Eat for Brain Health and Reduce Your Risk for Alzheimer’s Dementia by over 50%!
Eat for Brain Health and Reduce Your Risk for Alzheimer’s Dementia by over 50%!If you want to lower your risk of Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD), there is a new diet pattern for you. It’s called the MIND diet which stands for Mediterranean-dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. Unlike some fad diet put together by some guru or celebrity, this pattern is a way of eating that has hard science behind it. The simple plan was developed at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago with Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. The MIND Diet shows a 53% risk reduction of AD risk. And many say it is easier to follow than Mediterranean and Dash Diets.
The Brain is Metabolically Active
Nutrition for your mind takes parts of the Mediterranean and the DASH diets to feed the brain with vitamins, minerals, and plant pigments/phytochemicals like Vitamin E, Magnesium and anthocyanins. The latter are plant phytochemicals that make the plants blue, like blueberries, and they are potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds to keep the brain functioning well. The brain is a metabolically active organ. Did you know that the brain is about 2% of your total body weight, yet accounts for about 20% of your resting energy expenditure? No wonder the brain needs good nutrition to stay healthy!
The MIND Diet is a 15 Component Plan
The Mind Diet focus is on a simple list of eating more of some foods and less of other foods.
10 brain healthy foods to include in your meals:
- Everyday eat vegetables, whole grains, and vegetable oils
- Weekly eat berries, nuts, seafood, poultry, beans.
5 brain unhealthy foods to eat sparingly:
- Foods high in saturated fats, sugar, and salt.
NUTRITION BOTTOM LINE
Keep your brain healthy by following the MIND Diet. Eat More:
- Leafy greens and other vegetables
- Nuts within your calorie needs
- Unsaturated oils
- Beans/pulses as part of a plant-forward diet
Skip the butter, 8 ounce steaks, cookies and candy.
Want to learn more about the MIND Diet or other healthy eating patterns?
Call for an appointment with Diane Darcy Dietitian Nutritionist at Comprehensive Primary Care 301-869-9776.
Look for Workshops on MIND Diet in Blog & News section of CPC website. Sign up for CPC Newsletter if you haven’t already!