Fancy a brain boost? A dietitian recommends this popular sushi ingredient

Vincent Lim is a chef. The 31-year-old shares his day on a plate.

Credit: Art by Eliza Iredale

1pm I land in Perth, where I grew up, to share the good news after receiving the first copy of my book. I visit my dad’s grave first to show him the book with so many of his old recipes before visiting my grandmother to read it to her. My first meal of the day is bitter melon with egg rice topped with a spoonful of salmon roe.

4pm Pad kra pao with lean pork and rice, an easy and clean meal I have on rotation.

7.30pm Dinner is a mix of hand rolls with raw salmon, snowpea sprouts and perilla leaves, alongside salmon and bitter melon with nuoc cham. It’s the end of a steady and simple day reconnecting with the people and places that shaped me via my favourite simple meals.

Dr Joanna McMillan says

Top marks for… Including salmon roe, one of the best sources of anti-inflammatory long-chain omega-3 fats, plus choline, vitamin D and B12, all essential for brain health. The roe’s colour comes from astaxanthin, a carotenoid that protects those delicate fats from oxidation.

If you keep eating like this you’ll… Stay lean and energised as this mix of protein-rich seafood, lean pork and plentiful herbs and vegetables will help keep your appetite satisfied and your metabolism firing. The mix of bitter, spicy and umami flavours means you’re getting the diversity of plant compounds necessary to support long-term health.

Why don’t you try… Adding whole grains, such as swapping white rice for brown or red rice. This would boost your fibre intake and feed those beneficial gut bugs. A few fermented sides like kimchi would complement your dishes beautifully while adding extra gut love.

The Wolf of Wok Street (Hardie Grant) by Vincent Yeow Lim is out now.

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