Meet the fatty salad, your brain's new best friend

Move over, Big Salad. No Images? Click here       Salads and cookies may seem to have very little in common, but this week we learned that fat plays an essential role in both. You may already know the importance of butter in a good cookie, but did you know your salad needs a healthy dose of fat, too? And there's one kind in particular you need to be eating. Learn all about it below, and get 21 delicious cookie recipes while you're at it. XO, Kristen   The 'Huge Fatty Salad' is your brain's new best friend Max Lugavere, author of the new book Genius Foods, is on a mission to teach us how the foods we eat every day have a surprisingly powerful effect on our brain function. And one of the best things he says we can do is eat a “huge fatty salad” once every day.  Lugavere suggests that eating one huge daily salad -- specifically, one that’s packed with a combination of nutrient-dense vegetables, protein and extra-virgin olive oil -- can work wonders for your brain. You know, the organ that controls EVERY OTHER ORGAN IN YOUR BODY. There are a few essential ingredients -- including one very powerful dressing component -- and a whole lot of science baking up the huge fatty salad. Find out how to start treating your brain to better health. FIND OUT MORE   The magical power of the munchies Speaking of your brain, it's 4/20 and marijuana is the topic of the day. Weed plays a number of games with your brain and your gut, all adding up to the perfect storm of unstoppable munchies.  Marijuana does three specific things to your body that give you almost no chance of holding on to your willpower. Find out what they are. READ THE STORY   The best cookies to bake this weekend   Baking for others is a delicious form of altruism that’s been proven to boost your overall sense of well-being and help connect you with the people you love. And there's no better time than the weekend to bake. We've selected 21 of our favorite cookie recipes, including chai snickerdoodles, Oreo-stuffed peanut butter cookies, salted chocolate chunk shortbreads and even almond butter cookies that are vegan and gluten free. GET THE RECIPES   Eat on: How To Make Sure Your Eggs Are Safe From The Big Salmonella Outbreak This Is Why Everyone Craved Shrimp Scampi This Week Brownie Recipes That'll Make You Weak In The Knees    .     HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25th 2018 we will be introducing a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. No moon dust. No B.S. Just a completely essential daily guide to achieving the good life. Subscribe here. Like what you see? Share it. Can't get enough? You'll also love HuffPost's Entertainment newsletter. ©2018 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe      . - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe