With long-term brain health as an issue of interest, and as a goal, I try to get a vigorous exercise session into my weekly workouts. Most often this is by running a HIIT session, I prefer to do Norwegian intervals.
In Singapore's tropical heat, post-run, I treat myself to a cooling spiced chocolate / cacao beverage for rehydration and recovery. It provides a synergistic mix of polyphenols from soy, cacao and spices, with powerful brain health benefits.
As ever, please talk to your doctor or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle, especially if you are under treatment. Links to supporting studies or resources are found at the end of page.
Spiced Cacao Soy Milk
Makes 1 Glass
Ingredients
Soy Milk. About 300ml or so.
Cacao powder, dark and strong. 1 heaped tablespoon.
Spice mix, 1/2 teaspoon. You can use a store bought pumpkin spice. I make my own mix consisting of powered: cloves, nutmeg, Ceylon cinnamon.
Optional: a small pinch of salt. (this depends on your workout intensity and sweat rate, read here)
The amounts are all a bit here and there for me. I just kinda throw it in. However, I never take more than the 1/2 teaspoon of spice mix (I use a small measuring spoon) as clove and nutmeg can have near medicinal effects if used in too great a quantity.
Method
Step 1, before your run. Mix 1 tablespoon cacao and a 1/4 teaspoon Spice Mix with a little warm water to make a loose liquid 'paste'. If you don't do this the powder will not mix with the cold soy milk.
Step 2. After your workout, mix the soy milk with the cacao spice paste.
Step 3. Enjoy!
Bonus, Step 4. In tropical Singapore where it takes me forever to cool down, I also enjoy a cup of frozen mixed berries as mouth watering, cooling treats. It is hard to stop at a cup. Any berries will do and, rich in dark pigment anthocyanin compounds, there are brain healthy boost to anyone's weekly diet.
For those who watch their protein intake, at over 10g protein (approx 6g protein from the soy milk and 5g from the cacao powder) this beverage is a useful addition to the daily intake. Soy protein, sometimes maligned for its supposed hormonal effects on men, has also been shown to be excellent for muscle recovery after exercise.
Interestingly, and not surprisingly, longevity guru Bryan Johnson has some very similar ingredients in his daily health protocol.
Enjoy your workouts, treat your body with respect, and enjoy a healthy treat. Prioritise your self-care for the long-term health win!
Alastair
If you like the thought of a chocolate, berry and nut dessert (healthy, of course!) click on the article below...
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Related Studies
Baynham, R., Veldhuijzen van Zanten, J. J. C. S., & Rendeiro, C. (2024). Cocoa flavanols rescue stress-induced declines in endothelial function after a high-fat meal, but do not affect cerebral oxygenation during stress in young, healthy adults. Food & function, 15(23), 11472–11490.
Rodríguez-Gutiérrez E, Torres-Costoso A, Saz-Lara A, Bizzozero-Peroni B, Guzmán-Pavón MJ, Sánchez-López M, Martínez-Vizcaíno V. Effectiveness of high-intensity interval training on peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor in adults: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2024 Jan;34(1):e14496. doi: 10.1111/sms.14496. Epub 2023 Sep 20. PMID: 37728896.
Daniel G. Blackmore , Mia A. Schaumberg , Maryam Ziaei , Samuel Belford , Xuan Vinh To , Imogen O’Keeffe , Anne Bernard , Jules Mitchell , Emily Hume , Grace L. Rose , Thomas Shaw , Ashley York , Markus Barth , Elizabeth J. Cooper , Tina L. Skinner , Fatima Nasrallah , Stephan Riek , Perry F. Bartlett. Long-Term Improvement in Hippocampal-Dependent Learning Ability in Healthy, Aged Individuals Following High Intensity Interval Training. Aging and disease. 2024 https://doi.org/10.14336/AD.2024.0642
Ornish, D., Madison, C., Kivipelto, M. et al. Effects of intensive lifestyle changes on the progression of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease: a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Alz Res Therapy 16, 122 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-024-01482-z
Palma-Morales M, Melgar-Locatelli S, Castilla-Ortega E, Rodríguez-Pérez C. How Healthy Is It to Fortify Cocoa-Based Products with Cocoa Flavanols? A Comprehensive Review. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Jul 3;12(7):1376. doi: 10.3390/antiox12071376. PMID: 37507916; PMCID: PMC10376846.
Razola-Díaz MDC, Aznar-Ramos MJ, Verardo V, Melgar-Locatelli S, Castilla-Ortega E, Rodríguez-Pérez C. Exploring the Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Compounds in Different Cocoa Powders. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Mar 14;12(3):716. doi: 10.3390/antiox12030716. PMID: 36978964; PMCID: PMC10045957.
Zeli C, Lombardo M, Storz MA, Ottaviani M, Rizzo G. Chocolate and Cocoa-Derived Biomolecules for Brain Cognition during Ageing. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 Jul 12;11(7):1353. doi: 10.3390/antiox11071353. PMID: 35883844; PMCID: PMC9311747.
Cui C, Birru RL, Snitz BE, Ihara M, Kakuta C, Lopresti BJ, Aizenstein HJ, Lopez OL, Mathis CA, Miyamoto Y, Kuller LH, Sekikawa A. Effects of soy isoflavones on cognitive function: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. 2020 Feb 1;78(2):134-144. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuz050. PMID: 31504836; PMCID: PMC7808187.
Nemoto K, Kokubun K, Ogata Y, Koike Y, Arai T, Yamakawa Y. Dark Chocolate Intake May Reduce Fatigue and Mediate Cognitive Function and Gray Matter Volume in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults. Behav Neurol. 2022 Dec 13;2022:6021811. doi: 10.1155/2022/6021811. PMID: 36561325; PMCID: PMC9767741.
De Assis GG, Gasanov EV, de Sousa MBC, Kozacz A, Murawska-Cialowicz E. Brain derived neutrophic factor, a link of aerobic metabolism to neuroplasticity. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2018 Jun;69(3). doi: 10.26402/jpp.2018.3.12. Epub 2018 Oct 18. PMID: 30342429.
Harvard Health spice article
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