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have a big impact on our energy, the quality of our health, and the function of our brains. Focusing on key ingredients like good quality omega-3 rich fats, vegetables loaded with antioxidants and phytonutrients, and spices to enhance our digestion and focus, and can support both shortand long-term brain function.” Here’s a sample day of some of her go-to recipes to optimize brain power and vitality:

MORNING BRAIN TONIC

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into slices

2-inch piece of turmeric, peeled and cut into slices (note: this will stain, so watch clothes and countertops)

4 cups filtered water

organic green tea (loose or plastic-free tea bags for 2 servings) ½ organic lemon, juiced

Dash of black pepper Raw honey (optional)

Place the turmeric, ginger, and water into a small saucepan.

Bring to a slow simmer on medium-high heat. Add the green tea and simmer for at least 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Add the lemon juice, dash of black pepper, and honey (if using).

Strain and serve hot. Avoid eating for 20 minutes after drinking this tonic.

Note: You can also make a large batch of the tonic mix ahead of time. Simply add a larger quantity of turmeric, ginger, and lemon to a juicer. Place this juice into the fridge, covered tightly with a lid, for up to 7 days. When serving, just add to hot water and green tea.

MORNING MAGIC SMOOTHIE

Serves 1

Ingredients:

½cup frozen wild blueberries

½cup chopped jicama (peel removed)

Big handful of organic spinach (you can add more, too!) 2 tablespoons hemp seeds

1 teaspoon MCT oil

1 teaspoon organic spirulina powder

½cup unsweetened coconut water

½cup unsweetened almond milk Ice (optional)

Add all ingredients to a blender, blend, and start your day with brain and body fuel!

BRAIN BOOST SALAD

Serves 2

For the salad:

2 cups organic arugula

2 cups organic spinach

¼cup pomegranate seeds

¼cup raw walnuts, chopped 1 avocado, sliced

4 organic eggs, boiled then sliced when cool (if vegan, replace eggs with 2 tablespoons hemp seeds and 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds)

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar

¼cup extra virgin olive oil ½ lemon squeezed

1 tablespoon raw honey

¼teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

2 tsp black sesame seeds (for garnish)

Place all salad dressing ingredients (except sesame seeds) into a bowl or mixing container and blend/shake well. Set aside.

Add the arugula, spinach, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts to a large salad bowl.

Pour salad dressing on top of the salad and mix together.

Transfer the mixed salad onto two plates. Top each salad with ½ sliced avocado and 2 sliced eggs. Garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

EASY ROASTED SALMON & BROCCOLI WITH SWISS

CHARD

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoon of chopped garlic

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 salmon fillets, preferably wild not farmed (4 to 6 ounces each) 2 to 4 slices of lemon

1 large head of organic broccoli, chopped into bite-sized florets (3 to 4 cups)

2 teaspoons Himalayan sea salt, divided

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 small bunch organic Swiss chard or rainbow chard, finely chopped 1 teaspoon organic mustard seed powder

Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix the lemon juice, chopped garlic, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl.

Lay the salmon down in the middle of the sheet pan and pour the lemon–garlic–olive oil mixture on top of each fillet evenly. Then place the lemon slices on top of each fillet.

Mix the broccoli florets, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 teaspoon sea salt together in a large bowl. Place the mixture around each salmon fillet on the sheet pan.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.

While the salmon and broccoli are baking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil on low heat in a skillet. Add the chopped shallot, stirring often until clear and cooked. Add the Swiss chard with 2 tablespoons water to the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chard is softened. Remove from heat.

Add the salmon, broccoli, and chard to two serving plates. Sprinkle the broccoli with mustard seed powder to boost anti-inflammatory benefits. Serve and enjoy!

COCOA-CINNAMON-GINGER “HOT CHOCOLATE”

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk

2-inch ginger piece, peeled and sliced lengthwise

3 tablespoons unsweetened raw organic cocoa powder

1 teaspoon organic cinnamon powder

1 to 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (sweeten as desired) ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Small pinch of sea salt

2 cinnamon sticks, as garnish

Heat the almond milk and ginger slices in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon, coconut sugar, vanilla, and sea salt and whisk until dissolved.

