Dr. Uma Naidoo, psychiatrist, professional chef, and author of This Is Your Mind On Eating, is dedicated to discussing the important link between brain health and mental health.
“Food can have a powerful effect on our brain health,” he said in a recently released MasterClass on brain health. “That power is at the tip of your fork.”
First, neuroinflammation—an inflammatory response in the brain—is one of the drivers of mental health problems like anxiety and depression, Naidoo said. Good luck. It can affect the neural circuits in the brain responsible for emotional regulation. Excess sugar from highly processed foods, which causes inflammation, damages the brain’s nerves responsible for important functions such as memory and attention. This is why lifestyle changes such as diet are recommended to help manage depression and anxiety and protect the brain from age-related diseases such as dementia.
Another way to end the inflammatory process in the brain is to eat antioxidant-rich foods such as berries, beans, artichokes, and a variety of spices to rid the body of free radicals, which cause cell damage and stress the body and mind. However, Naidoo says people are often overwhelmed by the abundance of choices in supermarkets and don’t know where to start.
He says: “When we go to the grocery store, our brains and minds are captured by food advertising, and that’s not really marketing that’s good for our brains.”
While Naidoo emphasizes shopping the aisles of supermarkets where you can find produce, grass-fed meats, and dairy products, he also recommends spending time in the center aisle of the store.
With a variety of colors, flavors, and brain-healthy options, the spice aisle is the one to hit on your next grocery run.
Spices are not only delicious and versatile, they “add powerful anti-inflammatory properties to any food you eat,” says Naidoo, adding that it’s best to buy spices without anti-inflammatory ingredients, salt, and sugar.
Naidoo recommends grabbing these five spices on your next grocery run.
Turmeric
Turmeric contains the active ingredient curcumin, which is largely responsible for turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Turmeric also improves blood sugar and insulin levels, which helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure and obesity.
Naidoo also recommends adding a pinch of black pepper to the turmeric. It activates curcumin and makes it 20 times more bioavailable, making it more efficiently absorbed by the body to work.
Consider adding turmeric to your tea or latte or to flavor rice, protein, or stew dishes.
Mint
Using fresh or dried mint may help boost the brain, Naidoo says, noting that dried spices are more concentrated than fresh ones.
“Mint has a powerful antioxidant called luteolin, which really helps with brain fog,” she says.
Consider adding mint to your water or tea.
Garlic & Ginger
Garlic and ginger are important spices for the health of the body. “Garlic is a prebiotic that helps balance your gut by encouraging the growth of healthy bacteria,” Naidoo said earlier. Good luck. And remember being told to drink ginger ale when you get a stomach ache? Ginger, which also has anti-inflammatory properties, helps with nausea and can help heal the gut and brain by reducing inflammation.
It is also a common ingredient in essential oils due to its calming properties through the compound gingerol, which can help reduce stress.
Chile
Spicy food lovers are in luck. Capsaicin is responsible for giving chili its heat. It is also used as a homeopathic remedy for various ailments and can elevate mood.
“Capsaicin works on certain neurotransmitters, and is linked to antidepressant effects by using a type of neuroreceptor called the NMDA receptor,” Naidoo said. Research in animal models has confirmed capsaicin’s anti-depressant qualities.
You can find chili in the produce section, and ground chili in the spice section.
While adjusting your diet to protect our brain may feel overwhelming, Naidoo recommends making a few small changes to get you started. Keeping your eyes peeled for spices at the grocery store is one way to prioritize brain health.
“As Americans, our reliance on highly processed foods and sugar in everything we eat is not our fault,” she said. “We don’t have to give up everything we love. It’s about the slow and steady brain changes we can make.”
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