The science behind ‘super foods’ is at the heart of this new Western lab

Denise McInnis, vice-chief of the Three Rivers Mi'kmaq Band in Newfoundland, shared her kelp lasagna recipe with Tim D’Souza, executive chef at Western's nootropics food lab (L to R). The new collaboration will next be tested for its brain health benefits. (Source: Christopher Kindratsky/Western Communications)

The secret to increased cognition, brain health, and memory may just be at the end of your fork - and a newly established research lab at Western University is hoping to prove it.

While folk medicine has touted the benefits of certain foods for decades, modern science has largely relegated these traditions to pseudoscience.

However, the chemical makeup of some ‘super foods’ have direct ties to cognitive wellness and performance.

Although this data is helpful, Raymond Thomas, biology professor and expert in circular food systems, says that it doesn’t mean much if you don’t want to eat it, “It starts with flavour. The food has to taste good, or it doesn’t work.”

Canada’s first nootropics food lab at Western hopes to weave Indigenous and regional understandings of how food contributes to mental wellness with science, practical application, and tasty meals.

The lab hopes to utilize the latest advancements in biochemistry, metabolomics, and bioinformatics.

Foods known to increase cognitive function including kale, blueberries, salmon, and eggs have been shown to possess specific fat compounds (or lipids) that enhance neurotransmission, and minimize oxidative stress.

“Due to the structural and functional importance of lipids in the brain, foods with high nootropic value often boast essential lipids, which help to improve signalling between neurons, cell membrane structure and prevent age-related decline,” said Thomas. “We’re looking for foods with these essential lipids so we can create recipes in the kitchen using them as the key ingredients.”

Studies have shown a link between unbalanced lipid concentration and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS.

The integration of Indigenous knowledge is a core principle of the lab, Thomas reached out to Denise McInnis, vice-chief of the Three Rivers Mi’kmaq Band in Newfoundland, who shared her advances in creating a kelp based lasagna.

“My family has always used kelp for fertilizer for our crops and I used to joke that it looked like lasagna noodles,” said McInnis. “Finally, I harvested some to see if I could make a lasagna with it and I did. It tasted and looked great and I knew kelp had a lot of great nutrients, so we’ve been making it ever since.”

Of course, the team also tested the produced lasagna for flavour, which it passed with flying colours.