It’s said that we’re made up of our memories, and having a good memory is a key component to a full and happy life. Doing what we can to help protect and boost our capacity to remember is a great way to take care of ourselves as we get older. Juicing for memory is a tasty way to activate those little grey cells!
What’s In This Article?
Why Does Memory Decline with Age?
It’s well known that our bodies change as we age, and the brain is no exception. Age-related brain changes that affect memory are (1):
- Hippocampus Shrinks – this part of the brain is involved in long-term memory formation, retrieval, and spatial memory (2).
- Neural Communication Slows Down – the protective coating around nerve fibers wears down, resulting in slower communication speed between those nerves, affecting both the ability to encode new memories and retrieve old ones.
- Formation of Protein Plaques – Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of dementia are caused by abnormal protein clumps that damage brain tissue.
How Does Diet Affect Memory?
“You are what you eat” is a real thing when it comes to memory. Studies show that a diet high in saturated fats and refined carbohydrates negatively affects learning, memory, and cognition, with a cumulative effect with age (3).
Furthermore, the gut-brain connection is becoming a well-documented fact, with an unhealthy gut microbiome being directly linked to negative impacts on neurocognition, particularly involving the hippocampus (4).
The consumption of fruits and vegetables is proven to improve cognitive ability in individuals, particularly the aged (5, 6, 7). That’s where juice recipes like this one come in!
What’s in This Juice for Memory?
I’ve created this simple, yet powerful juice recipe for memory with just three ingredients: black grapes, cucumbers, and lemon. Let’s see what makes these three so good for your brain.
Black grapes are a memory-loving powerhouse thanks to resveratrol (8), an antioxidant touted for its ability to help ward off age-related memory decline with its memory-boosting capabilities (9, 10, 11). Also beneficial are its anthocyanins, another class of flavonoids, which may improve memory in older adults (12).
The flavonoid compound called fisetin, which is found in cucumbers, may help decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by protecting nerve cells and improving memory (13, 14, 15). Also key for memory and overall brain function is hydration.
The brain is 75% water by mass, and a seemingly small decrease in hydration has been shown to instigate short-term memory loss and reduced cognition (15). Cucumbers contain important electrolytes, like potassium, that combined with the 96% water found in cucumber make for an excellent hydrating drink.
Lemon is an excellent source of vitamin C, whose deficiency is tied to cognitive decline in older adults (16).
Best Juicer for Soft Fruits
I made the Making Memories Tonic on the Nama J2! This juicer is my go-to, being the best juicer for soft fruits I’ve ever used.
- Super Fast Operation
- Large Load-and-Go Produce Hopper
- Minimal Chopping
- Great Nutrient Extraction
- Very Easy to Use
- Quick Cleanup
- 15-Year Warranty
- Some Pulp Left in the Juice
- Sorbet Attachment Sold Separately
The HUGE hopper is what sets the J2 apart from the rest. Just pop open the top, drop your ingredients in, shut the lid, and walk away! This is a true hands-free juicer. You’ll need to do only minimal produce prep, making for a super fast juicing experience. The rule is if it fits, you can juice it! (Remove any hard pits or seeds, of course.)
You also get good yield and nutrient extraction, and it’s very easy to clean. It’s made of BPA-free materials and has an incredible 15-year warranty. You can purchase a sorbet attachment that will allow you to make smoothies, nice cream, sorbets, and nut milk. This model is a major favorite, with over 10,000 5-star reviews, and I love it!
Here’s the Recipe!
Print
Making Memories Tonic
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 32 fl oz 1x
Description
Help your little grey cells boost your memory with this delicious juice!
Ingredients
- 6 C Black Grapes
- 1 large Cucumber
- 1 Lemon
Instructions
- Wash and destem the grapes.
- Wash and peel (if waxed) the cucumber.
- Peel (optional) the lemon.
- Run all ingredients through your juicer and enjoy!
Notes
I prefer using black grapes for this recipe because of their high concentration of brain-supporting resveratrol, but you can use red grapes, too.
Feel free to peel or not peel your cucumber and lemon; it’s totally up to you. For me, I leave the peel on whenever I can. If an item is heavily waxed, I will peel it.
For citrus, if it’s just one or two small pieces, I leave the skin on. Any more and the juice becomes too bitter for me. Experiment and see what you like best!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Category: Juicing for Memory
Keywords: memory, Alzheimer’s, brain health, juicing for health, grape juice
More Juicing for Brain Health
Keep those little grey cells happy and healthy with these juice recipes for brain health.
- Clear up brain fog with this tasty recipe.
- Watermelon juice is another great way to stay hydrated for good cognitive function.
- Help both your brain and skin with this resveratrol-packed juice!
Post a comment below if you try this recipe. We’d LOVE to hear from you!
Hi this recipe looks amazing!
Hiya, Frank! Thanks for the shout-out! I really like this juice, especially during the hot Florida summers.
Looks great, personally for me juicing is a waste of food. I’m single & retired. So smoothies work better for me. I will try this as smoothie.
The best to all….
Hi David!
Smoothies are great for sure! Any way to get more fresh fruits, veggies, greens and herbs in one’s lifestyle, I approve for sure.
The cool thing is that you can get even MORE of these incredible plant phytonutrients into your lifestyle with juicing. How? By removing most (but not all) of the insoluble fiber, this allows us to consume the nutrition from way more plants than we could ever consume in a day simply by eating solid food alone.
This is very important in a modern world where a lot of produce is grown in nutrient poor soils and lacking in nutrition compared to years gone by.
Also, home pressed juicers produce juices that still contain plenty of both soluble and insoluble fiber for nutrient uptake and microbiome health & growth.
Plus, the nutrients in these juices are easily absorbed, easily digested, with low metabolic stress on the digestive system. Not only is this great for cleansing and regenerating the digestive system, it also helps reserve valuable energy spent on digestion for the body to direct towards healing and repair.
Furthermore, nothing is wasted, I literally use everything for something else. Whether it’s raw juice pulp crackers in the dehydrator, no-baked goods, soups, pet treats or making nutrient rich compost to grow more life-giving produce with, nothing is wasted.
Here’s a list of my favorite uses for the leftover pulp in a short post:
https://juicertestkitchen.com/juice-pulp/
I hope that explains my perspective on why juicing and eating solid food are mutually beneficial and not mutually exclusive.
Enjoy the recipe! I appreciate your comment and you tuning into my website!
Stay Juicy!
~Brett
@JuiceFeaster