In today’s episode, we'll explore how incorporating colorful, polyphenol-rich vegetables into our diets can support brain health and discuss the science behind how these foods may help mitigate inflammation, support vascular health, and contribute to cognitive resilience.
So, if you're interested in practical, evidence-based approaches to support your brain health, stay tuned.
Welcome back to Blasphemous Nutrition—the podcast where we cut through the wellness noise with science, sass, and a healthy dose of skepticism.
My name is Aimee, and I'm a functional nutritionist who believes that when it comes to preserving our cognitive health, the solution might be found more in our kitchens than in our medicine cabinets.
Today, we're delving into the critical topic of cognitive aging. Recent studies indicate that cognitive decline can begin as early as our 40s, with subtle changes in memory and processing speed becoming more noticeable over time. While medical advancements have provided us with tools to modestly slow decline, they have not delivered the preventive breakthroughs many hoped for. As with nearly all other chronic diseases, this lack of significant prevention underscores the importance of proactive, lifestyle-based strategies.
Let’s talk about what actually happens to your brain as you age—and why vegetables, of all things, deserve a seat at the head of the table.
While we think of memory loss or mental decline as some far-off issue for our 80s, data suggests otherwise. Studies indicate that changes in memory and processing speed can begin as early as your 40s. That’s not a scare tactic. That’s actually what researchers are observing. [1]
And here’s the problem: most people don’t notice these shifts until they’re frustrating, disruptive, and even then they are dismissed as stress or “just aging.” Meanwhile, the systems driving those changes—oxidative stress, mitochondrial decline, vascular stiffness, inflammation—have been quietly building for years and remain unchanged.
Speaking of vascular stiffness, that’s a clue that heart health and brain health are deeply intertwined.
🫀 Your brain is only as good as your blood flow.
If your cardiovascular system is stiff, clogged, or inflamed, your brain is under-fueled. Full stop.
You can meditate all you want. You can take the nootropic-of-the-month. But if your blood vessels are too rigid to deliver oxygen and nutrients to your frontal lobe, you can’t “biohack” your way out of that.
Our brain doesn’t store energy. It needs a constant, high-quality delivery system. That’s where vegetables come in. Some examples:
Leafy greens and beets boost nitric oxide production and help those vessels relax, allowing a free-flowing highway of blood to nourish the brain.
Cruciferous veg lower vascular inflammation and oxidative stress, keeping that blood-based highway well-maintained.
Polyphenols in numerous fruits and veggies help prevent the damage that leads to stiff arteries and narrowed capillaries in the first place. This is akin to having a well-funded transportation crew that builds quality structures at the onset and is on top of normal wear and tear.
So yes—eating more produce helps your memory. But it also lowers blood pressure, improves arterial flexibility, and keeps the highways open between your heart and your head.
“You want to think better in your 60s? Start protecting your pulse in your 40s.”
This is whole-body, long-game, resilient-as-hell nutrition. And it tastes better than statins!
We’ve got tech that can track decline, and we’ve got medications that may slightly delay cognitive decline, but nothing in the medical toolkit is reversing memory loss the way we hoped. So prevention isn’t just an ideal strategy, it is absolutely essential if you want to go out all cylinders firing.
And that’s where food comes in. What we eat can offer a sustainable strategic form of support—one that works on the systems that keep your brain and body online, alert, and adaptive.
Let’s walk through what’s happening under the hood. The first thing is oxadative damage.
1. Oxidative Damage Adds Up
Your brain burns through 20% of your body’s oxygen supply, and that high demand creates free radicals—unstable little molecules that, in excess, damage brain cells, neurons, and the protective myelin sheath that helps signals fire smoothly. Oxidation is a normal process and not usually a big deal until midlife.
In your younger years, your body keeps that damage in check with home-grown antioxidants created by your body. But as we age, these antioxidant repair systems get sluggish, and the free radicals start to dominate. This is called oxidative stress—and it’s one of the earliest contributors to cognitive decline.
Why vegetables matter:
Plants bring in antioxidants like anthocyanins, flavonoids, and carotenoids that do two jobs: they mop up free radicals and activate your body’s own antioxidant defenses. Vegetables help your cells respond better under pressure by supporting a balanced inflammatory response while also providing back up security guards to combat oxidative stress.
