Brain Food Basics: Simple & Satisfying!
Updated: 6 hours ago
What and when we eat matters. Simply changing when we do and don't eat can make a serious difference to our energy, focus, and wellbeing. Best of all, we get to personalize the specifics. We can and should tailor our eating patterns to what works best for our individual needs and priorities. That said, I do have a few rules to recommend:
1. Don't go hungry. 2. Don't count calories. 3. Do give your body a break from digesting food - It needs that time for rest, repair, and renewal.
The diet wars distract us from fundamentals that pretty much all experts agree upon despite also agreeing no one diet works for everyone. We have individual needs driven by:
Our genes - how they respond to what we eat,
Our current health status - weight, insulin resistance, chronic or acute conditions,
Our life realities - what's actually doable that we actually enjoy.
My goal is to stay curious and discover what keeps me most energized and satiated so I don't have energy crashes, do feel more focused, and don't overeat when my body has had enough.
The Basics in Brief
1. Eat mostly whole foods
Swap refined starches - most bread, pasta, crackers, or baked goods - for their whole food equivalents. Example: Eat whole fruit, not juice. Eat whole grains not refined bread and crackers. Once digested, refined starches and juices are like mainlining sugar.
2. Limit highly processed foods
Protect your gut biome. If the ingredient list reads like a chemistry lab, put it back. Growing evidence links ultra-processed foods gut microbiome issues - like losing the good bacteria we need to help us thrive while feeding the ones that cause problems like inflammation in the body and brain.
3. Eat mostly plants
Feed the good guys in your gut. They need variety to produce the fatty acids we need to make use of our food. Think a rainbow colors, lots of fiber, and a wide mix of vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, nuts, and seeds.
Animal protein? Your call. In modest amounts, it fits well within these principles. That said, fish is even better than land meats (But do minimize regular consumption of large, long lived fish like Tuna which store mercury or other toxins).
4. Enjoy healthy fats
Extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds are your go-to sources. Salmon and other oily fish are particularly good for Omega 3 fats. Our brain and body need them - and they keep us satiated.
5. Food first, supplements second
Supplements may support a good diet but they don't fix a poor one. Unless there's a specific medical reason, food comes first.
6. Timing matters (this one surprises people)
Aligning meals with your circadian rhythm for serious benefits - without changing what you eat. Ideally, we want to...
Avoid eating 2–3 hours before bed. Digestion always comes first, replacing restorative processes scheduled for the early hours of deep sleep when we eat too close to bed time.
Aim for at least 10–12 hours between your last meal of the day and your first of the next day - time for your body to rest, repair, and restore.
Eat breakfast at a consistent time - helps reinforce sleep schedule.
Knowing Your Whole Foods
Tips for identifying whole foods:
Whole fruits - not juiced; a fruit bowl over a smoothie when possible
Whole grains - not grain-derived products like most crackers, bread or baked goods.
Meat in its natural form - not restructured with additives (most sausages, deli meats, and bacon don't qualify)
Not this → Restructured franken-foods with unrecognizable ingredients. Pringles chips are a classic example.
The line between whole foods, acceptable processing and ultra-processed foods is a hot topic but nicely simplified with this Harvard Resource. I found the short summaries and additional detail helpful.
Final Tip
Keep it simple. Follow Michael Pollen's long standing advice with a few additions for your gut biome:
Eat whole foods. Mostly plants. Not too much. Plus lots of Fiber and lot's of color and diversity in your plants foods. (Herbs and spices count for diversity!)
Bon Appétit,
Janice
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