101 Brain-Healthy Recipes to Protect Your Mind and Boost Your Mood

For many years, a Mediterranean diet has been touted as one that can help with weight and overall health. This book is written by Serena Ball and Deanna Segrave-Daly, both registered dietitians. They cite quite a bit of research that implies the benefits are much more far-reaching than those. There is good reason to believe brain health can be boosted and mood can be improved as well. A very informative introduction is followed by a Smart Chart listing the foods most common to this diet, the main nutrient value, and the potential brain benefit.

The authors include more than one hundred recipes broken down into eleven sections: Breakfast, Small Plates & Snacks, Salads, Sides, Soups, Sandwiches & Pizzas, Pasta, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Seafood, Meat & Poultry, and Desserts. Backmatter includes a Recipe Guide for Special Diets, Five-Day Meal Plans, a Selected Bibliography, and an excellent index.

The recipes have the number of servings, prep and cook time, an ingredients list, an introductory paragraph, excellent instructions, and complete nutritional information. Most have a mouth-watering photo of the finished dish. Don’t miss the Speedy Paella with Cauliflower Rice (YUM!) or the Roasted Salmon and Avocado Fattoush. Both are quick, easy, and delicious. This is a terrific cookbook.