The MIND Diet for Healthy Weight Loss, Fighting Dementia and Alzheimer's Prevention
The MIND diet combines the portions of the DASH diet, and the Mediterranean diet is designed to prevent dementia and slow the decline in brain health as you age.
The MIND diet is fairly new. The first article describing MIND diet and its efficacy was published in 2014. Researchers wanted to create a new diet specifically to help improve brain function and prevent dementia.
Currently, there are no clear set of guidelines for how to follow the MIND diet. Simply eat more of the ten foods the diet encourages you to eat, and eat less of the five foods the diet recommends you limit. That means that the MIND diet focuses on the intake of plant-based foods, and limiting the intake of animal products and foods high in saturated fat.
Why It Works?
The MIND diet is a fairly simple diet to follow. Having a green salad or any other vegetable every day and snacking on nuts is pretty simple to do. Many people already eat poultry meat at least twice a week or enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. Adding fish twice a week can be as simple as a can of tuna and should not be a problem for most people.
Eating servings of whole grains every day may seem like a challenge, but that goal can be met with a bowl of whole grain cereal for breakfast and a sandwich on whole grain bread for lunch.
Berries can be expensive, especially out of season, but frozen berries are perfect in oatmeal or for smoothies all year round.
Cutting back on saturated fats is a big challenge for many Americans. Stepping down from whole milk to 3%, and then to 1% over time is a good strategy. Limiting red meat and avoiding cheese may be difficult and cutting back on cookies and other sweet treats are nearly impossible for many people.
It may help to look at dessert as a special occasion treat rather than a requirement to round out a meal.
It is important to understand that behavior change is a difficult thing to do and that diet is a permanent lifestyle change. Making room for the positive changes such as salads, berries, fish, whole grains and beans, will push some of the less than judicious choices off the plate.
1. Leafy Green Vegetables - Aim for six or more servings per week.
2. Other Vegetables ( green beans, potatoes, carrots etc.) - at least one a day.
3. Berries ( blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc. ) - Eat berries at least twice a week.
5. Nuts (all nuts, with extra benefit from walnuts) - Try to get five servings of nuts or more each week.
6. Beans (Black beans, red beans, kidney beans, etc.) - Include beans in at least four meals every week.
7. Fish (salmon, sardines & herring have most benefit) - Eat fish at least once a week.
8. Poultry (chicken and turkey) - Try to eat chicken or turkey at least twice a week.
9. Olive Oil (choose extra virgin olive oil) - Use olive oil as your main cooking oil.
10. Wine - Aim for no more than one glass daily.
5 Groups of Foods to Minimize in the MIND Diet
- Pastries and sweets - less than 5 servings per week
- Red meat - less than 4 servings per week
- Cheese - less than 1 serving per week
- Fried or fast food - less than 1 serving per week
- Butter and margarine - less than 1 tablespoon per day
This graphic from Canadian Living illustrates these principles visually.
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