The MIND Diet helps prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

If you are hoping to improve your brain health and prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, you may consider trying the MIND diet.

The nutritional epidemiologist Martha Clare Morris, ScD, and her colleagues at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago referenced past studies on the dietary connection between food and cognitive decline, and then borrowed concepts from the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet to develop a meal plan with brain-boosting benefits. Thus the MIND diet was born. 

MIND is a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and DASH diet, and research suggests it may reduce the risk of developing dementia or slow the decline in brain health.

The MIND diet focuses on the intake of plant-based foods, and limiting the intake of animal products and foods high in saturated fat. The emphasis is on plants, and this diet specifically urges a higher consumption of berries and green leafy vegetables - blueberries, strawberries and blackberries can prevent cognitive aging while there is a link between eating leafy green vegetables (such as kale, spinach, and collard greens) and lower inflammation and oxidative stress - the two factors that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. As both  berries and green leafy vegetables are rich in antioxidants and so can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when antioxidant defenses are low and the body cannot fight toxic molecules which called free radicals. This stress causes cell damage in the brain and throughout the body and it has been linked with several diseases, including Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Foods to eat on the MIND Diet: 

• Green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, collard greens, lettuce): a minimum of 6 servings a week 
• Nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios): a minimum of 5 servings a week 
• Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries): a minimum of 2 servings a week
• Beans (black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans): a minimum of 3 servings a week 
• Whole grains (quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain pasta and bread): a minimum of 3 servings a day 
• Fish (salmon, tuna, trout): at least 1 serving a week 
• Poultry (chicken, turkey): at least twice a week 
• Olive oil as the primary oil used 

Foods to limit on the MIND Diet

• Red meat (steak, ground beef, pork, lamb): no more than 4 servings a week
• Wine: no more than 1 glass a day
• Butter and margarine: no more than 1 tablespoon daily
• Cheese (brie, mozzarella, or cheddar): no more than 1 serving a week
• Sweets (cakes, brownies, ice cream): no more than 5 servings a week
• Fried or fast food (french fries, chicken nuggets, onion rings, fried chicken, hamburgers): no more than 1 serving a week 

The MIND diet is different from other diet plans in that there is no calorie counting and no food groups are eliminated. In addition to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the MIND diet can also reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Because this diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, you may also experience health benefits associated with these particular diets - reductions in hypertension, thereby diminishing the risk of stroke, heart disease and better insulin sensitivity.