🔋 2. Mitochondrial Function Slows Down
If the word “mitochondria” gives you 9th-grade biology flashbacks, let me reintroduce them: they’re the power plants of your body’s cells, including brain cells. So sometimes a habitually slow, tired brain is actually a sign of struggling mitochondria.
As mitochondrial efficiency declines with age, your brain produces less ATP (that’s cellular energy). You feel that as:
Brain fog
Poor focus
Fatigue that food and coffee don’t fix
Why vegetables matter:
Specific phytonutrients in plants support mitochondrial resilience by helping clean out old, dysfunctional mitochondria (a process called mitophagy) and keeping the healthy ones working longer, resulting in a brain that can run more efficiently.
🔥 3. Microglia Get Trigger-Happy
Microglia are your brain’s resident immune cells. When regulated, they clean up cellular debris and help maintain healthy brain structure. But with chronic stress, inflammation, and aging, they become overactive.
That means they start firing off inflammatory chemicals, creating or exacerbating a low-level, chronic inflammatory state that damages neurons and impairs memory and learning over time.
What vegetables do:
Polyphenols like quercetin and sulforaphane help modulate microglial behavior by reducing inflammatory signaling and helping restore balance, keeping the immune activity in your brain sharp—but not destructive. I’ll be talking about which veggies contain these compounds shortly!
🧬 4. Blood Flow Slows Down
As I mentioned, your brain runs on lots oxygen but it also requires nutrients. It gets them through a vast network of blood vessels—and as those vessels stiffen with age, blood flow declines.
Part of this is due to a drop in nitric oxide, a compound that helps blood vessels stay flexible and responsive. Less nitric oxide means more stiffness, less oxygen delivery, and slower mental performance. The same oxidative stress that stiffens arteries also clogs up blood supply to your hippocampus. You want mental clarity? Start with circulation. Produce and moving your body often are the best ways to achieve this.
What vegetables do:
Beets, arugula, spinach, and other nitrate-rich veg naturally boost nitric oxide production. Other plants help protect the vessel lining from oxidative damage, improving circulation to brain regions critical for memory, focus, and mood regulation. Having a veggie-rich plate several times a day helps beep those vessels pliable and ensures you keep both oxygen and nutrient-rich blood where it needs to go. But nitrate-rich vegetables like beets and arugula aren’t just brain food—they're vascular support, offering better blood flow, lower blood pressure, and more oxygen getting going where it needs to go—whether that’s your prefrontal cortex or your heart.
Like nearly all chronic disease, cognitive decline isn’t just a case of bad luck or genetics. It’s the natural outcome of systems that get less efficient over time—so the strategies that support those systems make a huge difference.
We all know vegetables are “healthy.” But they are also chemically active. They supply the raw materials and signaling compounds to help your brain:
Repair damage
Maintain energy
Regulate inflammation
And keep blood flowing where it’s needed
You don’t need to be a vegetarian to get what you need nor do you need to have a salad at every meal. But you likely need more consistency in your produce intake, more color on your plate, and a little more gob-smacking awe for what your food is capable of, which is why I’m here!
So plant compounds that actually move the needle and how so you get them into your diet without turning your diet into a second full time job?
Let’s Talk Color — What the Science Says
“Eat the rainbow” has become a meaningless cliche thanks to Skittles commercials, but when taken seriously, it is a simple strategy to effectively make a world of difference in your health - but not from candy! Using a multitude of colors at your meals is a strategy grounded in biochemistry. The pigments that give vegetables their blues, reds, purples, oranges, and greens aren’t just pretty—they’re functional and protective. They interact with your cells, your blood vessels, your immune system, and yes—your brain.
These colors in fruits and vegetables come from plant compounds are called polyphenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids—and they do a hell of a lot more than “fight free radicals.” they offer several health benefits. Let's delve into some of these:
What Are Polyphenols?
Polyphenols are a massive group of plant-based compounds that protect the plant from environmental stress—UV light, pests, disease—and they also do this in your body: they help you adapt to stress, reduce inflammation, and clean up oxidative damage.
There are over 8,000 known polyphenols. But for the brain, some of the most impactful include:
Flavonoids (like anthocyanins, quercetin, luteolin)
Phenolic acids (like caffeic acid, found in coffee and herbs)
Stilbenes (resveratrol—yes, that’s the red wine one)
Lignans (flaxseeds, sesame seeds)
Tannins and catechins (found in teas, berries, and cacao)
“If antioxidants were your body’s cleanup crew, polyphenols would be the building inspectors—they prevent messes before they happen.”
