According to the author of a new book, the ‘huge fatty salad diet’ reduces inflammation and your waistline, plus your brain will thank you.
Salad isn’t the first food you think of when the cold weather arrives. But that might be because your brain isn’t working as well as it should be.
According to Max Lugavere, author of the new book Genius Foods: Become Smarter. Happier and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life, we should be eating for our brains, not our waistlines. And one of the easiest ways to do that is through eating what he calls a ‘huge fatty salad’ at least once every day.
The salad to end all salads.
Lugavere recommends basing your salad on the three of your favourite salad greens: kale, spinach and arugula. “That’s a trio that’s really powerful,” Lugavere said. “Kale is incredibly nutrient dense, and a top source of magnesium and lutein. Spinach is a top source of folate and magnesium. And arugula is unique because it’s a top source of nitrate.”
He says that the last one is particularly important as nitrate helps to “promote healthy blood vessel function, which is profoundly important for the brain. Research has found that one single high-nitrate meal could improve cognitive function.”
Once you’ve got the base down, you can pretty much go wild. If you’re stuck for ideas, the author suggests wild salmon or grass-fed beef as your protein and as many veggies as you fancy.
Extra-virgin olive oil is the best dressing for your brain. End of story.
Dressing is the make or break of a great salad, and Lugavere is pretty strict about what you should use. He said that extra-virgin olive oil is the best dressing for your brain. End of story. ”You’re not giving your brain its best shot if you’re using anything but extra-virgin olive oil, which contains intense anti-inflammatory effects,” he said.
This is because extra-virgin oil contains oleocanthal, a compound that has strong anti-inflammatory benefits. This is essential for strong brain function because it prevents neuroplasticity from occurring (this is the process where the brain changes throughout life). In case you were thinking of scrimping on the extra-virgin part, then think again. Regular oil is processed, which creates trans-fats which we all know aren’t great for us.
Also on his no-list is pretty much every oil you can think of including canola oil, soybean oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, grapeseed oil and rice bran oil.
The reason these oils are a no-no for your brain is that they have been processed and contain polyunsaturated fats. Now there is some debate as to whether polyunsaturated fats are good or bad for you. Some experts believe that an imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 consumption (which are found in polyunsaturated fats) is contributing to inflammation in our bodies. Although the jury is still out on that one, it might be best to avoid eating too much polyunsaturated fat, just in case.
Some brain-food recipes you can try
If you still have no idea where to go from here, then here are two salad ideas straight from the book itself. We give you permission to get as fat as you’d like.
Salad 1: Kale, cucumber, thinly sliced jalapeño chilies, raw broccoli, sunflower seeds, avocado, grilled chicken, extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, lemon
Salad 2: Spinach, arugula, tomatoes, bell peppers, chia seeds, avocado, grilled shrimp, extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, minced raw garlic, lemon
Or try a simple green salad with an extra virgin olive oil dressing.
