A Brainy Menu for a Romantic Valentines Dinner

A Brain Healthy Valentines Dinner for you and your Sweetie

We have compiled a romantic menu for you and your valentine, which incorporates how simple it is to make sure you are giving your brain what it needs to perform properly. 
Each recipe includes footnotes explaining why it is a brain healthy food.

Enjoy! and Happy Valentines day...

For your Starter:

Baby Spinach Salad - Serves 2

(A beautiful plated salad to start your meal)

4 oz. fresh baby spinach³

2 Ripe Red Pears

Candied pecans⁴

Gorgonzola Cheese

Raspberry Vinaigrette 

Divide the spinach between two salad plates. Slice the pear in 1/2 in. slices and arrange on top of spinach. Sprinkle on pecans and gorgonzola to taste.

Serve with Raspberry Vinaigrette.

³ Spinach slows down the effects of age-related declines in brain function and helps protect the brain from oxidative stress. Researchers suggest that a diet rich in spinach can significantly improve learning capacity and motor skills.

⁴Pecans and peanuts provide choline, another important nutrient for optimal brain function. Choline aids in both memory and brain development.

For your Main Course:

Herb and Almond Encrusted Salmon Fillet

Serves 2

1 8 -10 oz Wild Caught Salmon Fillet¹

1/2 cup Ground Almonds² 

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 T Dill Weed

1/4 t Granulated Garlic

1/4 t Granulated Onion

2 T Lemon Juice

2 T Water

Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Place top rack on upper level. Preheat Broiler to 500º 

Place fillet, skin side down on broiler pan.

Mix almonds, parmesan cheese, dill, garlic and onion together. Spread over top of  fillet.  Spray the top of the fillet with olive oil cooking spray to help it stay in place.

Blend lemon juice and water in small measuring cup with a pour spout. Drizzle half the mixture over the almond/cheese mixture.

Broil 10 Min. or until tender and salmon flakes when tested with a fork. Drizzling additional lemon/water half way through. 

¹Essential fatty acids (EFAs) cannot be made by the body and must be obtained through diet. The most effective omega-3 fats occur naturally in oily fish as EPA and DHA. They are good for healthy brain function, the heart, joints and general wellbeing. Oily fish contains EPA and DHA in a ready-made form, which enables the body to use it easily. The main sources of oily fish include salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines, pilchards and kippers. Low DHA levels have been linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and memory loss.

²Phenylalanine, found in almonds, can do wonders for your mental and neurological health. Phenylalanine has the rare ability to cross the blood-brain barrier where it stimulates the brain to generate natural mood-boosting neurotransmitters called dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline. Additionally, almonds are high in riboflavin which is known to boost memory.

For your Side Dish:

Whole Wheat Cous Cous w/ Italian Herbs⁵

Cook Cous Cous following package directions.

When it is done, just before serving sprinkle some dried Italian seasoning in and fluff with fork.

⁵Whole grain is a great brain stimulator because it contains high percentage of folate. Make sure you’re eating a diet rich in whole grain breads, cereals, barley, popcorn, etc., because they can boost your blood flow to the brain. Every organ in the body is dependent on blood flow… especially the brain.

Wholegrain breads and cereals are rich in Vitamin B6, an important brain vitamin. Wheat germ additionally contains memory-improving thiamine.

For Desert:

Strawberries⁶  Dipped in Dark Chocolate ⁷

Melt dark chocolate 

Rinse and completely dry strawberries before dipping in warm, melted chocolate

Place on waxed paper to cool

Arrange on a serving plate. 

And there you go.... 

⁶ Antioxidant-rich strawberries can prevent age-related neurological declines by improving brain cell abilities to send and receive the ’signaling’ molecules. The brain uses these signaling molecules to communicate.

Remarkably, these same studies showed that the powerful antioxidants in strawberries, spinach and blueberries can improve the ability to communicate even among brain cells already showing signs of age-related damage.

⁷Dark chocolate has powerful antioxidant properties and contains several natural stimulants which increase the production of endorphins while enhancing focus and concentration. The stimulants found in dark chocolate also improve mood. It has high content of flavanols that facilitate blood supply to the brain and enhance cognitive skills. Enjoy in moderation of course...

Love your Brain, Love your Body, Love your Life - Combining Foods for Optimum Nutrition

Making good food choices is the best thing we can do to stay healthy. Hope you find this helpful.

