Announcing our Self-Paced E-Class: BRAIN HEALTH

Recipes. Video Nutrition Lectures. Transcripts and Notes from the in person class in Vermont 2023

Led by Vineyard culinary leader Jan Buhrman and nutritionist John Bagnulo, join them as they help you on a path to a healthier you!

AN OVERVIEW OF THE E-RETREAT:

Our daily lectures enforce a healthy brain lifestyle and meals will take on new meaning in deliciousness and creativity!

There are many dimensions to health that require a regular commitment to become a habit. It can be challenging to find balance with respect to how much attention or time we allow for each on a daily basis. Our intent and interest in different areas of health often change over time and we shift our energy accordingly. What if there was a synergistic effect where multiple components of health accompanied each other in one experience and their benefits were greater than the sum of the parts?

In addition to losing our way with both the foods that serve as our molecular foundation and the physical movement that builds cardiovascular and skeletal muscular health, so too have we had an increasing absence of nature in our lives. Spending time outdoors provides clarity by bringing us to the present. So many philosophers, poets, and authors discovered the power of nature as an avenue to reach elevated thought and creativity. Hiking and moving outdoors can also give us a great sense of whether our nutrition is working for us or against us.

Exercise has many known benefits, and hike we will do! Research shows regular physical activity also benefits the brain. The health of your arteries and veins is important to your heart health, and it is also critical for brain health. And naturally, your diet plays a large role in your brain health. Our meals, cooking classes, and recipes will emphasize plant-based foods, but also high-quality meats, fish, eggs, and healthy fats.

Getting outdoors and moving, in nature, is the best model of integrated self-care possible. The movement, natural light, meditative aspect, and importance of sustaining, nourishing foods are intertwined and part of the overall intention.

WHY I TEACH AND OFFER COURSES:

The brain, the heart, the gut, the mind: it’s all connected. When we think of health and science these parts are referred to as cognitive, coronary, vascular, and spiritual. It’s funny how our brains switch from scientific to emotional feelings just by using different words that can mean the same.  I have always always known in my gut that there are connections to lifestyle and diet and health. I ask questions and seek connections between scientific and revelations. And for me, it's been a pretty consistent unfolding of learning and teaching. And that is why I love to teach, because it is all connected and it is ever unfolding

Don’t we all want to be cognitive in our daily movements, and doesn’t meditation quiet the brain, and isn’t being outside good for our health, and don’t the sights, smells, and feelings that are evoked free our spirit? 

Science proves they do. And I experience it again and again. 

Recently I  was plowing through some hard figures of the past year. Tax forms were due and the accountant called to find out what the holdup was. It was too much, I told him, as though he cared about my procrastinations. I couldn’t face it. Maybe it was post-traumatic stress. My heart raced, my palms sweated, and anxiety paralyzed me. All for a few numbers and categories.

My brain told me this was a ridiculous excuse and I was making too much of it.

Five hours later, after enlisting my less than sympathetic husband to help me, and accomplishing the mission, we agreed to get to the beach. It was a glorious day and still several hours before sunset.

We had no plans to swim, but when we arrived, without much hesitation, thought, or discussion, we stripped naked and jumped in. Our bodies were exposed to the world as the waves pulled our worry and life of chaos to sea.

I have learned over the years that I have lived most of my life in fear, and anxiety has been a product of that. It still takes me over, and some days I worry that I am doomed for life. I believed that I acquired ADHD from too much multitasking, taking on too much, and having too much overload. I drank too much, ate too much, and worked too hard. But I am learning. It has been a hard, slow, and curious health journey. 

Ever since taking on a job at a health food store as a teenager, I have looked at health and immersed myself in the ever expanding science that teaches that food and lifestyle are medicine. And that the human body is ever resilient; we can rebuild about 330 billion cells each day (the equivalent of 1% of all our cells).  This is proof that there is opportunity to begin again, each day, each moment. 

