71: Brain Health Diet with Annie Fenn, MD

<p>On today’s show, we are exploring the connection between diet and brain health. What is this connection? Are there foods we can eat to protect our brains against Alzheimer’s and other dementia symptoms? Let’s dive into this fascinating topic together!</p> <p>Dr. Annie Fenn is a physician, chef, and culinary instructor. For 20 years, she practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology with a specialty in menopause. Her career took an interesting turn, and today, she’s the founder of The Brain Health Kitchen Cooking School, the only culinary school of its kind in the country. Annie’s classes focus on fending off Alzheimer’s and other dementias with brain-healthy foods and cooking techniques. We are going to talk about the MIND Diet, which features ten healthy brain food groups that we should be eating each week. We will also cover unhealthy brain food groups that we should avoid. We’ll share a few recipes, including my take on Annie’s Moroccan Forbidden Rice Salad. You’ll definitely want to check out this recipe, along with Annie’s Rustic Marmalade Cake, made with olive oil instead of butter.</p> <p><strong>Show Highlights:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Annie’s life in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as the mom of two college-aged sons; she’s a board-certified Ob-gyn who retired in 2010 to be home with her boys</li> <li>Annie wanted to learn more about food as medicine, so she went to culinary school and started teaching cooking classes in her community</li> <li>How Annie became interested in how eating choices affect Alzheimer’s, just as her mom was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s</li> <li>In 2017, Annie launched The Brain Health Kitchen Cooking School to teach people to cook and eat foods that prevent Alzheimer’s</li> <li>Her mission is to create irresistible recipes that are nutrient-dense with neuroprotective foods</li> <li>How common food prep methods create particles that are unhealthy for our brains</li> <li>Why Americans shouldn’t grill foods in the traditional ways we love</li> <li>Why you should eat a large serving of leafy