“I never needed a reason to throw myself into a cold lake…”
Kaisa Swanson/Alami
I realized that my day was filled with small rituals. Every morning I add a spoonful of creatine to my water, drink it to wash down my multivitamin, and then eat plain but bacteria-laden yogurt. At the table, my kids eat homemade cereal, drink kefir, and try to speak Spanish using Duolingo. After the school run I take a dip in the cold pond, then thaw out in the sauna before work. Later, I always add a spoonful of sauerkraut to my lunch and never miss the opportunity to take a quick walk in the park.
When you think about it, it's all a little disgusting. A very “health influencer dates a middle-aged neuroscientist.” But this domestic bliss is a far cry from a year ago, when the kids were drinking Coco Pops and I was caffeinated and glued to the computer, barely noticing the daylight.
My self-satisfied new life is a direct result of spending an entire year researching science-based ways to keep my brain healthy—from boosting cognitive reserves to cultivating a healthy microbiome. Now that I have taken stock, I see that small changes have led to profound changes.
One of the simplest lessons came from Joanne Manson at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts, who sent me details of a huge study of older adults showing that daily multivitamin slowed cognitive decline by more than 50 percent. When I asked other experts what supplements, if any, could also improve brain health, the one thing that stood out to me was creatine—it provides the brain with a source of energy when it needs it most.
But the biggest change wasn't on our supplement shelf, but in our weekly shopping cart. Communication with neuroscientists and nutritionists convinced me of the importance constant care for our microbiome. So that's what my family started: eating three types of fermented foods a day, according to an epidemiologist. Tim Spector advice, removal ultra-processed foods from breakfast and ensuring a varied combination of whole foods in our diet.
I never needed many excuses to throw myself into cold lake or sit in a sauna, but science has given me many reasons prioritize these events this year. Cold and hot exposure may reduce inflammation and stress, and improve connectivity between networks in your brain that are involved in emotion control, decision-making and attention, potentially explaining why they are linked to improved mental health.
Getting outside has also become a family priority. I learned that gardening can increase the diversity of our beneficial gut bacteria while walk through the forest may improve memory and cognition and protect against depression.
At home, we continue to use Duolingo not only for the linguistic benefits, but also for our cognitive reserve – protecting the brain from the conditions of aging. I'm creating mine in other ways, playing the piano for the first time in years. As I trip over my scales, I remember that Ellen Bialystok from York University in Canada told me, “What’s hard on the brain is good on the brain.”
The most amazing thing is how quickly the results appeared. While some habits are long-term investments in cognitive health, others, I believe, had an immediate effect: the kids were calmer, less brain fog, and had more energy. It might be a placebo, but something is working.
Next year I will continue my experiments. It's another year of finding simple ways to keep your brain thriving. So where did I put this kombucha?
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