#10: Food for Thought

I used to host a linkup on my blog called Food on Fridays. I started it because I realized I was writing about food almost every week, so I might as well publish those posts on a designated day. I picked a day that would allow me to use alliteration, and thus, Food on Fridays was born.

Then I discontinued Food on Fridays (sorry, foodies!). I’m not as creative in the kitchen any longer; I simply ran out of ideas.

But because Food on Fridays was such a big part of my online space and identity, I decided to dedicate a podcast episode to something food-related. Today’s episode (4:28) is a mash-up of Food on Fridays and The Writing Life and covers brain food for writers. If nothing else, it’s food for thought.

Writers’ Brains Need Fuel

Writers need to tap into their memory to make connections as they work. Writers need maximum brainpower. One way to maximize brain power is to pay attention to the way we fuel our brains. We need appropriate food for thought.

None of the information I share today is going to surprise you. We could add to these ideas or argue them, but it comes down to making healthy choices and rejecting that stereotype of the writer who sucks down cigarettes and whiskey. If we want to produce creative content over the long haul, we’re going to have to take care of ourselves.

Brain-Boosting Nutrients

Delia McCabe, a psychologist who transitioned to become a nutritional neuroscience researcher, says some of the most important nutrients that people need to consume for a healthy brain are omega-3 and omega-6 fats. She says we can get those from organic nuts and seeds like flax and chia seeds.¹ And BBC Good Food agrees with her, recommending we get effective omega-3 fats from oily fish, like salmon and trout.²

They all recommend pumpkin seeds, which also have zinc, vital for enhancing memory and thinking skills. We should also have a good intake of vitamin E, which prevents cognitive decline. You can get this from leafy green vegetables, asparagus, olives, eggs, and whole grains—the brown stuff like brown rice and whole wheat bread.

Blueberries are highly recommended to deal with short-term memory loss. Vitamin C improves and increases mental agility; that’s found in citrus foods and tomatoes. Vitamin K is known to enhance cognitive function and improve brain power; that’s found in broccoli.

You’ll be happy to know chocolate helps increase activity in areas of the brain known for memory and cognitive function. There’s a lot of research that supports coffee’s health benefits. Even though we shouldn’t suck it down all day, some caffeine from the coffee as well as antioxidants can help wake us up in the short term and deliver some long-term brain benefits as well.³

Green Tea for Thought

Finally, tea. I love black tea, but actually, I’m starting to really enjoy green tea as well. That’s what I’m going to focus on here as we close out. Different studies are linking green tea to beneficial effects on cognitive performance. In a recent study, researchers found that green tea extract was increasing the brain’s effective connectivity, which leads to improvement in cognitive performance. During the testing, the subjects were significantly better at working memory tasks after they drank green tea.⁴

This is all not just good food for thought, but good drink for thought as well. For time’s sake, I’m going to include a simple, simple recipe at the end of the post: a simple recipe for lemony brown rice with broccoli.

Serve that up with salmon and a leafy green salad topped with strawberries and walnuts or maybe some pumpkin seeds. Brew yourself a cup of green tea. Add a little square of chocolate for dessert. With high-octane brain fuel like that, your brain synapses are going to be firing on all cylinders.

So eat and drink, and then, write.

Resources:

• Q&A with Delia McCabe 
• BBC’s goodood: 10 Foods to Boost Your Brainpower
• Today Health: Memory Boosters for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
• Science Daily: Green tea extract boosts your brain power, especially the working memory, new research shows
• Roasted Broccoli and Lemons with Brown Rice

Lemony Brown Rice and Broccoli

Based on this recipe.

• 1 bunch broccoli, heads broken into florets (you can peel and chop the stems, as well)
• 2 lemons cut into wedges (grate some of the rind for zest)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• black pepper (optional, or just a pinch, to taste)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice (please note the rice is already cooked)

Preheat oven to 375°.  Spray baking sheet with oil spray, spread out the broccoli, sprinkle with lemon zest, drizzle with olive oil, and a little black pepper (just a little—or none if you’re not a fan of pepper). Bake 20 mins, stirring once or twice. Watch that the broccoli browns just a little—not too much. When the broccoli looks roasted, add to the bowl of rice (which was reheated, if necessary). Squeeze the lemon juice one wedge at a time over everything in the bowl. Toss gently and taste; add more lemon juice to suit your preferred amount. Serve alone or as a side dish with fish such as trout or salmon.

Footnotes

1. “Is Your Brain Starving? (Mind-Blowing Q&A).” 25 Nov. 2014, www.foodmatters.com/article/is-your-brain-starving-mind-blowing-q-a.
2. Nutritionist, Jo Williams-Registered. “15 foods to boost your brain health, memory and focus.” Good Food, 15 Oct. 2025, www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/wellness/10-foods-boost-your-brainpower.
3. Ibid.
4. “Green tea extract boosts your brain power, especially the working memory, new research shows.” ScienceDaily, 30 Oct. 2025, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140407101545.htm.