The Superfoods That Are Actually Superfoods (and a Recipe to Get You Started) (2024)

If someone told you that one factor is associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity in developed nations, would you believe it?

You should, because it’s true. Inflammation is a common link between all of these diseases and it is also linked to cognitive function — the topic of this post.(17,18)

According to mold toxin expert Ritchie Shoemaker, MD:

“A common concern for those who are trying to understand cognitive problems is how inflammation in the body is inflammation in the brain. The blood brain barrier, as it is called, results from additional “tight junction features”. Inflammatory processes including TGF beta-1 and IL-1B loosen these tight junctions. These two compounds are shown to be significantly elevated in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndromes.”

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Inflammation is an innate response to injury, stress, or illness, poor gut function or eating toxic foods (high-toxin, high-sugar, high-processed, high-gluten, etc.) and induces an inflammatory response. When this response becomes the norm for your body, it becomes a low-level feature in your physiology and problems arise.

I’ve struggled with systemic inflammation since I was a young child, although it is a rare problem for me today.

It is lack of knowledge, unmanaged stress and poor food choices that push people off the inflammation cliff.

Everything included in the Bulletproof diet and protocols is focused on eliminating unnecessary inflammation in the body. Talking to hundreds of experts, researching, and self-experimenting has shown me that the Bulletproof Diet does not just help people prevent diseases, lose weight, or have more energy, but it helps people gain sharpercognitive performance. That’s not exactly a surprise; I designed it to do that.

Clever but ill informed marketers will name almost any unusual food to be a superfood. A popular book puts soy, oats, and beans on the super foods list. Give me a break. Goji berries? Did you know they are actually in the nightshade family like tomatoes and can cause inflammation in a large percentage of people?

The truth of the matter is that real super foods have science behind them and when you eat them, you can feel a difference quickly.

In particular, there are a few foods that take your focus to new levels. These “super cognitive foods” include butter, coffee, vanilla, and chocolate. They pack a powerful punch for anyone looking to better their cognitive performance by fighting inflammation.

Before you think about any food’s anti-inflammatory properties, keep in mind we are talking about high quality food. Lower quality foods often have toxins or inflammatory agents in them, which initiates an inflammatory response in the body. The right high quality foods retain high levels of antioxidants and low levels of toxins, which means they don’t cause inflammation they way inferior foods do. Quality matters.

Coffee is a perfect way to ignite your focus in the morning (especially if it’s Bulletproof). Due to its antioxidant and caffeine content, and the fact that it contains two unique and potent neurological agents, you can keep a steady focus. Caffeine is more than an energy booster — caffeine may help ease cognitive decline and block inflammation in the brain.

Another study came to similar conclusions. According to Professor Gregory Freund from the University of Illinois “We have discovered a novel signal that activates… brain-based inflammation…and caffeine appears to block its activity.”

Along with fighting cognitive diseases, caffeine and coffee increase insulin sensitivity in healthy humans.(7, 11–13) Insulin sensitivity is correlated with how well your body responds to certains kinds of inflammation.

Coffee is the world’s number one source of antioxidants, and for this reason it is a staple in the Bulletproof Diet. If you’re not drinking quality coffee, you’re going to run into some issues. A recent study from Spain found that 100 samples of coffee were contained with mycotoxins, and 5 samples had levels over the legal limit for Ochratoxin A (the only mycotoxin with legislated levels in the EU). There are NO regulations for Ochratoxin A in the U.S. and Canada. So these countries are often dumping grounds for tainted coffee.

Another study showed that 91.7% of coffee beans (from South America in the study) contain mold toxins and 50% of coffees brewed contain toxins, which induces an inflammatory response.(20–21) If you want to upgrade your cognitive performance, low-mold coffee, is the only way to go.