Research has shown that some food combinations are more nutritious when eaten together.  Here are four powerful pairs that are better together: 

Broccoli & Mustard

Raw broccoli is a good source of the powerful cancer-fighting compound sulforaphane. But cooking destroys the enzyme (myrosinase) in broccoli that makes sulforaphane available to your body. The fix? Combine broccoli with mustard (yes, the condiment) or another raw cruciferous veggie, such as wasabi or arugula—the extra dose of myrosinase will help you absorb more sulforaphane.

Coffee & Sugar

If you take your coffee with sugar, good news—it may make you more productive on the job.  When study participants drank the two together, researchers found that areas of the brain associated with attention worked more efficiently than when sipped solo. If you don’t like coffee, try green tea with a drizzle of honey.

Adzuki Beans & Raspberries

Pairing adzuki beans—classically used in Japanese desserts—with raspberries may bump up the duo’s antioxidant power by 45 percent.  That was the biggest boost researchers saw among 55 combinations of different fruits, veggies and legumes. Top a spinach salad with adzukis; for dessert, dig into fresh raspberries.

Tumeric & Fish

Curcumin (a component of turmeric) and DHA (an omega-3 fat in oily fish) protect against certain cancers by keeping cancer cells from multiplying. Combining the two may slow tumor growth and the spread of a type of breast cancer cells more so than when the compounds interact with the cancer cells separately, researchers think DHA helps cells to utilize curcumin. Rub salmon or trout with turmeric or curry (a spice blend containing turmeric).

More to come on food power couples, so check back :o)

Eating Well Magazine May/June Pg. 18 - Combining Foods for Optimum Nutrition

Does Selenium in Seafood and Fish Protect Against Mercury Toxicity?

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D., "Ask Brierley," March/April 2012 EATINGWELL MAGAZINE

Since fish is one of the best "brain" foods, we wanted to share some new information we found in this article from EatingWell Magazine.

A common concern when choosing seafood is mercury. And for good reason: mercury binds up selenium, an essential mineral that's vital to the developing brain and nervous system.

But here's the good news: eating ocean fish that contain more selenium than mercury protects against mercury toxicity.

Ocean fish (e.g., halibut, salmon) and shellfish (e.g., lobster, crab) are chock-full of the mineral: 17 of the top 25 selenium food sources are seafood (it's also in red meat, eggs and chicken).

The fact that most ocean fish are so high in selenium explains why more and more research suggests the benefits of eating seafood outweigh any risks mercury exposure could pose.

Bottom Line: Kids, women who are or could become pregnant and nursing women should follow the EPA's advice to avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish (they contain mercury levels that can be higher than or equal to selenium). But it appears to be unnecessary to limit albacore tuna to 6 ounces a week, says Nicholas Ralston, Ph.D., health effects research program leader at the University of North Dakota. "Like most varieties of ocean fish, tuna contain mercury, but provide far more selenium."

Final's Week Tips

It’s finals week for many high school and college students. Synergy Training Center would like to offer a few tips for having a successful week.

Remember to:

1. Get plenty of sleep, try to get 8 hours. Cortisol levels go up when you are stressed, sleep helps alleviate some of that stress, which will give you better cognitive performance and recall the next day during your test.
2. Eat wisely during the entire week. Plenty of brain food; whole grains, fish, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and veggies. Minimize your intake of processed & fast foods, sugar and pop.  Healthy, light snacks between meals can help keep blood sugar stable for a long day of testing.
3. Hydrate - 1/2 your body weight in ounces is a minimum requirement for keeping your body and brain well hydrated.
4. Don’t stop your exercise routine during finals week. Exercise, throughout heavy study periods, can increase blood supply, oxygen and neural connections, it also reduces stress.  Even a 15 minute study break and some kind of exercise, can rejuvenate the brain.
5. As much as possible, keep a regular routine of meal times, exercise, waking up and bed times.

Get your mind right - like an athlete prepares for competition your brain needs to be put right. Go into finals week as if it is your March Madness, it’s the most important competition at the moment. Focus on each class as a different game. Think only of that one test, keep your head in the game. Then, when you have finished, move on to the next “game”; don’t dwell on what you couldn’t or didn’t know on the last one, it’s over and done. Keep your thoughts on the moment at hand for each test.