🧠 How Polyphenols Support Cognitive Health
Polyphenols are involved in multiple cell signaling pathways that affect how your brain ages. Here’s what they’re actually doing:
1. Reduce Neuroinflammation
Polyphenols help regulate the release of inflammatory cytokines—especially by calming overactive microglia. That helps preserve synaptic function, enabling rapid and direct communication between cells and it prevents neuron damage and loss.
2. Protect Neurons from Oxidative Stress
Polyphenols act both as direct antioxidants and indirect inducers of your body’s own defense systems (via Nrf2 activation). That’s a big deal in the oxygen-hungry brain.
3. Improve Cerebral Blood Flow
Compounds like epicatechin (from dark chocolate and tea) and quercetin (from onions and apples) help dilate blood vessels and protect endothelial function, improving nutrient delivery to brain tissue.
4. Promote Neurogenesis and Plasticity
Certain polyphenols, like luteolin and resveratrol, may support brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)—critical for learning, memory, and the brain’s ability to adapt over time.
Your brain rewires itself constantly—unless inflammation, stress, and poor circulation get in the way. Polyphenols help remove those roadblocks.
🥗 Where to Find Them
Berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
Leafy greens (especially darker, more bitter greens)
Red cabbage, onions, radishes, eggplant skin
Herbs and spices (oregano, rosemary, thyme, turmeric)
Dark chocolate (70%+ cacao), green and black tea, coffee
Nuts, seeds, olives, flax, and sesame
And the best part? They work synergistically—so you don’t need to hyper-focus on one “superfood.” Aim for variety, consistency, and meals that include actual plants.
Polyphenols are your brain’s daily maintenance crew. They regulate inflammation, support blood flow, promote resilience, and clean up metabolic messes before they turn into symptoms. So now that you know polyphenols are basically the unsung multitaskers of brain protection, let’s zoom in on a few specific compounds known not only for giving your vegetables their brightest colors but are also shown to give your neurons their strongest shot at aging well (2,3)
🫐 Anthocyanins
Definition: Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments belonging to the flavonoid family. They are responsible for the red, purple, and blue hues in many fruits and vegetables.
Sources: Blueberries, blackberries, red cabbage, eggplant skin, and purple carrots.
Brain Benefits: Anthocyanins have been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier, where they can exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Once they’re in, they help improve cerebral blood flow, reduce neuroinflammation, and may support memory consolidation—particularly in the hippocampus. Studies suggest they may improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. (4,5)
Why this matters: Anthocyanins offer early prevention, not end-stage damage control. You can’t eat a kilo of blueberries a day (although sometimes I try) and expect this alone to reverse Alzheimer’s. The effects of these compounds are meaningful before a diagnosis—when your goal is preservation.
🧅 Flavonols
Definition: Flavonols are a subclass of flavonoids, a group of polyphenolic compounds found in plants. Common flavonols include quercetin and kaempferol.
Sources: Onions, kale, spinach, broccoli, apples, and tea, among others.
Brain Benefits: Research indicates that higher dietary intake of flavonols is associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline. For instance, a study published in Neurology found that individuals with the highest flavonol intake had a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline after observed for an average of 7 years. The cool things is that this was not a study using supplements, it was from food! aan.com
While flavonols like quercetin and kaempferol can protect cognition—they’re actually anti-inflammatory for your whole vascular system. That’s why higher intake is associated with lower rates of stroke and heart disease—in addition to better memory. There’s a reason for the adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” and now we know precisely why.
🥬 Lutein and Zeaxanthin
Definition: Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids, which are fat-soluble pigments found in various plants. They are known for their role in eye health but also accumulate in brain tissue as well as eye tissue over time and are especially concentrated in areas related to visual processing and memory.
💡 These compounds are so tightly linked to cognition that researchers can sometimes predict cognitive performance by looking at how much lutein is in someone’s retina!! Why that’s wild: It means what you eat shows up in your brain—and stays there (6)
Sources: Spinach, kale, corn, peas, and egg yolks.
