Boost your mood, safeguard your brain

Today we are chatting about our amazing brain and how we need to care for it during perimenopause and beyond.

Navigating this transitional phase of perimenopause is a vulnerable time and it certainly brings many changes and new experiences, including symptoms such as:

• brain fog

• depression

• anxiety

• difficulty with short term word recall

• forgetfulness

• diminished productivity

• decreased focus

• pervasive sense of overwhelm

The other day my son asked where he could find clean socks and I actually could not recall the name of the place in the house where clothes were washed.

The name just escaped me! My mind went blank.

I had to say, “you may find some in the place where we wash the clothes”.

Then I remembered it’s called the laundry.

Understanding the profound impact of nutrition on brain function becomes really important to nurture the brain now and as we move through life.

There is so much focus on fat loss, which is important to keep in check, however equally important is brain health.

The good news is that using diet we can significantly change the risk of developing brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Today in Bolder Women we are looking at a few dietary tweaks we can make to boost brain health during this life stage.

But before we dive in ...

The Strong Woman Project is launching this month (OCTOBER).

This new program is for committed women who want to make a real change to their health, body, and life.

The whole idea can be summed up in four main points.

1. Do Amazing: Hike to the top of a mountain or head bang with your son in the mosh pit (yes, I did that), do whatever adventures capture your spirit.

2. Feel Amazing: Have confidence in a swimsuit, out to dinner in a LBD, turning heads at a high school reunion, or having fun in the bedroom. Being stronger feels awesome.

3. Eat Amazing: Being stronger opens up the food options to include things you thought were off limits! This is fantastic news for the foodies and the rest of us that just love chocolate.

4. Live Amazing: Being strong provides hidden health benefits that improve health span, which means you don’t decline as you age.

Did you know?

A recent high-quality study in 2018 called ‘The SMILES Trial’ was the first study to demonstrate that following a modified Mediterranean Style diet improves the mental health of people with moderate to severe depression.

This is huge as we now have proof that diet can alter mood and brain health.

Further 2023 research has shown that if we stop the muscle loss that occurs with age it helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer's Disease.

You see, women start to lose muscle over 40, at about 1% per year, which effects our skeletal muscles, our organs and brain too.

Lean muscle secretes special myokine hormones which are anti-inflammatory and protect against chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

It is vital we protect our lean muscle mass as we move through the menopause transition period to protect our brain.

Deep Dive: What are the benefits of a mediterranean style diet for brain health in perimenopause?

Research has shown that a diet rich in whole-foods and plants, nuts and seeds and oily fish feed the good bacteria in our gut, reduce inflammation and nurture our brain health.

There is a strong connection between the gut and mental health. The gut and the brain are connected by a highway called the vagus nerve.

Our gut bacteria respond to the different food we eat.

Eat junk food, and you’re feeding the bad bacteria in your gut. This leads to poor health and chronic conditions that are related to depression.

I am a huge fan of the Mediterranean style diet.

The Mediterranean diet improves brain health and thinking, including reducing the risk of dementia and depression.

A Mediterranean diet is rich in plant foods and people who consume at least 30 different plant foods a week have the greatest diversity of bacteria in their gut.

As a rule, plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, oily fish and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).

Having a diverse range of microbes in our gut is associated with a healthier gut and a healthier mind.

Below I have listed my top nutrition tips for healthy brain based on the Mediterranean diet and the latest research on gut health optimisation.

What to eat to help my brain work better and slow ageing

Hey whole-foods 👋

Eat a wide variety of whole foods and reduced processed foods as much as possible.

Processed foods, if eaten frequently in large amounts, can result in increased inflammation, a poor gut microbiota profile and ultimately an increased risk of disease and depression.

For example, there is evidence that emulsifiers found in processed foods contribute to gut and metabolic disease through alteration of the gut microbiota with an associated inflammatory response.

A plant forward diet focussing on eating the rainbow

Eat the rainbow and include non-starchy vegetables with lunch and dinner and even breakfast too.

Include leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrot, capsicum, red cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and green beans.

Blueberries 🫐

Eat 2-3 serves of fruit a day and include blueberries as often as you can.

Frozen berries or fresh are both effective.

