For example, grass-fed beef is a rich source of essential minerals like iron and zinc, where they are packaged in a form that the body can easily utilize. (This is unlike, say, the iron from spinach or zinc from legumes.)1 Grass-fed beef is also a great source of omega-3 fats, vitamin B12, vitamin E, and even certain nutrients, such as creatine (co

The takeaway from this shocking data is that corn and other processed oils (and sugar) are likely much more damaging to your blood vessels than saturated fat.

eating chocolate, a naturally fermented food, come from its abundance of flavanols, a type of polyphenol. Cocoa flavanols have been shown to reverse signs of cognitive aging and improve insulin sensitivity, vascular function, and blood flow to the brain, and even athletic performance.

How to use: Eat one huge “fatty salad” daily, which is a salad filled with organic dark leafy greens like kale, arugula, romaine lettuce, or spinach, and doused with extra-virgin olive oil. Avoid nutrient-poor varieties like iceberg lettuce, which is essentially just water and fiber. There will be more “fatty salad” options in the recipe section

Studies like this highlight a potential negative effect of high-dose vitamin supplementation, which can indiscriminately block the stimulus our bodies need to grow stronger. For this reason, I do not recommend excessive vitamin supplements—instead, a wiser approach is to naturally stimulate the body’s own, far more potent antioxidant compounds with

Having higher levels of BDNF bolsters memory, mood, and executive function in the short term, and is a powerful promoter of brain plasticity in the long term.

Avoid gluten-containing beverages, which may be a one-two punch. Gluten increases gut permeability, which may compound the same effect from alcohol.

but aerobic exercise in particular has been found to be one of the best known means of boosting brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF.

Alternatively, you may choose to do anaerobic workouts on some days of the week and aerobic on others. Whatever you choose to do, stick with what you enjoy and make sure to vary levels of intensity. Also, taking one to two days off per week for rest ensures that you do not overtrain, which can have deleterious effects.