Recipes That Nourish Your Brain

According to Dr. Braverman, Dr. Amen, and Dr. Colbert, our brain not only controls the things we already know about, like our movement, and our emotions, etc, our brain is the master control for everything that happens in our body.

The brain controls our glands, our hormones, our eating habits, our sleep patterns, our skin, our health, and how gracefully we age.

These doctors all take the approach - if you are having a physical problem - look to the brain first, and treat the brain first.

Physical symptoms that could be brain related:

• Food cravings


• Sugar cravings


• forgetfulness or brain fog


• dry skin


• Waking up tired on a daily basis


• Living in a state of anxiety


• Chronic pain


• binging


• Can't get motivated

This is just a sampling of issues. Get complete explanations in Dr. Braverman's book, "Younger Thinner You Diet."

Dr. Braverman gives a complete overview of the 4 major brain chemicals, along with quizzes to rate chemical deficiencies, and a complete description of the foods, herbs, spices and teas that restore chemical balance.

Nature's Bounty Scrambled Eggs

This is a healthy way to start off your day. I call it Nature's bounty, because you use whatever greens and veggies you have in the fridge, or that you enjoy eating together. You will notice the use of at least 3 spices mentioned in each recipe. The spices are almost the most important part of a brain healthy way of eating. Dr. Braverman recommends combining at least 3 spices per meal, because they are super-nutrition for the brain.

Scrambled Eggs #1 - NOTE: I don't cook with oil - I use a good spatula to keep lifting the egg mixture, and cook just till the eggs set.

Since June - my oil of choice is Udo's Oil, a perfect balance of 3,6, and 9 Omega fatty acids, and I always add 1 Tablespoon of oil per serving after the prepared food is set on the plate. This is how I give my body and brain the healthiest fat available and I find it is an absolute essential part of my brain-healthy lifestyle. When I use a Tablespoon of oil per meal, the oil satisfies my hunger. When I forget to add it, I am hungry within an hour of eating. (I aim for 3 Tablespoons daily)

2 eggs, scrambled
Tablespoon of yogurt
2 T chopped cilantro
1 T parsley
handful of fresh spinach, cut small
a bit of diced onion
garlic powder
curry powder
turmeric powder
pinch of salt

1 T. Udo's Oil or Flaxseed oil after placing in dish

You may also want to add fresh tomatoes, if available or a little tomato salsa

Scrambled Eggs #2

2 eggs
yogurt
onion
bell pepper
tomato
1 T parsley
2 T cilantro
ground fennel
thyme
rosemary
garlic

1 T. Udo's Oil or Flaxseed oil after placing in dish.

Do you have lot's of summer squash from the garden or farmer's market, then add 1/2 small squash.

NOTE #1: I always add parsley and cilantro to all my scrambled eggs, and if I have kale on hand, that also gets thrown in. Greens go wonderfully with eggs, because the eggs soften the flavor of the greens. It is a very easy way to add healthy greens to your daily diet, without having to retrain your taste-buds.

NOTE #2: If you are like many who hate cilantro, it is time to cultivate a taste for it. In these days of pollution, cilantro is known as a natural remedy for removing heavy metal toxins from our bodies.

TIP: Combine cilantro with parsley to hide the flavor of cilantro while you are in the process of training your taste-buds.

NOTE #3: If you are not eating the yolk, you are not getting the health benefits from the egg. The yolk contains all the vital nutrients of the egg. If you believe that eggs raise cholesterol, or are not heart healthy, that is old research.

Quick Hard Boiled Egg Snack:

Hard boiled egg dipped in thyme, parsley and ground coriander - also try sesame seeds, or any other 3 spice combination that you enjoy.

2 minute Deviled Eggs for 2 - This is my all-time favorite quick brain food snack because a simple change of spices makes a totally different tasting snack

4 eggs cut in half

Remove yolks, place in small mixing bowl

Add:

1T+ Udo's Oil
large dollop dijon mustard (or to your taste)
fine diced onion
garlic powder
curry powder
turmeric
pinch of salt

Mash with fork till creamy. You can make it creamier by adding more Udo's Oil or mustard. Start with the amount of spices that you can tolerate, particularly if you are not used to cooking with spices. Gradually increase the spices as you develop a taste for them.

Refill egg whites

NOTE #1: I always add a little fresh parsley and cilantro to mine, as you can see in the picture.

NOTE #2: My favorite spice combination is with curry powder, but the fun of this is you can create your own favorite 3 spice combo.

NOTE #3: You will notice the lack of mayonnaise. Combining the oil, curry powder and mustard creates it's own unique flavor - no mayonnaise necessary.

If you have a "sweet tooth" or are hooked on sodas, be it regular or diet, make a commitment to drink your homemade chai tea instead. Once you start eating enough brain healthy foods, spices and teas, you will be amazed at how quickly food cravings simply go away, you won't need the soda for energy, and they will actually start to taste "yucky.".

Chai Tea

1 teabag green tea
1 teabag black tea
1 t, Saigon cinnamon - don't fudge here - Saigon cinnamon gives the wonderfully sweet taste without adding sweetener
1/2 t allspice
1/4 t nutmeg

Steep in 1 quart hot water

Serve hot or iced
Serve hot and drink with your meal as an aid to weight loss. A couple hours after your meal, you can drink your tea iced, if you so desire. Stop drinking at least 4 hours before bedtime.

NOTE #1: The secret to the very best tasting Chai tea is in the cinnamon. For the wonderfully delicate sweet aftertaste, you must use Saigon cinnamon. If you are a Cosco member, you can pick up a large jar at a discounted price. If not, the next best price is from the link below.

NOTE #2: Don't skimp on the spices - these are all super-nutritious brain spices!

NOTE #3: Allspice is not a mixture of cloves and other spices. It is an actual berry grown in Jamaica. Make sure you use the real thing here.

1/2 c. nonfat plain yogurt (nonfat because you will be adding your own healthier fat)
1 T Udo's Oil
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
small handful of walnut pieces
10 frozen blueberries
5 frozen whole cranberries, or any berry combination.

Mix it up and enjoy.

Note #1:
Berries aren't necessary, but gives it a little extra anti-oxidant punch. Sometimes I will cut up part of an orange, or 1/2 kiwi. Each fruit adds it's own distinct flavor, so you are not eating the same thing all the time.

Note #2:
You can use yogurt as a vehicle for other healthy ingredients, because the cinnamon flavor hides everything else.

To illustrate: I add 1 t. ground flaxseed and wheat germ, and 1 t. of lecithin granules, because I am low in acetylcholine, and lecithin is very important to absorb and utilize choline, which in turn balances acetylcholine.

So the point here is you can use the flavor of the stronger spices to hide other less palatable ingredients which add extra nutritional pop to your dish.