBS – an acronym that you can use to remember the best anti-cancer, health-promoting foods on the planet. These are the foods that you should eat every day, making up a significant proportion of your diet. They are extremely effective at preventing chronic disease, including cancer and promoting health and longevity.” short_quote=”GBOMBS – an acronym that you can use to remember the best anti-cancer, health-promoting foods on the planet. These are the foods that you should eat every day, making up a significant proportion of your diet. “]Yay for mighty spices! Ounce for ounce the flavor compounds in spices have more anti-inflammatories and antioxidants than any other food group. Make or buy spice blends to pack an extra power in each bite. Spice blends
Think global “flavorprints” – herbs and spices associated with cuisines from different parts of the world
Double these recipes to enjoy throughout the week. Or after the first meal, freeze in mason jars for individual servings to defrost as needed.
[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Rebecca Katz” source_title=”The Healthy Mind Cook Book” full_quote=”When using dried herbs and spices add them at the beginning of the process. Heat, especially in combination with a bit of fat, like olive oil, breaks down the oils in the spices and releases them into the food. These oils carry much of the taste and with it the healing benefits of the spice. Fresh herbs like cilantro, mint and parsley are best added at the end to retain maximum flavor and color.” short_quote=”When using dried herbs and spices add them at the beginning “]
Winter Detox Moroccan Sweet Potato Lentil Soup – Little Spice Jar
The Moroccan flavorprint (cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric) makes a powerful anti-inflammatory combination. And a sensory delight. Inhale the aromatic fragrance while it is cooking. Hold the warm bowl in your hands knowing it will warm you up from the inside out. Savor each bite for its texture, its flavor and its nourishment.
This recipe is for a slow cooker, but you can make it in a pot on the stove. It’s ready in 45 minutes.
Variations:
Tumeric Broth Detox Soup – Feasting at Home
Did you know tumeric is used in Ayurveda to calm, soothe and aid the body in balancing and healing itself?
The Indian flavorprint (chilies, cumin, curry, garlic, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, anise seeds, cloves, mustard seeds) loads this soup with powerful inflammation fighters that give the liver (I see you holiday cocktails!) a little help.
This is an awesome base recipe that can be changed up many ways:
Green Goddess Soup – Gimme Some Oven
Ever since she was a toddler, my daughter would ask for sopa verde (green soup). To this day it’s still one of her favorites.
Bursting with a triple dose of mighty greens, onions and beans. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are in the greens category of GBOMBS. They are loaded with health enhancing enhancing power, including boosting our liver detox enzymes. The lemon really makes a difference both for flavor and detox assistance. Zest the lemon for an extra health boost.
Add toppings for contrast in texture and more nutrient density
Ginger Garlicky Chicken Soup – Rebecca Katz
Chicken soup is my everlasting comfort soup. Variations roam from a simple pot with only a whole chicken, onions, garlic, carrots and celery to putting in an enthusiastic, robust range of rainbow vegetables, herbs and spices.
This recipes is an especially anti-inflammatory recipe. Rebecca Katz is one of my all-time food gurus. She truly is THE master at maximizing flavor, nutrient-density and health boosting properties in every bite. Her books The Healthy Mind Cookbook, and Cancer Fighting Kitchen are some of my go-to resources on global flavor prints and culinary pharmacy.
What are your favorite soup recipes?
For More Empowerment
25 Foods for Detox: Eat This Not That
The Ultimate Detoxification Foods: Dr. Mark Hyman
Originally published December 2020
Fail to plan and plan to fail as the saying goes. It is very true about eating nourishing foods during the holidays. If you don’t have a couple of nutritious meals planned, you are likely to overeat foods that are not good for your body and you won’t feel well. A key strategy to reduce weight gain and give your body the nutrients it needs is to have a simple meal plan.
Essential nutrition guideline : Get 20-30 grams protein per meal, carbs from plants and good fats from nature
Here are some of my staples.
Breakfast
Lunch
Always add good fats to
Here are some of the options I keep on hand to rotate in my greens
Dinner
These are 3 of my holiday main nutrient-dense staples:
For More Empowerment
Meal Prep – Downshiftology
Also check out Lisa Ryan’s (from Downshiftology) new Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook