GOOD FOOD

EAT YOURSELF SMART We hear a lot about heart-healthy diets, but did you know what you eat can enhance your brain’s performance, too? From boosting memory and aiding concentration to lowering inflammation, eating smartly will significantly impact how you think and feel during the day. Eating the correct dietary content ensures that vital neurophysiological processes are optimised. ‘These include neuroplasticity [the brain’s ability to form new pathways], the establishment and retrieval of memory, learning, processing speed, cognitive performance and mental health.’ Read on to discover the key nutrients you need to eat to keep your grey matter on top form. OMEGA-3 Why you need it: There are three types of omega-3 and they’re all essential for the health of your brain. At 40 per cent, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is the most abundant in the brain’s cell membranes. The other is EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). However, the body is not efficient at synthesising DHA, so we’re largely dependent on ...

With the right blend of ingredients, a smoothie can be a nutritional powerhouse—full of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and protein. But a few misguided add-ins can leave you with a high-calorie, sugar-laden dessert that’s anything but the healthy drink you had envisioned.  1. DON’T: Throw everything into the blender. It’s easy to treat a smoothie as a free-for-all, tossing in handfuls and drizzles of various ingredients, but this carefree method is an easy way to add calories, sugar, and fat to your drink with surprisingly unhealthy results. DO: Measure your ingredients. Measuring ingredients will keep the nutrition stats in check, while also ensuring a good solid-to-liquid ratio. 2. DON’T: Reach straight for kale. We’re all about adding greens to our smoothies, but don’t dive into kale right away. It’s a bitter green, and if you start there, you may be tempted to add in too much sugar to compensate. DO: Start with spinach. It’s easy to mask the flavor of spinach, making it the ...

When it comes to juicing for cancer, there seems to be two different opinions on this topic. On one side are the proponents of juicing that report that juicing allows for a large intake of fruits and vegetables and that stripping away the fiber allows for better absorption and bioavailability of the cancer fighting nutrients. On the other side are those that are concerned that the rapid rise in blood sugar that can be caused by consuming juice will feed the cancer and promote its growth. Which side is right and what does the research say? In a review of the pros and cons of fresh juice consumption, authors in the UK concluded that consuming 75-224 ml daily of fresh juice did not increase the risk of obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease or poor glycemic control. They also note that in the short term studies, drinking as much as 500 ml per day was beneficial for blood vessel functioning and reduced blood pressure. This review also cites two publications that support juice pr...

 #1 Romaine Lettuce This is a variety of lettuce which grows in a tall head of sturdy leaves with firm ribs down their centers. Romaine lettuce contains 136ug of folate per serving. In one of the studies. Other Lettuce High in Folate (%DV per cup shredded): Endive (18%), Butterhead (10%), Salad Cress (10%), Chicory (8%), and Arugula (4%). #2 Spinach It is a rich source of folic acid, which decreases the risk for neural tube defects such as birth defects of the brain and spina bifida. 1 cup of spinach contains 263 mcg of folate (65% DV). Try cooked spinach and sandwiches with spinach or add a few bright jade colored leaves to your favorite soups and stews. #3 Asparagus This is perhaps one of the most nutrient dense foods with folic acid out of the entire vegetable kingdom. Eating just one cup of boiled asparagus will give you 262 mcg of folic acid, which accounts for approximately 65% of your daily needs. #4 Turnip Greens Folate is a critical B-vitamin for support of cardiovascular ...