THE ULTIMATE BRAIN-FRIENDLY DIET
The MIND diet combines the best of the Mediterranean diet with the DASH diet (designed to lower blood pressure). Researchers in Chicago found that older people who stuck rigorously to the diet lowered their risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 53%; those who followed it less carefully still had a 35% lower risk. The key elements of the diet are:
❖ GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES such as spinach and kale
❖ OTHER VEGETABLES such as red peppers, squash, carrots and broccoli
❖ NUTS
❖ BERRIES including blueberries and strawberries (at least twice a week)
❖ BEANS, LENTILS and SOYBEANS
❖ WHOLEGRAINS (at least three servings a day)
❖ SEAFOOD (at least once a week)
❖ POULTRY (at least twice a week)
❖ OLIVE OIL
❖ A glass of WINE a day
5 FOODS TO LIMIT
❖ RED MEATS
❖ BUTTER and STICK MARGARINE (less than 1tbsp a day)
❖ CHEESE (less than a serving a week)
❖ FRIED and FAST FOOD (less than a serving a week)
❖ PASTRIES and SWEETS
If you can’t follow the MIND diet religiously, a few tweaks can make a difference, says Margaret Rayman, Professor of Nutritional Medicine at the University of Surrey. ‘Just eating fish at least once a week is significantly protective; have more olive oil; and there’s also good evidence for berries, particularly blueberries and strawberries.’ Healthy Eating To Reduce The Risk Of Dementia by Margaret Rayman (Kyle Books)