For the most part, how the brain works is more mystery than not. But one thing scientists have learned is that food can directly affect how well it functions. They call it brain health just like a low cholesterol diet is heart health. But the health of the brain plays a major role in fighting off Alzheimer’s, diabetes and heart disease. The trick is finding ways to make that knowledge taste good.
Contrary to what most people think, eating foods that are good for you don’t have to taste bad. What we put on our plates can improve our cognition, emotion, memory and moods as well as our physical health.
Here, we have provided 2 recipes from The Healthy Mind Cookbook. They both have the key ingredients needed for healthy minds but are flavor-packed and ready for your everyday menu.
Pomegranate Mock Mojito
Makes 2 servings in about 5 minutes
Half-cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Half-cup pomegranate juice
Two teaspoons honey, optional
24 sprigs spearmint or peppermint
1 cup seltzer water
Ice
In a large measuring cup, add the honey, lime juice and pomegranate juice and stir. Then add the mint leaves, and crushing along the side of the cup with a wooden spoon. Next add the mineral water then stir. Pour over ice and serve immediately.
You can also use blueberry juice or cranberry juice instead of the pomegranate juice.
Coconut Ginger Lime Kale
Makes 4 servings in 15 minutes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 bunch kale, stemmed and cut into bite-size pieces
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup coconut milk
1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and then add the garlic and ginger. Stir well and cook for one minute. Next add the kale and salt. Sauté for 3 minutes and mixture should turn an emerald green. Then add the coconut milk and continue to sauté until the kale is tender. Last, stir in the lime juice and serve immediately.
Cooking is a world of its own and you can borrow from one recipe to use in another or mix the ingredients up, substitute things and try new taste. When it comes to cooking, there really isn’t a wrong way.
Take kale for instance. It is a world traveler of recipes. It can be Asian, Mediterranean or even Thai. And coconut milk is the same. It works well with kale to help increase the bioavailability of the fat-soluble vitamins in kale.