Brain Benefits: These carotenoids are concentrated in areas of the brain associated with cognitive function. Higher dietary intake of carotenoids, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin, is linked to better scores on memory, attention, and processing speed tests in older adults. Not only that, but Benefits from Long-term consumption of carotenoid-rich foods demonstrates benefits even decades after initial intake! (7,8)
Interventional Studies have shown that supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin can improve visual memory and learning in older adults. (9)
Sulforaphane — The Brain’s Detox Ally
Let’s talk about one of the hardest-working compounds in the vegetable world: sulforaphane. Found in cruciferous vegetables, this sulfur-based molecule is a functional medicine darling that actually deserves the hype.
🧪 What Is It?
Sulforaphane is formed when a compound called glucoraphanin—found in crucifers—is activated by the enzyme myrosinase, which gets released when the plant is chopped or chewed.
Translation: broccoli + chewing = sulforaphane magic.
If you want to make the most of sulphurophane, let your broccoli, or other crucifer, sit for up to ten minutes after chopping it up.
🧠 Why Does It Matter for Cognitive Aging?
Sulforaphane activates that critical cellular pathway Nrf2—the same one I mentioned earlier. When turned on, this pathway signals your body to produce a whole suite of antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes.
These include:
Glutathione peroxidase
Superoxide dismutase (SOD)
NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase (NQO1)
Together, these enzymes neutralize oxidative damage, reduce inflammation, and protect your neurons from stress-induced dysfunction.
In the brain, this means:
Less inflammatory signaling from overactive microglia
Reduced oxidative stress in regions like the hippocampus
Preservation of synaptic function and neuronal integrity
💡 Study highlight:
In animal models, sulforaphane has been shown to improve memory and reduce neuroinflammation in animal studies of Alzheimer’s disease. In humans, it’s been studied for its potential role in improving cognition and reducing oxidative markers after brain injury or in neurodevelopmental disorders. (10-14)
The Broccoli hype is deserved. This contains a compound that turns on your internal cleanup crew, it is inexpensive and readily available, making it an essential on your grocery list.
If, like George Bush Sr, you do not like broccoli, you can get sulfurophane in:
Broccoli sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Bok choy
Arugula
Mustard greens
Watercress
Turnip greens
Kale
🥦 How to Actually Get It
Broccoli sprouts are the MVP—up to 50x more glucoraphanin than mature broccoli.
Lightly steaming broccoli, especially the stems, increases sulforaphane availability—boiling destroys it.
Adding a pinch of mustard seed powder (which contains myrosinase) to cooked broccoli can help reactivate sulforaphane formation.
No need to supplement. Just chop, chew, and maybe throw some mustard on your roasted kale, cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli.”
Sulforaphane supports your brain’s detox, defense, and repair systems. It’s one of the clearest examples we have of how vegetables activate resilience pathways that protect against long-term cognitive decline.
Want to keep your brain sharp? Don’t skip the broccoli. Just don’t boil the hell out of it.
Mechanisms of Action
To recap, all of these compounds support brain health through various mechanisms:
Antioxidant Activity: Neutralizing free radicals and oxidative stress that can damage our neurons (brain cells). Because brains demand so much energy, they produces a ton of oxidative byproducts (free radicals) just from doing their job. If your antioxidant defense systems are lagging, those free radicals start damaging brain cell membranes, mitochondria, and even DNA, impacting our recall, mood stability, or creating a brain that just feels “off.”
Polyphenols like quercetin, curcumin, and resveratrol not only mop up free radicals, they help your body make more of its own antioxidant defenses. That includes activating glutathione, your body’s master internally sourced antioxidant, and protecting neurons from oxidative degradation before symptoms show up.
Anti-inflammatory Effects of a high produce diet reduces chronic inflammation that contributes to cognitive decline and regulates inflammatory signaling through pathways like NF-kB and Nrf2. Let’s break down these two big players in the inflammation game:
NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells)
This is your body’s “inflammation switch.” When it gets flipped too often—due to poor diet, stress, or aging—it ramps up production of pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-alpha and IL-6. Chronic, persistent activation of NF-κB is linked to everything from Alzheimer’s to anxiety.Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2)
This is part of your cellular cleanup crew. It turns on genes that help you detoxify, reduce oxidative stress, and repair damage. Nrf2 is anti-inflammatory in the best way, by restoring you’re body’s defenses rather than simply suppressing inflammation like aspirin would.
Compounds like sulforaphane (from broccoli sprouts), EGCG (from green tea), and anthocyanadins (blueberries, purple cabbage) can help downregulate NF-κB and upregulate Nrf2. They help calm the inflammatory fire and boost the repair team—a double win for any aging brain.
