June 25, 2025 • 56 mins
In this episode of Blasphemous Nutrition, Aimee highlights how produce influences cognitive resilience and suggests attainable ways to incorporate them into your diet without puritanical lifestyle changes. As medical advances have so far failed to provide significant preventative solutions for cognitive decline, Aimee argues that turning to our kitchens rather than medicine cabinets may hold the key. Through a comprehensive exploration, this episode breaks down the science behind how specific foods can combat inflammation, support vascular health, and bolster cognitive resilience.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
In today's episode, we'llexplore how incorporating
colorful, polyphenol richvegetables and fruits into our
diets can support brain health.
And discuss the science behindhow these foods may help
mitigate inflammation, supportvascular health, and contribute
to your cognitive resilience.
So if you're interested inpractical evidence-based
(00:22):
approaches to support your brainhealth, stay tuned.
Hey Rebels.
Welcome to BlasphemousNutrition.
Consider this podcast yourpantry full of clarity,
perspective, and the nuanceneeded to counter the
superficial health advice sofreely given on the internet.
I am Aimee, the unapologeticallycandid host of Blasphemous
(00:44):
Nutrition and a double degreednutritionist with 20 years
experience.
I'm here to share a more nuancedtake.
On living and eating well tosustain and recover your health.
If you found most health adviceto be so generic is to be
meaningless or so extreme thatit's unrealistic.
And you don't mind theoccasional F-bomb, you've come
(01:05):
to the right place.
From dissecting the latestnutrition trends to breaking
down published research andsharing my own clinical
experiences, I'm on a mission tofoster clarity amidst all the
confusion and empower you tohave the health you need to live
a life you love.
Now, let's get started.
(01:26):
Welcome back to BlasphemousNutrition, the podcast where we
cut through the wellness noisewith science, SaaS, and a
healthy dose of skepticism.
My name is Aimee.
I'm a functional nutritionistwho believes that when it comes
to preserving our cognitivehealth, the solution may be
found more in our kitchens thanin our medicine cabinets.
Today we're delving into thecrucial topic of cognitive
(01:48):
aging.
While medical advancements haveprovided us with tools to
modestly slow cognitive decline,they have not delivered the
preventative breakthroughs thatmany people have hoped for.
And with nearly all otherchronic diseases, this lack of
significant preventionunderscores the importance of
having proactive lifestyle basedstrategies.
(02:10):
So let's talk about what happensto your brain as you age, and
why vegetables of all thingsdeserve a seat at the head of
the table.
When we think of memory loss ormental decline, we typically
think that it's something thatwe don't really need to worry
about until we're in ourseventies or eighties.
But data suggests otherwise.
Studies indicate that changes inmemory and processing speed can
(02:34):
begin as early as your forties.
That's not a scare tactic.
It is actually what researchersare observing.
But here's the problem.
Most people don't notice theseshifts until they're really
frustrating and disruptive toour daily life, and even then,
they tend to be dismissed asstress being too busy or just
(02:58):
aging.
Meanwhile, the problems thatdrive these changes, oxidative
stress, mitochondrial decline,vascular stiffness, and
inflammation have been quietlybuilding for years and they
remain unchanged.
Speaking of vascular stiffness,that is a clue that heart health
and brain health are deeplyintertwined.
(03:21):
Your brain ultimately is onlygonna be as good as your blood
flow.
So if your cardiovascular systemis stiff and clogged or
inflamed, your brain is underfueled full stop, you can
meditate all you want.
You can take the latestnootropic of the month, but if
your blood vessels are too rigidto deliver oxygen and nutrients
(03:42):
to your frontal lobe, you arenot gonna be able to biohack
your way out of that.
Here's the thing.
Our brain doesn't have thecapability of storing energy, so
it needs a constant high qualitydelivery system, and that's
where our vegetables come in.
Leafy greens and beets boostnitric oxide production and help
(04:05):
our blood vessels relax,allowing this free flowing
highway of blood to nourish ourbrain.
Cruciferous veggies lowervascular inflammation and
oxidative stress.
Keeping that blood-based highwayreally well maintained and
polyphenols and numerous fruitsand veggies help prevent the
damage that leads to stiffarteries and narrowed
(04:27):
capillaries in the first place.
So this is like having a well,well-funded transportation crew
that not only builds qualitystructures at the onset, but
also is on top of the normalwear and tear that comes from
using that transportationsystem.
So yes, eating more produce doeshelp you retain your memory, but
(04:47):
it also lowers blood pressure,improves arterial flexibility,
and keeps the highways openbetween your heart and your
head.
So if you want to think betterin your sixties, you need to
start protecting your heart inyour forties.
This is a whole body long gameresilient ashel nutrition
(05:07):
strategy, and it sure tastesbetter than statins do.
We've got tech that can trackthe decline in our cognition,
and we've got medication thatmay slightly delay cognitive
decline, but there's nothing inthe medical toolkit that is
reversing memory loss the waythat we had hoped, especially
(05:30):
multiple decades.
Out from first starting toseriously look at this.
So prevention is not just anideal strategy.
It's absolutely essential if youwant to go out with all your
cylinders firing.
So this is where food comes in.
What we can eat offers asustainable strategic form of
(05:51):
support, one that works on thesystems that keep your brain and
body online alert and adaptive.
So let's talk about what'shappening under the hood that is
contributing to cognitivedecline.
The first thing is oxidativedamage.
Our brain uses 20% of the entirebody's oxygen supply.
(06:16):
Which is kind of astonishingwhen you think about it because
the brain is a pretty smallorgan, but it uses a massive
amount of oxygen that's a highdemand, and that high demand for
oxygen inevitably creates freeradicals.
These are unstable littlemolecules that when produced in
excess damage, brain cells,neurons, as well as the
(06:38):
protective myelin sheath.
That helps.
Brain signals fire smoothly.
Oxidation is a normal process.
There's no way around it.
It's a byproduct of oxygen use,and it's not usually a big deal
for most of us until we hitabout midlife In your younger
years, your body keeps thatoxidative damage in check with
(07:01):
our innate homegrownantioxidants created by our very
own body.
But as we age, these antioxidantrepair systems get sluggish, and
the free radicals then start todominate and outnumber or
outpace our body's ability tocombat them.
This is called oxidative stress.
(07:23):
It's one of the earliestcontributors to cognitive
decline.
But plants bring in antioxidantslike anthocyanins, flavonoids,
and carotinoids that do twojobs.
One, they mop up free radicals,and two, they actually activate
your body's own innateantioxidant defenses.
(07:43):
Vegetables help keep your cellsresponding better under pressure
by supporting a balancedinflammatory response and giving
your body backup security guardsto combat oxidative stress.
Another thing that happens ismitochondrial function slows
down.
And if the word mitochondriagives you ninth grade biology,
(08:03):
flashbacks, let me reintroducethem.
They're the power plants of yourbody cells.
They're the energy producerswithin the cells, including our
brain cells.
So sometimes a habitually slow,tired, struggling brain is
actually a sign of strugglingmitochondria.
As mitochondrial efficiencydeclines with age, your brain
(08:26):
ends up producing less a TP, andthat's cellular energy that can
show up as brain fog andinability to focus for long
periods of time or fatigue thatno amount of sugar or coffee can
fix.
Veggies matter here becausethere are specific
phytonutrients in plants thatsupport mitochondrial resilience
(08:49):
by helping us clean out olddysfunctional mitochondria in a
process called MIT phasia andkeeps healthy mitochondria
working longer, resulting in abrain that ultimately runs more
efficiently with better fuel.
Number three is microglia.
Get a little trigger happy andmicroglia are your brain's
(09:10):
resident immune cells.
When they are well regulated,they clean up cellular debris
and help us maintain healthybrain structure.
But with chronic stress,inflammation, and aging, these
microglia can become overactive,this means they start firing off
inflammatory chemicals, creatingor exacerbating an already
(09:32):
existing low level chronicinflammatory state in the brain
that damages neurons and impairsour memory and learning
capabilities over time.
But polyphenols like quercetinand sulforaphane help modulate
that microglial behavior byreducing the inflammatory
signaling and helping the brainrestore balance, keeping its
(09:54):
immune activity sharp, but notdestructive.
I'll be talking about whichveggies contain these
polyphenols shortly.
Another thing that contributesto cognitive decline is the
slowing of blood flow.
Now, as I mentioned, your brainruns on a lot of oxygen, but it
also requires nutrients, and itgets those nutrients from our
(10:16):
blood.
That blood travels through avast network of blood vessels,
as those blood vessels stiffenwith age, blood flow starts to
decline.
Part of this is due to a drop innitric oxide, which is a
compound that helps bloodvessels stay flexible and
responsive.
Less nitric oxide means morestiffness, less oxygen delivery,
(10:39):
and slower mental performance.
The same oxidative stress thatstiffens our arteries also
inhibits blood supply to thehippocampus.
So if you want mental clarity,you gotta start with
circulation.
Consuming a high produce dietand moving your body regularly
and often is the best way toachieve this.
(11:03):
Beets, arugula, spinach, andother nitrate rich veggies
naturally boost nitric oxideproduction.
Other plants help protect thevessel lining from oxidative
damage, improving ourcirculation to brain regions
that are crucial for memoryfocus and mood regulation.
So having a veggie rich plateseveral times a day keeps those
(11:26):
blood vessels pliable andensures that both oxygen and
nutrient-rich blood goes whereit needs to go.
But those nitrate rich veggieslike beets and arugula aren't
just good for our brain becausethey support the vascular system
and improve blood flow.
They also are crucial to keepingblood pressure well managed and
(11:50):
supplying nutrient rich blood tothe heart.
Like nearly all chronic disease,cognitive decline isn't just a
bad case of luck or simplygenetics.
It's the natural outcome ofsystems in the body that get
less efficient over time.
So the strategies that we haveat our disposal to support those
(12:14):
systems can make a hugedifference.
Everybody knows vegetables arehealthy, but they're also
chemically active.
They supply the raw materialsand signaling compounds that
help your brain repair damage,maintain adequate energy,
regulate inflammation, and keepthat nutrient-rich blood flowing
(12:35):
where it's needed.
Having a high produce diet doesnot necessitate becoming
vegetarian or having a salad atevery single meal, but you do
likely need to have moreconsistent produce in your diet
more often, and I'm willing tobet you probably could use a
(12:57):
little more color on your plateas well as a little more
gobsmacking awe for how fuckingcool food can be in preserving
your health.
And that's why I'm here.
So you're probably wanting toknow at this point what plant
compounds actually move theneedle?
Where are they found and how doyou get them into your diet
(13:19):
without turning what you eatinto a second full-time job?
First, let's talk about color.
