Culinary and Nutritional Neuroscience

We have heard the expression you are what you eat, but have we really thought about it? This course introduces the science of a brain (and body) healthy diet and the concepts of the neuropsychology of eating, and offers practical applications of the science that you can adopt to support your own brain health and that of those you care for. It is not just what you eat, but how. Eating mindfully means choosing foods that balance blood sugar and provide adequate levels of brain-boosting nutrients like essential fatty acids, lean proteins, and a rainbow of antioxidants. The nutrients extracted from food enter metabolic pathways that are manipulated, modified, and molded into molecules that the body can use. This nutritional psychiatry course includes opportunities to ask questions of the faculty, experience live cooking demonstrations, and engage with other members of the brain healthy community for inspiration from similarly motivated individuals. When it comes to diet, most people's concerns involve weight loss, fitness, cardiac health, and longevity. But what we eat affects more than our bodies; it also affects our brains. Now more than ever our food is something we can control. Foods can boost our immunity which is also linked to levels of depression and anxiety; studies also show a link to insomnia, dementia and beyond. This course guides students through the principles from Dr. Uma Naidoo's cutting-edge book, This Is Your Brain on Food, Barton Seaver's books American Seafood: Heritage, Culture & Cookery From Sea to Shining Sea and Two If By Sea: Delicious Sustainable Seafood, and National Geographic's Foods for Health: Choose and Use the Very Best Foods for Your Family and Our Planet, and then goes even deeper with professional lessons, resources, recipes and insights. This course also provides action steps and resources to take control of your own brain health, performance, and wellbeing, and to support those you care for and about with every brain-healthy food choice.