Brain boosting smoothie

Baby it’s cold outside!

I can’t wait for Springtime’s triumphant return to my garden. Just when my mood’s gotten as dried and brittle as a pile of last autumn’s leaves, the first purple crocus spreads her delicate petals and a smile spreads across my face. Soon the cheerful yellow daffodils will take their turn, before giving way to the flamboyant tulips.

You know what else is colorful and makes me smile? You guessed it, a smoothie. Any self-respecting smoothie includes ingredients that will help your neurons (brain cells) blossom, as if there were a perpetual springtime inside your skull.

So how do you make the smoothie-est smoothie?

First, pour a cup full of almond milk in the blender with a fistful of ice.

Why almond milk?

Almonds may increase the levels and improve ratios of neurotransmitters (molecules that allow nerve cells (neurons) to communicate with one another) in the hippocampus (part of brain that is crucial for learning and memory) and frontal lobe (executive center of the brain). In 2016, Pakistani scientists improved the memory of lab rats by supplementing their diets with almonds. This finding prompted researchers in Boston, in 2021, to study the effects of eating almonds on the human brain. The researchers compared almond eaters to those who abstained and discovered that almonds may improve memory, learning and planning abilities.

Now, add a scoop of protein powder.

Not just any protein powder either. You’ll want to use whey protein.

Whey?

Yes, whey?

Why whey?

A 2024 study, performed by Chinese scientists, proved whey protein improves thinking under certain circumstances. The scientists tested more than one hundred volunteers. The participants were older than sixty years and were determined to be suffering from mild cognitive impairment (problems in one or more cognitive domains, including memory, attention, language, executive function, orientation, and visuospatial skills).

Half of the volunteers were provided with a specially designed whey protein powder, which they consumed for more than a year. The other half were given a placebo. The powder was rich in milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), taurine, and B vitamins.

After a year, the scientists tested the volunteers using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Those who were provided with daily whey protein powder dietary supplements had significant improvement in mental functions.

Next, Splash in a bit of vanilla extract.

Neuroscientists have demonstrated that the pod of the vanilla flower is packed with brain power. In 2016, Korean scientists studying the brains of mice, determined that eating vanilla encouraged the growth of neurons in the hippocampus. Vanilla also increased BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor). BDNF helps support survival of existing neurons (under normal circumstances and after injury) and encourages growth and differentiation of new neurons and synapses (areas where nerves join). If you’d like to learn more about BDNF, please read https://marcarginteanu.com/f/what-is-bdnf

Don’t forget to sniff the vanilla and enjoy the aroma before you mix it into your smoothie. In 2015, Chinese scientists showed the olfactory pathway may be a key component to unlocking the brain benefits of vanilla. The researchers, studying an animal model of depression, discovered that rats adore the smell. It turns out that the aroma of Vanilla may increase monoamine concentration in your brain. Vanilla improved mood, alleviated depressive behaviors and induced calmness.

Now it’s time to add the glorious color:

Multiple studies have demonstrated that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of many brilliantly colored fruits and berries are of great benefit to the brain.

Cherry red:

The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of cherries may be the key to a fine tuned brain. In 2019, scientists recruited a group of volunteers with normal cognitive function, between the ages of 65–80. They were randomly divided into two groups. Half of them drank tart cherry juice every day for twelve weeks, the other half remained on their normal diet. After the intervention, participants in the tart cherry group had higher memory scores and performed better on a learning task and were able to maintain attention for a longer time. A 2019 study of older adults found that polyphenol rich cherries improve cognitive function and memory.

Crimson pomegranate:

Pomegranates may have been the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, but they’re a blessing for your brain. It may be a little bit of a nuisance to deal with the seeds, but it’s worth it. In 2019, a multi-institutional group of American scientists determined that extracts of the fruit may improve recovery after a stroke. They distilled pomegranate juice and extracted the polyphenols (a family of antioxidant and pro circulatory molecules). Post-stroke patients whose diets were supplemented with pomegranate polyphenols enjoyed better and faster neurological recovery and were able to leave the hospital more quickly than those who were given placebo (sugar pill). In 2020, Californian researchers discovered that pomegranate juice may be of benefit to neurologically normal middle-aged and older people. The scientists recruited about sixty people and provided half of them with a daily dose of pomegranate juice. They discovered that pomegranates may prevent memory loss and help preserve cognitive function.