I have learned that when anxiety comes over me I need to push through, to breathe, to take baby steps, to be patient, and to always find something new in nature, in the ocean, in life.

And after our plunge, I came home and made bone stock to nourish my soul. It is also great to have on hand to make a quick soup. One  of my favorite meals is a steaming bowl of vegetable soup and it can be so quick and easy with bone broth if you have it on hand. It can be made with leftovers from the night before or made with fresh vegetables, herbs, greens and spices!

But most important for me, is having the ritual of making it. The benefits are many fold. And there’s plenty of evidence that the nutrients in bone broth  can be beneficial for health. 

And one of the practices that I do is  intermittent fasting.  During such a fast, I eat all of my daily nutrients in an 8-hour window and fast for 16 hours. This is a simple practice that can keep our brains sharp and in shape. It doesn’t stop there, it’s good for the heart, too! 

John Bagnulo, my  mentor and friend and an awesome scientist/nutritionist have been offering classes together for sixteen years. John teaches science. I teach cooking and together we will  journal, and hike!  We are an awesome team. The topics are changing, but honestly, they are all connected. You can;t have brain health, without coronary health…and so it goes. 

But science is evolving and changing and recipes are new and the approach is in response to each of our participants.

One of the practices that we  teach and show is called intermittent fasting and the potential to improve our overall health.. Intermittent fasting has been associated with a longer lifespan and a lower risk of developing heart failure. ….(1) (2) 

Fasting is also good for the  gut, which for me,  has been badly damaged from tick borne illnesses and antibiotic treatments. (3)

It’s all connected, this swimming in the ocean, taking walks in the woods, skipping meals, and laughing with friends. It seems so obvious, but for me it hasn’t been so. It has been a lifelong journey to be a better person, to find health every day. And the best part is I can start again each day.

So check out the e- course or an in person class! I promise you will not be disappointed and your whole body will celebrate!

A NOTE FROM JOHN BAGNULO:

Everyone is aware of the importance of insulin sensitivity to prevent diabetes, weight gain, and heart disease. However, insulin sensitivity of the brain is possibly the single most important characteristic for the prevention of dementia, depression, cognitive impairment, and possibly Alzheimer's disease. More and more research is highlighting the role of insulin in the etiology of neurological disease especially in the area of accelerated aging of the brain. What's becoming increasingly clear is the importance of providing neurons with alternative sources of energy rather other than glucose.  Fatty acids and carbohydrates are what most of our body's cells and organs use as fuel. The brain however is not able to use significant amounts of fatty acids as fuel. In fact, there's a great deal of evidence that the limited capacity to oxidize certain fatty acids (omega 6 polyunsaturated types for example) by the brain is for good reason as it is very damaging to neurons. Therefore the brain can only safely use glucose or ketones as primary sources of energy. If carbohydrates are always present in our diet then glucose will always be available to the brain. Ketones will rarely be present and will not be an option for brain metabolism. Our goal should be to provide our brain with both potential sources of energy. That requires periods of time with low levels of carbohydrate and the right types of fat to support ketone production. 

These basic changes along with daily exercise to increase insulin sensitivity for the rest of our body can dramatically improve brain health and prevent the impairment associated with an aging brain.

There are many dimensions to health that require a regular commitment to become a habit. It can be challenging to find balance with respect to how much attention or time we allow for each on a daily basis. Our intent and interest in different areas of health often change over time and we shift our energy accordingly. What if there were a synergistic effect, where multiple components of health accompanied each other in one experience and their benefits were greater than the sum of the parts?

Getting outdoors and moving, in nature, is the best model of integrated self-care possible. The movement, natural light, meditative aspect, and importance of sustaining, nourishing foods are intertwined and part of the overall intention.

In addition to losing our way with both the foods that serve as our molecular foundation and the physical movement that builds cardiovascular and skeletal muscular health, so too have we had an increasing absence of nature in our lives. Spending time outdoors provides clarity by bringing us to the present. So many philosophers, poets, and authors discovered the power of nature as an avenue to reach elevated thought and creativity. Hiking and moving outdoors can also give us a great sense of whether our nutrition is working for us or against us.

