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A new study found that people who ate saturated fats before a test had trouble focusing. Scientists think this points to a link between fatty foods and the brain. The study shows that a single meal high in saturated fats can affect our ability to concentrate.

Participants that ate unsaturated fats performed better on the test. Scientists were studying a link between leaky gut and concentration. Leaky gut is a condition that allows bacteria to enter the bloodstream.

Annelise Madison, lead author of the study and a graduate student in clinical psychology at The Ohio State University, said of the study, “Most prior work looking at the causative effect of the diet has looked over a period of time. And this was just one meal—it’s pretty remarkable that we saw a difference. Because both meals were high-fat and potentially problematic, the high-saturated-fat meal’s cognitive effect could be even greater if it were compared to a lower-fat meal.”

Read more about saturated and unsaturated fats in One Green Planet.

And check out these recipes:

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

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