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With
dementia rates expected to soar in coming decades as
Canada's population gets older, a nutrition and
cognitive scientist with the Rotman Research
Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences has cooked up
a strategy to help people maintain good brain
health.
Dr. Carol Greenwood, a
senior scientist and Canada's leading professor of
nutrition and brain health, has teamed up with
Daphna Rabinovitch, an award-winning recipe
developer and food writer, and Joanna Gryfe, a food
and media expert, to create the world's first
science-based cookbook for the brain.
According to the
Alzheimer Society of Canada, 60% of Alzheimer's
diagnoses are attributed to lifestyle choices. Poor
eating habits and a lack of physical and
intellectual stimulation are stronger drivers for
dementia than genetics alone.
"We know that diet is an
important predictor of how well our brain ages and
that people who have better quality diets have
greater preservation of their brain function with
aging," says Dr. Greenwood.
In the book, she debunks myths about nutrition,
tells us what to eat to promote optimal brain health
and healthy aging, and provides useful tips on how
to boost our cognitive function at times of the day
when we are feeling low – always ensuring that her
advice can be easily adapted by the busy home cook.
The cookbook covers
breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as snacks,
appetizers and desserts. From Whole-Wheat Oatmeal
Blueberry Pancakes with Ricotta Topping for a lazy
weekend breakfast, to great ideas for on-the-go
quick meals, healthy sandwiches, soups, meat,
vegetarian, pasta and fish dishes, there is a
variety of brain healthy recipes to choose from.
Before the weekly
grocery run, readers can skim the handy reference
chart of foods that are rich in brain-healthy
nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E,
fibre, folate and Vitamin B12, polyphenols and
mono-unsaturated fats. The book lists many spices
and herbs which are also thought to have
brain-protective compounds and can be used to
enhance the flavor of what we eat.
Celebrity Canadian chefs
from coast to coast, including Michael Smith, Mark
McEwan and Dale Mackay, as well as Laureen Harper,
wife of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper,
contributed recipes for the book.
Proceeds from the sale of the e-book will support
Baycrest programs and services that promote
excellence and innovations in aging and brain
health.
For more information
Baycrest is an academic health sciences centre fully
affiliated with the University of Toronto
http://www.baycrest.org/
( MDN )
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