The brain health kitchen : preventing Alzheimer's through food with 100 recipes

A physician and chef identifies the top ten brain-smart ingredients and shows that eating to maintain brain health is easy, accessible, delicious, and necessary for everyone. The foods we choose to eat—or not—sit at the core of the Alzheimer’s epidemic. They are also the heart of the solution. Annie Fenn, a doctor turned chef turned doctor/chef once she started taking care of her mother who was suffering from dementia, presents a whole new way to think about brain health: it begins in the kitchen. Scientific studies show it’s even simpler than that. There are 10 powerfully neuroprotective foods, and by making them the center of your diet, which is what The Brain Health Kitchen shows readers how to do, you will keep your brain younger, sharper, more vibrant, and much less prone to dementia. None of these brain superfoods will come as a surprise—berries, leafy greens, whole grains, fatty fish, and beans and lentils have been touted for their health-giving properties since researchers put a name to the Mediterranean diet. The Brain Health Kitchen takes this many steps further to create a unique food-based first-and-best line of defense against the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s. There are 100 recipes to put brain-healthy choices into every meal, from Caramelized Apple and Quinoa Pancakes for breakfast to Mushroom and White Bean Socca for lunch to dinners like Miso-Glazed Cod with Rice and Gingery Green Beans and Marinated Steak with Warm Kale Salad and Sweet Potatoes. Followed, perhaps, by Roasted Strawberries with Vanilla Bean–Cashew Cream. But it’s not just a diet—it’s a dietary pattern, which includes the healthiest ways to cook, making diverse choices, what foods you combine, and what you drink. Science bites throughout the book explain the research behind the facts. Though packed with solid science, the book isnt dense reading; [Fenn] dishes up the data and information in easily digestible bites. Seattle Times A physician and chef identifies the top ten brain-smart ingredients and shows that eating to maintain brain health is easy, accessible, delicious, and necessary for everyone. The foods we choose to eat (or not) sit at the core of the Alzheimers epidemic. In The Brain Health Kitchen, readers will learn exactly how making the right choices about the foods we select and cook, and how we eat them, can keep our brains younger, sharper, more vibrant, and much less prone to dementia. Scientific studies show that there are ten foods with powerful neuroprotective properties. None should come as a surpriseleafy greens, whole grains, berries, fatty fish, beans and lentils, olive oil, and more have been touted for their health-giving benefits since researchers put a name to the Mediterranean diet. But Dr. Annie Fenn takes a much more targeted approach, beginning with 100 recipes that incorporate brain-healthy foods into every meal of the day. From Caramelized Apple and Quinoa Pancakes for breakfast to Mushroom and White Bean Socca for lunch to dinners like Miso-Glazed Cod with Rice and Gingery Green Beans and Marinated Steak with Warm Kale Salad and Sweet Potatoes, here are dishes that are simply delicious, regardless of their health-boosting effects. Same with the desserts, like Coffee, Date, and Oat Bars. Readers will also learn other strategies for creating a brain-friendly dietary pattern, including choosing meats that fuel instead of harm; understanding the nuances between good and bad fats; embracing methods that preserve nutrients, such as braising and steaming; making sure to drink the right beverages; and addressing holistic issues like how diverse your food choices are and how beneficial it is to share meals with family and friends. Shifting to and sticking with a brain healthy diet is your first and best line of defense against the heartbreaking diseases of Alzheimers and dementia. And it works for everyoneomnivores, pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans, and the gluten-intolerant. "Scientific studies show that the choices we make today about what we eat help determine our mental health as we age. In The Brain Health Kitchen, Dr. Annie Fenn gives readers a guide to preserving cognitive ability through food, with 100 recipes to promote mental acuity. Fenn, a doctor turned chef, has organized the book into 10 chapters representing the most neuroprotective foods: berries, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, and more. Fenn walks readers through choices they can make to create a brain-friendly diet, like how to choose meats that will fuel instead of harm, how to understand the nuances between "good" and "bad" fats, and the difference between processed sugars and natural sugars. Science bites throughout the book explain the research behind the facts. Eating for brain health also means embracing cooking methods that preserve the nutrition of the food, such as braising, steaming, and smoking. The Brain Health Kitchen includes recipes for every meal of the day-from Caramelized Apple and Quinoa Pancakes for breakfast to Glazed Citrus, Almond, and Olive Oil Cake for dessert. And because cooking for your brain health is not about restricting or dieting, anyone can embrace this way of eating, whether they're vegan or vegetarian, pescatarian, a meat lover, or gluten intolerant. Backed by scientific research and a true love for food, Fenn teaches readers to eat for brain health today, so that the mind stays sharp for tomorrow"-- Provided by publisher