Since the work of a technologist is primarily mental, I am always on the look-out for ways to boost mental capacity. One way is thru food. Below is my recipe for a “brain train” smoothie. The drink provides a number of nutrients recognized for improving memory and cognition.
The smoothie weighs in around 500 calories. It equates to two servings of fruit and a half serving of vegetables. Consuming two smoothies daily fulfills the FDA recommended allotment of fruit and veggies.
Feedback is welcome, drop me an email. The drink is very much a work in progress.
Ingredients
1/2 cup or about 12 frozen dark sweet cherries (1/3 frozen package)
2/3 cup frozen blueberries (1/4 frozen package)
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (1/2 frozen package)
2 cup low-fat yogurt (1/2 large container)
1 raw egg
2 heaping teaspoons Soy protein powder
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
4 shots espresso, or 4 oz strong coffee, chilled
Directions
1. Make shots of espresso and chill it.
2. Use the food processor to thoroughly chop the cherries, blueberries, spinach, soy protein, and cinnamon.
3. Use the food processor to mix in the yogurt and egg.
4. Use the food processor to whip in the espresso.
Additional information
Complete nutritional information is available in an Excel spreadsheet.
http://www.jwgoerlich.us/papers/jwg-brain-train-smoothie.xlsx
Blueberries
“University of Redding have shown that eating blueberries may ‘increase powers of concentration by as much as 20 per cent over the day.’”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6168870/Blueberry-is-food-for-thought.html
Caffeine and coffee for boosting focus, energy, and possibly growing neurons.
Smith, A. (2002), Effects of caffeine on human behavior, Food And Chemical Toxicology
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12204388
Borota, D., and Murray, E. (2014) Post-study caffeine administration enhances memory consolidation in humans
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.3623.html
Korkotian, E., and Segal, M. (1999), Release of calcium from stores alters the morphology of dendritic spines in cultured hippocampal neurons, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10518577
Caffeine clue to better memory
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/472473.stm
Cinnamon extends the effects of the smoothie by leveling out the blood sugar.
Spoonful of cinnamon helps blood sugar stay down
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL07026020070620
Hlebowicz, J. (2007), American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Choline
The smoothie provides choline from yogurt, spinach, and soy protein. “A new research study done at MIT suggests that a combination of choline, omega-3 fatty acids with the uridine improved memory and learning in gerbils, and may have benefits for Alzheimer patients.”
http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/abstract/22/11/3938
http://www.cholinebaby.com/cbblog/2008/07/choline-omega-3-and-uridine-bo.html
Excerpted from Alzheimer’s Disease, Cognitive Decline and Nutrition Newsletter