Eating the rainbow has become ameaningless cliche thanks to
Skittles commercials, but if youtake it seriously, it really is
a simple strategy to effectivelymake a world of difference in
(13:40):
your health as long as thosecolors aren't coming from candy.
Using a multitude of colors atyour meals is a strategy
grounded in biochemistry, thevery pigments that give
vegetables and fruits theirblues, reds, purples, oranges,
yellows and greens aren't justpretty.
They are super functional andprotective.
(14:01):
They directly interact with yourcells, your blood vessels, your
immune system, and yes, yourbrain.
The colors in fruits andvegetables come from plant
compounds called.
Polyphenols, flavonoids andcarotinoids.
Now, there are more plantcompounds than these, but I'm
just gonna focus on these today.
(14:23):
These compounds do a hell of alot more than just fight free
radicals.
They offer a multitude of healthbenefits.
So let's talk about some ofthese.
First I wanna talk aboutpolyphenols, because polyphenols
are a massive group ofplant-based compounds, and they
protect the plant fromenvironmental stress, the stress
(14:45):
of UV light, the stress ofpests, and the stress of disease
but polyphenols don't justprotect plants, they also
protect us.
They help our body adapt tostress, reduce inflammation, and
clean up oxidative damage.
We know of about 8,000polyphenols.
(15:07):
I am sure there are tens ofthousands more that we have yet
to discover.
When it comes to the brain,though, some of the most
impactful polyphenols areflavonoids, like anthocyanins,
quercetin, lutein, phenolicacids like CIC acid, which
you'll find in coffee, thankgoodness, lignins found in flax
(15:31):
seeds and sesame seeds.
And tannins.
And catechins, which you canfind in teas, berries, and
cacao.
So if antioxidants.
As a whole, were your body'scleanup crew.
The polyphenols would be thebuilding inspectors.
They prevent messes before theyhappen.
Okay.
(15:52):
Polyphenols are involved inmultiple cell signaling pathways
that impact how the brain ages.
They reduce inflammation byregulating the release of
inflammatory compounds calledcytokines, especially by
chilling out any overactivemicroglia.
So this helps preserve oursynaptic function, enabling
(16:13):
rapid and direct communicationbetween cells, as well as
preventing neuron damage andloss.
Polyphenols also protect ourneurons from oxidative stress by
acting as a direct antioxidantto combat oxidation in the
brain, as well as being anindirect inducer of your body's
(16:34):
own defense systems.
That's a pretty big deal when itcomes to having that oxygen
hungry brain that inevitablyproduces quite a bit of
oxidative stress.
Polyphenols also improvecerebral blood flow compounds
like epic Cain from darkchocolate and tea and Quercetin
(16:54):
found in onions and apples helpdilate our blood vessels and
protect endothelial function,improving nutrient delivery to
our brain tissue and certainpolyphenols like resveratrol and
lutein, promote neurogenesis andplasticity through brain derived
neurotropic factor, also knownas BDNF.
That's been a hot compound inthe influencer wellness craze,
(17:20):
for a while, so that may be afamiliar term to you.
BDNF is critical for learning,for memory and for the brain's
ability to allow us to adaptover time.
You are gonna find thesepolyphenols in berries like
blueberries, blackberries,raspberries, your leafy greens,
(17:42):
especially darker, more bittergreens, red cabbage, onions,
radishes, eggplant skin.
Again, those dark purples,blues, reds.
They're also really rich inherbs and spices.
So when you are seasoning yourfood with oregano, rosemary,
(18:02):
thyme, or turmeric, you're notjust delivering a lot of flavor.
You're also gifting yourself alot of polyphenols.
Dark chocolate is rich inpolyphenols.
Isn't that exciting?
But it's only really significantif you're consuming 70%.
Cacao or greater in your darkchocolate.
(18:24):
I hate to break it to you, milkchocolate fans.
There's just not enoughpolyphenols in milk chocolate to
be worthwhile from a healthperspective.
But if you like dark chocolate,this is one way that you can get
polyphenols in your diet.
Additionally, green and blacktea is rich in polyphenols
(18:44):
through those catechins as wellas coffee, right with the
phenolic acids.
Additionally, nuts, seeds likeflax seed, sesame seed, pumpkin
seeds, and olives.
Are rich in polyphenols.
So this means olive oil is alsorich in polyphenols.
When you're looking for oliveoil, if it's got a little bit of
(19:05):
cloudiness to it, that's not abad thing.
The darker the color, thegrassier, the olive oil, the
more polyphenols are in there.
So the best part aboutpolyphenols is they often work
synergistically.
So you don't need to hyperfocuson one specific super food of
the moment.
Your goal is to aim for variety,consistency, and frequently
(19:30):
include plants in the bulk ofyour meals.
Polyphenols are your brain'sdaily maintenance crew.
They regulate inflammation,support blood flow, promote
resilience, and clean upmetabolic messes before they
turn into symptoms.
So now that you know thatpolyphenols are basically the
(19:50):
unrecognized multitaskers ofbrain protection, let's zoom in
on a few of those specificcompounds that not only give
your veggies their brightestcolors, but also give your
neurons the strongest shot ataging well.
First I wanna talk aboutanthocyanins.
Anthocyanins are water solublepigments.
(20:12):
So they're at the color,literally, they're the color
that is responsible for red,purple, and blue hues that
you'll find in many fruits andvegetables.
They belong to the flavonoidfamily.
So when you think ofanthocyanins, I want you to
think of blueberries,blackberries, purple cabbage,
(20:33):
eggplant skin, purple carrots,red onions.
These are where you'll findanthocyanins.
Anthocyanins have been shown tocross the blood brain barrier,
and in the brain they exert.
Antioxidant andanti-inflammatory effects.
They help improve cerebral bloodflow, reduce neuroinflammation,
(20:57):
and they may also actually helpmemory consolidation, especially
in the hippocampus.
Studies suggest that they mayimprove cognitive function and
also reduce the risk ofneurodegenerative diseases.
Now, I wanna say thatanthocyanins offer early
prevention.
They don't provide end stagedamage control.
(21:20):
You can't eat a kilo ofblueberries a day, although
sometimes I try and expect thatthis alone is going to reverse
Alzheimer's or halt cognitivedecline.
Okay.
The effects of these compoundsare most meaningful before a
diagnosis when your goal ispreservation.
(21:41):
That said, some of the researchthat is coming out does support
a very comprehensive lifestyleand dietary strategy to actually
reverse early cognitive decline.
And in those dietary protocols,anthocyanin rich foods like
(22:05):
berries are recommended, which Ithink is coming from a
protection standpoint to slowprogression, but the research
isn't there yet to really showthat it can alone anyway,
reverse cognitive decline.
Next I wanna talk aboutflavanols.
(22:26):
Flavanols are a subclass offlavonoids and flavonoids are
polyphenol compounds that arefound in onions, kale, spinach,
broccoli, apple, and tea, amongother things.
Some common flavanols includequercetin as well as camp for
all.
Research does indicate thathigher dietary intake of
(22:49):
flavonol is associated with aslower rate of cognitive decline
in the elderly.
For instance, a study publishedin neurology showed that
individuals who have the highestflavonol intake had a
significantly slower rate ofcognitive decline after being
observed for an average of sevenyears.
And this was in elderly folks.
(23:10):
So a lot of you know whatcognitive decline is one of
those things where it starts offslow first and then it seems to
speed up and when you're in yourseventies and your eighties, the
difference in cognitive functionover the course of seven years
can be really profound.
So consuming a diet, really richin green, leafy vegetables like
(23:32):
that, kale, spinach, broccoli,right, as well as onions, having
apples which are high inquercetin, can help slow the
speed of cognitive decline as weage.
The cool thing is that thatstudy in neurology didn't use
supplements.
They were looking at food, andthat makes me super duper happy.
(23:55):
So while flavonols likequercetin and camperall can
protect our cognition, they'reactually anti-inflammatory for
your entire vascular system.
And this is why higher intake ofFlavanols.
Is also associated with lowerrisk of stroke and heart disease
in addition to better memory.
(24:15):
And there is a reason why wehave that saying an apple a day
keeps the doctor away.
Now we know precisely why it'sthe quercetin! Lutian and
Xanthin are carotinoids.
Carotinoids are fat solublepigments that are found in
various plants.
They are typically part of theplant family that gives an
(24:38):
orange or a yellow hue, but theyare also.
Ubiquitous in green leafyvegetables.
They are known for their role ineye health, but they also
accumulate in brain tissue aswell as eye tissue over time,
and they're especiallyconcentrated in areas of the
brain related to visualprocessing and memory.
(24:59):
These compounds are so tightlylinked to cognition that
researchers can sometimespredict someone's cognitive
performance by looking at howmuch lutein is in their retina.
It's so crazy to think aboutthat, right?
So you have these carotinoids,they accumulate in the fatty
(25:21):
tissues of our body, right?
And our brain and our eyes arethe fattiest tissues in our
body.
So researchers can look at yourfreaking eye and then predict
whether or not you're going toperform well on a cognitive
test.
That's just kind of crazy.
I mean, what you eat shows up inyour brain and these carotinoids
(25:44):
that are concentrated in thebrain are linked to better
scores on memory tests,attention tests, and processing
speed testing in older adults.
Not only that, but long-termconsumption of carotenoid rich
foods shows benefits evendecades after the initial
(26:04):
intake.
And that's one of the greatthings about fat soluble
compounds is they can accumulatein fatty tissue.
And because our fatty tissuesticks around for longer, these
compounds stay in the bodylonger.
Lutian and Xanthin specificallyare rich in spinach, kale, corn,
(26:26):
peas, and egg yolks.
Next I wanna talk aboutSulforaphane.
Sulforaphane is probably one ofmy favorite antioxidants.
It is one of the mosthardworking compounds in the
vegetable world.
Sulforaphane is found incruciferous vegetables.
It is a sulfur based molecule,as the name suggests, and it's
(26:51):
this darling and functionalmedicine, but it totally
deserves the hype.
Sulforaphane is a compound thatis formed when glucoraphanin,
which is found in cruciferousvegetables, is activated by an
enzyme also found in thosevegetables called myrosinase
Myrosinase.
Gets released when the plant ischopped or chewed and then it
(27:15):
turns that glucoraphanin intosulforaphane.
So if you wanna make the most ofsulforaphane, chop up your
cabbage or cauliflower yourbroccoli and let it sit for up
to 10 minutes after chopping itup to really let that myrosinase
work its magic.
Sulforaphane activates.
(27:36):
Nerf two, a critical cellularpathway.
And when it's turned on, thispathway signals to your body to
produce a whole host ofdifferent antioxidants and
detoxifying enzymes likeglutathione peroxidase,
superoxide dismutase, andN-A-D-P-H Queen Dehydrogenase,
(27:57):
also known as NQ oh one.
