Brain Health Gift Guide 2023

Whether you’re treating yourself or someone else this holiday season, if thriving is on your to-do list, I’ve curated a few of my favorite items to help you out including cookbooks, supplements, kitchen essentials, and a few more of my favorite things. Some of these links are affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission – at no cost to you – if you purchase an item after clicking on one of my links. It’s a pretty seamless way to support my work if you find the recommendations helpful.

New 2023 Cookbooks

Eating From Our Roots – This book includes recipes for 80+ healthy favorites from cultures around the world, and is written by Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, a nationally-recognized dietitian you may recognize from Good Morning America. She provides culturally sensitive, patient-centered care to support health and longevity.
The Plant-Based Diabetes Cookbook – This cookbook offers 125+ nourishing recipes from Jackie Newgent, RDN, an award-winning cookbook author, classically trained chef, and diabetes expert.
Everyday Snack Tray – Coming out November 28! Filled with delicious recipes and ideas developed by registered dietitian nutritionist and New York Times bestselling author Frances Largeman-Roth, this full-color resource will quickly become the kitchen tool you didn’t know you couldn’t live without.

Brain Nutrition Books

The MIND Diet – By yours truly, this book explains the science of the MIND diet in simple terms, and includes 75 recipes, plus meal plans and more. An approachable book by Maggie Moon, MS, RD, Columbia University educated brain health nutrition expert and chef.
This Is Your Brain on Food – This book covers foods for mental health, and is written by Uma Naidoo, MD, board-certified Harvard psychiatrist and chef.
Brain Food: Eating for Cognition – This book is written from a researcher’s perspective and was written by Lisa Mosconi, PhD, neuroscience and women’s health researcher.

Supplements for Aging Gracefully

There aren’t a lot of supplements I’d recommend because the science just isn’t there. The few below are backed by robust research and quality assurance testing. I have all of these in my own home. That said, everyone’s needs are different, so please take any questions to your healthcare team.

Centrum 50+ – Think a multivitamin has no specific benefits? Think again. The formulation in Centrum 50+ is clinically shown to support memory and cognition in older adults. Centrum is the most studied multivitamin in the world with two new clinical trials showing benefits for memory.
TruNiagen Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) – NR supports cellular energy and repair for all the body’s cells in the brain, muscle, and body by boosting NAD+, a natural compound that drops dramatically from age 30-70 and beyond. Patented and backed by 300+ published scientific studies and 2 Nobel Prize winners.
NOW Astaxanthin 12 mg – Astaxanthin is a carotenoid found in shellfish and salmon (other carotenoids you may know are lycopene, beta-carotene, lutein and curcumin). At 12 mg/day, astaxanthin is associated with muscle mass and cognitive health. It’s an antioxidant that’s 6000% more powerful than vitamin C.

Brain Health Kitchen Essentials

Nutribullet 1200W Pro – This personal blender packs plenty of power, and is the kitchen appliance I reach for most often for a quick smoothie with berries, nuts, and greens.
Veggie multi-chopper – The MIND diet recommends daily veggies, and making veggie prep easy means its more likely you’ll eat them. This multi-chopper almost makes it *fun* to prep veggies. I promise. Easy to clean too.
Mini food processor – This one is ideal for quick-chopping nuts and pureeing bean dip. I use something very similar on a weekly basis, and honestly, it gets more use than my full-sized food processor.

Brain Games

Easy and Relaxing Memory Activity Book for Adults – This #1 best-seller offers a fun way to test your short-term and long-term memory.
Shape Shifting Box – This award-winning, patented fidget cube transforms into 70+ shapes that will fire up your problem-solving skills
Brain Games to Lower Your Brain Age in Minutes a Day – More games to test memory, reasoning, and creative thinking skills.

A Few of My Favorite Things

These are just a few of my favorite things to support a healthy lifestyle.

Fitbit Sense 2 – The top of the line from Fitbit is still a fraction of the price of an Apple Watch or Oura ring, yet does just about everything both of them do – fitness tracking, sleep tracking, stress tracking, and linking to equipment.
Quick-Read Thermometer – A good quick-read thermometer is so helpful in the kitchen to make sure foods are cooked to a safe temperature.
Rechargeable Milk Frother – Though it’s promoted as a milk frother, I use this to whisk powders into water or juice. It’s rechargeable, so no need to keep batteries around; and there’s a cap to protect it when you toss it into a drawer or take it on the road.
Rechargeable Nanofoamer – This one IS for milk foaming and it is excellent at what it does. It creates small bubble foam that is a delight. I use it to froth the soy / almond / lactose-free cow’s milk for tea lattes. My partner uses it to whisk milk into hot chocolate. I’ve also gifted this to others.
Non-slip Epicurean Cutting Board – The only thing as essential as a good chef’s knife is a good cutting board that will be kind to your knives. This one has juice grooves to keep things nice and neat in the kitchen when cutting into juicy fruit, slicing kimchi, or carving poultry.
Laneige Lip Mask – This one is more of a pure creature comfort. It’s been a favorite of mine and cult beauty fans for years. Put it on at night, and wake up with softer lips. It’s meant for overnight, but I use it anytime I want to nourish my lips. It doesn’t dry out like so many chapsticks and lip balms.