SEATTLE — Nutrition plays a significant role in brain health. Providence Swedish is now part of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, an international organization that promotes whole food and plant-based cooking, and Swedish’s Center for Healthy Aging is raising awareness about the link between your diet and brain health.
“There’s a strong emerging need to understand further the need of nutrition and diet for brain health,” said Dina Metti, research specialist and health educator. “What we do know is that diet can affect neuroinflammation.”
Adding color and variety to a salad can help you get key nutrients that boost your brain health. Make a salad that includes dark leafy greens, red cabbage, red bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms, edamame and pumpkin seeds. Add a dressing made from lemon, oranges and ginger to get the benefits of vitamin C and antioxidants.
“We want a lot of color for gut health as well,” Metti said. “The gut-brain axis is really important. We want a lot of color, a lot of variety for that.”
Foods to avoid include refined sugars, like soda, and red meat, which is known to cause inflammation.
“You want to focus on whole foods, plant-based,” Metti said. “Get in your vegetables. Get in your fruits. Focus on legumes, nuts, seeds.”
Another brain healthy option is overnight oats. Add oats, flaxseed, almond milk, blueberries and walnuts for a breakfast filled with omega-3s and antioxidants.
Focusing on plants as much as possible and eating the rainbow can help you stay brain healthy. To learn more about fueling your brain with the right foods, visit the Providence Swedish Center for Healthy Aging website.
Rainbow Salad
Serves: 6
Salad
- 2 cups of spinach
- 2 cups of purple cabbage, shredded
- 2 cups of carrots, grated
- 1 cup of red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup of sliced cremini mushrooms, sautéed until softened
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
Dressing
- 2 T orange juice
- 2 T lemon juice
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- ½ inch part of ginger
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add all dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until combined and smooth.
- Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- Pour the dressing over salad and mix to combine and enjoy.
Brain Boost Overnight Oats
Serves: 1
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 T flaxseed
- ½ tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Blueberries, to taste
- Walnuts, to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small container with an airtight lid and mix to combine.
- Store in the refrigerator overnight, make multiple to last the week.
- Try chia seeds instead of flax, try different berries, try different nuts and seeds.
Sponsored by Providence Swedish.
Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.