Super busy few weeks...

Unexpectedly some things came up that made me super busy for the last 3 weeks. Cooking was something I really struggled to have any time for and I was too exhausted to come up with anything new. So, I ate things I've already posted on here and really had to make sure I did the mindfulness exercises. 

Here's what I ate and hope I coped:

Lunches:
mackerel & quinoa salad
Crustless tofu quiches
Broccoli salad
Chicken and lettuce sandwich (new recipe)

Dinners:
BBQ peppers with baby beetroot (new recipe)
Sweet potato lentils & mackerel
Chickpeas with spinach and tomatoes

Exercises:
In the evenings to unwind and let my brain rest I took the The Relaxation Journey exercise. 

When I was at work and needed to take a break I would do the Tai Chi Baton Breathing at my desk. I could do it for 2-3 minutes just to let my brain chill and refocus. 

I found attending some gentle yoga classes with an emphasis on pranayama (breathing) and meditation ensured that I took a full hour lunch break and came back with a clearer mind and better attention. 

I will update these recipes with some extra nutrition comments in the next week or so and add the news ones. 

Nutrients Food Table

Nutrient	Fruit & Vegetables	Dairy	Seafood & Fish	Meat	Nuts, Seeds, Herbs & Spices	Cereals & pulses
Antioxidant Proanthocyanidins (enhance by taking with Vit C & E)	Blueberries, black grapes, whole cranberries, apples. Make sure you eat the skins of these! Beets.				Cinnamon, cocoa Hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios.
B12 * animal sources are better		Eggs, Milk, Yoghurt, Cheese - Swiss, mozzarella, feta, parmesan, cottage, ricotta	Tuna, shellfish, crab, lobster, snapper	Beef, venison, lamb, cooked turkey, cooked ham, poultry
B2 (riboflavin)	Kale, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, sundried tomatoes	Milk, yoghurt, cheese – Roquefort, camembert, brie, goats, Swiss, blue	Mackerel, Atlantic salmon, trout	Liver	Marmite, dried herbs, paprika, Almonds	Oats, rye, buckwheat, fortified breakfast cereals
B6	Bananas. Bell peppers, spinach, baked potatoes (skin included), green peas, yams, broccoli, asparagus, turnips, tomatoes. Raw garlic.	Eggs	Yellowfin tuna, less in salmon & cod	Liver, chicken turkey, beef, pork tenderloin	Dried herbs, chilli powder, paprika, garlic powder. Molasses. Pistachios, hazelnuts, sunflower & sesame seeds.	Bran – rice & wheat.  Chickpeas, lentils, soybeans, legumes, brown rice.
Coenzyme Q10	Soybeans, broccoli, cauliflower		Freshwater fish – tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring	Beef, poultry	Sesame oil, rapeseed oil, sesame seeds. Peanuts, pistachios,
Magnesium	Dried fruits (figs, bananas, raisins, apricots), blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, Raw spinach, kale, cabbage, avocados, okra, artichokes, butternut squash, rocket, sweet corn, baked potato (with skin), soybeans.	Low fat dairy – yoghurt, milk, cheese & hard cheese.	Shrimp, mackerel, turbot, tuna, pollock		Coriander, 70% dark chocolate. Pumpkin seeds, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts & peanut butter	Beans, lentils, oats, cereals, bran flakes, wheatgerm, quinoa, bulgar, millet, barley.
Manganese	Pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, grapes. Spinach, soybeans, kale, chard, aubergine, tomatoes.		Mussels, oysters, clams		Cinnamon, cloves, saffron, turmeric, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, chilli powder. Roast pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts,	Spelt, brown rice, chickpeas, rye, oats, black beans.
Omega 3s	Soybeans, tofu, brussel sprouts, kale, spinach, watercress.	Eggs, milk, soy milk, yoghurt, margarine	Sardines, salmon, mackerel, oysters, trout, halibut, herring		Parsley, mint. Flax seeds, walnuts, rapeseed oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, cod liver oil	Rye
Vitamin C	Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, papaya, strawberries. Chilli and bell peppers, broccoli, kiwifruit, kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, tomatoes.				Fresh thyme & parsley
Vitamin D	Fortified orange juice. Mushrooms	Eggs, soymilk, fortified milk products – butter, yoghurt	Canned - salmon, tuna, mackerel, oysters, caviar	Liver, salami, ham, sausages	Cod liver oil	Fortified cereals
Vitamin E	Peaches, nectarines, blackberries, kiwis, mango. Avocados, spinach, tofu, cooked broccoli, squash & pumpkin, apricots, olives, sweet potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, parsnips, tomatoes, asparagus.	Eggs	Shrimp, rainbow trout		Chilli powder, paprika, oregano. Sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, plant oils.	Quinoa
Gingko	Chinese herbal medicine from Gingko plant
Curcumin (Turmeric)	Turmeric spice from Turmeric plant

Symptom - Nutrient Table

The following table sets out the common brain injury symptoms and which nutrients can help that symptom. Check the Nutrient-Food table for which foods are high in which nutrients. Check in here for which nutrients to search when looking for recipes. 

Symptom	Nutrient(s)
Insomnia	B6 B12 Calcium Magnesium Vitamin D Vitamin E
Depression / Anxiety	B6 Gingko Magnesium Omega 3s Vitamin C
Headaches / Migraines	B2 (riboflavin) Coenzyme Q10 Magnesium
Confusion	B6 Gingko
Memory	Antioxidant Proanthocyanidins B12 Curcumin Gingko Magnesium Omega 3s
Concentration	Gingko Omega 3s
Fatigue/ Exhaustion	B6 B12 Omega 3s Vitamin D Vitamin E
Light sensitivity	B2 (riboflavin) B6
Co-ordination/ dizziness	Antioxidant Proanthocyanidins B6 B12 Manganese Vitamin C Vitamin E