The Mind Diet, Did You Hear About This One?

The MIND Diet May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s

It's a good post and this kind of diet will keep your mind sharp, and it's great for your overall health, but will it prevent Alzheimer's, I think the jury is still out on that one.

By Camille Noe PagánWebMD Feature

Reviewed by Neil Lava, MD

Want another great reason to eat healthy? The food choices you make daily might lower your odds of getting Alzheimer’s disease, some scientists say. "That statement is the truth; what you eat every day will determine how many health problems you have in the future." Several years of a bad diet can't be erased by a few years of healthy eating. Don't wait to change your diet until after your health is going south. It's true that making changes at any age or in any condition can help your body, but when you start early, before you have health problems you'll make a big difference in your overall health and you may add a few healthy years to your life.

Researchers have found that people who stuck to a diet that included foods like berries, leafy greens, and fish had a major drop in their risk for the memory-sapping disorder, which affects more than 5 million Americans over age 65.

The eating plan is called the MIND diet. Here’s how it works.

Brain-Friendly Foods

MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It’s similar to two other healthy meal plans: the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet. 

But the MIND approach “specifically includes foods and nutrients that medical literature and data show to be good for the brain, such as berries.” 

You eat things from these 10 food groups:

• Green leafy vegetables (like spinach and salad greens): At least six servings a week
• Other vegetables: At least one a day
• Nuts: Five servings a week
• Berries: Two or more servings a week
• Beans: At least three servings a week
• Whole grains: Three or more servings a day
• Fish: Once a week
• Poultry (like chicken or turkey): Two times a week
• Olive oil: Use it as your main cooking oil.
• Wine: One glass a day

You avoid:

• Red meat: Less than four servings a week
• Butter and margarine: Less than a tablespoon daily
• Cheese: Less than one serving a week
• Pastries and sweets: Less than five servings a week
• Fried or fast food: Less than one serving a week

The Benefits

One study showed that people who stuck to the MIND diet lowered their risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 54%. That’s big. But maybe even more importantly, researchers found that adults who followed the diet only part of the time still cut their risk of the disease by about 35%. 

The big changes you have to make is to use only extra virgin olive oil, eat seafood every day and cut out red meat, and tube meat; they have too much animal fat.

 It shows that what you eat can make an impact on whether you develop late-onset Alzheimer’s. 

It's my opinion that large amounts of alcohol later in life will cause loss of brain cells that will take many years to rebuild if at all. Also, all red meat contains animal fat that will build up in the arteries and slow down blood flow to the brain. The less blood flow to the brain, the less likely that brain cells will rebuild themselves.

Should You Follow the MIND Diet?

Even if you don’t have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease or other risk factors, you may still want to try this eating plan. It focuses on nutritious whole foods, so “it’s not just good for your brain. It’s good your heart and overall health, too.”

One of the best things about the plan is that you don’t have to stick to it perfectly to see benefits. That makes it more likely you’ll follow it for a long time. And the longer people eat the MIND way, the lower their risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

Keep your portions in check, and be careful about how food is prepared. Sauces, breading, and oils can add extra calories and hidden ingredients like sugar. Make a point to drink several glasses of water a day, too.

Last, understand that even though diet plays a big role, it’s only one aspect of Alzheimer’s disease. So get regular exercise and manage your stress to lower your risk even more.

Seafood has more nutritional value than meat and it contains Omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your heart, brain, and your joints. Now think about the biggest health problems that seniors face today, heart disease, joint problems, and losing memory, all thinks that we can avoid if we eat the right foods.

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