Drinking the right coffee has short and long-term effects on your brain. The short-term effect of coffee on mood may be due to altered serotonin and dopamine activity, whereas the mechanisms behind its potential long-term effects on mood may relate to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.(22–25)

Butter is an unexpected source of cognitive enhancement, and contains one ingredient that studies show is beneficial for cognitive function and gut health called butyrate. Butyrate is a short chain saturated fat and anti-inflammatory. Here are some of the cool things that butyrate does:

• According to three studies, the most common class of genetic neurodegenerative diseases are delayed in mice with the treatment of butyrate.(1–3)
• Butyrate protects against intestinal permeability in rat models of ulcerative colitis.(4) This shows that short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate, play an important role in the maintenance of gut barrier integrity.
• Butyrate sharply reduces the harmful effects of type 1 diabetes in rats.(5)
• Butyrate may also prevent and treat diet-induced insulin resistance in mice. Butyrate is related to promotion of energy expenditure and induction of mitochondria function.(6)

The highest concentration of butyrate may be found in high quality grass-fed butter. I highlight the benefits of grass-fed butter in comparison to grain-fed butter in this infographic. Make sure you choose butter that is grass-fed (organic isn’t enough and is typically a sham if the cows eat organic soy and corn).

Vanilla is a great food to add into your diet if you are looking for a cognitive boost. Vanilloids found in vanilla can help maintain healthy levels of inflamation, and are a great add-in for coffee or dessert.(14–16)

Chocolate, along with coffee, is very high in antioxidants and contains toxins if not processed and stored delicately. This is another food that it is vital to get in high quality and at a cacao content of at least 70% in order to reap the benefits. Chocolate favorably alters eicosanoid synthesis, which inhibits vascular and inflammatory processes.(17)

Coffee, butter, vanilla, and chocolate are ideal foods to fight unneeded inflammation and turn your brain into an upgraded machine. They are also the core ingredients of almost all truly excellent desserts, including the one below. Toss a scoop of the Get Some Ice Cream into coffee, and you’ve got an affogato. And there you have all four of these true superfoods in one bowl. You can’t beat that.

Ingredients:

• 4 whole eggs (pastured of course)
• 4 yolks (in addition to the whole eggs above)
• 2 tsp vanilla (I use Vanillamax)
• 1 gram vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or 10 drops apple cider vinegar or lime juice to taste.
• 100 grams (7 tbs) grass-fed butter
• 100 grams (7tbs) coconut oil (or substitute half cacao butter for amazing taste)
• 50 grams (3tbs + 2tsp) XCT oil (important for consistency)
• 80 grams (5.5tbs) xylitol or erythritol (or more to taste — you can add up to 160 grams if you want)
• ~100 grams water or ice (just under 1/2 cup; add less than you think you need, then increase the amount).
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chocolate powder (I use this one)

Instructions:

1. Blend everything but the water/ice in blender. It takes a while to get the butter blended into perfect creaminess.
2. Add water or ice and blend some more until well blended. Ideally, you want a yogurt-like consistency for creamy ice cream, or add more water for a firmer, icier texture
3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and turn it on.

This will make perfect consistency ice cream. Then you and your partner can enjoy it, give it about an hour for the “get some” magic to start happening.

By avoiding inflammatory foods now, you will begin to make your mind and body bulletproof.

If you’re loving this recipe and want more ideas of how to incorporate these superfoods into your diet, check out the upcoming book, Bulletproof: The Cookbook.

Have any questions about inflammatory foods, or a story to share about inflammation? Please add it in the comments below.

Photo by: Olle Svensson

References:

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2. Ying M, Xu R, Wu X, Zhu H, Zhuang Y, Han M, Xu T. Sodium butyrate ameliorates histone hypoacetylation and neurodegenerative phenotypes in a mouse model for DRPLA. J Biol Chem. 2006 May 5;281(18):12580–6. Epub 2005 Dec 28. PubMed PMID: 16407196.

3. Minamiyama M, Katsuno M, Adachi H, Waza M, Sang C, Kobayashi Y, Tanaka F, Doyu M, Inukai A, Sobue G. Sodium butyrate ameliorates phenotypic expression in a transgenic mouse model of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy. Hum Mol Genet. 2004 Jun 1;13(11):1183–92. Epub 2004 Apr 21. PubMed PMID: 15102712.

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Antioxidant and Gene Regulation Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana;

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7. Rebello, Salome, Cynthia Chen, Nasheen Nadoo, Wang Xu, and Kee Sang Chia. “Coffee and Tea Consumption in Relation to Inflammation and Basal Glucose Metabolism in a Multi-ethnic Asian Population: A Cross-sectional Study.”NutritionJ. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012. <http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-10-61.pdf>.

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