Food combos that deliver a knock-out blow to your brain

Queen Victoria was renowned for her mental quirkiness and her royal feasts, which often included four to six courses with seven to nine dishes each. Plates would be piled high with entrees such as duck in Cumberland sauce and roast lamb, plus there was always a sideboard laden with hot and cold meats — pate and sausages — in case she or her guests got hungry between courses.

And she loved potatoes and ice cream.

Turns out that menu amped up her risk for obesity (she was 5 feet tall with a 45-inch waist) and dementia. According to a new study in Neurology, it’s not just what you eat that affects brain health, it’s also the food combinations you consume that matter.

Researchers from the University of Bordeaux in France looked at people’s so-called food networks. They discovered that when processed meats such as bacon, sausage and lunchmeats are the center of your food world and consistently are supported with starchy foods like potatoes, alcohol (Victoria favored a drink made with single malt Scotch and claret!), and cookies and cake, you’re much more likely to develop dementia. Folks who dodged dementia were found to eat a diverse diet, and if they happened to eat processed meat would combine it with fresh fruits and vegetables instead of processed carbs.

The researchers suggest you try to build many small food networks that weave together combinations of different kinds of fresh produce with seafood (salmon and ocean trout) and lean poultry. That’s the way to treat yourself royally!