Some of those you may have heardof before, some of them you may
have not, but effectively, theseenzymes neutralize oxidative
damage.
They reduce inflammation in thebody.
They facilitate detoxificationprocesses throughout the entire
body and protect your neuronsfrom stress induced dysfunction.
(28:19):
So as it.
Relates to the brain.
This means less inflammatorysignaling from overactive
microglia, reduced oxidativestress in the brain and
preservation of our synapticfunction, as well as our
neuronal integrity.
Sulfur AE has been shown toactually improve memory and
(28:40):
reduce neuroinflammation inanimal studies of Alzheimer's
disease.
In humans, it's been studied forits potential role in improving
cognition as well as reducingoxidative markers after a brain
injury, or for those who haveneurodevelopmental disorders.
There is promise in that humanresearch, but there isn't really
a lot of it out there to fullysay.
(29:04):
Absolutely, yes, unequivocally,this is gonna happen, but it
looks fairly promising.
So the broccoli hype isdeserved.
It contains sulforaphane thatturns on your internal cleanup
crew.
It's inexpensive and easilyavailable, which makes it an
essential on your grocery list.
That said, if like George BushSr.
(29:27):
You don't like broccoli, you canget sulforaphane in other
cruciferous vegetables likecabbage, cauliflower, bok choy,
arugula, mustard greens,watercress, turnip greens, kale,
and broccoli sprouts.
Broccoli sprouts are a bitmilder than broccoli, and
(29:48):
honestly, they're kind of theMVP.
They can have up to 50 timesmore glucoraphanin than mature
broccoli does.
So if you ever find broccolisprouts in the grocery store,
grab'em.
Throw'em in your salad, throw'emin your sandwich, because
they're pretty potent andpowerful.
Lightly steaming your broccoli,especially broccoli stems where
(30:10):
there's more glucoraphaninincreases sulforaphane
availability.
But if you take it too far andyou boil your broccoli or you
over steam it, it does destroyit.
So you wanna have a light touchthere.
That said, adding a pinch ofmustard seed powder to cooked
broccoli can help reactivatesulfur Han formation.
(30:31):
And that's because mustard seedpowder contains myrosinase, that
enzyme that.
Facilitates the transformationof glucoraphanin into
sulforaphane.
So there's no need to supplementhere.
Just chop, chew, maybe throwsome mustard on your roasted
kale, your cabbage, yourcauliflower, your broccoli.
Call it good.
(30:52):
Sulforaphane is awesome tosupport detoxification, defense,
and repair of the brain.
It's one of the clearestexamples we have of how
vegetables activate resiliencepathways that protect us against
long-term cognitive decline.
So if you wanna keep your brainsharp, don't skip the
cruciferous.
Just don't boil the hell out of'em.
(31:13):
So all of these differentcompounds support brain health
through various mechanisms.
They supply antioxidantactivity, which neutralizes
those free radicals and reducesoxidative stress that damages
brain cells.
If your antioxidant defensesystems are lagging, which
generally tends to happen as weage, free radicals start
(31:34):
damaging our brain cells, ourmitochondria, even our DNA
impacting our recall, our moodstability, or just kind of
making you feel a bit offpolyphenols like quercetin,
curcumin, and resveratrol notonly mop up free radicals, they
help your body make more of itsown antioxidant defense systems.
(31:57):
Compounds like sulforaphaneactivate glutathione.
The body's master internallysourced antioxidants and they
protect our neurons fromoxidative degradation before
symptoms show up.
The anti-inflammatory effects ofa high produce diet reduces
chronic inflammation that endsup contributing to cognitive
decline.
(32:17):
It also regulates inflammatorysignals through these pathways
called NF kappa B and Nerf two.
So I wanna talk a little bitabout these.
NF kappa B is nuclear factorcapite chain enhancer of
activated B cells, which is waytoo much to say multiple times,
and that's why we call it NFkappa B.
This is your brain'sinflammation switch if it gets
(32:40):
flipped too often due to due topoor diet, stress, or aging, it
ramps up production ofpro-inflammatory cytokines like
TNF Alpha or interleukin six,and chronic persistent
activation of NF kappa B islinked to everything from
anxiety disorders to Alzheimer'sdisease.
(33:00):
It can have a really profoundimpact on our brain through that
chronic level of inflammationand those inflammatory cytokines
that are just always lingeringwreaking havoc within the brain.
And that's where Nerf two comesin.
Nerf two is part of yourcellular cleanup crew.
It turns on genes that help youdetoxify, reduce oxidative
(33:23):
stress and repair existingdamage.
Nerf two is anti-inflammatory inthe best way.
It helps restore your body's owndefenses rather than simply
suppressing the inflammation.
Like taking aspirin wouldcompounds like sulforaphane,
EGCG, which you'll find in greentea, and those anthocyanins and
(33:47):
blueberries and purple cabbagehelp downregulate and NF kappa B
and upregulate Nerf two.
So it reduces the inflammationswitch and.
Turns up the volume on thecleanup crew effectively
calming, inflammatory fire, andboosting the repair team in the
(34:10):
body and the brain.
The goal at the end of the day,is not zero inflammation.
We want inflammation to takecare of things like bacteria and
viruses and injuries.
It's an essential part of thatsystem.
But what we want is a balanced,responsive, adaptive
inflammatory system, not onethat turns on the flame and
(34:35):
walks out of the room to let itburn.
We wanna be able to know when tosound the alarm and when to shut
it off.
Veggies also enhance ourcerebral blood flow.
They improve the delivery ofoxygen and nutrients to the
brain, right?
Blood flow is everything becauseremember, your brain doesn't
(34:55):
store energy.
It needs that constant supply ofoxygen and glucose to function.
So if blood flow drops, so doesyour cognitive clarity.
Over time, our vessel walls willstiffen, nitric oxide production
declines, and the ability todeliver nutrient rich blood to
key areas like the prefrontalcortex and hippocampus suffers,
(35:18):
causing difficulty in makingdecisions.
Difficulty in establishingmemory and increased mental
fatigue are nitrate richvegetables like beets, arugula,
and spinach, naturally boostnitric oxide production.
This helps blood vessels relax.
It improves circulation to thebrain, to the heart, to other
(35:41):
organs in the body, and that'sexactly what we need and what we
want.
Vegetables also supportneuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is your brain'sability to adapt, to rewire and
grow.
It's what helps you learn newthings, recover from emotional
setbacks, and build new habitseven in your sixties and your
(36:03):
seventies.
But neuroplasticity takes workand it takes a lot of fuel.
Having chronic inflammation,poor circulation and nutrient
deficiencies will all get in theway.
So one of the things that manyof my clients have talked about
over the years who have familymembers or loved ones
(36:24):
experiencing cognitive declineis they'll talk about, you know,
in hindsight, they see that theadaptability of their loved one.
Became more diminished.
They get a little bit morestuck, more rigid as they age.
And people who previously werevery curious, very exploratory,
(36:47):
always willing to try new thingslike that, curiosity.
And that verve started to dim alittle bit, and it really isn't
until a couple of decades laterthat they could look back and
say, oh yeah, that was kind ofreally where it started.
So when we're struggling withneuroplasticity, it makes
(37:09):
learning anything.
Really difficult and over time,impossible, right?
So many people who feel stuck orthey're forgetful, they're
really struggling to integratenew information or who become
mentally rigid as they age, itmay be a sign of that diminished
(37:31):
neuroplasticity.
Now, of course, there'spersonality types that are
mentally rigid for ever andever, right?
Or people who have a tendency tojust get stuck in a certain
pattern.
That's not what I'm talkingabout.
I'm talking about individualswho weren't like this before,
(37:52):
and then at some point in timearound or after midlife started
to change, right?
Like seeing these personalitychanges happen before it becomes
a very overt, clear case ofcognitive decline.
Flavonoids and Carotinoids helpsupport brain derived
(38:13):
neurotropic factor also known asBDNF.
And this protein acts likemiracle grow for your neurons.
It also reduces the oxidativedamage that blocks synaptic
growth.
Like we used to think that thebrain was only malleable and
adaptable and grew in childhood,but now we know that the brain
can grow new neurons and adaptthroughout the entire lifespan,
(38:38):
but only if we take care of it.
Neuroplasticity is not limitedto children, nor is it something
that we can take for granted.
It's something that we're bornwith that we start off having a
lot of, but unless we take careof our brain, we will definitely
(38:59):
lose that ability as we age.
Vegetables and fruits alsosupport the blood brain barrier.
Your blood brain barrier is likesecurity detail for your central
nervous system.
It decides who gets in the brainand who stays the hell out.
When it's working well, it'llkeep toxins, pathogens, and
(39:20):
excess inflammatory molecules incheck.
But if it's compromised, if it'sa little bit loose, if there are
gaping holes in it, which isprobably hyperbolic and not
literal, garbage gets through.
The blood brain barrier can becompromised through aging,
through high levels of stress orchronic stress, through blood
(39:42):
sugar swings as well as chronicinflammation, and your neurons
ultimately will pay the price ifyour blood brain barrier is not
in tiptop shape.
And this is where ouranthocyanins and flavanols come
in because they help maintainthe structural integrity of the
blood brainin barrier byreinforcing the tight junction
(40:02):
proteins that hold it together.
Tight junction proteins are alsofound in the gut, and we've
heard of the term leaky gut atthis point.
I'm assuming you all have heardof that term, leaky gut.
We can also have leaky brain,and that's when that blood brain
barrier gets a little bit looseright?
Those tight junction proteinsaren't as tight and don't work
(40:24):
as well.
Just like what happens in thegut.
Now when we have a nice, tight.
Intact blood brain barrier,fewer inflammatory chemicals
come through and the blood brainbarrier is much better able to
control what gets into thebrain, which ultimately means
less mess for your microglia toclean up.
(40:46):
And if your microglia isn'tconsistently and chronically
agitated because of inflammatorystuff getting through the brain,
then it's not gonna get out ofcontrol.
Right?
So you can see how there can bethis cascade of negative impact
that can happen from not keepingthese plant compounds, these
(41:07):
antioxidant, phytochemical richplants in the diet to help
preserve all aspects of yourbrain.
The cliche eat the rainbow isthe simplest way to get those
compounds that I mentioned andseveral more that I've not.
When you're thinking of therainbow, think of purple, blue,
(41:28):
green, yellow, orange, red, butalso white.
So have some nice little poofyclouds at the bottom of your
rainbow, so that white quercetinrich and sulfur compound foods
like onions, garlic,cauliflowers, mushrooms also get
onto your plate.
