The MIND Diet: Food for the Brain to Prevent Dementia
Anxious about mental dementia?
You can avoid cognitive decline and even reduce brain age by consuming the proper foods. The MIND diet combines the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet to reduce Alzheimer’s disease.
A study from Rush University in Chicago revealed that the MIND diet could lessen Alzheimer’s risk. The more brain foods that people ate, the more impressive they scored. People who have higher scores had a slower rate of cognitive decline by 7.5 years compared to those who have the lowest scores.
Do you want a youthful brain too? First, check out the foodstuffs we eat, breaking down the most healthy food types in our mind diet. Then, keep reading to know what foods might protect your brain and memory.
Whole Grains
Eat whole grains at least three or more servings a day. Whole grains keep more of their natural nutrients compared to refined grains. Furthermore, most of the nutritional benefits of many plants are in whole grains.
Whole grains deliver nourished, stable blood glucose or energy flow to the brain. It’s suggested by both the Mediterranean and DASH diets, as it improves your chances against dementia. Take three or more servings of whole grains daily for brain health.
Fish
How can fish taken once per week affect your brain health? Fish, particularly fatty fishes such as tuna, are rich in healthy omega-3 fats. So that’s one reason fish is food for the brain, and it’s recommended in the Mediterranean diet to eat fish daily.
However, according to the MIND diet, one fish meal a week should be enough.
Nuts
It would be best to consider adding several servings of nuts a week to your dementia diet. The nutritional benefits of nuts can aid in memory and protection against dementia. Besides anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits, nuts have high flavonoid content for brain food.
Walnuts, in particular, have significant benefits in fighting Alzheimer’s disease. The reason involves the healthy oils, proteins, vitamins, and fibers of these nuts.
Berries
Add some berries to your diet and consume two servings a week.
Berries boost brain health and have neuroprotective benefits. The MIND diet prefers blueberries to help in memory and protect aging brains.
Also, add strawberries to your diet as they also have high amounts of antioxidants.
Green Leafy Vegetables
Green vegetables are a great source of brain food and at least take six servings a week. Leafy greens provide a lot of nutrients, and they’re not only for salads. Broccoli, bok choy, spinach, collard greens, and mustard fit this food category.
Other great options include spinach and kale. They’re rich sources of nutrients such as carotenoids, folate, and flavonoids to lower the risk of cognitive decline. These foods have reduced cancer risks with two to three servings a week, and the MIND diet suggests doubling this number.
A Variety of Vegetables
You should at least add one serving a day of any other vegetables to your diet. Not all vegetable is green and leafy, but that doesn’t imply you shouldn’t include them in your diet. Some vegetables have phytochemicals and nutrients that can protect your body in specific ways.
For that reason, the MIND diet recommends one serving of other vegetables daily.
Wine
Drinking two glasses of wine per day for men and one for women has health benefits, especially red wines. Red wine is not only a traditional part of the Mediterranean diet but also has better brain health in low doses. However, more than that may have harmful effects on brain health and make you more likely to have dementia.
Also, wines contain polyphenols that might be liable for protecting your memory as you get old. Moreover, wine promotes brain health, helps mental dementia, and may reduce stroke risks.
Beans
You must eat at least three servings of beans a week for your brain health. Beans are low-fat, low-calorie foods that offer plenty of healthy protein and fiber. Furthermore, they also have lots of beneficial minerals like potassium and iron.
Beans like lentils and soybeans are another primary food for brain health. Consumption of legumes and folate in any food helps improve mental performance. For example, a good bean meal diet might include rice, chili, and black beans.
You can likewise add beans to salads and soups.
Olive Oil
Virgin olive oil has plenty of phenols, which are aromatic mixtures. Phenols in olive oil have a broad spectrum of health benefits. These effects include anticancerous, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial.
They may also protect against Alzheimer’s disease and other neural conditions.
As part of the MIND diet, olive oil must be the primary source of oil in your kitchen. It’s delicious on salad, bread, greens, pasta, and other food.
Poultry
Another approach to keeping your brain healthy is selecting white meat instead of red meat. Poultry has a good source of lean protein and is protective against memory loss in older adults. Also, poultry is one of the most famous types of white meat.
Poultry includes chicken and turkey, two servings per week are suitable for the MIND diet.
Unhealthy Groups of Food to Avoid in the MIND Diet
The MIND diet particularly limits butter and margarine, cheese, red meat, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food. You must have less than four servings of red meat a week and not more than a tablespoon of butter per day. Also, check your fried food, whole-fat cheese, and fast food consumption; only eat less than a serving a week.
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Learn the Benefits of the Mind Diet
Consume other foods daily, such as vegetables, while some foods are twice or thrice a week. The plan is to make these MIND diet foods the foundation of your snacks and meals. Also, the MIND diet is abundant in antioxidants that can lower oxidative stress, providing many benefits to our brain and body.
By following the MIND diet written above, you can have good brain health as you age. For more information, check out our blogs/posts.
