By Patrick Holford & Kim Close

Are you stuck in a recipe rut, cooking the same limited meals over and over again? 

Are you looking for ways to boost your brain health? 

The new Upgrade Your Brain Cook App is the answer as we start the year.

It not only provides easy meals, from breakfasts to snacks, main meals, and desserts but each recipe is designed to ‘dementia-proof’ your brain.

Launched this week, the recipes are based on extensive research which has identified the four critical qualities of meals that link to better mood, memory and mental energy, banishing brain fog and forgetfulness. These essential components are: a good quantity of brain fats, slow releasing carbs (Low GL), antioxidants and B-vitamins.

Each recipe is scored accordingly and if you choose something missing or low on one of these critical components, you can then choose a recipe higher in it next time and it will add to your daily and weekly meal score bar so you can clearly see your progress and adapt what you’re eating, to hit the brain friendly zone. 

These are all easy to make, tried and tested recipes that will not only help you get out of the recipe rut but also educate, motivate and energise you in the process.

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It won’t just help your brain health…

And the extra good news? What’s good for the brain is good for the body. 

A recent study from the UK Biobank data shows that increased intake of omega-3 from fish oils reduces the risk of 35 diseases. “As far as fish is concerned, we say ‘SMASH it – S for salmon, M for mackerel, A for anchovies, S for sardines and H for herring or kipper. But many people don’t know how to make delicious food with fish. 

The Upgrade Your Brain Cook App has lots of delicious recipes from breakfasts to desserts, snacks and main meals, each with brain-friendly attributes.

Each recipe prioritises:

Antioxidant-rich dishes to neutralise oxidative stress, a major contributor to brain aging. Are you stuck in a recipe rut, cooking the same limited meals over and over again? 
Low sugar (GL-friendly) options to help stabilise blood sugar and support healthy weight management.
Brain-fat friendly ingredients to provide the right fats such as omega-3 for cognitive function.
B-vitamin rich meals to support energy, methylation, and homocysteine levels—key factors in maintaining brain health.

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Here’s an example of a ‘perfect’ day. 

Once you’ve picked a dish from the App, it shows you what to eat next to tick the box for these four brain-friendly requirements for a perfect day. This sample menu, for example, is low in GL and high in brain fats. This is important as anything below 45 GLs helps you to lose weight, and foods high in brain fats give you extra credit for the next day. 

The Upgrade Your Brain Cook App also lets you tailor recipes to your dietary preferences (e.g., dairy-free, gluten-free, plant-based) while ensuring your meals are both delicious and scientifically designed to promote brain health.

There are lots of delicious and easy to make recipes to suit everyone from vegans to meat eaters and those who choose to avoid gluten or other food intolerances such as:

 Coconut & Almond Porridge
Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut-lime Dipping Sauce
Crispy Chickpea & Kale Snack Bowl
Spiced Salmon Burger with Sweet Potato Fries & Slaw
Thai Fish Cakes with Satay Dipping Sauce
Tofu-Quinoa Poke Bowl
Avo-Edamame Hummus with Flaxseed Crackers
Chaat Masala Chickpeas
Cherry Sorbet
Pineapple-Watermelon-Pomegranate Fruit Platter
 and many more. 

Wendy is a case in point “I lost 6 stone, reversed my diabetes and my energy came back following these principles. My memory and mood are transformed. I love this App. It makes healthy eating doable and fun. The recipes are fantastic and easy to make.”

The recipes, devised by nutritionist and chef Kim Close and Fiona McDonald Joyce (author of five recipe books) are all tried and tested, firm favourites and let you adapt even something like burger and fries into a brain-friendly recipe such as ‘Spicy Salmon Burgers with Coleslaw and Sweet Potato Fries’ while still being absolutely delicious.

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Here is a sample recipe: 

The Upgrade Your Brain Cook App Spicy Salmon Burgers with Coleslaw and Sweet Potato Fries (serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets (about 150g each), skin removed
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
200g cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
50g mayonnaise
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 sweet potatoes, cut into fries
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Toss sweet potato fries with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning halfway, until crispy.
Pulse the salmon in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, add Cajun seasoning, and form into four burger patties.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the salmon burgers for 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through.
For the coleslaw, mix the shredded cabbage and carrot with mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the spicy salmon burgers with coleslaw and sweet potato fries on the side.

Air Fryer Instructions: Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Cook the sweet potato fries in the basket for about 15-20 minutes until crispy. Then, cook the salmon burgers for 10-12 minutes until they are fully cooked. Serve as above.

All proceeds help our mission, charitable work and research on what really prevents dementia.

Thank you for reading!

Food for the Brain is a not-for-profit educational and research charity that offers a free Cognitive Function Test and assesses your Dementia Risk Index to be able to advise you on how to dementia-proof your diet and lifestyle.

By completing the Cognitive Function Test you are joining our grassroots research initiative to find out what really works for preventing cognitive decline. We share our ongoing research results with you to help you make brain-friendly choices.

Please support our research by becoming a Friend of Food for the Brain.