The goal isn’t zero inflammation. It’s knowing when to sound the alarm—and when to shut it off.
Veggies Enhance Cerebral Blood Flow: Improving the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Blood flow is everything. Remember, your brain can’t store energy—it needs a constant, steady supply of oxygen and glucose to function. When blood flow drops, so does your cognitive clarity.
Over time, vessel walls stiffen, nitric oxide production declines, and perfusion to key areas like the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus suffers, causing difficulty decision-making, poor memory encoding, and more mental fatigue.
Nitrate-rich vegetables like beets, arugula, and spinach naturally boost nitric oxide production, which helps blood vessels relax and improves circulation to the brain.
Veggies Support Neuroplasticity: Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to adapt, rewire, and grow. It’s what helps you learn new things, recover from setbacks, and build new habits—even in your 60s and 70s.
But neuroplasticity takes work—and fuel. Chronic inflammation, poor circulation, and nutrient deficiencies all get in the way. That’s why many people feel “stuck,” forgetful, or mentally rigid as they age.
Flavonoids and carotenoids help support brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)—a protein that acts like Miracle-Gro for your neurons. They also reduce the oxidative damage that blocks synaptic growth. We used to believe that the brain was only malleable and adaptable in childhood, but now we know that the brain can grow new neurons and adapt throughout the lifespan - but only if we take care of it.
Veggies support the blood-brain barrier. Your blood-brain barrier (BBB) is like security detail for your central nervous system. It decides what gets into your brain and what stays the hell out.
When it’s working well, it keeps toxins, pathogens, and excess inflammatory molecules in check. When it’s compromised—which can happen with age, stress, blood sugar swings, and inflammation—garbage gets through. And your neurons pay the price.
Plant compounds like anthocyanins and flavonols help maintain the structural integrity of the BBB by reinforcing the tight junction proteins that hold it together. That means fewer inflammatory chemicals come through and it is better able to control what reaches your brain, resulting in less mess for your microglia to clean up.
The cliche “Eat the Rainbow” is the simplest way to get the compounds that I’ve mentioned (and several more I have not) that will protect your brain and body as you go through your life.
Blue/Purple: Blueberries, blackberries, eggplant. (anthocyanins)
Green: Spinach, kale, broccoli. (kaempherol, quercitin)
Yellow/Orange: Corn, carrots, turmeric. (carotenoids)
Red: Red cabbage, apples, cherries.foodandwine.com (polyphenols)
White: onions, garlic, cauliflower, some mushrooms (sulfur-compounds, polyphenols and quericitin)
Alright—by now, I’ve made the case that vegetables are essential biochemical support for your brain.
But the real problem isn’t knowing, It’s the doing—in real life, with real schedules, real burnout, and maybe a real hatred of raw kale.
So let’s get into what brain-supportive vegetable intake actually looks like, what compounds you’re aiming to cover, and how to make this work without turning your kitchen into a food prep monastery.
🧠 Start with Coverage, Not Perfection
Forget trying to hit every color every day. Think of dark leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard as vascular insurance. The magnesium, potassium, and nitrates in those plants don’t just lower your blood pressure—they help prevent the kind of microvascular damage that shows up later as memory loss. They should be part of a your diet daily for maximal protection.
Also hunt down dark purple and deep red fruits and veggies. Add berries to your morning yogurt or blueberries in your smoothies and you are set.It’s very easy to find a list of rainbow produce examples online. Print one out and highlight the veggies that are easiest toget your hands on, one or more from each category. Include these in your weekly shopping plan to easily cover your bases.
Aim for diversity across the week, not a perfect Pinterest plate on Tuesdays.
Here’s what coverage could look like over 7 days:
Blues/Purples (anthocyanins): blueberries, blackberries, purple cabbage, eggplant skin
Greens (lutein, zeaxanthin, magnesium): spinach, kale, broccoli, Swiss chard
Reds (lycopene, flavonols): red cabbage, tomatoes, radicchio, red onions
Oranges/Yellows (beta-carotene, vitamin C): carrots, squash, yellow peppers
Whites: onions, cauliflower, mushrooms
Bitter & Sulfur-rich (glucosinolates, sulforaphane): arugula, Brussels sprouts, radishes, turnips, onions
🥬 Make Vegetables a Base, Not a Decoration
Forget the side salad. We’re talking about vegetables as the structure in your meals.