(41:49):
Okay, so I have made this casethat vegetables are essential
biochemical support for yourbrain.
But the real problem isn'tknowing this information or not
knowing this information.
The real problem is actuallydoing what needs to be done,
getting those vegetables on yourplate in your real life with
(42:10):
your real schedule and maybereal burnout and maybe a real
hatred of kale.
So let's look into what brainsupportive vegetable intake
actually looks like and how tomake it work without turning
your kitchen into like some kindof food prep monastery.
The first thing that I want youto do is forget about trying to
(42:31):
get every single color everyday.
That is crazy talk.
No one's got time for that.
Instead, what I want you tothink of is diversity across the
week, not this perfect Pinterestplate on Tuesday.
Think of your dark leafy greenslike spinach and Swiss chard as
(42:51):
your vascular insurance.
They contain magnesium andpotassium, and those nitrates
that don't just lower your bloodpressure, they prevent the kind
of vascular damage that shows uplater as memory loss.
So they should be a part of yourdiet every day.
If you are aiming for maximalprotection, put something green
(43:14):
in your mouth every single day.
You also wanna really hunt downthose dark purple and deep red
vegetables and fruits, addberries to your morning yogurt,
throw some frozen blueberries inyour smoothies and your set.
I basically have a rule.
If I'm at the grocery store andI see something that has
(43:36):
anthocyanins in it, whether it'spurple carrots, uh, purple
cauliflower has come up, whichis super fricking cool.
Um, purple cabbage berries, Iput it in my cart.
Purple is, for me anyway, one ofthe hardest, hardest to find
with regards to variety anddiversity in the grocery store.
(43:57):
So when I see it, I grab it, andthen if it's in the house, I'm
gonna eat it.
One thing that you can do isfind a list of rain rainbow
produce examples online.
You can print one out, highlightthe veggies that are the easiest
to get your hands on at leastone, but ideally more from each
category, and then include thosevegetables and fruits in your
(44:20):
weekly shopping list, and thatway you'll easily cover your
base and you'll get thatdiversity across the week.
That's what we're really lookingfor, is making sure that all of
the colors show up over thecourse of the week.
So over seven days, you couldget your blues and your purples
from blackberries, purplecabbage, eggplant, those green
(44:43):
leafy veggies, right spinach,kale, charred, arugula,
watercress, broccoli is awesome.
Reds from tomatoes, cio, redskinned apples.
Watermelon, oranges and yellowsare gonna contain carotinoids.
So carrots, squash, yellowpeppers.
(45:03):
But carotinoids are also foundin the greens, and it isn't
something that we really thinkabout unless you have aging
greens that are starting to turna little yellow.
And that's kind of like when thecarotinoids start to show
through because some of thechlorophyll has died out..
And then we've got our whites.
Our white is cauliflower, bokchoy, onions, mushrooms,
(45:26):
turnips, radishes.
Have a white interior and a redoutside that counts as two
colors.
Folks, that's a two in one.
It's a freebie, as are all ofthe other white fleshed fruits
and vegetables that have acolorful skin.
So take a look through yourgrocery store.
With your list of colors andjust grab something from each of
(45:49):
the color categories and usethat to incorporate into your
meals and snacks throughout theweek.
Now we also wanna think aboutquantity, right?
And Incorporating vegetables asa foundational structure in your
meal.
So here's how to think aboutthis.
Add frozen spinach to yoursmoothies or kale to your eggs,
(46:13):
or a breakfast bowl.
You can toss berries into yogurtor a smoothie that you'll
actually drink.
For lunch, you can use greens asa bed for your poke bowl if
you're dining out, instead ofusing rice as the base, use
greens and then add a little bitof rice on top.
You wanna think aboutvegetables.
(46:34):
As the bed, not the garnish.
You can also throw leftoverroasted veggies into wraps, into
soups.
Another thing I like to do isuse bolognese with a mix of 50%
broccoli and 50% pasta insteadof all pasta.
Bolognese works really well withroasted or steamed broccoli.
(46:57):
Uh, zucchini is wonderful aswell with bolognese and thinly
sliced cabbage.
Works pretty well as well, sothink about using veggies as the
base and grains as the garnish.
When it comes to dinner, go forvolume.
For most of us, this is ourlargest meal.
It's also one that's most likelyto be homemade or include
(47:20):
vegetables, so roasted broccoli,spiced carrots, sauteed cabbage.
Aim for one to two fist sizeservings of cooked vegetables
rather than the few tokenscrawny Spears of asparagus that
is modeled to you by therestaurant industry.
I think one of the reasons whywe struggle to get enough
(47:40):
produce is because we're notreally modeled adequate amounts
of produce.
What we get in restaurants is,you know, just kind of at most
one half cup serving, if we'relucky, unless you order a salad,
right?
So think about at least doublingwhat you would get in a
(48:01):
restaurant and then you're offto a good start.
If you can four x that and geteffectively two cups of cooked
veggies, then you get fourservings in one meal, which
really goes a long, long way tomaximizing the benefits that you
can get from produce.
Now when it comes to vegetableprep, I'm not asking you to fill
(48:24):
your shopping cart full ofproduce and then come home and
spend four or five hourschopping and prepping like some
kind of Instagram influencer.
Like that is totally not whatthis is about.
And I've, it's funny, I've hadso many clients over the years
think that healthy eating meansalways going to the farmer's
market, only getting organicspending all fucking weekend
(48:48):
chopping and prepping, and thenthey expect themselves to do
this every weekend for the restof their life, and think that
they have a willpower problembecause it's not working.
No, no, no.
The real, the expectations aresimply not realistic.
FI love farmer's markets.
Don't get me wrong.
The produce is glorious there,but it's often cost prohibitive
(49:12):
for a lot of people, or theirfarmer's Markets are seasonal
and not year round, depending onwhere you live.
So that is not a very realisticor sustainable way for most
people to get their produce.
Additionally, very, very few ofus have the time or the desire
to spend all weekend in thekitchen, chopping and prepping
(49:32):
and roasting and steaming, andall of the other stuff that
needs to be done to make thework week workable So let go of
the expectation that that's whatthis needs to look like, because
it 100% does not, absolutelydoes not need to look like that
and should not look like thatunless that's something that you
actually enjoy, that reallyworks for you.
(49:55):
Ultimately, just focus onlowering the friction between
you and having your next meal atthe ready that includes veggies.
So what the, what can this looklike?
Make the most out of technology?
Guys, we have freezers, we havefrozen veggies.
(50:17):
They are so much easier to workwith.
They don't go bad.
You don't forget them in theback of the fridge and then come
up with this like nasty assgooey gray stuff a month or two
later, make the most of frozenveggies.
Throw'em in soups, throw'em in,stir fries, throw'em in
smoothies.
Frozen spinach, riced,cauliflower.
Those work great in smoothies,zucchini, carrots also work
(50:41):
wonderfully in smoothies.
Frozen green beans are very richin several antioxidants and
folate, which is awesome.
They're readily available,frozen.
Throw'em in everything becausethey're tasty.
Additionally make the most outof the pre-cut packaged fresh
(51:04):
produce that's at your grocerystore.
Those broccoli florets, thecauliflower florets, baby
carrots, baby bell peppers.
We have so much more variety andso much more access now then we
did 15, 20 years ago, andthere's no shame in taking the
shortcut, like take theshortcut.
(51:26):
Thank goodness for the shortcut.
And let go of the guilt.
Like you don't need that.
Nobody needs that.
It serves no purpose.
All it's doing is getting in theway of you getting your veggies.
And all I want you to do, guys,all I want you to do, let's get
some more veggies.
Get some veggies with theprotein, get some veggies with
the proteins.
Take all the shortcuts that youneed to make it happen.
(51:48):
And take the win.
A high produce diet is sofreaking you will feel, you'll
feel so great.
You'll protect your brain.
You'll protect your heart.
I'm on a soapbox.
Someone needs to push me off'cause I'm a little bit outta
control.
So let me just wrap this uphere.
Brain health isn't made withmemory games and crossword
(52:10):
puzzles.
Okay?
It's about maintaining nutrientrich, ample blood flow to the
brain.
It's about calming inflammationand keeping that in check.
It's about building cellularresilience and vegetables.
Touch on every single one ofthose systems.
This is the long game, okay?
(52:31):
Now, if you've made it this far,you already know this episode is
not about guilt tripping anybodyinto kale conversion.
It's not what I'm about.
It's really about having adeeper understanding of what
your brain needs to age well andhow freaking awesome colorful
nutrient rich vegetables are insupporting all of the systems
(52:53):
that keep it functional.
So here's what I want you towalk away with today.
Know that the brain just doesn'tdecline.
It is responding.
It's responding to food, it'sresponding to movement or lack
thereof.
It's responding to blood flow orlack thereof.
(53:15):
It's responding to inflammationsignals.
Vegetables are able to modulateand change the language to
support the brain intoresponding differently.
Then perhaps your parents orgrandparents' brains have
responded.
And color matters.
Color is the other big takeaway.
(53:36):
Color is chemistry.
Polyphenols, carotinoids,flavonoids, right?
All of these work across yourentire body systems.
I've only talked about the braintoday, but they work throughout
the entire body to reducedamage, improve our energy, and
regulate inflammation.
The other thing is you do not,you do not need to overhaul your
life.
Just start feeding your bodywhat it relies on to stay well.
(54:03):
Do it a bit at a time, theeasiest way possible.
And so let's actually, let's doone thing this week I want you
to do one thing.
I want you to audit your color.
That's all you're gonna do thisweek.
Look at your meals.
Not to judge them, just observe.
You are a curious observer.
You are a culinaryanthropologist, exploring the
(54:28):
culinary habits of yourself,okay?
And ask yourself, where's mypurple?
Where's my green?
Are there any crucifer here?
And then after the week is over,kind of assess.
Pick one thing to add.
(54:49):
Maybe you're gonna focus oncrucifer.
Maybe you're kind of excitedabout anthocyanins and you're
gonna up your Blackberry game orget some red cabbage.
But just pick one thing to addand build from there.
Your future brain will thankyou.
Now, if you're realizing that,yeah, I know what I should be
(55:11):
doing, but.
I'm really struggling to do it.
I've been struggling to do itfor a long time.
It's not failure, okay?
I don't want you to take that asfailure.
It's ultimately, it's gonna be asystems problem.
Setting the systems in place tomake this easier isn't always
intuitive, and that's wherecoaching and practitioner
support come in.
(55:31):
If you're ready for that levelof help, you know where to find
me.
You can find a link in the shownotes to reach out to me.
You'll also find a link to mysubstack where you can get all
of the research that went intoproducing this episode.
If you wanna dig into the goldyourself.
