Nutrition and neuroscience with Dr Tara Swart

What food is good for the brain?

Neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart knows all about your hungry, hungry hippocampus. She's a medical doctor of psychiatry, the international best-selling author of The Source, a senior lecturer at MIT, a TED talker, a leadership coach, and now, we're proud to say, Chief Science Officer at Heights!

Today, we discuss the incredible effect of nutrition on our brains. If you haven't got a PhD in neuropharmacology, fear not! Tara does, and she condenses her insights into a deliciously moreish Braincare podcast.

You can listen to episode 4 here.

The brain is by far the most metabolically active organ in the body. It's only 2-3% of our body weight but it uses up to 30% of the breakdown products of what we eat.

What happens to your brain when it eats junk food?

There's a whole laundry list of vitamins and minerals available as supplements, but are they all created equal? Tara explains what our brains really need for peak performance. Plus, the shocking impact of stimulants and processed foods on our overall health. "Processed food, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine have actually massively devastated the quality and diversity of our gut bacteria."

Podcast episode takeaways

In this first episode with Dr Tara Swart we will cover:

• Your brain on food

• Sustainable, fish-free ways for getting enough omega 3s

• Why you shouldn't let your gut bacteria rule your life

• Non-negotiable nutrients for vegans and vegetarians

• Antioxidants, and why you might need to skip the smoked salmon

Listen to the entire episode here.

And subscribe to The Braincare Podcast to get more bitesize interviews with the world's leading scientists and experts.

If you're hungry for more Braincare podcasts, check out our first 3 episodes with actor, mental health advocate, and sin enthusiast Stephen Fry.

We will also have another episode on neuroplasticity with Dr Tara Swart.