Can your diet improve brain health?

A healthy diet is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. And a healthy lifestyle is the foundation of taking care of your brain. But what foods make a diet healthy? And how do these foods impact your brain? 

In recent years, the research community has come to identify the MIND diet as the foundation to brain health. The MIND diet is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet (also known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), both of which have been found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular conditions. Martha Clare Morris, PhD, a nutritional epidemiologist of Rush University and her colleagues developed the MIND diet based on information from years of past research about what foods and nutrients have positive and negative effects on the functioning of the brain over time. 

The MIND diet includes at least three servings of whole grains, a salad and one other vegetable each day. It also involves snacking on nuts and eating beans every other day. Poultry and berries are recommended at least twice a week and fish at least once a week. Dieters are also recommended to limit eating designated “unhealthy foods” to avoid the devastating effects of Alzheimer's disease. 

The MIND diet has 15 dietary components, including 10 “brain-healthy food groups:”

• Green leafy vegetables
• Other vegetables
• Nuts
• Berries
• Beans
• Whole grains
• Fish
• Poultry
• Olive oil
• Wine 

The five unhealthy groups are:  

• Red meats
• Butter and stick margarine (less than one tablespoon a day)
• Cheese (less than one serving a week)
• Pastries and sweets
• Fried or fast food (less than one serving a week)

But is there a specific food that is considered “the golden ticket” in supporting your brain? “Blueberries are one of the more potent foods in terms of protecting the brain,” said Morris. She also shared that strawberries have performed well in past studies of the effect of food on cognitive function.

According to Morris, Alzheimer’s disease is not unlike heart disease in that there appear to be “many factors that play into who get the disease,” including behavioral, environmental and genetic components. “Past studies have yielded evidence that suggests that what we eat may play a significant role in determining who gets Alzheimer’s disease and who doesn’t,” she said.

This is especially exciting because people who adhered, even moderately, to the MIND diet had a reduction in their risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Also, the longer someone adhered to this diet, the lower their risk of developing the disease. 

This means that people have the power to improve their brain health, and thereby reduce their risk of Alzheimer's disease, by making healthier food choices. 

As is the case with many health-related habits, including physical exercise, Morris said, “You’ll be healthier if you’ve been doing the right thing for a long time.” 

Get started today. Visit the resources below for MIND diet meal planning ideas and other healthy eating suggestions. 

Get started with MIND diet meal planning ideas at the link below: 

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition/diet/mind-diet-can-this-diet-plan-help-reverse-alzheimers-disease/

Other older adult healthy eating tips are available at the resources below: 

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/healthy-eating-nutrition-and-diet/healthy-meal-planning-tips-older-adults

https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/older-adults

Reference: 

https://www.rush.edu/news/diet-may-help-prevent-alzheimers

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25681666/