- Neurologists say there’s a lot you can do for your brain health by making small changes to your diet.
- The first tip he recommends is to eat more leafy greens like spinach and kale.
- The nutrients that help plants grow healthy and lush are also good for our brains.
Neurologist Dean Sherzai said: dementia Researchers have their favorite studies.
Published in 2018The blockbuster study, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and funded by the National Institute on Aging, looked at the eating habits of more than 900 older adults living in the Chicago area and found that people who ate one to two cups of salad vegetables such as spinach, kale, collards, and lettuce a day had brain function that was about 11 years younger than their peers who didn’t eat lettuce.
“Just add some greenery,” says Sherzai, one member of the husband-and-wife team.Brain DocsWhen I asked her what she could do today to prevent neurodegenerative disease, she responded:
“You have a limited amount of stomach space, so if you have to start in one place, add two servings of vegetables to your diet,” he told Business Insider. This will “significantly reduce inflammation, oxidation, glucose dysregulation, and lipid dysregulation,” all of which are hallmarks of many age-related diseases.
Sherzai knows all too well the temptation to reach for the new quick fix that promises to lift your mood. Brain HealthThere are fancy supplements, pricey gummies, newfangled smoothie powders, and more. But after decades of research, he discovered that some of the “biggest” ways we affect our cognitive health are some of the most old-fashioned.
Our craving for novelty may be misleading us and causing us to miss the truly amazing chemistry of green vegetables. If there is such a thing as a brain miracle cure, it’s likely to be the cocktail of nutrients silently lurking in bright green leaves that helps them grow.
Why Plant-Based Chlorophyll is More Powerful than Green Juices or Supplements
When we eat green plants, we are ingesting green pigment molecules called chlorophyll, which help plants with photosynthesis, or capturing sunlight and converting it into energy for growth.
Chlorophyll is green because red and blue light from the sun is captured by the plant and absorbed as energy. The green light is what’s left behind and is reflected back to our eyes. And it turns out that these green chlorophyll molecules are packed with a wealth of nutrients, including iron, magnesium, and nitrogen, all of which are essential for life in plants and humans alike.
Health brands have tried to incorporate this natural dream team into their supplements and chlorophyll waters. But chlorophyll is highly unstable and can be easily broken down into other nutrients such as magnesium and vitamin E. Add Instead, other elements such as copper and zinc are used. Experts say it’s unclear whether the industrial versions of chlorophyll have any health benefits. What we do know is that: can Chlorophyll in its original packaging provides health benefits — in other words, eat more leaves.
“Chlorophyll itself may not be all that useful,” Troy Magney, an associate professor of plant optics at the University of California, Davis, told Business Insider, reflecting the fact that there’s no solid research to back up chlorophyll supplementation.
Instead, Magny says, it’s likely that it’s the chemical “building blocks” of the chlorophyll molecules in the leaves we eat that help us thrive. Crack open any dusty chemistry textbook and you’ll find that many of the various atomic components of the chlorophyll molecule, and others necessary for proper plant metabolism and growth, also have significant benefits for human health.
“All of these nutrients, including iron, magnesium and nitrogen, are needed by chlorophyll,” Magny explained.
Magnesium is an essential element for muscles, nerves, bones, and blood sugar levels. Half of us don’t get enough nutrition Iron plays a vital role in transporting fresh oxygen around your body, while nitrogen aids in growth and keeps your brain and immune system strong.
People who eat a lot of leafy greens also get good amounts of other nutrients, including vitamin K, folate, lutein, and beta-carotene. Experts believe that these nutrients, present thanks to the leaves’ vibrant pigments, may work synergistically to protect the brain. We already know they’re great for reducing inflammation, improving eyesight, and protecting DNA.
Darker leaves contain more nutrients per bite
Sherzai recommends including dark green plants like spinach and kale in your diet whenever possible.
“The darker the better,” he said.
That’s because dark green vegetables are naturally high in chlorophyll, packing a nutritious punch with every bite.
“You need more nutrients to produce more chlorophyll,” Magny says, “so you get a higher density of those compounds in the leaves themselves.”
It’s also a good idea to eat plants as fresh as possible – if the leaves start to spoil and yellow in the fridge, that’s a good sign they’re losing some of the green chlorophyll they produced while growing.
“The yellow pigment is always there, but you don’t really see it because the chlorophyll is so strong that it overwhelms the yellow pigment,” Amber Flores, a PhD student in plant biology at the University of California, Davis, told BI. “As the leaves start to age or die, the chlorophyll starts to break down, and you see the yellow coming through.”
Although yellowed leaves may still contain beneficial carotenoid pigments (which are great for eye health), wilted leaves generally have less nutritional value than they once did.
Look for the freshest lettuce you can, and if you like olive oil, drizzle a little on top. The fat also helps improve the absorption of the nutrients in the plant. If you prefer less vibrant leafy greens like pale iceberg or romaine, don’t be shy. Go for it.
“I know some people think of lettuce, especially iceberg lettuce, as kind of crunchy and watery, but that definitely reduces the other benefits it brings,” Flores says. Growing in a protected head like a lettuce head, lettuce doesn’t absorb as much sunlight as tender spinach, so it’s true that it’s not as vibrant green or rich in chlorophyll, but it’s still packed with other minerals and fiber.
“While they’re not as pigmented as other leafy greens, they’re still well worth eating and are easy to incorporate into many meals,” Flores says. Eat your vegetables“Do whatever you like,” she said.
