To mark the 70th anniversary of Meals on Wheels and highlight the issue of cognitive decline in seniors, food and health experts from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) with master pastry chef Christopher Thé have developed a brain-friendly cake.
UNSW’s food and health expert, Professor Johannes le Coutre, and director of UNSW’s Ageing Futures Institute and senior principal research scientist at NeuRA, Professor Kaarin Anstey were behind the project, with master pastry chef Christopher Thé from Black Star Pastry (creator of the famous strawberry watermelon cake) developing ‘The Unforgettable Cake’.
Le Coutre said conceptualising a cake was new territory. While no clinical work has been conducted on the final cake or all its components at once, each of the ingredients have been proven to benefit to the brain.
“When I was first approached about this project, I was intrigued by the challenge of creating a cake which may be beneficial to cognition, using ingredients from different food groups, while also providing an experience for Meals on Wheels customers,” he said.
Working with Meals on Wheels, the UNSW specialists had to take into account both ingredients and texture. Minimising sugar was a must, as was ensuring the texture was suitable for people who had difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), which is an issue for some older people.
Meals on Wheels NSW CEO Les MacDonald said The Unforgettable Cake provided an opportunity to bring attention to an issue that is endemic within the community.
“As we mark our 70th anniversary, we thought it would be timely to have a meaningful conversation about the serious issue of cognitive decline, which includes dementia and Alzheimer’s, and impacts many Meals on Wheels clients and families within our community,” said MacDonald.
Only natural ingredients that are widely believed to be beneficial to the brain – e.g., beetroot, spinach, turmeric, olive oil and blueberries – were used.
Le Coutre said, “Using the currently available scientific evidence, we came up with a list of foods that are understood to provide quality nutrition - which is really important as we age - while still allowing for the nostalgic enjoyment of eating a slice of cake.”
While not typical birthday cake flavours, le Coutre said individually, each ingredient plays a key role in improving cognitive function.
For the cake itself, Thé used a mixture of beetroot, spinach, turmeric, and olive oil.
Beetroot has special neuro-protective properties which can improve blood flow through the brain, and consequently may improve cognitive function and cognition.
Olive oil is famed for its Mediterranean diet qualities, which include the ability to protect the brain, support memory, and reduce Alzheimer’s biomarkers.
The cake also included natural sweeteners like honey, which has anti-inflammatory qualities, and vanilla ermine frosting, a universally loved cake flavour.
To finish, the cake was topped off with fresh blueberries, which are loaded with essential nutrients such as polyphenols, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese and phytonutrients that help to stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen in the brain.
“This is a great example of how you can take something as fun and joyous as a birthday celebration to shine a light on some of the issues faced by our ageing population today,” he said.
For Thé, who now runs Hearthe, a cake store and café in Stanmore, Sydney, the project made him really think about what can be considered ‘brain food’.
“When we started out, I wasn’t prepared to guess what foods are actually brain-friendly, and there was a lot of discussion with the nutritionists and dietitians to come up with a cohesive list of ingredients that could be good for people facing cognitive decline,” Thé said.
“The Meals on Wheels team really stressed it should be eaten like a traditional cake – even though it has unexpected ingredients such as spinach, beetroot, and turmeric. I hope their customers feel a sense of celebration and nostalgia when tasting it, while their interest is also piqued by the complexity of the native ingredients.
“Great food is simple at its heart, and our final cake has a broad appeal, with a practical texture.”
MacDonald said, “A healthy diet - incorporating ingredients such as those in The Unforgettable Cake - is vital for cognitive health, because the brain is responsible for so many functions within our body, and if it isn’t working properly it impacts on our ability to engage in life and perform daily activities.
“Added to this, social engagement is known to improve brain function, and for many of our clients, a visit from a Meals on Wheels volunteer is the highlight of their week, so if we can elicit more happy memories and moments for them just by sharing a slice of cake, it adds another layer to the important role we play in the community.”
Meals on Wheels started delivering The Unforgettable Cake to select clients from yesterday (22 November).
It’s never too late to change your diet
While some foods are known to have some direct neuroprotective properties, long-term dietary behaviours also impact a person’s general health, weight, and risk of other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, which increase the risk of cognitive decline.
Anstey said that if a person is showing signs of cognitive decline, diet alone won’t dramatically improve their health. Eating a healthy diet throughout our lives is more important.
“Most of the time, cognitive decline is caused by neuropathological changes that accumulate over many years. The studies that linked healthier diets to reduced risk of dementia were measuring dietary patterns which probably reflect how people have been eating for many years.
“Having said that, if someone has a very unhealthy diet with very few or even no fresh fruit and veggies, then changing to a healthy diet will make them feel a lot better. They may notice changes due to overall better health and mental health,” Anstey said.