Researchers have shown that blueberries, rich in vitamin A and C as well as the age defying antioxidant anthocyanin, delay the ageing process and promote brain health.

EVOO 🫒

Include 40 - 60 ml (2-3 tablespoons) of extra virgin olive oil into your diet every day.

Olive oil is one of the healthiest fats on earth.

It is rich in polyphenols and monounsaturated fats and helps lower inflammation, reduce blood pressure and keep the brain cells healthy.

Nuts 🌰

Have a daily dose of 30g unsalted nuts (small, closed handful).

Nuts are a rich source of omega three fatty acids which are beneficial for heart health.

Almonds, walnuts and pistachios are excellent choices.

Another excellent source of plant omega three fatty acids is ground flaxseed, and this is so versatile. You can add it to granola, oats or a smoothie.

Fermented foods 🥒

Include some fermented foods daily.

Try reduced fat greek yoghurt, pickled vegetables, miso, sauerkraut or kefir.

Fermented foods are preserved using an age-old process that not only boosts the food's shelf life and nutritional value but can give your body a dose of healthy probiotics — live micro-organisms crucial to good digestion, gut health and brain health.

Leafy Greens 🥬

Research has shown that eating leafy greens everyday are neuroprotective and can keep the brain young.

A large handful of baby green spinach leaves can be added to a smoothie or easily added to any meal.

Protein 🍗

Protein is an essential nutrient your body uses to build and repair muscles and bones and to make hormones and enzymes.

This also includes our brain!

Eat protein at each meal and include more plant-based protein in your diet, such as legumes, tofu and tempeh.

If you eat meat, limit red meat to 455g per week.

Include salmon, mackerel or sardines 1-3 times a week for the added benefit of omega three fatty acids.

Prebiotics 🧄

Include daily prebiotic fibres to fuel healthy gut microbes.

This will improve mineral absorption, protect against colon cancer, improve blood glucose, protect against intestinal infections and reduce the risk of disease associated with inflammation.

Prebiotics help your gut microbes thrive as well as your brain.

They are found in onions, garlic, green bananas, Jerusalem artichokes, beans, lentils, chickpeas (can use chickpea flour in baking), hummus, oats, apples, and dates.

Omega three Fatty Acids 🐟

Omega three fatty acids, EPA and DHA actually cross the blood brain barrier and help decrease inflammation.

Marine sources are preferred over vegan sources of omega three as they are better absorbed and utilised.

Eating fish 1-3 times a week has been shown to be neuro protective. If you don’t eat fish a supplement is advised consisting of EPA and DHA combined approximately 1g/day.

Oh and coffee gets a big TICK ☕

It has been found that caffeine has a positive effect on our mood.

Coffee stimulates the dopaminergic system in our brain which is less active in those experiencing depression as well as having a positive effect on our gut microbes.

And if you are a tea drinker, green tea has strong antioxidant properties and is rich in polyphenols which help reduce inflammation in the body and can help prevent cancer.

Dark Chocolate 🍫

And why not end the day with a little piece of dark chocolate, sorry white or milk doesn’t count here.

Dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients, boosting mood and gut health.

Bite Size Snacks

Fermented milk for a healthy brain. Healthy women (18-55 years) found twice daily consumption of a fermented milk with probiotic versus control group (non-fermented) affected activity of brain regions that control central processing of emotion and sensation.

How to Mediterranean diet. A practical guide.

The Brain Health Kitchen by Dr Annie Fenn - amazing book!

Olive oil can boost brain health. Olive oil is liquid gold.

Creatine a win for brain health: a women's health update regarding supplementation across the lifespan to boost mood, cognition and energy levels.

MEME of the Day

Ready to Change the Things You Can Change?

We have a choice over the food we eat. It is one thing we can change. Looking after our brain health is vital as we age and pass through menopause, and we can start today.

Just imagine … better mood, better cognition and an improved sense of wellbeing by incorporating certain brain nurturing power foods into your life.

Reflection

Take a look at the steps outlined above in today’s email and just choose one you feel you can start this week.

Personally, I am going to do a pantry check and remove the ultra-processed foods that bring no nutritive value and replace them with whole-foods or better nutritive value foods.

Have a go this this week!

The Team at
Bolder Women

How’d we do with the newsletter this week?