CHEF LAUREN LOVATT SHARES THE NUTRIENT-DENSE, SEASONAL, PLANT-BASED DISHES THAT HELPED HER OVERCOME MENTAL HEALTH DIFFICULTIES
READ MORE These recipes are extracts from MIND FOOD: Plant-based recipes for positive mental health by Lauren Lovatt (Leaping Hare Press, £20)
Our brain not only impacts how we feel every day, but how we sleep, work, move and thrive. It is important to care for it now, as the choices we make every day affect much more than we often realise and can be carried into our old age.
Right now, terms like mental fitness, brain care and mental wellbeing are all becoming more commonplace, and there are brands emerging that embrace brain care as a category. As we discover and learn about this fundamental part of our health and life, it seems practical actions relating to this are still not widely understood.
Feed Yours soul
Nutrition is the single most important factor in our mental health. The reality is that most of us don’t get what we need from our day-to-day diet, but eating the right foods can help change everything, and as diet is ever more widely researched it has been proven repeatedly to support and resolve a wide variety of issues.
The recipes here are plant-rich, filled with fibre and wholegrains, prioritising nutrient-dense foods with vibrant colours, mixed with good-quality proteins, healthy fats and omega-3s. They are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients and embrace the power of tonic herbs and medicinal plants to relieve stress and support our brain function.
‘Mind food’ is not just about the ingredients we serve, but about the act of coming together around food, using food and cooking as a form of connection and self-expression to take our minds to a different place, away from immediate concerns. It is about everyday rituals, useful ideas, ingredient knowledge and easy practices that can help us all to make this way of living more accessible.
Smoked mushroom and celeriac tacos
This dish celebrates the celeriac, which is a wonderful winter root, full of fibre and good for the gut. If you are new to celeriac, you can also use it in place of potatoes for mash, raw and thinly sliced in salads or baked as fries. There are a few parts to this dish, each one complimenting the other: soft celeriac taco shells, crunchy salsa, garlicky mushrooms, greens and a good dash of sauce. Just like looking after your brain, a little care and attention does go a long way in making a good result.
Serves: 4 Time taken: 1 hour
1 celeriac, peeled and sliced into
2.5mm rounds (offcuts reserved
for the salsa)
2 tbsp o
