Preventing Dementia through Food – some tips

Eating can make such a major impact on our overall health. It is proven that if we surround ourselves with healthy food, this can help keep our brains healthy and prevent brain-related illnesses like dementia.

Thanks to WedMD, we have some tips to share with you on foods that can help you improve the health of your brain & prevent dementia –

1. Following the MIND diet – a combination of two diets that have well-known health benefits — Mediterranean and DASH. It’s designed to prevent or slow brain decline. Early studies show that it lowers risk of Alzheimer’s by 53% in those who follow it closely and by 35% in those who follow more loosely. The name is short for Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. The MIND diet has 10 groups: green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and wine. You have to love a diet that has wine as a food group.
2. Protein – eating beans every other day, poultry twice a week, and fish once a week. All these foods are high in protein and low in saturated fats, making them good for your overall health as well as for your brain health.
3. Eat your veggies & grains – a suggestion is a salad, one other vegetable, and three servings of whole grains every day. Any vegetable will do, but collard greens, kale, and spinach are especially good.
4. Choose healthy snacks – nuts and berries are ideal snacks — both have been linked to better brain health. Blueberries and strawberries, in particular, help keep your brain working at its best and may slow symptoms linked to Alzheimer’s.
5. Drink wine – wine has been shown to improve brain health and help protect against Alzheimer’s in several studies. But the key is moderation. Typically, that’s one glass a day for women and two for men.
6. Choose and use olive oil – it’s been shown to improve brain function over the long term and protect against dementia.
7. Limit unhealthy groups – the MIND diet specifically limits red meat, butter and margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food. You should have fewer than 4 servings a week of red meat, less than a tablespoon of butter a day, and less than a serving a week of each of the following: whole-fat cheese, fried food, and fast food.

So start following the MIND diet to keep your body and brain healthy and prevent the development of dementia.