348: Goodbye Brain Fog: 3 Plant Foods for Focus and Productivity

Are you tired of sitting at your desk, staring at your to-do list, but your brain just won’t cooperate? Do you find yourself forgetting simple things, struggling to focus, or feeling mentally drained—no matter how much you want to get things done? We’ve been there, and we know how frustrating and exhausting it can be.

You don’t have to accept brain fog as your normal. In this episode, we’re sharing the exact steps we took to break free from mental sluggishness and reclaim our energy, focus, productivity, and joy—using simple, science-backed whole plant foods.

We're sharing about:

• Why brain fog happens (and why it’s not just “getting older”)
• The powerful connection between your gut and your brain—and how you can use it to your advantage
• Three specific, delicious plant foods that can help you boost your memory, sharpen your focus, and feel more like yourself again
• Easy, practical ways to add these foods to your daily routine—without spending hours in the kitchen

We know what it’s like to feel held back by low energy and mental fog, and we want you to know: you absolutely can feel better. We’re here to walk with you, step by step, and show you how exciting and enjoyable it can be to optimally nourish your body and mind.

If you’re ready to ditch the brain fog, boost your productivity, and start living the vibrant life you were created to enjoy, press play now. We can’t wait to share these life-changing tips with you!

Send us a text

💃🏻 Ready to learn how to actually enjoy eating whole plant foods so you can finally feel great and fully experience life? Inside Accelerator, we'll take you by the hand & walk you step-by-step through our proven 5-Step WFPB Framework so you can heal naturally & actively live your God-given dreams. Join the Waitlist Here... the Doors are Opening Soon!

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🥣 Grab our Cookbook Bundles (and snag the incredible Bonuses today) to learn the simple way to make whole food plant-based eating quick, enjoyable, and sustainable.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey there, sunshine, welcome to Power on Plants.
This is the podcast where weshow you exactly how to heal
your body naturally andenjoyably, so you can finally
feel good to live the full lifethat you deserve.
Today we're tackling a topicthat most every entrepreneur and
professional faces at somepoint in their life, and that's

(00:21):
brain fog.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Have you ever been at your desk staring at your to-do
list, but your brain just won'tcooperate.
If you find yourself forgettingsimple things, struggling to
focus or just feeling mentallysluggish, you are in the right
place.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Today, we're going to reveal three specific whole
plant foods that are backed byscience, which can help you
clear the mental fog so you canget more done naturally.
So grab your favoriteplant-based cup of happy and
let's get to it.
Hey sister, welcome to thePower on Plants podcast.
Are you tired of staring intothe fridge wondering what to eat

(00:56):
so you can just feel better?
Do you want to avoid spendinghours in the kitchen making
complicated meals in the name ofhealth?
Would you love to leave fatiguebehind and finally have the
energy to do all the things youwant to do?
Hi, we're Jared and AnitaRoussel, christ followers,
health care professionals,parents of four and big fans of

(01:16):
great tasting food.
We, too, tried exercising more,eating natural and clean foods,
but we still found ourselvesstruggling with what we thought
were changes that come with ageor bad genes, and we weren't
finding answers the traditionalroute.
So we dug into the research andcreated our secret nutritional
weapon sustainable plant-basedliving.

(01:37):
The truth is, you can eat morewhole plant foods and it's not
hard.
You just need the way.
That's realistic and deliciousso you never feel deprived If
you're ready to enjoy your meals.
No longer be held back by yourhealth struggles and actively
live your life, then you're inthe right place.
So grab your favoriteplant-based cup of happy pop in

(01:57):
those earbuds and let's getstarted.
Hi friend, we are so happy tohave you joining us today.
Now in case you're new to theshow, jared and I are a husband
and wife team.
I'm a nurse who's also acertified integrative nutrition
health coach.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
And I'm a physician assistant who's certified in
lifestyle medicine.
For years, we both spent ourdays helping our patients manage
disease, but then, when weturned 40, anita hit a huge wall
with her health.
Actually, at that point, wewere both carrying extra pounds
and also found ourselvesstruggling with low energy,
daily exhaustion and, yes, evenbrain fog.
But thankfully, over time, wedug into the research, started

