Can The Secret to Happiness Be Found on Your Plate?

Everyone knows that eating unhealthy food can make you gain weight, but what you might not know is how much it can affect how your brain works.

In fact, bestselling author of Healing the Broken Brain Dr. Mike Dow says that for most people, “there’s nothing that affects our brain more [than food].” He breaks down four key areas where food comes into play.

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Learning

“Food coma is real,” Dr. Dow says. It’s pretty amazing how quickly food can affect your memory, which is key to learning. Dr. Dow claims that just an hour after eating foods like pizza, french fries or burgers, you would likely score worse on a memory test.

Mood

“Good food equals good mood,” Dr. Dow says. Your brain needs foods like broccoli, tomatoes, olive oil, salmon and nuts, and by adding foods that are packed with folate like spinach, black-eyed peas and pumpkin seeds, you can literally make yourself happy.

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How does that work exactly? Dr. Dow explains, “Your brain takes the amino acids from your foods and then it needs the folate to the manufacture serotonin, which makes you feel happy and calm, and also dopamine, which makes you feel happy and alert.”

Memory

According to Dr. Dow, if you eat a lot of simple carbs like breads and cakes, you can end up spiking your brain with blood sugar and get brain fog. For a healthier brain, Dr. Dow recommends eating foods like sage, blueberries, turmeric* and pepper which are neuroprotective.

Tip: In order for your body to absorb turmeric*, make sure to combine it with black pepper.

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Sleep

Getting more sleep could help you to resist unhealthy food. Dr. Dow says that your brain changes when you are tired, giving you less willpower to resist foods that are bad for you.

Dr. Dow’s Bedtime Latte

Put Dr. Dow’s advice into practice by drinking this super-healthy latte before bed. Just mix up the below ingredients and enjoy!

1 cup warm milk
1 tsp cinnamon
? tsp of turmeric*
? tsp of black pepper

*Turmeric Advisory - There is evidence that turmeric may interfere with the effects of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications. If you are on blood thinners or other medications, are pregnant, have diabetes or any other medical condition, always check with your doctor before making changes to your diet.