Here’s how to reframe it:
Breakfast: Add frozen spinach or kale to eggs, savory oats, or breakfast bowls. Toss berries into full-fat yogurt or a smoothie you’ll actually drink.
Lunch: Use pre-chopped greens as a bed, not a garnish. Throw leftover roasted veg into wraps, grain bowls, or soup. Add bolognese to half roasted broccoli/half pasta instead of all pasta. Use veg as the base and grains as the granish.
Dinner: Go for volume. Think roasted broccoli, spiced carrots, sautéed cabbage. At least 1.5–2 cups of cooked vegetables rather than the few token florets modeled to you by restaurants.
🧠 Remember: cognitive studies don’t show benefit from a few lettuce leaves. They show benefit from grams of polyphenols, milligrams of carotenoids, and servings of plants. The dose matters.
🥄 Use Fat + Acid + Heat = Flavor and Absorption
Vegetables need:
Heat to break down bitterness and make nutrients more available
Fat to absorb fat-soluble compounds and make them satisfying
Acid + salt to brighten and balance flavor Nutrient absorption doesn’t end with what you eat; how you cook it and what you pair it with can make a big difference!
Fat-soluble compounds (like lutein, beta-carotene, and curcumin) require fat for absorption.
Use olive oil, avocado, ghee, tahini, or fatty fish with your veg
Don’t fear the dressing—just skip the sugary honey mustard and make your own with oil, acid like lemon or vinegar, herbs, and mustard.
Speaking of acid, Acid (like lemon or vinegar) brightens bitterness and increases bioavailability.
A squeeze of lemon on sautéed greens can change everything, masking the strong flavor of some bitter or sulphurous green veggies.
Balsamic, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar - all are brain-supportive choices
Heat breaks down tough fibers and makes certain compounds more available.
Lightly steaming or roasting crucifers increases sulforaphane availability
Sauteed spinach releases more lutein than raw, and it takes up way less plate real estate and stomach space.
🔄 Batch & Rotate (Because Life Happens)
Meal prep doesn’t need to result in the fancy fridge you see on IG. just focus on lowering the friction between you and having your next meal at the ready.
Strategies that work:
Roast a sheet pan of crucifers and roots on Sunday—use them the first half of the week
Keep frozen spinach, riced cauliflower, and green beans on hand for zero-prep boosts in smoothies, stir-fries or soups.
Chop once, use thrice: red cabbage can go in slaw, stir-fry, and soup. Many crucifers last several days after chopping.
Blend and freeze aromatics: garlic, ginger, turmeric, onion with olive oil in ice trays
Give yourself options that reduce effort without sacrificing your sanity.
Brain health isn’t made with memory games and crossword puzzles. It’s a matter of maintaining blood flow, inflammation, and cellular resilience—and vegetables touch every one of those systems. Think of dark greens like spinach and broccoli as vascular insurance. The magnesium, potassium, and nitrates in those plants don’t just lower your blood pressure—they help prevent the kind of microvascular damage that shows up later as memory loss.
This is the long game.
Not a cleanse or a mental detox.
Just strategic inputs for a brain you can rely on.
🧠 Final Note
Alright, let’s bring this home.
If you’ve made it this far, you already know this episode wasn’t about guilt-tripping anyone into a kale conversion.
This was about understanding what your brain actually needs to age well—and how colorful, nutrient-dense vegetables support the systems that keep it functional.
We’re not here for fads, miracle pills, or 30-day resets. We’re here to build something resilient.
Here’s what I want you to walk away with:
Your brain doesn’t just decline—it responds. To food, to movement, to blood flow, to inflammation signals. Vegetables speak that language.
Color matters. Because color is chemistry—polyphenols, carotenoids, flavonoids—all working across systems to reduce damage, improve energy, and regulate inflammation.
You don’t need to overhaul your life. You need to start feeding the systems you rely on—consistently, compassionately, and without perfectionism.
So this week, I want you to do one thing:
Audit your color.
Look at your meals. Not to judge them. To observe.
Ask:
→ Where’s my purple?
→ Where’s my green?
→ Where’s my crucifers?
Then pick one place to add.
Your future brain will thank you.
And if you’re realizing that you know what you should be doing—but you’re still not doing it? That’s not failure. That’s a systems problem. That’s what coaching and practitioner support are for. If you’re ready for that level of help, you know where to find me.
Until then—
Stay salty, stay curious, and I’ll see you next time. 🧠🥦
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