Who am I and why am I doing this?

Hi there! I’m Cassidee. I’m a certified Brain Longevity Specialist and Medical Laboratory Scientist, member of the Sandwich Generation, foodie, Mountain West inhabitant and enthusiast, cat mom, lifelong science nerd, and person with a family history of neurological disorders. Applying the science of brain health to my daily life has changed my life, and I have a passion for sharing how with others. My goal is to give you practical solutions for Alzheimer’s prevention and a brain-healthy lifestyle.

As a busy mom, I know how hard it is to find time to take care of yourself. My vision for this space one of balance. It does take time to make brain-healthy meals with fresh, whole food ingredients. It does takes time to manage stress through meditation, yoga, or engaging with nature. It does take time to get 7-9 hours of sleep, maintain social connections, and nurture a spiritual practice. However, I will be encouraging you to do what you can, when you can – not with perfection in mind, but small, incremental progress. We will be celebrating small victories here, because they are worth celebrating!

With that in mind, most of my recipes will take 30-60 minutes to make. And I will not fudge those numbers. Have you ever made a “quick” recipe that takes more than twice as long as it says? That drives me bananas – I will not do that to you (assuming basic things are in place, like your meat is thoroughly thawed, you have a basic understanding of cooking, skills, etc.). I promise to also be mindful of dishes. Have you ever made a “20-minute weeknight dinner” only to find yourself staring down a mountain of dishes in your sink? Who has time for that?

As we talk about time, I want you to know something extremely important: you do not have to devote much time in a day to improving your brain health now and preventing dementia down the road! Little changes and small chunks of time really do add up.

I want to be clear that I am not a dietician, yoga instructor, mental health provider, physician, or other healthcare provider. I am just someone with a vested interest in preventing dementia because I have seen first-hand what it can do to a person and their loved ones. I want to share the science of what I have learned and lived with you. This is not medical advice and you should always consult with your own healthcare provider before embarking on any diet, exercise, or lifestyle intervention.

Let’s talk about that word: diet. Here I will be focusing a lot on the MIND Diet. I want to explicitly state that when I say “diet,” I mean your overall way of eating, or what you eat about 80% of the time. I will talk about the nutritional benefits of specific foods. I will not talk about calorie restriction. I will not provide calorie counts with my recipes. I will not encourage you to eschew whole categories of food or food groups (if you need to do so, that is up to you and your healthcare providers). This will be a weight-neutral space because weight is not indicative of health. We will focus on behaviors, not a number on a scale.

This will be a progress-over-perfection, harm-and-risk-reduction, just-do-the-best-you-can space. Life is hard enough. Let’s not add to our stress with perfectionism. Let’s feed and nourish our bodies and our brains and have some joy and brownies along the way.