JOHN BAGNULO ON CRITICAL CONCEPTS OF BRAIN NUTRITION:

The brain is a very metabolically active organ. This means that it is constantly receiving nutrients to support its energy requirements. Additionally, the circulation required to deliver nutrients is also responsible for carrying away waste products of metabolism. Therefore, brain health starts with circulation. However, the blood needs to carry adequate levels of many different minerals and vitamins. Each year, more and more studies also show that molecules known as polyphenols, found in an array of foods, have a profound influence on our brain. Ultimately, how our brain functions and the way it ages are dependent on providing the most compatible sources of energy, a wide array of micronutrients that support its activity, and clearing or neutralizing those molecules that cause inflammation. Let’s not over compartmentalize things though. Circulation is dependent on our heart and working muscles. Exercise improves both (again, one of the most important factors in this discussion). We have to move and move regularly. The type of energy sources that the brain utilizes and depends on are also important. Although carbohydrates are the normal source of energy, we should provide the brain with ketones as an alternative source at times. Whether that is through time restricted eating (aka intermittent fasting), a ketogenic diet, or something as simple as a low carbohydrate, higher fat diet that will ultimately provide more metabolic flexibility to the brain. Either way, we need to make our brains less carbohydrate dependent. Lastly, in addition to these aspects, it’s important to establish good gut health with a diverse microbiome rich in n-butyrate producing bacteria. This may take a weed and feed approach to reducing potentially harmful bacteria while fostering beneficial microbial populations. It may also require eating good quality yogurt or another source of helpful microbes. The environment there in the GI is as an important determinant of brain health and aging as any other factor. In summary, nourishing the brain optimally requires that we think about it upstream. We need to think about how we can more efficiently support blood flow, what we can do to provide alternatives to carbohydrate or sugar-based metabolism, and where we can make changes to our microbiome. The confluence of these systems can provide an incredible high level of function and biologically younger organ at any age.

There are many dimensions to health that require a regular commitment to become a habit. It can be challenging to find balance with respect to how much attention or time we allow for each on a daily basis. Our intent and interest in different areas of health often change over time and we shift our energy accordingly. What if there was a synergistic effect where multiple components of health accompanied each other in one experience and their benefits were greater than the sum of the parts?

In addition to losing our way with both the foods that serve as our molecular foundation and the physical movement that builds cardiovascular and skeletal muscular health, so too have we had an increasing absence of nature in our lives. Spending time outdoors provides clarity by bringing us to the present. So many philosophers, poets, and authors discovered the power of nature as an avenue to reach elevated thought and creativity. Hiking and moving outdoors can also give us a great sense of whether our nutrition is working for us or against us.

Everyone is aware of the importance of insulin sensitivity to prevent diabetes, weight gain, and heart disease. However, insulin sensitivity of the brain is possibly the single most important characteristic for the prevention of dementia, depression, cognitive impairment, and possibly Alzheimer's disease. More and more research is highlighting the role of insulin in the etiology of neurological disease especially in the area of accelerated aging of the brain. What's becoming increasingly clear is the importance of providing neurons with alternative sources of energy rather other than glucose.  Fatty acids and carbohydrates are what most of our body's cells and organs use as fuel. The brain however is not able to use significant amounts of fatty acids as fuel. In fact, there's a great deal of evidence that the limited capacity to oxidize certain fatty acids (omega 6 polyunsaturated types for example) by the brain is for good reason as it is very damaging to neurons. Therefore the brain can only safely use glucose or ketones as primary sources of energy. If carbohydrates are always present in our diet then glucose will always be available to the brain. Ketones will rarely be present and will not be an option for brain metabolism. Our goal should be to provide our brain with both potential sources of energy. That requires periods of time with low levels of carbohydrate and the right types of fat to support ketone production. 

For a bit more about John Bagnulo