I was inspired by a post this morning from Dr. Mark Hyman where he noted the vast nutrients obtained from eating a colorful assortment of fruits and vegetables. In particular, he specified foods that enriched brain health through the specific micronutrients of Lycopene, Retinol, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Vitamin E. At one time or another over the past 20 years I have taken supplements containing the above micronutrients for skin, eye, and brain health however ideally we eat a diet naturally rich in these compounds. The beauty of spending time in Florida is that winter fruits and vegetables abound at the local farmer's market.
Retinol is a form of vitamin A that helps our immune system, eyes, and skin. It is found in foods such as eggs, small fatty fish, and liver. I don't eat a lot of liver, however, when my energy is low I have found it to be quite helpful. Between fresh eggs and beef liver, Wisconsin farmers make these whole foods quite accessible. For today I simply boiled us a couple eggs to add to our salad.
Lutein is a naturally occurring antioxidant known as the "eye vitamin." According to Dr. Hyman, several studies also link a diet rich in lutein to cognitive functions such as verbal fluency, executive function, and memory. I certainly need to increase my lutein! Foods such as kale, corn, orange peppers, kiwis, grapes, zucchini, and squash contain lutein. I happened to have mini orange peppers so added them to our salad.
Zeaxanthin may benefit spatial memory, reasoning ability, and complex attention. It can be found in eggs, oranges, goji berries, and orange peppers. I bought these delicious, melt-in-your mouth honey ball oranges to increase our Zeaxanthin levels.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce oxidative damage. Multiple studies indicate it lowers the risk of cognitive impairment while additional research indicates it has a positive effect on learning and memory functions. It can be found in nuts and seeds, red bell peppers, asparagus, spinach and avocados. I bought an array of leafy greens including spinach and arugula as they offered a BOGO option on organic greens today. In addition, I am a big fan of walnuts and had a large bag I had bought from Costco in Wisconsin and brought to Florida. Walnuts actually resemble the brain's hemispheres so perhaps it is no coincidence that they appear to have protective brain benefits. These too were added to our salad.
Finally, I needed a wholesome salad dressing as one can completely negate the healthy intention with a commercial salad dressing whose base is seed oils and other preservatives. I knew I had olive oil in my kitchen and I purchased fresh Florida honey at the market. In addition, I had vinegar, minced garlic, a lemon, dill, honey dijon mustard, plus salt and pepper. I used about 4 ounces of olive oil to a tablespoon or two of regular white vinegar and shook all the ingredients together in a mason jar with an outstanding outcome! It was delicious!
As a side note, it has been WONDERFUL to teach Pilates on-line via Zoom this new year!
I can't believe January is done! More classes begin next week, February, so check out this link and please register via Venmo, @ Tiffany-Larson-32 All participants receive a recording of the class which is available for 30 days. docs.google.com/document/d/1BBMypb_k-ki9Ed-xI7b5Ka7fF5SjiSvqyUvWsR3LS-I/
I can't believe January is done! More classes begin next week, February, so check out this link and please register via Venmo, @ Tiffany-Larson-32 All participants receive a recording of the class which is available for 30 days. docs.google.com/document/d/1BBMypb_k-ki9Ed-xI7b5Ka7fF5SjiSvqyUvWsR3LS-I/