This Neuroscientist's Go-To Green Smoothie Is A+ For Brain Health (Duh)

Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki, Ph.D., whips up a green smoothie every morning for breakfast. It's a recipe she leans on to help ease her everyday anxiety, she tells us on the mindbodygreen podcast, but it's not only about the nutritious, brain-supporting ingredients (although, the right foods can certainly help support your calm); in fact, the ritual itself is rather soothing—a moment of pause in an otherwise frenzied morning schedule.  

Suzuki's smoothie is chock-full of brain-healthy players. Take bananas, for example: The fruit is rich in magnesium, and studies have shown that a lack of magnesium can kick-start the sympathetic nervous system (and when this sympathetic nervous system is on overdrive, it can lead to increased anxiety). Spinach is also packed with brain-supporting vitamins and minerals, like vitamin K, folate, and lutein1. Finally, research shows apples can help maintain acetylcholine2, a neurotransmitter that tends to reduce with age and oxidative stress. (An apple a day, as they say...) 

Not to mention, Suzuki finds the very act of making this smoothie quite meditative. She calls it a "moment of flow," a time when she can calm her mind and focus only on the task at hand—in this case, crafting a cool, delicious breakfast smoothie. "It becomes a particular superpower for those of us that have anxiety," she says.