While you’re at it drizzle in a little bit of pomegranate seed oil. A 2024 report by Greek researchers proved it adds to the brain boosting effect of your delicious smoothie. The scientists recruited eighty volunteers, with an average age of seventy years, who were suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

What in the world is MCI?

Glad you asked.

Those people living with MCI are perfectly capable of completing their daily activities. But they have measurably more trouble with memory and thinking than others of the same age.

Back to the experiment: The doctors prescribed 5 drops of pomegranate seed oil per day to one half of the volunteers and 5 drops of sugar water (placebo) to the other half. The experiment continued for an entire year! The scientists proved that the pomegranate seed oil dietary supplementation was associated with significantly improved thinking function: including memory, problem solving and decision making.

Azure blueberry:

The bonnie blue spheres are berry, berry beneficial to your brain.

Multiple studies have proven that a diet enriched by blueberries is capable of staving off age-related memory decline and decreasing the long term risk of dementia (such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD)).

How?

Well, I’ll let you in on the sweet little secret: blueberries are chock full of anthocyanin. Anthocyanin is an antioxidant of the flavonoid (polyphenolic phytochemical) family (the same family as polyphenols that enrich wine, tea, and dark chocolate), which is wonderful for the body and the brain. For the body, anthocyanin reduces inflammation and protects you from cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. For the brain anthocyanin is a warrior molecule, improving brain blood flow and battling Alzheimer’s disease and mental illness.

One enterprising multinational team of scientists convened a blueberry health roundtable (seriously!) in Washington, DC. In 2024, they reported the results of their deliberations. One surprising conclusion drawn at the conclave: Blueberries are active in the Gut-Brain axis. Anthocyanins bolster beneficial gut microbes; one mechanism by which blueberries mediate benefits such as improving working memory and igniting widespread brain activation.

In 2016, scientists determined that blueberries may significantly improve mental health. The magical fruit has properties that may boost mood, decrease suicidal ideation and mitigate PTSD.

In 2022, a multi institutional team of researchers enrolled more than thirty participants in a half-tasty experiment. The volunteers were all between fifty and sixty five years of age. They all complained of some level of cognitive decline. Half the volunteers were fed delicious blueberries, while the other half had to make do without.

The scientists tested the mitochondria (a tiny organelle that resides inside your cells and fosters energy production (sometimes called the powerhouse of the cell)) of both groups. The mitochondria of the blueberry eating group demonstrated significantly superior function.

The volunteers were also subjected to neurological tests: Those who indulged in a daily helping of blueberries enjoyed higher scores on tests of executive abilities (impulse control, task switching, and language function). Besides that, the blueberry group demonstrated superior long-term memory function.

The only problem with this smoothie is that it’s just not sweet enough. But don’t stir in any sugar. Squeeze in some golden honey.

Why not sugar?

In 2019, Danish scientists discovered that sugar can rapidly alter the physical structure of the brain. The researchers fed high doses of sugar to pigs and performed imaging and anatomical studies of their brains. After just one taste, the reward centers of the animals’ brains released opioids, an immediate narcotic-like effect. Within two weeks the structure of their neurons had changed. The altered dopamine and opioid receptors on the surface of the pigs’ neurons became consistent with a brain based sugar addiction. In 2020, scientists from New York proved that sugar would still be addictive even if it didn’t taste good. The researchers altered the taste buds of mice to eliminate their sensation of sweetness, but the animals still craved sugar. The vagus nerve (which runs from the brain to the gastrointestinal tract) sensed the chemical structure of the sugar molecule in the lining of the gut and sent electrical signals up to the brainstem. The mice had sugar cravings even though they were deprived of the pleasure of the sweet taste.

Buzz, Buzz. Bees are busy benefiting YOUR brain. In 2015, Malaysian scientists reported that honey improves learning and memory. Honey enhances acetylcholine (neurotransmitter) function at the neuronal synapses. Honey decreases inflammation by reducing oxidation (a process similar to rusting iron). Like vanilla, honey also has been shown to increase BDNF.

Want to learn more about foods to maximize brain function? Check out https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNVDNKGT

image Jane Peterson