(02:34):
implementing what we learned anddiscovered what a huge
difference that food can makewhen it comes to healing
naturally and being able tofully live the incredible life
we've been blessed with.
As a result, we no longer helpour patients and clients manage
their diseases.
Instead, we help them toprevent and even reverse the
most common diseases of our time.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
And we love it.
So today we want to help youfirst understand that brain fog
is not something that you justhave to accept.
It's not something that justhappens, is not something that
you just have to accept.
It's not something that justhappens.
It can stem from various things, such as lack of sleep, stress
and, yes, even the food on yourplate.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Exactly, and brain fog isn't a medical diagnosis,
but it is a real experience.
It's that feeling of mentalcloudiness, forgetfulness, lack
of focus and sometimes evenconfusion.
You might notice it asdifficulty recalling names,
losing your train of focus andsometimes even confusion.
You might notice it asdifficulty recalling names,
losing your train of thought orjust feeling like your brain is
running in slow motion.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
I remember those days so well and they were
exhausting.
And where it really getsfrustrating is when you have all
these things that you just wantto experience with those you
love, as well as goals anddreams of what you want to
accomplish in life, likestarting a business or even
taking your current one to thenext level.

(03:51):
Brain fog can be a hugeproductivity killer, costing you
so much time and money and evenopportunities.
But here's what we want you toremember you do not have to
accept it as normal.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Absolutely not.
Now you may be wondering whydoes food matter when it comes
to mental clarity?
One of the answers lies in thepowerful connection between your
gut and your brain.
When your gut is healthy, ithas a tremendous impact on how
your brain functions.
One powerful aspect of this isthe beneficial gut bacteria that
help to produce things that ourbrains need, like serotonin and

(04:28):
dopamine.
They also create butyrate, ashort-chain fatty acid that
helps to reduce inflammation,even in our brains, and this is
just scratching the surface.
What is the food that the goodgut bacteria need?
It's fiber, and while plantfoods are filled with fiber, you
won't find any fiber in animalproducts.
So whether or not you aregetting enough fiber daily can

(04:49):
greatly impact this gut-brainconnection.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
Now certain foods are known to boost neurotransmitter
production, reduce inflammationand even protect your brain
cells from damage.
Reduce inflammation and evenprotect your brain cells from
damage.
In fact, research shows thatspecific whole plant foods can
help you think more clearly,remember more and even stay
focused longer.
So today we're going to drilldown and share three of the best

(05:13):
specific foods for liftingbrain fog, plus some simple ways
to add them to your dailyroutine.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
First up is blueberries.
These flavorful powerhouses arepacked with polyphenols and
anthocyanins, compounds thathave been shown in research to
improve cognitive performance,processing speed and to protect
against cognitive fatigue.
A three-month clinical trialfound that daily blueberry
consumption improved learningand list recall in older adults

(05:41):
with early memory changes.
The nurse's health study foundthat higher long-term intake of
blueberries and strawberries wasassociated with slower rates of
cognitive decline, delayingbrain aging by up to two and a
half years.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
So how do you get more blueberries into your life
in a way that you enjoy?
You can simply add them to yourmorning smoothie, or sprinkle
them onto your oatmeal, orsimply enjoy them as a snack
straight out of your bowl.
That's one of my favorite ways.
Eat them fresh or frozen to getthe same brain boosting
benefits.

(06:15):
Next, let's talk about walnuts,because walnuts are rich in
omega-3 fatty acids andpolyphenols, which support brain
cell communication and help toreduce inflammation.

Speaker 2 (06:26):
A study published in 2020 in the journal named
Nutrients showed that walnutsimprove cognitive function in
humans and even animals bysuppressing inflammation and
oxidative stress in the bodybecause of its antioxidant
components and oxidative stressin the body because of its
antioxidant components.
The study also concluded thatwalnut consumption did not
contribute to weight gain orhinder weight loss goals.

Speaker 1 (06:47):
So how do you use walnuts?
You toss them into a salad, orblend them into delicious sauces
, or grab a handful as a snack.
Just a small serving a day canmake such a big difference when
it comes to thinking clearly.
And last but certainly notleast, is leafy greens like
spinach, kale, collards and more.

(07:08):
These foods are truly lifechangers.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
I couldn't agree more , because leafy greens are
loaded with things like folate,vitamin K and lutein, all of
which have been linked to slowercognitive decline and better
memory.
A standout study from thejournal titled Neurology found
that people who ate just oneserving of leafy green
vegetables per day were morelikely to have a stroke, at a
much slower rate of cognitivedecline, than those who rarely
ate them at all.

