Dinner is often one of the biggest meals people will prepare during the day, but if you’re trying to consume healthier foods, there are a series of mistakes you may be making while preparing your evening meal that can do more harm than good.
Preparing a nutritious, healthy, relatively clean meal can sometimes feel impossible without eating straight-up raw vegetables. You want your meals to be tasty and enjoyable, but you also want to ensure you’re not canceling out any beneficial properties of your ingredients by adding too many harmful things.
We spoke with Dr. Paul Daidone, MD, FASAM, the Medical Director at True Self Recovery, about four common mistakes people make during dinnertime that can actually increase or worsen brain fog and cognitive performance. Brain health is a hot topic these days, and it’s important to learn about everyday habits that can inhibit you from taking the best possible care of your brain. Read more about the four mistakes below.
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Using Too Much Sodium
While most people find salt an essential ingredient for bringing out delicious flavors in dinner and drink recipes, you want to be wary of how much you're using to keep your brain in tip-top shape. Even more so, you'll want to limit your intake of processed or takeout meals throughout the week, as, according to Dr. Daidone, high-sodium dinners can "increase blood pressure and reduce blood flow to the brain over time."
"This can impair cognitive performance and is linked to higher risks of stroke and vascular dementia," he added.
If you're concerned about your sodium intake, look into low-salt dinner recipes or reduce the amount of prepared and processed foods you incorporate into your weekly evening meals. Your heart and brain will thank you!
Drinking Alcohol
A lot of people can relate to that feeling of wanting to get home from a long day at work and enjoy a glass of wine or cocktail with their evening meal. It's valid, as humans have associated drinking with dinnertime for decades. However, drinking with your dinner most nights or several nights a week is not going to benefit your health in any way. In fact, it'll likely make it worse.
"Even moderate alcohol intake in the evening can disrupt sleep quality and impair memory consolidation," explained Dr. Daidone. "Chronic intake is also associated with long-term brain volume loss and reduced executive function."
If you want to take better care of your overall health, especially your cognitive function, try to limit how much alcohol you drink during the week and replace some of your dinnertime drinks with simple mocktails instead to spice things up.
Overeating Refined Carbohydrates
Have you ever sat down for a dinner filled with 'white,' refined carbohydrates like pasta, bread, and more? If you've had a long day or did a lot of moving around, a dinner high in carbs can feel really satisfying, but too many of them can have an impact on your health.
"Meals loaded with white bread, pasta, or sugary sauces can spike blood sugar, then crash it, causing fatigue, irritability, and fogginess shortly after eating," says Dr. Daidone.
"Over time, diets high in refined carbs may impair memory and increase inflammation in the brain."
If you're looking to lose a bit of excess weight on top of taking care of your brain health, cut back on refined carbohydrates and swap them with whole grains, like brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, and more.
Skipping Healthy Fats
When some people hear the word "fat" in relation to food, they immediately think they shouldn't be eating it. However, foods full of healthy fats like salmon, olive oil, and nuts are not only beneficial to your brain health but are essential for your overall well-being.
"Avoiding fats entirely, especially sources of omega-3s like salmon, avocado, or olive oil, can deprive the brain of essential nutrients," noted Dr. Daidone.
"Healthy fats are critical for maintaining cell membranes and supporting neurotransmitter function tied to focus and memory."
As you're preparing dinner, you should always have some form of healthy fat on your plate. This can include something as simple as dressing a salad with a serving of olive oil or making a fatty fish as your entree.