Bring to a gentle simmer once again before removing from the heat. Pour into two mugs, using a strainer to prevent the ginger from going into the cups. Add one cinnamon stick to each mug and enjoy!

Note: This drink can be served cooled during the summer months.

Also, if serving as a dessert, add one dollop of coconut cream and blend for a sweeter, frothier taste.

2. BRAIN NUTRIENTS

As we’ve discussed, diet affects brain function. But what if you aren’t able, because of your schedule or lifestyle, to regularly eat a rich brain-food diet? Research has shown that particular nutrients have a direct effect on your cognitive ability. I always prefer getting my nutrients from real, whole, organic foods. Talk to your qualified health practitioner to learn what you might be deficient in.

In my podcast episode with Max Lugavere, author of Genius Foods, we discussed the benefits of supplementing with phospholipid DHA—your brain uses this to create healthy cell

membranes.3 This is important because our cell membranes form all the receptors involved in mood, executive functioning, attention, and memory. B vitamins have been shown to improve women’s memories. Curcumin, the nutrient found in turmeric, can forestall cognitive decay. You can get a list of nutrients and their effect on the

brain from the National Institutes of Health website.4

There are natural sources for all of these nutrients, but getting all of them into your diet might not fit your lifestyle or your palate. The good news is that supplements are readily available for all of these (though not all supplements are created equal; make sure to do some research). You can also combine these with the brain foods discussed in this chapter to give your brain the fuel it needs. For a list and links to my favorite brain supplements, go to www.LimitlessB ook.com/resources.

3. EXERCISE

“Exercise changes the brain in ways that protect memory and thinking skills,” writes Heidi Godman, the executive editor of the Harvard Health Letter. “In a study done at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise, the kind

that gets your heart and your sweat glands pumping, appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal

memory and learning.”5

I can almost hear some of you complaining or making excuses as you read that last paragraph: Exercise is boring. You don’t have time for it. You can’t afford a gym membership. But the simple fact is that exercise is enormously valuable if you want to unshackle your brain. Think about it: When you’re active and moving, you feel sharper, right? Some of us even need to move around in order to get our brains operating at top efficiency. That’s because there’s a direct correlation between exercise and brain function. And you don’t need to become an Olympic athlete in order to keep your brain sharp. There’s lots of evidence to show that even 10 minutes of aerobic exercise a day can have enormous benefits.

As your body moves, your brain grooves. Check out a few of my favorite exercise videos at www.LimitlessBook.com/resources.

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Set your phone alarm to remind yourself to move for a few minutes every hour.

4. KILLING ANTS

Dr. Daniel Amen, a clinical neuroscientist, author of the bestseller

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, and a frequent guest of ours, came home one night after a particularly bad day at the office dealing with suicide risks, angst-ridden teens, and dysfunctional couples to find thousands of ants in his kitchen. “It was gross,” he wrote. “As I started to clean them up, the acronym came to me. I thought of my patients from that day—like my infested kitchen, my patients’ brains were also infested by the negative thoughts that were robbing them of their joy and stealing their happiness. The next day, I brought a can of ant spray to work as a visual aid and have

been working diligently ever since to help my patients eradicate their ANTs.”6

ANTs are “automatic negative thoughts” and, if you’re like most people, you place limitations on yourself in the form of these thoughts at least some of the time. Maybe you tell yourself that you aren’t smart enough to learn a skill that you’d really like to have. Or perhaps you repeat on an endless loop how pushing yourself to accomplish something is only going to lead to disappointment.

ANTs are everywhere, and there isn’t enough ant spray in the world to get rid of all of them. But eliminating them from your life is an essential part of unlimiting your brain. The reason for this is simple: If you fight for your limitations, you get to keep them. If you regularly tell yourself that you can’t do something, or that you’re too old to do something, or that you don’t have the smarts to do something, you won’t do that thing. Only when you move on from this kind of destructive self-talk can you truly accomplish what you want to accomplish.

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What is your biggest ANT? What could you replace it with?

5. A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT

A 2018 piece in the medical journal The Lancet identified that “air pollution might cause 30 percent of all strokes and thus might be one of the leading contributors of the global stroke burden.” It went on: “Given the strong association between stroke, vascular risk factors, and dementia, the suggested link between air pollution and dementia

is to be expected.”7 The air you breathe is critical to the way your brain functions. If you’ve ever been stuck in a room with a smoker, you know how hard it is to even think while you’re breathing that toxic air. Conversely, if you’re hiking in the mountains and take a deep breath from the crisp, clean atmosphere, you can feel your senses thriving.

