Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life (Genius Living Book 1)

How to use: Consume one 85% dark chocolate bar per week. Opt for organic or fair trade certified, which is almost always ethically sourced.

One result of fiber consumption is that our microbial friends metabolize the fiber and transform it into chemicals called short-chain fatty acids, or SCFAs.7 This category of fatty acids includes butyrate, acetate, and propionate, all of which have been linked to many longevity- and health-promoting effects. These fatty acids are the literal waste

Certain nutrients in vegetables are not absorbed unless in the presence of fat—salads and vegetables therefore should always include a healthy fat source.

Alternatively, you may choose to do anaerobic workouts on some days of the week and aerobic on others. Whatever you choose to do, stick with what you enjoy and make sure to vary levels of intensity. Also, taking one to two days off per week for rest ensures that you do not overtrain, which can have deleterious effects.

You should in short order notice a spicy feeling in the back of your throat: that’s a compound called oleocanthal. Oleocanthal is a type of phenol—plant compounds that powerfully stimulate our bodies’ own repair mechanisms when we consume them (phenols are usually found linked together in the form of polyphenols).

Switch to an aluminum-free deodorant. Many deodorants contain aluminum, and excessive exposure to aluminum has been strongly linked with increased dementia risk.

One way to achieve a fast of twelve to sixteen hours may be simply skipping breakfast, a nonessential meal despite what cereal companies will tell you. Extending the fast that you endure every night while sleeping also makes use of the body’s waking hormone, cortisol, which peaks thirty to forty-five minutes after waking. This hormone helps to mobi

If you are unable to get three-plus servings of fatty fish per week (wild salmon and sardines are mega-concentrated sources of omega-3), consider taking a fish oil supplement; or, if you’re a vegan, opt for algae oil. Extra-virgin olive oil should be your main dietary oil. Saturated fat from whole-food sources is healthful in the context of a diet

But new research suggests that many common brain problems are not caused by deficits of neurotransmitters, but rather by neurotransmitters that are unable to work the way they ought to, due to an induced or underlying dysfunction.

This is thanks in part to the fibrous matrix that the sugars are bound in, water, and other phytonutrients. Whole-fruit consumption is also self-limiting, because the fiber makes it more filling. For example, it would be quite difficult to eat five apples, but it’s a breeze to drink the sugar contained in five apples when juiced.