The Recipe for a Nourished Brain

Many of us have been told that foods like blueberries, salmon, and leafy greens are “good for the brain.” But what does that really mean? Can eating certain foods make us smarter? More alert? Less stressed? Sanjay talks to nutritional psychiatrist and personal chef, Dr. Uma Naidoo about what foods improve brain function and influence the way we feel. She’ll also share her secret sauce: a few nutritious and delicious ways to eat carbs, fats and sugar.

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Music

Angela Guo: So, it's the old adage
on what you eat

when I eaτ sugary or caffeinated food
I often find myself, like unable to focus

So, eating healthier food
has a significant impact on

how well I can focus, as well as
how quick I can focus.

Sanjay Gupta: That's Angela Guo.

She's a 17-year old senior at
Adlai Stevenson high school

in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

And that adage she just cited,
"You are what you eat",

that's been around since the 1800's.

People have known for a long time
just how much food affects us.

But it's not just in term of
long-term health,

but also short-term mood.

And sio eating healthier food has
a significant impact

AG Food really helps us maintain
a safe clarity

on how well I can focus, as well as
how quick I can think.

SG: She may only be in high school
but Angela has already made

the crucial connection between
what she puts in her mouth

and how quickly that affects her brain.

She even believes that
simple understanding

gave her a real advantage
when she competed

in the National Science Olympiad
tournament earlier this year.

Announcer: First place: National
champions of the 2023 Science xxxx

national tournament: Adlai Stevenson
high school of Illinois, let's go!!

SG: Now at this tournament
earlier this year,

Angela and her team mates went up
against thousands of students

from around the country.

They were competing in events
highlighting chemistry, and neuroscience

and biology.

But here is the thing:
the entire time on Angela's team

you really didn't see much sugar around.

Instead,
there were lots of healthy snacks.

AG So, even at school, I bring
my own lunch

and it's just the asset of
knowing what goes into your meals

is like really important, it kind of
gives you peace of mind.

SG: The team did really well, and now
as they prepare for more tournaments,

Angela, who now is team captain, says,
sure, they study hard,

but what they eat, how they eat,
that's also top of mind.

AG: When we do travel for science contests
our cook always makes sure that

we are well stocked with fruit and water.

SG: So Angela seems pretty convinced
that food helps her focus

and perform well academically.

Of course, that makes sense
but the question today,

"What is the empirical evidence
to support that and how does it work?

How exactly does food impact the brain?

And how do we really know when our brain
is well nourished?"

Uma Naidoo: Sugar is not food for brain.

But I also want people to understand
we need sugar for our body and our brain,

so it's the way we get the sugar
that's important.

SG: Look, a lot of people worry about
how food influences the way we look,

how much weight we may gain
-- I get that --

or the likelihood we're going to be
high risk for diseases,

like diabetes and hypertension.

But even though it is harder to measure,
food is also deeply connected

to how we feel in the moment
and how well the brain functions.

Even as you listen to this podcast,
your experience, right now,

is likely affected
by what you ate earlier today.

So in this episode, I'm going to find out
what is the best fuel for the brain,

what food we should avoid
and what it really means

to have a well-nourished brain.

I'm Dr Sanjay Gupta, CNN's
Chief medical correspondent

and this is Chasing life.

You know, I love hearing stories
like Angela's.

They're so personal.

She's someone who's paying attention
to her body and the sh'e figuring out

what makes her feel good and what it takes
to do the activities she loves.

She's being really intentional
with her nutrition

and that may save her from having
health problems later in life

but it could help optimize
her function now.

For me, food is an endless source
of fascination.

The way that I think about it is this:

food is one of the most significant ways
we allow our outside world to influence

and communicate with our inside world,
the world inside of our body and our mind.

That is an awesome task: food does that.

So I thought today we would start
with the basics.

We know that all food items have calories
and calories are by definition energy

but, as you just heard, not all calories
are created equal.

Some have more nutrients
and do more to promote

overall health and well-being than others.

And that is especially true
when it comes to the brain.

But the challenge again:
that's hard to measure.

There is no brain scan or blood test
that indicates that a particular food

promotes brain health.

So how do we really know?

How do you really know what works for you?

To find out, I return to someone
whose work I really respect

both in the clinic and in the kitchen,
someone who knows a lot

about this really intricate connection
between food and brain health.

Uma Naidoo: if you want really your brain
to really be optimized

lean into the foods you like,
but the healthy version of that.

SG That' Dr Uma Naidoo;
she's a nutritional psychiatrist,

such a cool field;
she's at Harvard medical school.

What she does is that she works
with patients to improve

their mental health with the help
of medication and food.

She's also a professional chef,
she's the author of the books

"This is your brain on food" and
"Calm your brain with food."

That one is going to be released
later this year.

I should tell you, this is actually
Dr Naidoo second time on the show.

We spoke a few years ago about
the broader concept of food as medicine.

And I was so fascinated about
the conversation, so affected by it,

that I asked her to come back and discuss
how food impacts brain health specifically

and brain function.

I have long said that food can be medicine,
I also think that philosophically,

we consciously decide what signals
we're going to give

to the inside of our body through food.

What the discussion has been primarily
focused on has been calories and energy,

and are you going overweight or not.

UN: Correct
SG: So what are those foods that are both

good for the brain and can actually
get to the brain.

UN: What I think is good, and what I think
is helpful for people,

especially in the US, is that most people
are consuming the standard McCain diet

which, as you know, is called that
for a reason.

So any time that we can add those lipid
grains and those actual whole foods

and chocolate, you know, and think
about it that way and step away

a little from those processed fast foods

the healthier we are going to become
as a country and I think that that is

because processed xxxxx foods
are engineered, as you know,

to trick our brain.

So we eat more, we can't stop ourselves.

SG: Yes, maybe I'm being audacious here
in doing a podcast about how to achieve

a most optimally nourished brain.

As you correctly point out, we have
a lot to do as a country to just

stop doing the bad things, maybe even
before we can really focus

on the good things.

But the idea that food itself can be
medicine and that can be quantified,

maybe to the point that someone like you
prescribe, are we to the point

that what we know datawise that food
can be prescriptive,

like we think of medicine?

UN: So I can't say to you, you need
to eat ten blueberries, or this amount

of thyme xx to improve your mood.

But what we do know from xxxx
population-based studies that

if you're consuming extra-dark natural
chocolate, that it improves depression

by 70% in over 12'000 participants. 8:00