Speaker 1 (07:33):
Isn't that amazing.
Just one single serving ofleafy greens per day can make a
huge difference.
So then the question is how doyou get more of them in your
life?
Right?
Here are the simple ways Toss ahandful of greens into your
smoothie, or chop and add themto your soups and stews, or load

(07:54):
up your grain bowl with theleafy grains.
Here's the thing the more wholeplant foods you eat, the better
, and that's something we reallywant you to walk away from this
episode, with Not just threewhole plant foods to start
boosting your brain power andyour productivity, but also some
big excitement that we aretruly just scratching the
surface here.
I mean, think about it.
So many people are eating thestandard American diet that's

(08:17):
filled with artery cloggingfoods like oils and animal
products.
And what happens when vesselsget clogged?
The nutrients your cells needcannot get into the cells and
the garbage cannot escape.
Do you think that process couldlead to brain fog?
Absolutely, but what's thepossibility that if you started
eating more blueberries andwalnuts and leafy greens every

(08:40):
week, that the brain fog wouldbegin to clear?
And what if you didn't stopthere, but you learned this
simple, exciting way to keepadding more and more of the
other life-giving whole plantfoods.
As a natural result, you'd findyourself eating less and less
of the sabotaging foods.
Then your gut bacteria wouldgrow happier and happier and

(09:00):
your vessels would startclearing seriously.
Have you seen the photos ofthis?
It really does happen.
Dr Dean Ornish did a study andyou can literally see vessels
opening up.

Speaker 2 (09:11):
I know it's amazing, isn't it?
Whole plant foods arelife-giving foods and that
really shouldn't surprise us inlight of Genesis 1 29.
But maybe you're thinking thatsounds great, but those aren't
the things I'm used to eating,and I like the meals I eat
regularly.
So how in the world would Iever eat whole food, plant-based
?
First things first.
Just start adding in someblueberries, walnuts and leafy

(09:32):
greens every week in ways thatwe've shared with you here on
this episode today.
It can be just that simple tostart.
Listen, there's one thing thatAnita and I are not about, and
that's overwhelm.
It's just not how we roll.
What we are all about is makingthis amazing way of eating
really delicious, quick and easyfor you, so you can not only
live a long life but fully liveit.

(09:53):
So if you just want to know howto make some of your old
favorites in a super fast andeasy way, like dressings and
sauces that make your food tastefantastic, delicious desserts
like brownie batter, hummus, thebest banana pudding, or even
lightning fast meals like datenight alfredo sauce that's
creamy and delicious, go rightnow to poweronplantscom forward
slash cookbook.

(10:13):
The cookbooks that you'll findthere are our original go-to,
tried and true recipes that makeeating whole food plant-based
realistic and enjoyable.
You'll find them atpoweronplantscom.
Forward slash cookbook.

Speaker 1 (10:24):
And maybe you feel like I just want someone who
knows exactly what to do to takeme by the hand and want me
step-by-step through exactly howto eat more whole plant foods,
like where to shop and what tobuy, and how to make eating this
way work with real life.
If that's you, go right now topoweronplantscom forward slash
accelerator and join the waitlist, because the doors only

(10:47):
open a few times each year, andwhen you're on the list, you'll
be the first to know whenaccelerator is open next.
This coaching program isabsolutely awesome because
you'll get video trainings,including all our exclusive In
the Kitchen videos, and we'veeven created a signature private
Accelerator podcast for ourmembers too.

(11:07):
That means you'll not only haveexclusive content for making
whole food plate-based eatingsimple, but you'll be able to
listen to every single lesson ofthe course while you're on the
go, and the weekly coachingcalls and replays make all the
difference for you.
Plus, jared and I are insidethe community every single day
answering any question andproviding direction too.

(11:30):
So go right now topoweronplantscom forward slash
accelerator so that you don'tmiss out the next time the doors
are open.

Speaker 2 (11:38):
Now we want to know which of these brain boosting
foods are you going to add toyour meals this week Blueberries
, walnuts or more leafy greens?
Decide right now and make sureyou have that specific food in
your house, because what we knowis this if it's there, you'll
eat it, and if it's not, youwon't.
Right, as you add more wholeplant foods to your days and

(11:58):
start noticing how your bodyfeels whether it's having more
energy, better focus or aclearer mind we'd love to hear
your results.
Come into our free group andshare your experience with us at
poweronplantscom forward slashpie.
That's poweronplantscom forwardslash pie.
That's poweronplantscom forwardslash P-I-E.

Speaker 1 (12:15):
Friend, we are so glad that you could join us for
this episode of Power on Plants.
If you found this episodehelpful, please subscribe, leave
a review and share it with afriend who could use a mental
boost.
And remember you have the toolsyou need to power your body and
your business optimally, onedelicious bite at a time.

(12:35):
Know that you are loved, youare prayed for and we look
forward to seeing you again verysoon.
Thank you.