The Brain Health Kitchen: Preventing Alzheimer's Through Food

Physician and chef Annie Fenn identifies the top ten brain-smart ingredients and shows that eating to maintain brain health is easy, accessible, delicious, and necessary for everyone.

The foods we choose to eat (or not) sit at the core of the Alzheimer’s epidemic. In The Brain Health Kitchen, readers will learn exactly how making the right choices about the foods we select and cook, and how we eat them, can keep our brains younger, sharper, more vibrant, and much less prone to dementia.

Scientific studies show that there are ten foods with powerful neuroprotective properties. None should come as a surprise―leafy greens, whole grains, berries, fatty fish, beans and lentils, olive oil, and more have been touted for their health-giving benefits since researchers put a name to the Mediterranean diet. But Dr. Annie Fenn takes a much more targeted approach, beginning with 100 recipes that incorporate brain-healthy foods into every meal of the day.

From Caramelized Apple and Quinoa Pancakes for breakfast to Mushroom and White Bean Socca for lunch to dinners like Miso-Glazed Cod with Rice and Gingery Green Beans and Marinated Steak with Warm Kale Salad and Sweet Potatoes, here are dishes that are simply delicious, regardless of their health-boosting effects. Same with the desserts, like Coffee, Date, and Oat Bars.

Readers will also learn other strategies for creating a brain-friendly dietary pattern, including choosing meats that fuel instead of harm; understanding the nuances between “good” and “bad” fats; embracing methods that preserve nutrients, such as braising and steaming; making sure to drink the right beverages; and addressing holistic issues like how diverse your food choices are and how beneficial it is to share meals with family and friends.

Shifting to and sticking with a brain healthy diet is your first and best line of defense against the heartbreaking diseases of Alzheimer’s and dementia. And it works for everyone―omnivores, pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans, and the gluten-intolerant.

“Though packed with solid science, the book isn’t dense reading; [Fenn] dishes up the data and information in easily digestible bites.” ―Seattle Times

Dr. Annie Fenn is the founder of the Brain Health Kitchen, the only cooking school of its kind focused exclusively on brain health and helping people prevent cognitive decline through food and lifestyle. After 20 years as a board-certified ob-gyn, she traded in her stethoscope for an apron to pursue her passion for the culinary arts. But it was her mother’s diagnosis with early-onset dementia that helped Fenn find her path and her new calling, one that enabled her to not only help her mother but also create significant and meaningful impact for others. Fenn lives in Jackson, Wyoming. This is her first book. Find her on Instagram at @brainhealthkitchen.