Next week, I'm gonna be talkingabout CGMs, the hottest trend of
(55:54):
the year when it comes tobiohacking and my personal take
on the matter.
But until then, stay salty, staycurious, and I will see you next
time.
If you have found some nuggetsof wisdom, make sure to
subscribe, rate and shareblasphemous nutrition with those
(56:14):
you care about as you navigatethe labyrinth of health advice
out there.
Remember, health is a journey,not a dietary dictatorship.
Stay skeptical, stay daring, andchallenge the norms that no
longer serve you.
If you've got burning questionsor wanna share your own flavor
of rebellion, slide into my dms.
(56:36):
Your stories fuel me, and I lovehearing them.
Thanks again for tuning intoBlasphemous Nutrition.
Until next time, this is Aimeesigning off, reminding you that
truth is nuanced and any dishcan be made better with a little
bit of sass.
In today's episode, we'llexplore how incorporating
colorful, polyphenol richvegetables and fruits into our
diets can support brain health.
And discuss the science behindhow these foods may help
mitigate inflammation, supportvascular health, and contribute
to your cognitive resilience.
So if you're interested inpractical evidence-based
(00:22):
approaches to support your brainhealth, stay tuned.
Hey Rebels.
Welcome to BlasphemousNutrition.
Consider this podcast yourpantry full of clarity,
perspective, and the nuanceneeded to counter the
superficial health advice sofreely given on the internet.
I am Aimee, the unapologeticallycandid host of Blasphemous
(00:44):
Nutrition and a double degreednutritionist with 20 years
experience.
I'm here to share a more nuancedtake.
On living and eating well tosustain and recover your health.
If you found most health adviceto be so generic is to be
meaningless or so extreme thatit's unrealistic.
And you don't mind theoccasional F-bomb, you've come
(01:05):
to the right place.
From dissecting the latestnutrition trends to breaking
down published research andsharing my own clinical
experiences, I'm on a mission tofoster clarity amidst all the
confusion and empower you tohave the health you need to live
a life you love.
Now, let's get started.
(01:26):
Welcome back to BlasphemousNutrition, the podcast where we
cut through the wellness noisewith science, SaaS, and a
healthy dose of skepticism.
My name is Aimee.
I'm a functional nutritionistwho believes that when it comes
to preserving our cognitivehealth, the solution may be
found more in our kitchens thanin our medicine cabinets.
Today we're delving into thecrucial topic of cognitive
(01:48):
aging.
While medical advancements haveprovided us with tools to
modestly slow cognitive decline,they have not delivered the
preventative breakthroughs thatmany people have hoped for.
And with nearly all otherchronic diseases, this lack of
significant preventionunderscores the importance of
having proactive lifestyle basedstrategies.
(02:10):
So let's talk about what happensto your brain as you age, and
why vegetables of all thingsdeserve a seat at the head of
the table.
When we think of memory loss ormental decline, we typically
think that it's something thatwe don't really need to worry
about until we're in ourseventies or eighties.
But data suggests otherwise.
Studies indicate that changes inmemory and processing speed can
(02:34):
begin as early as your forties.
That's not a scare tactic.
It is actually what researchersare observing.
But here's the problem.
Most people don't notice theseshifts until they're really
frustrating and disruptive toour daily life, and even then,
they tend to be dismissed asstress being too busy or just
(02:58):
aging.
Meanwhile, the problems thatdrive these changes, oxidative
stress, mitochondrial decline,vascular stiffness, and
inflammation have been quietlybuilding for years and they
remain unchanged.
Speaking of vascular stiffness,that is a clue that heart health
and brain health are deeplyintertwined.
(03:21):
Your brain ultimately is onlygonna be as good as your blood
flow.
So if your cardiovascular systemis stiff and clogged or
inflamed, your brain is underfueled full stop, you can
meditate all you want.
You can take the latestnootropic of the month, but if
your blood vessels are too rigidto deliver oxygen and nutrients
(03:42):
to your frontal lobe, you arenot gonna be able to biohack
your way out of that.
Here's the thing.
Our brain doesn't have thecapability of storing energy, so
it needs a constant high qualitydelivery system, and that's
where our vegetables come in.
Leafy greens and beets boostnitric oxide production and help
(04:05):
our blood vessels relax,allowing this free flowing
highway of blood to nourish ourbrain.
Cruciferous veggies lowervascular inflammation and
oxidative stress.
Keeping that blood-based highwayreally well maintained and
polyphenols and numerous fruitsand veggies help prevent the
damage that leads to stiffarteries and narrowed
(04:27):
capillaries in the first place.
So this is like having a well,well-funded transportation crew
that not only builds qualitystructures at the onset, but
also is on top of the normalwear and tear that comes from
using that transportationsystem.
So yes, eating more produce doeshelp you retain your memory, but
(04:47):
it also lowers blood pressure,improves arterial flexibility,
and keeps the highways openbetween your heart and your
head.
So if you want to think betterin your sixties, you need to
start protecting your heart inyour forties.
This is a whole body long gameresilient ashel nutrition
(05:07):
strategy, and it sure tastesbetter than statins do.
We've got tech that can trackthe decline in our cognition,
and we've got medication thatmay slightly delay cognitive
decline, but there's nothing inthe medical toolkit that is
reversing memory loss the waythat we had hoped, especially
(05:30):
multiple decades.
Out from first starting toseriously look at this.
So prevention is not just anideal strategy.
It's absolutely essential if youwant to go out with all your
cylinders firing.
So this is where food comes in.
What we can eat offers asustainable strategic form of
(05:51):
support, one that works on thesystems that keep your brain and
body online alert and adaptive.
So let's talk about what'shappening under the hood that is
contributing to cognitivedecline.
The first thing is oxidativedamage.
Our brain uses 20% of the entirebody's oxygen supply.
(06:16):
Which is kind of astonishingwhen you think about it because
the brain is a pretty smallorgan, but it uses a massive
amount of oxygen that's a highdemand, and that high demand for
oxygen inevitably creates freeradicals.
These are unstable littlemolecules that when produced in
excess damage, brain cells,neurons, as well as the
(06:38):
protective myelin sheath.
That helps.
Brain signals fire smoothly.
Oxidation is a normal process.
There's no way around it.
It's a byproduct of oxygen use,and it's not usually a big deal
for most of us until we hitabout midlife In your younger
years, your body keeps thatoxidative damage in check with
(07:01):
our innate homegrownantioxidants created by our very
own body.
But as we age, these antioxidantrepair systems get sluggish, and
the free radicals then start todominate and outnumber or
outpace our body's ability tocombat them.
This is called oxidative stress.
(07:23):
It's one of the earliestcontributors to cognitive
decline.
But plants bring in antioxidantslike anthocyanins, flavonoids,
and carotinoids that do twojobs.
One, they mop up free radicals,and two, they actually activate
your body's own innateantioxidant defenses.
(07:43):
Vegetables help keep your cellsresponding better under pressure
by supporting a balancedinflammatory response and giving
your body backup security guardsto combat oxidative stress.
Another thing that happens ismitochondrial function slows
down.
And if the word mitochondriagives you ninth grade biology,
(08:03):
flashbacks, let me reintroducethem.
They're the power plants of yourbody cells.
They're the energy producerswithin the cells, including our
brain cells.
So sometimes a habitually slow,tired, struggling brain is
actually a sign of strugglingmitochondria.
As mitochondrial efficiencydeclines with age, your brain
(08:26):
ends up producing less a TP, andthat's cellular energy that can
show up as brain fog andinability to focus for long
periods of time or fatigue thatno amount of sugar or coffee can
fix.
Veggies matter here becausethere are specific
phytonutrients in plants thatsupport mitochondrial resilience
(08:49):
by helping us clean out olddysfunctional mitochondria in a
process called MIT phasia andkeeps healthy mitochondria
working longer, resulting in abrain that ultimately runs more
efficiently with better fuel.
Number three is microglia.
Get a little trigger happy andmicroglia are your brain's
(09:10):
resident immune cells.
When they are well regulated,they clean up cellular debris
and help us maintain healthybrain structure.
But with chronic stress,inflammation, and aging, these
microglia can become overactive,this means they start firing off
inflammatory chemicals, creatingor exacerbating an already
(09:32):
existing low level chronicinflammatory state in the brain
that damages neurons and impairsour memory and learning
capabilities over time.
But polyphenols like quercetinand sulforaphane help modulate
that microglial behavior byreducing the inflammatory
signaling and helping the brainrestore balance, keeping its
(09:54):
immune activity sharp, but notdestructive.
I'll be talking about whichveggies contain these
polyphenols shortly.
Another thing that contributesto cognitive decline is the
slowing of blood flow.
Now, as I mentioned, your brainruns on a lot of oxygen, but it
also requires nutrients, and itgets those nutrients from our
(10:16):
blood.
That blood travels through avast network of blood vessels,
as those blood vessels stiffenwith age, blood flow starts to
decline.
Part of this is due to a drop innitric oxide, which is a
compound that helps bloodvessels stay flexible and
responsive.
Less nitric oxide means morestiffness, less oxygen delivery,
(10:39):
and slower mental performance.
The same oxidative stress thatstiffens our arteries also
inhibits blood supply to thehippocampus.
So if you want mental clarity,you gotta start with
circulation.
Consuming a high produce dietand moving your body regularly
and often is the best way toachieve this.
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Beets, arugula, spinach, andother nitrate rich veggies
naturally boost nitric oxideproduction.
Other plants help protect thevessel lining from oxidative
damage, improving ourcirculation to brain regions
that are crucial for memoryfocus and mood regulation.
So having a veggie rich plateseveral times a day keeps those
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blood vessels pliable andensures that both oxygen and
nutrient-rich blood goes whereit needs to go.
But those nitrate rich veggieslike beets and arugula aren't
just good for our brain becausethey support the vascular system
and improve blood flow.
They also are crucial to keepingblood pressure well managed and
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supplying nutrient rich blood tothe heart.
Like nearly all chronic disease,cognitive decline isn't just a
bad case of luck or simplygenetics.
It's the natural outcome ofsystems in the body that get
less efficient over time.
So the strategies that we haveat our disposal to support those
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systems can make a hugedifference.
Everybody knows vegetables arehealthy, but they're also
chemically active.
They supply the raw materialsand signaling compounds that
help your brain repair damage,maintain adequate energy,
regulate inflammation, and keepthat nutrient-rich blood flowing
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where it's needed.
Having a high produce diet doesnot necessitate becoming
vegetarian or having a salad atevery single meal, but you do
likely need to have moreconsistent produce in your diet
more often, and I'm willing tobet you probably could use a
(12:57):
little more color on your plateas well as a little more
gobsmacking awe for how fuckingcool food can be in preserving
your health.
