Food for the brain
What we eat has a huge impact on our brain health. A balanced diet creates a good foundation, but certain foods are particularly important when it comes to boosting brain power.
The human brain is fascinating. It contains around 100 billion neurons, with each neuron including between 10,000 and 20,000 synapses. And although it only makes up around 2% of our bodyweight, it requires around 20% of our energy. And what exactly does this important control room need to function properly?
Our diet is proven to have a significant impact on the brain’s health and performance. Eating healthily – focusing on including a lot of fresh vegetables, complex carbohydrates, healthy fatty acids, protein and sufficient liquids – creates the perfect foundation for boosting brain performance. And with a little extra know-how, you can reap additional benefits.
Recipe for 2 people
- ½ broccoli
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 4 tbsp beet sprouts
- Seasame seeds
- 200 g cooked beetroot
- 250 g cooked chickpeas
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1-2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- Wash, trim and chop the broccoli into florets In a saucepan with a little water or steamer, steam for approximately 10 minutes.
- Wash, peel and dice the sweet potatoes. In a saucepan with a little water, cook - covered - for approximately 10 minutes until soft.
- Purée chickpeas, beetroot and garlic. Add the tahini, lemon juice, olive or rapeseed oil, rosemary and salt and purée again until smooth. You may need to add a little water until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Rinse the sprouts in a sieve and drip dry. Divide the broccoli and sweet potatoes into two bowls and season. Add 2 tbsp of beetroot hummus to each. Scatter the sprouts and sesame seeds over the top.
The recipe is slightly modified from the book “Brain Food Power. Fit im Kopf mit Brahmi, Ginkgo, Omega 3 & Co.”, Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, 2020, p. 230, by Marion Jetter.