If you live in a factory town or a big city with pollutants everywhere, there isn’t a lot you can do about the air around you. Fortunately, there are devices available to clean the air in your home and in your office, and you can make an increased effort to get to cleaner spaces more frequently.

A clean environment goes beyond air quality. Removing clutter and distractions from your surroundings will make you feel lighter and improve your ability to focus, so take time to Marie Kondo your mind and remove any unnecessary stuff.

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What is one thing you can do today to clean your environment?

6. A POSITIVE PEER GROUP

Your brain potential is not just related to your biological networks or your neurological networks; it is also related to your social networks. Who you spend time with is who you become. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn says that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Whether you believe that or not, I don’t think any of us can disagree with the notion that the people around us have a meaningful influence on our lives. A recent Temple University study showed that people (specifically teenagers in this study) act differently when they are alone than they do when they are with others. In reporting on the study for The New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope said that “Dr. Steinberg [one of the authors of the study] notes that the brain system involved in reward processing is also involved in the processing of social information, explaining why

peers can have such a pronounced effect on decision making.”8 Because of this influence, those you spend time with have a

genuine effect on brain function. Certainly, they affect your self-talk, as most of us tie at least a part of our beliefs to the beliefs others have about us. But they can affect everything from what you eat to how much you exercise, to even how much sleep you get. There are

lots of books out there dedicated to helping you distinguish people who are good for you from people who are not, but for the purposes of this chapter, just take a few minutes to think about who your peers are, how much influence they have on your life, and how this affects your desire to unlimit yourself.

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Who is someone you need to spend more time with? Reach out and make a date with that person now.

7. BRAIN PROTECTION

This probably goes without saying, but protecting your brain is critical if you’re going to make the most of your brain. You have only one brain. If you were given only one car to use for the rest of your life, how well would you treat that car? You would take care of it as if your life depended on it. Accidents are unavoidable, but putting yourself in situations where brain injury is less likely improves your chances of avoiding the worst. Hard-contact or extreme sports are not ideal if you want to make the most of this precious asset. Driving 20 miles an hour over the speed limit all the time on your motorcycle isn’t advisable, either. If you love these things too much to give them up, at the very least take as many precautions and use as many safety tools as you can.

8. NEW LEARNING

One of the most important things you can do for the health of your brain is to keep learning. We are all capable of expanding the capacities of our brains, even as we get older, which we discussed when we talked about neuroplasticity in Chapter 3.

What this means is that, as long as we keep learning, we continue to create new pathways in our brains. We keep our brains plastic and supple, capable of processing new information in relevant ways.

This is especially true if we give ourselves genuine challenges in our learning. Attempting to master a new skill, to discover a new language, to embrace parts of your culture or the cultures of others that are new to you all keep those neurons firing and creating new pathways. By increasing the ways you use your brain, you increase the capabilities of your brain.

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Create an ongoing “To Learn” list. What are some things on that list? Write two down.

9. STRESS MANAGEMENT

We all experience some level of stress in our everyday lives, sometimes a great deal of stress. Whenever we experience stress, a hormone known as cortisol is released to alleviate the physical rigors of stress on our bodies. If this happens occasionally, it’s not a problem, but if it happens with great regularity, the buildup of cortisol in our brains can lead it to cease functioning properly.

But there’s more. “There is evidence that chronic (persistent) stress may actually rewire your brain,” says a piece on the Harvard Health Blog. “Scientists have learned that animals that experience prolonged stress have less activity in the parts of their brain that handle higher-order tasks—for example, the prefrontal cortex—and more activity in the primitive parts of their brain that are focused on survival, such as the amygdala. It’s much like what would happen if you exercised one part of your body and not another. The part that was activated more often would become stronger, and the part that got less attention would get weaker. This is what appears to happen in the brain when it is under continuous stress: it essentially builds up the part of the brain designed to handle threats, and the part of

the brain tasked with more complex thought takes a back seat.”9 With such clear evidence that stress can be debilitating to your

brain, finding ways to reduce or avoid stress becomes critical. I’m