There’s plenty of talk about foods that can improve brain function. Amelia Nierenberg reports for the New York Times on “brain food,” along with its effect on your mental health and how you think. To stave off dementia, you might consider changing up your diet.
We don’t yet know as much as we’d like about the causes of dementia. But, we do know that loss of mental acuity is more common among people with heart disease and high blood pressure, people who are overweight and people with diabetes. And, people who don’t eat well and don’t exercise are more likely to have these conditions and experience dementia.
We also know that people who eat more fresh foods, nuts, fruits, vegetables, as well as whole grains and olive oil are likely to have greater protection against developing dementia. Fatty fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids are particularly great for the brain, as are blueberries, walnuts, lentils, soybeans and leafy greens.
One recent study found that people who largely ate these foods and not processed foods or red meat, people who followed the Mediterranean and MIND diets, are far less likely (by 30-35 percent) to suffer from a mental impairment than people who do not.
If you’re keeping your arteries in good order, you are more likely to be keeping your brain in good order as well. Eating a variety of different-colored foods and foods packed with flavonoids matters.
Vitamin supplements are of little or no help in preventing against mental decline. Supplements are no substitute for a Mediterranean or MIND diet. And, many supplements contain harmful ingredients.
Words of wisdom from a Mayo clinic physician: “If it comes from a plant, eat it. If it’s made in a plant, don’t eat it.”
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