And that's why I'm here.
So you're probably wanting toknow at this point what plant
compounds actually move theneedle?
Where are they found and how doyou get them into your diet
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without turning what you eatinto a second full-time job?
First, let's talk about color.
Eating the rainbow has become ameaningless cliche thanks to
Skittles commercials, but if youtake it seriously, it really is
a simple strategy to effectivelymake a world of difference in
(13:40):
your health as long as thosecolors aren't coming from candy.
Using a multitude of colors atyour meals is a strategy
grounded in biochemistry, thevery pigments that give
vegetables and fruits theirblues, reds, purples, oranges,
yellows and greens aren't justpretty.
They are super functional andprotective.
(14:01):
They directly interact with yourcells, your blood vessels, your
immune system, and yes, yourbrain.
The colors in fruits andvegetables come from plant
compounds called.
Polyphenols, flavonoids andcarotinoids.
Now, there are more plantcompounds than these, but I'm
just gonna focus on these today.
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These compounds do a hell of alot more than just fight free
radicals.
They offer a multitude of healthbenefits.
So let's talk about some ofthese.
First I wanna talk aboutpolyphenols, because polyphenols
are a massive group ofplant-based compounds, and they
protect the plant fromenvironmental stress, the stress
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of UV light, the stress ofpests, and the stress of disease
but polyphenols don't justprotect plants, they also
protect us.
They help our body adapt tostress, reduce inflammation, and
clean up oxidative damage.
We know of about 8,000polyphenols.
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I am sure there are tens ofthousands more that we have yet
to discover.
When it comes to the brain,though, some of the most
impactful polyphenols areflavonoids, like anthocyanins,
quercetin, lutein, phenolicacids like CIC acid, which
you'll find in coffee, thankgoodness, lignins found in flax
(15:31):
seeds and sesame seeds.
And tannins.
And catechins, which you canfind in teas, berries, and
cacao.
So if antioxidants.
As a whole, were your body'scleanup crew.
The polyphenols would be thebuilding inspectors.
They prevent messes before theyhappen.
Okay.
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Polyphenols are involved inmultiple cell signaling pathways
that impact how the brain ages.
They reduce inflammation byregulating the release of
inflammatory compounds calledcytokines, especially by
chilling out any overactivemicroglia.
So this helps preserve oursynaptic function, enabling
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rapid and direct communicationbetween cells, as well as
preventing neuron damage andloss.
Polyphenols also protect ourneurons from oxidative stress by
acting as a direct antioxidantto combat oxidation in the
brain, as well as being anindirect inducer of your body's
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own defense systems.
That's a pretty big deal when itcomes to having that oxygen
hungry brain that inevitablyproduces quite a bit of
oxidative stress.
Polyphenols also improvecerebral blood flow compounds
like epic Cain from darkchocolate and tea and Quercetin
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found in onions and apples helpdilate our blood vessels and
protect endothelial function,improving nutrient delivery to
our brain tissue and certainpolyphenols like resveratrol and
lutein, promote neurogenesis andplasticity through brain derived
neurotropic factor, also knownas BDNF.
That's been a hot compound inthe influencer wellness craze,
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for a while, so that may be afamiliar term to you.
BDNF is critical for learning,for memory and for the brain's
ability to allow us to adaptover time.
You are gonna find thesepolyphenols in berries like
blueberries, blackberries,raspberries, your leafy greens,
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especially darker, more bittergreens, red cabbage, onions,
radishes, eggplant skin.
Again, those dark purples,blues, reds.
They're also really rich inherbs and spices.
So when you are seasoning yourfood with oregano, rosemary,
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thyme, or turmeric, you're notjust delivering a lot of flavor.
You're also gifting yourself alot of polyphenols.
Dark chocolate is rich inpolyphenols.
Isn't that exciting?
But it's only really significantif you're consuming 70%.
Cacao or greater in your darkchocolate.
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I hate to break it to you, milkchocolate fans.
There's just not enoughpolyphenols in milk chocolate to
be worthwhile from a healthperspective.
But if you like dark chocolate,this is one way that you can get
polyphenols in your diet.
Additionally, green and blacktea is rich in polyphenols
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through those catechins as wellas coffee, right with the
phenolic acids.
Additionally, nuts, seeds likeflax seed, sesame seed, pumpkin
seeds, and olives.
Are rich in polyphenols.
So this means olive oil is alsorich in polyphenols.
When you're looking for oliveoil, if it's got a little bit of
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cloudiness to it, that's not abad thing.
The darker the color, thegrassier, the olive oil, the
more polyphenols are in there.
So the best part aboutpolyphenols is they often work
synergistically.
So you don't need to hyperfocuson one specific super food of
the moment.
Your goal is to aim for variety,consistency, and frequently
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include plants in the bulk ofyour meals.
Polyphenols are your brain'sdaily maintenance crew.
They regulate inflammation,support blood flow, promote
resilience, and clean upmetabolic messes before they
turn into symptoms.
So now that you know thatpolyphenols are basically the
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unrecognized multitaskers ofbrain protection, let's zoom in
on a few of those specificcompounds that not only give
your veggies their brightestcolors, but also give your
neurons the strongest shot ataging well.
First I wanna talk aboutanthocyanins.
Anthocyanins are water solublepigments.
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So they're at the color,literally, they're the color
that is responsible for red,purple, and blue hues that
you'll find in many fruits andvegetables.
They belong to the flavonoidfamily.
So when you think ofanthocyanins, I want you to
think of blueberries,blackberries, purple cabbage,
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eggplant skin, purple carrots,red onions.
These are where you'll findanthocyanins.
Anthocyanins have been shown tocross the blood brain barrier,
and in the brain they exert.
Antioxidant andanti-inflammatory effects.
They help improve cerebral bloodflow, reduce neuroinflammation,
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and they may also actually helpmemory consolidation, especially
in the hippocampus.
Studies suggest that they mayimprove cognitive function and
also reduce the risk ofneurodegenerative diseases.
Now, I wanna say thatanthocyanins offer early
prevention.
They don't provide end stagedamage control.
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You can't eat a kilo ofblueberries a day, although
sometimes I try and expect thatthis alone is going to reverse
Alzheimer's or halt cognitivedecline.
Okay.
The effects of these compoundsare most meaningful before a
diagnosis when your goal ispreservation.
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That said, some of the researchthat is coming out does support
a very comprehensive lifestyleand dietary strategy to actually
reverse early cognitive decline.
And in those dietary protocols,anthocyanin rich foods like
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berries are recommended, which Ithink is coming from a
protection standpoint to slowprogression, but the research
isn't there yet to really showthat it can alone anyway,
reverse cognitive decline.
Next I wanna talk aboutflavanols.
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Flavanols are a subclass offlavonoids and flavonoids are
polyphenol compounds that arefound in onions, kale, spinach,
broccoli, apple, and tea, amongother things.
Some common flavanols includequercetin as well as camp for
all.
Research does indicate thathigher dietary intake of
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flavonol is associated with aslower rate of cognitive decline
in the elderly.
For instance, a study publishedin neurology showed that
individuals who have the highestflavonol intake had a
significantly slower rate ofcognitive decline after being
observed for an average of sevenyears.
And this was in elderly folks.
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So a lot of you know whatcognitive decline is one of
those things where it starts offslow first and then it seems to
speed up and when you're in yourseventies and your eighties, the
difference in cognitive functionover the course of seven years
can be really profound.
So consuming a diet, really richin green, leafy vegetables like
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that, kale, spinach, broccoli,right, as well as onions, having
apples which are high inquercetin, can help slow the
speed of cognitive decline as weage.
The cool thing is that thatstudy in neurology didn't use
supplements.
They were looking at food, andthat makes me super duper happy.
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So while flavonols likequercetin and camperall can
protect our cognition, they'reactually anti-inflammatory for
your entire vascular system.
And this is why higher intake ofFlavanols.
Is also associated with lowerrisk of stroke and heart disease
in addition to better memory.
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And there is a reason why wehave that saying an apple a day
keeps the doctor away.
Now we know precisely why it'sthe quercetin! Lutian and
Xanthin are carotinoids.
Carotinoids are fat solublepigments that are found in
various plants.
They are typically part of theplant family that gives an
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orange or a yellow hue, but theyare also.
Ubiquitous in green leafyvegetables.
They are known for their role ineye health, but they also
accumulate in brain tissue aswell as eye tissue over time,
and they're especiallyconcentrated in areas of the
brain related to visualprocessing and memory.
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These compounds are so tightlylinked to cognition that
researchers can sometimespredict someone's cognitive
performance by looking at howmuch lutein is in their retina.
It's so crazy to think aboutthat, right?
So you have these carotinoids,they accumulate in the fatty
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tissues of our body, right?
And our brain and our eyes arethe fattiest tissues in our
body.
So researchers can look at yourfreaking eye and then predict
whether or not you're going toperform well on a cognitive
test.
That's just kind of crazy.
I mean, what you eat shows up inyour brain and these carotinoids
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that are concentrated in thebrain are linked to better
scores on memory tests,attention tests, and processing
speed testing in older adults.
Not only that, but long-termconsumption of carotenoid rich
foods shows benefits evendecades after the initial
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intake.
And that's one of the greatthings about fat soluble
compounds is they can accumulatein fatty tissue.
And because our fatty tissuesticks around for longer, these
compounds stay in the bodylonger.
Lutian and Xanthin specificallyare rich in spinach, kale, corn,
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peas, and egg yolks.
Next I wanna talk aboutSulforaphane.
Sulforaphane is probably one ofmy favorite antioxidants.
It is one of the mosthardworking compounds in the
vegetable world.
Sulforaphane is found incruciferous vegetables.
It is a sulfur based molecule,as the name suggests, and it's
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this darling and functionalmedicine, but it totally
deserves the hype.
Sulforaphane is a compound thatis formed when glucoraphanin,
which is found in cruciferousvegetables, is activated by an
enzyme also found in thosevegetables called myrosinase
Myrosinase.
Gets released when the plant ischopped or chewed and then it
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turns that glucoraphanin intosulforaphane.
So if you wanna make the most ofsulforaphane, chop up your
cabbage or cauliflower yourbroccoli and let it sit for up
to 10 minutes after chopping itup to really let that myrosinase
work its magic.
Sulforaphane activates.
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Nerf two, a critical cellularpathway.
And when it's turned on, thispathway signals to your body to
produce a whole host ofdifferent antioxidants and
detoxifying enzymes likeglutathione peroxidase,
superoxide dismutase, andN-A-D-P-H Queen Dehydrogenase,
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also known as NQ oh one.
Some of those you may have heardof before, some of them you may
have not, but effectively, theseenzymes neutralize oxidative
damage.
