Brain Protective Chocolate and Apricot Energy Balls

November is Alzheimers Awareness Month and a perfect time to focus on lifestyle and nutrition practices, recipes and information that empowers to support our optimal brain health.

You might wonder why eating to support brain health should be a priority in your thirties, forties fifties and sixties woman and in return I would ask you; 

Do you have stress?

Do you sleep like a baby for 8 hours a night?

Have you ever experienced brain fog, anxiety or the blues?

Be real with me here sister! All of the symptoms mentioned above are ones we talk about when we meet for coffee and joke about being part and parcel of the midlife female experience.

Between 2000 and 2017 death’s in North America due to Alzheimers increased by 145% and two thirds of all sufferers of Alzheimers are women.

For many years we have lived with the rationalization that because women live longer than men, they are by default going to make up a greater percentage of Alzheimers patients but as the women live on average only 5 years longer than men and the onset of Alzheimers from commencement to diagnosis averages 10 year…this math did not make sense.

Finally more research into women experience of Alzheimers is being carried out and there is currently an ongoing re-think around the female pathway into dementia as it differs significantly from that of men.

And, so, opinions are changing and science is learning that

1.     Womens’ brains may need more ‘protection’ than male brains, from stress and poor eating habits.

2.     That women with Alzheimers are not being detected under current testing regimes with tests designed by and for men. Women universally have greater verbal skills (shout out to the chat, the gossip, verbal connection and talkiness that defines the beauty of women!) and so pass verbal testing despite having early onset Alzheimers.     

3.     That women have more divergent thinking patterns than men and that this contributes to the unhealthy protein that lays down plaque in the brain as part of Alzheimers disease to be more widely spread throughout different centers of the brain.

4.     That moving through menopause pre-disposes a womans brain to dementia because of the loss of the neuro-protective properties of estrogen. Studies are not claiming causation for menopause and Alzheimers BUT that if you are predisposed to Alzheimers then menopause can act as a trigger.

All of this information brings us back to point one and the only message we really need to receive… Womens brains need more protection than mens from the onset of Alzheimers and dementia.

Easy to make in only 15 minutes, below is a recipe that will help you to balance your blood sugar levels and fuel your brain on a daily basis. Make a batch of 12 of these Chocolate, Apricot Energy Balls to keep in your refrigerator and know that when you reach for a snack, you are also deeply protecting your future cognitive function!

If brain health is your priority, you need to check out my recipe for Omega 3 Rich Sardine Pate. Click here for a recipe.

Brain Protective Chocolate, Apricot Energy Balls

Ingredients

                          11/2 cups unsulphured dried apricots

                          1 cup shredded coconut

                          1/4 cup cacao paste or organic cocoa powder

                          1tbsp coconut oil

                          zest of 1 orange

                          1/4tsp sea salt

Instructions

·      In a food processor pulse the dried apricots until they form a paste.

·      Pulse in the cacao paste or cocoa and orange zest to combine.

·      In a large bowl plug the shredded coconut, sea salt and spirulina and combine.

·      Add the apricot/chocolate paste and coconut oil and combine all ingredients with the hands.

·      Form into balls and roll in additional shredded coconut if desired.

Store in the refrigerator.

The Benefits of Bone Broth (+ Recipe)

I generally shy away from the word ‘superfood’ as we live in a world with an abundance of healthy promoting real foods from arugula to zucchini, BUT for women feeling exhausted in their middle years, bone broth comes pretty close to the holy grail of nutritional content.

THE BENEFITS OF BONE BROTH

Contains Easily Absorbable Amino Acids
This help heal the epithelial cells of the gut lining alleviating feelings of gassiness and bloating that can become more common as we age and our digestive tract ages with us. Healthy digestion ensures absorption of nutrition from all the other energizing foods you include into you daily menu.

Mineral Dense
Meaning support for your adrenal glands. If you have been suffering from stress, exhaustion or anxiety then bone broth is for you. Not to mention your diet will appreciate the bump in calcium, magnesium and phosphorous content.

Packed with Glucosamine and Chondroitin
These are the building blocks for our tissues. Bone broth helps support strong bones, joints, hair and nails as we age.

Rich in Collagen
An important connective tissue which helps prevent osteoarthritis and general wear and tear on joints and bones (definitely something for my midlife athletes to consider). Collagen is also the perfect ingredient for smooth, young looking skin. After 40, the body naturally makes less collagen which is why, we start to notice those laugh lines and wrinkles. Collagen also helps to form lean muscle mass and promotes burning fat.

Detoxifying
During perimenopause, it is the liver that carries the burden of breaking down the excess hormones that accumulate in our bodies. Rich in amino acids, glycine and proline, bone broth supports your liver in building detoxifying glutathione so that she can do her detox job more effectively.

Anti-Anxiety
As a rich source of magnesium, bone broth can help you to relax and feel less anxious which will lead to better sleep. The amino acid glycine found in bone broth also supports the body to combat the stress-inducing effects of the heart-rate-accelerating hormone norepinephrine.

Bone broth is one of the foods that makes the list in my FREE guide The Ten Essential Foods For The Midlife Woman. You can get your copy here.

Bone broth is readily available in supermarkets today but it is easy to make this midlife superfood at home. I make mine in a slow cooker so that I can spend five minutes on preparation and forget about it until I find time to pour the contents of the slow cooker through a colander and discard the bones. This can be up to 48 hours later.

So what do you need to make this delicious and highly nutritious midlife elixir for yourself?

Bones from 1 roasted chicken – After you have enjoyed your roasted chicken or turkey dinner, pile all of the bones into a slow cooker for bone broth.

• 1-2 carrots

• 2-3 stalks celery

• 3-4 cloves garlic

• 1 onion halved, skin on or off

• 3-4 bay leaves

• 10-15 peppercorns

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar.
  
  Add all of the ingredients into the slow cooker with the chicken carcass. Know that the apple cider vinegar will pull the minerals out of the bones to increase the nutrition of your broth. Also know that your broth will not miss an odd carrot or the celery stalks. It is not about perfection here but consistency…just get your broth started with what you have in the kitchen.
  
  Fill the slow cooker up with filtered water to cover the bones and cover and switch on low. Leave the broth to do its’ thing for 48 hours. Even in the summer I often have my slow cooker out on the deck making bone broth for a delicious limey summer chicken tortilla soup or gazpacho!
  
  After 36 – 48 hours, let the contents cool and pass through a colander into a large container in which you can store your delicious bone broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.