Eat to protect your brain
Updated: Jun 4, 2020
The MIND diet is proven to reduce Alzheimer’s risk and cognitive decline. It also protects your heart health.
Cara Rosenbloom, RD
That kale and blueberry smoothie does more than just add pep to your morning. It turns out that berries and leafy greens are two of the 10 most important foods for brain health.
Researchers have identified a healthy combination of foods — called the MIND diet — that can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The best part? MIND diet foods are delicious and nutritious, and are good for heart health, too.
More about MIND
The Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet are well-known, highly recommended diets for heart health. Recently, the components of these two diets have been combined to create a third dietary pattern, known as the MIND diet.
MIND is an acronym for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It’s a combination of Mediterranean and DASH diets, with emphasis on foods that have specifically been linked to brain health, like berries and leafy greens.
The top 10
The MIND diet is good for whole body health, but focuses on preventing cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. It includes these 10 essential components:
Leafy green vegetables – daily
Other vegetables – daily
Berries – at least twice a week
Nuts – daily
Beans – every other day
Whole grains – three times a day
Seafood – at least once a week
Poultry – at least twice a week
Olive oil – as the main dietary fat
Wine – a glass a day (if you drink alcohol).
What not to eat
Beyond what you eat, the MIND Diet also includes a list of foods to limit:
Red meats – less than four times a week
Butter and stick margarine – less than 1 tablespoon a day
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.
Benefits of the MIND diet
The MIND diet research was conducted with a group of older adults over a 4½-year period. The researchers showed that sticking to the MIND diet can reduce the rate of developing Alzheimer’s disease by more than 50 per cent. Even modest adherence to the diet can bring a 35 per cent reduction.
Adults who follow this diet also have a slower overall rate of cognitive decline, which researchers say is equivalent to taking 7½ years off their age. This is due to the nutritious combination of foods that help reduce inflammation and preserve white matter in the brain, which is related to stronger cognitive benefits.
Power in combining foods
The key to the MIND diet lies in the combination of the 10 foods. When eaten together, they provide the right mix of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy fats to nourish the brain. So, your kale salad is a good start, but it needs to be topped with salmon, quinoa, almonds and an olive oil vinaigrette to have real impact.
Here are some MIND diet ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Oatmeal with blueberries and almonds
Whole grain toast with hummus and tomato
Turkey and spinach hash
Tuna cakes on a bed of leafy greens
Arugula salad with strawberries and pecans
Sweet potato and black bean burritos in corn tortillas
Chickpea tomato stew for two
Chicken stir-fry on brown rice
Garlic shrimp and kale pasta toss
Even if you don’t have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, the MIND diet is a well-balanced eating plan for all ages that anyone can follow for better health — for your brain, heart and overall wellness.