They reduce inflammation in thebody.
They facilitate detoxificationprocesses throughout the entire
body and protect your neuronsfrom stress induced dysfunction.
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So as it.
Relates to the brain.
This means less inflammatorysignaling from overactive
microglia, reduced oxidativestress in the brain and
preservation of our synapticfunction, as well as our
neuronal integrity.
Sulfur AE has been shown toactually improve memory and
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reduce neuroinflammation inanimal studies of Alzheimer's
disease.
In humans, it's been studied forits potential role in improving
cognition as well as reducingoxidative markers after a brain
injury, or for those who haveneurodevelopmental disorders.
There is promise in that humanresearch, but there isn't really
a lot of it out there to fullysay.
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Absolutely, yes, unequivocally,this is gonna happen, but it
looks fairly promising.
So the broccoli hype isdeserved.
It contains sulforaphane thatturns on your internal cleanup
crew.
It's inexpensive and easilyavailable, which makes it an
essential on your grocery list.
That said, if like George BushSr.
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You don't like broccoli, you canget sulforaphane in other
cruciferous vegetables likecabbage, cauliflower, bok choy,
arugula, mustard greens,watercress, turnip greens, kale,
and broccoli sprouts.
Broccoli sprouts are a bitmilder than broccoli, and
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honestly, they're kind of theMVP.
They can have up to 50 timesmore glucoraphanin than mature
broccoli does.
So if you ever find broccolisprouts in the grocery store,
grab'em.
Throw'em in your salad, throw'emin your sandwich, because
they're pretty potent andpowerful.
Lightly steaming your broccoli,especially broccoli stems where
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there's more glucoraphaninincreases sulforaphane
availability.
But if you take it too far andyou boil your broccoli or you
over steam it, it does destroyit.
So you wanna have a light touchthere.
That said, adding a pinch ofmustard seed powder to cooked
broccoli can help reactivatesulfur Han formation.
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And that's because mustard seedpowder contains myrosinase, that
enzyme that.
Facilitates the transformationof glucoraphanin into
sulforaphane.
So there's no need to supplementhere.
Just chop, chew, maybe throwsome mustard on your roasted
kale, your cabbage, yourcauliflower, your broccoli.
Call it good.
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Sulforaphane is awesome tosupport detoxification, defense,
and repair of the brain.
It's one of the clearestexamples we have of how
vegetables activate resiliencepathways that protect us against
long-term cognitive decline.
So if you wanna keep your brainsharp, don't skip the
cruciferous.
Just don't boil the hell out of'em.
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So all of these differentcompounds support brain health
through various mechanisms.
They supply antioxidantactivity, which neutralizes
those free radicals and reducesoxidative stress that damages
brain cells.
If your antioxidant defensesystems are lagging, which
generally tends to happen as weage, free radicals start
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damaging our brain cells, ourmitochondria, even our DNA
impacting our recall, our moodstability, or just kind of
making you feel a bit offpolyphenols like quercetin,
curcumin, and resveratrol notonly mop up free radicals, they
help your body make more of itsown antioxidant defense systems.
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Compounds like sulforaphaneactivate glutathione.
The body's master internallysourced antioxidants and they
protect our neurons fromoxidative degradation before
symptoms show up.
The anti-inflammatory effects ofa high produce diet reduces
chronic inflammation that endsup contributing to cognitive
decline.
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It also regulates inflammatorysignals through these pathways
called NF kappa B and Nerf two.
So I wanna talk a little bitabout these.
NF kappa B is nuclear factorcapite chain enhancer of
activated B cells, which is waytoo much to say multiple times,
and that's why we call it NFkappa B.
This is your brain'sinflammation switch if it gets
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flipped too often due to due topoor diet, stress, or aging, it
ramps up production ofpro-inflammatory cytokines like
TNF Alpha or interleukin six,and chronic persistent
activation of NF kappa B islinked to everything from
anxiety disorders to Alzheimer'sdisease.
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It can have a really profoundimpact on our brain through that
chronic level of inflammationand those inflammatory cytokines
that are just always lingeringwreaking havoc within the brain.
And that's where Nerf two comesin.
Nerf two is part of yourcellular cleanup crew.
It turns on genes that help youdetoxify, reduce oxidative
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stress and repair existingdamage.
Nerf two is anti-inflammatory inthe best way.
It helps restore your body's owndefenses rather than simply
suppressing the inflammation.
Like taking aspirin wouldcompounds like sulforaphane,
EGCG, which you'll find in greentea, and those anthocyanins and
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blueberries and purple cabbagehelp downregulate and NF kappa B
and upregulate Nerf two.
So it reduces the inflammationswitch and.
Turns up the volume on thecleanup crew effectively
calming, inflammatory fire, andboosting the repair team in the
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body and the brain.
The goal at the end of the day,is not zero inflammation.
We want inflammation to takecare of things like bacteria and
viruses and injuries.
It's an essential part of thatsystem.
But what we want is a balanced,responsive, adaptive
inflammatory system, not onethat turns on the flame and
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walks out of the room to let itburn.
We wanna be able to know when tosound the alarm and when to shut
it off.
Veggies also enhance ourcerebral blood flow.
They improve the delivery ofoxygen and nutrients to the
brain, right?
Blood flow is everything becauseremember, your brain doesn't
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store energy.
It needs that constant supply ofoxygen and glucose to function.
So if blood flow drops, so doesyour cognitive clarity.
Over time, our vessel walls willstiffen, nitric oxide production
declines, and the ability todeliver nutrient rich blood to
key areas like the prefrontalcortex and hippocampus suffers,
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causing difficulty in makingdecisions.
Difficulty in establishingmemory and increased mental
fatigue are nitrate richvegetables like beets, arugula,
and spinach, naturally boostnitric oxide production.
This helps blood vessels relax.
It improves circulation to thebrain, to the heart, to other
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organs in the body, and that'sexactly what we need and what we
want.
Vegetables also supportneuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is your brain'sability to adapt, to rewire and
grow.
It's what helps you learn newthings, recover from emotional
setbacks, and build new habitseven in your sixties and your
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seventies.
But neuroplasticity takes workand it takes a lot of fuel.
Having chronic inflammation,poor circulation and nutrient
deficiencies will all get in theway.
So one of the things that manyof my clients have talked about
over the years who have familymembers or loved ones
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experiencing cognitive declineis they'll talk about, you know,
in hindsight, they see that theadaptability of their loved one.
Became more diminished.
They get a little bit morestuck, more rigid as they age.
And people who previously werevery curious, very exploratory,
(36:47):
always willing to try new thingslike that, curiosity.
And that verve started to dim alittle bit, and it really isn't
until a couple of decades laterthat they could look back and
say, oh yeah, that was kind ofreally where it started.
So when we're struggling withneuroplasticity, it makes
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learning anything.
Really difficult and over time,impossible, right?
So many people who feel stuck orthey're forgetful, they're
really struggling to integratenew information or who become
mentally rigid as they age, itmay be a sign of that diminished
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neuroplasticity.
Now, of course, there'spersonality types that are
mentally rigid for ever andever, right?
Or people who have a tendency tojust get stuck in a certain
pattern.
That's not what I'm talkingabout.
I'm talking about individualswho weren't like this before,
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and then at some point in timearound or after midlife started
to change, right?
Like seeing these personalitychanges happen before it becomes
a very overt, clear case ofcognitive decline.
Flavonoids and Carotinoids helpsupport brain derived
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neurotropic factor also known asBDNF.
And this protein acts likemiracle grow for your neurons.
It also reduces the oxidativedamage that blocks synaptic
growth.
Like we used to think that thebrain was only malleable and
adaptable and grew in childhood,but now we know that the brain
can grow new neurons and adaptthroughout the entire lifespan,
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but only if we take care of it.
Neuroplasticity is not limitedto children, nor is it something
that we can take for granted.
It's something that we're bornwith that we start off having a
lot of, but unless we take careof our brain, we will definitely
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lose that ability as we age.
Vegetables and fruits alsosupport the blood brain barrier.
Your blood brain barrier is likesecurity detail for your central
nervous system.
It decides who gets in the brainand who stays the hell out.
When it's working well, it'llkeep toxins, pathogens, and
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excess inflammatory molecules incheck.
But if it's compromised, if it'sa little bit loose, if there are
gaping holes in it, which isprobably hyperbolic and not
literal, garbage gets through.
The blood brain barrier can becompromised through aging,
through high levels of stress orchronic stress, through blood
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sugar swings as well as chronicinflammation, and your neurons
ultimately will pay the price ifyour blood brain barrier is not
in tiptop shape.
And this is where ouranthocyanins and flavanols come
in because they help maintainthe structural integrity of the
blood brainin barrier byreinforcing the tight junction
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proteins that hold it together.
Tight junction proteins are alsofound in the gut, and we've
heard of the term leaky gut atthis point.
I'm assuming you all have heardof that term, leaky gut.
We can also have leaky brain,and that's when that blood brain
barrier gets a little bit looseright?
Those tight junction proteinsaren't as tight and don't work
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as well.
Just like what happens in thegut.
Now when we have a nice, tight.
Intact blood brain barrier,fewer inflammatory chemicals
come through and the blood brainbarrier is much better able to
control what gets into thebrain, which ultimately means
less mess for your microglia toclean up.
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And if your microglia isn'tconsistently and chronically
agitated because of inflammatorystuff getting through the brain,
then it's not gonna get out ofcontrol.
Right?
So you can see how there can bethis cascade of negative impact
that can happen from not keepingthese plant compounds, these
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antioxidant, phytochemical richplants in the diet to help
preserve all aspects of yourbrain.
The cliche eat the rainbow isthe simplest way to get those
compounds that I mentioned andseveral more that I've not.
When you're thinking of therainbow, think of purple, blue,
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green, yellow, orange, red, butalso white.
So have some nice little poofyclouds at the bottom of your
rainbow, so that white quercetinrich and sulfur compound foods
like onions, garlic,cauliflowers, mushrooms also get
onto your plate.
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Okay, so I have made this casethat vegetables are essential
biochemical support for yourbrain.
But the real problem isn'tknowing this information or not
knowing this information.
The real problem is actuallydoing what needs to be done,
getting those vegetables on yourplate in your real life with
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your real schedule and maybereal burnout and maybe a real
hatred of kale.
So let's look into what brainsupportive vegetable intake
actually looks like and how tomake it work without turning
your kitchen into like some kindof food prep monastery.
The first thing that I want youto do is forget about trying to
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get every single color everyday.
That is crazy talk.
No one's got time for that.
Instead, what I want you tothink of is diversity across the
week, not this perfect Pinterestplate on Tuesday.
Think of your dark leafy greenslike spinach and Swiss chard as
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your vascular insurance.
They contain magnesium andpotassium, and those nitrates
that don't just lower your bloodpressure, they prevent the kind
of vascular damage that shows uplater as memory loss.
So they should be a part of yourdiet every day.
If you are aiming for maximalprotection, put something green
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in your mouth every single day.
You also wanna really hunt downthose dark purple and deep red
vegetables and fruits, addberries to your morning yogurt,
throw some frozen blueberries inyour smoothies and your set.
I basically have a rule.
If I'm at the grocery store andI see something that has
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anthocyanins in it, whether it'spurple carrots, uh, purple
cauliflower has come up, whichis super fricking cool.
Um, purple cabbage berries, Iput it in my cart.
Purple is, for me anyway, one ofthe hardest, hardest to find
with regards to variety anddiversity in the grocery store.
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So when I see it, I grab it, andthen if it's in the house, I'm
gonna eat it.
One thing that you can do isfind a list of rain rainbow
produce examples online.
You can print one out, highlightthe veggies that are the easiest
to get your hands on at leastone, but ideally more from each
category, and then include thosevegetables and fruits in your
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weekly shopping list, and thatway you'll easily cover your
base and you'll get thatdiversity across the week.
That's what we're really lookingfor, is making sure that all of
the colors show up over thecourse of the week.
So over seven days, you couldget your blues and your purples
from blackberries, purplecabbage, eggplant, those green
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leafy veggies, right spinach,kale, charred, arugula,
watercress, broccoli is awesome.
Reds from tomatoes, cio, redskinned apples.
Watermelon, oranges and yellowsare gonna contain carotinoids.
So carrots, squash, yellowpeppers.
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But carotinoids are also foundin the greens, and it isn't
something that we really thinkabout unless you have aging
greens that are starting to turna little yellow.
And that's kind of like when thecarotinoids start to show
through because some of thechlorophyll has died out..
And then we've got our whites.
Our white is cauliflower, bokchoy, onions, mushrooms,
(45:26):
turnips, radishes.
Have a white interior and a redoutside that counts as two
colors.
Folks, that's a two in one.
It's a freebie, as are all ofthe other white fleshed fruits
and vegetables that have acolorful skin.
So take a look through yourgrocery store.
With your list of colors andjust grab something from each of
(45:49):
the color categories and usethat to incorporate into your
meals and snacks throughout theweek.
Now we also wanna think aboutquantity, right?
And Incorporating vegetables asa foundational structure in your
meal.
So here's how to think aboutthis.
Add frozen spinach to yoursmoothies or kale to your eggs,
(46:13):
or a breakfast bowl.
You can toss berries into yogurtor a smoothie that you'll
actually drink.
For lunch, you can use greens asa bed for your poke bowl if
you're dining out, instead ofusing rice as the base, use
greens and then add a little bitof rice on top.
You wanna think aboutvegetables.
(46:34):
As the bed, not the garnish.
You can also throw leftoverroasted veggies into wraps, into
soups.
Another thing I like to do isuse bolognese with a mix of 50%
broccoli and 50% pasta insteadof all pasta.
Bolognese works really well withroasted or steamed broccoli.
(46:57):
Uh, zucchini is wonderful aswell with bolognese and thinly
sliced cabbage.
Works pretty well as well, sothink about using veggies as the
base and grains as the garnish.
When it comes to dinner, go forvolume.
For most of us, this is ourlargest meal.
It's also one that's most likelyto be homemade or include
(47:20):
vegetables, so roasted broccoli,spiced carrots, sauteed cabbage.
Aim for one to two fist sizeservings of cooked vegetables
rather than the few tokenscrawny Spears of asparagus that
is modeled to you by therestaurant industry.
I think one of the reasons whywe struggle to get enough
(47:40):
produce is because we're notreally modeled adequate amounts
of produce.
What we get in restaurants is,you know, just kind of at most
one half cup serving, if we'relucky, unless you order a salad,
right?
So think about at least doublingwhat you would get in a
(48:01):
restaurant and then you're offto a good start.
If you can four x that and geteffectively two cups of cooked
veggies, then you get fourservings in one meal, which
really goes a long, long way tomaximizing the benefits that you
can get from produce.
Now when it comes to vegetableprep, I'm not asking you to fill
(48:24):
your shopping cart full ofproduce and then come home and
spend four or five hourschopping and prepping like some
kind of Instagram influencer.
Like that is totally not whatthis is about.
And I've, it's funny, I've hadso many clients over the years
think that healthy eating meansalways going to the farmer's
market, only getting organicspending all fucking weekend
(48:48):
chopping and prepping, and thenthey expect themselves to do
this every weekend for the restof their life, and think that
they have a willpower problembecause it's not working.
No, no, no.
The real, the expectations aresimply not realistic.
FI love farmer's markets.
Don't get me wrong.
The produce is glorious there,but it's often cost prohibitive
(49:12):
for a lot of people, or theirfarmer's Markets are seasonal
and not year round, depending onwhere you live.
So that is not a very realisticor sustainable way for most
people to get their produce.
Additionally, very, very few ofus have the time or the desire
to spend all weekend in thekitchen, chopping and prepping
(49:32):
and roasting and steaming, andall of the other stuff that
needs to be done to make thework week workable So let go of
the expectation that that's whatthis needs to look like, because
it 100% does not, absolutelydoes not need to look like that
and should not look like thatunless that's something that you
actually enjoy, that reallyworks for you.
(49:55):
Ultimately, just focus onlowering the friction between
you and having your next meal atthe ready that includes veggies.
So what the, what can this looklike?
Make the most out of technology?
Guys, we have freezers, we havefrozen veggies.
(50:17):
They are so much easier to workwith.
They don't go bad.
You don't forget them in theback of the fridge and then come
up with this like nasty assgooey gray stuff a month or two
later, make the most of frozenveggies.
Throw'em in soups, throw'em in,stir fries, throw'em in
smoothies.
Frozen spinach, riced,cauliflower.
Those work great in smoothies,zucchini, carrots also work
(50:41):
wonderfully in smoothies.
Frozen green beans are very richin several antioxidants and
folate, which is awesome.
They're readily available,frozen.
Throw'em in everything becausethey're tasty.
Additionally make the most outof the pre-cut packaged fresh
(51:04):
produce that's at your grocerystore.
Those broccoli florets, thecauliflower florets, baby
carrots, baby bell peppers.
We have so much more variety andso much more access now then we
did 15, 20 years ago, andthere's no shame in taking the
shortcut, like take theshortcut.
(51:26):
Thank goodness for the shortcut.
And let go of the guilt.
Like you don't need that.
Nobody needs that.
It serves no purpose.
All it's doing is getting in theway of you getting your veggies.
And all I want you to do, guys,all I want you to do, let's get
some more veggies.
Get some veggies with theprotein, get some veggies with
the proteins.
Take all the shortcuts that youneed to make it happen.
(51:48):
And take the win.
A high produce diet is sofreaking you will feel, you'll
feel so great.
You'll protect your brain.
You'll protect your heart.
I'm on a soapbox.
Someone needs to push me off'cause I'm a little bit outta
control.
So let me just wrap this uphere.
Brain health isn't made withmemory games and crossword
(52:10):
puzzles.
Okay?
It's about maintaining nutrientrich, ample blood flow to the
brain.
It's about calming inflammationand keeping that in check.
It's about building cellularresilience and vegetables.
Touch on every single one ofthose systems.
This is the long game, okay?
(52:31):
Now, if you've made it this far,you already know this episode is
not about guilt tripping anybodyinto kale conversion.
It's not what I'm about.
It's really about having adeeper understanding of what
your brain needs to age well andhow freaking awesome colorful
nutrient rich vegetables are insupporting all of the systems
(52:53):
that keep it functional.
So here's what I want you towalk away with today.
Know that the brain just doesn'tdecline.
It is responding.
It's responding to food, it'sresponding to movement or lack
thereof.
It's responding to blood flow orlack thereof.
(53:15):
It's responding to inflammationsignals.
Vegetables are able to modulateand change the language to
support the brain intoresponding differently.
Then perhaps your parents orgrandparents' brains have
responded.
And color matters.
Color is the other big takeaway.
(53:36):
Color is chemistry.
Polyphenols, carotinoids,flavonoids, right?
All of these work across yourentire body systems.
I've only talked about the braintoday, but they work throughout
the entire body to reducedamage, improve our energy, and
regulate inflammation.
The other thing is you do not,you do not need to overhaul your
life.
Just start feeding your bodywhat it relies on to stay well.
(54:03):
Do it a bit at a time, theeasiest way possible.
And so let's actually, let's doone thing this week I want you
to do one thing.
I want you to audit your color.
That's all you're gonna do thisweek.
Look at your meals.
Not to judge them, just observe.
You are a curious observer.
You are a culinaryanthropologist, exploring the
(54:28):
culinary habits of yourself,okay?
And ask yourself, where's mypurple?
Where's my green?
Are there any crucifer here?
And then after the week is over,kind of assess.
Pick one thing to add.
(54:49):
Maybe you're gonna focus oncrucifer.
Maybe you're kind of excitedabout anthocyanins and you're
gonna up your Blackberry game orget some red cabbage.
But just pick one thing to addand build from there.
Your future brain will thankyou.
Now, if you're realizing that,yeah, I know what I should be
(55:11):
doing, but.
I'm really struggling to do it.
I've been struggling to do itfor a long time.
It's not failure, okay?
I don't want you to take that asfailure.
It's ultimately, it's gonna be asystems problem.
Setting the systems in place tomake this easier isn't always
intuitive, and that's wherecoaching and practitioner
support come in.
(55:31):
If you're ready for that levelof help, you know where to find
me.
You can find a link in the shownotes to reach out to me.
You'll also find a link to mysubstack where you can get all
of the research that went intoproducing this episode.
If you wanna dig into the goldyourself.
Next week, I'm gonna be talkingabout CGMs, the hottest trend of
(55:54):
the year when it comes tobiohacking and my personal take
on the matter.
But until then, stay salty, staycurious, and I will see you next
time.
If you have found some nuggetsof wisdom, make sure to
subscribe, rate and shareblasphemous nutrition with those
(56:14):
you care about as you navigatethe labyrinth of health advice
out there.
Remember, health is a journey,not a dietary dictatorship.
Stay skeptical, stay daring, andchallenge the norms that no
longer serve you.
If you've got burning questionsor wanna share your own flavor
of rebellion, slide into my dms.
(56:36):
Your stories fuel me, and I lovehearing them.
Thanks again for tuning intoBlasphemous Nutrition.
Until next time, this is Aimeesigning off, reminding you that
truth is nuanced and any dishcan be made better with a little
bit of sass.
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