MIND Your Diet and Protect Your Brain
Dear Caregivers,
With spring in full swing, it’s great to see the vegetable markets coming to life all around me, filled with nature’s bounty. And the wonderful thing about fresh vegetables is that you don’t have to do any fancy, complicated French recipes to make them delicious—all you have to do is “heat and eat”. (Or, you can even just eat them raw!)
It’s not just about flavor: The food you and your loved one eat has a direct effect on the health of your brain and body. Study after study has shown that a person’s diet can affect your weight, your overall fitness and most recently, your mental health.
Eating a diet rich in vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains—the so-called MIND diet—has long been associated with reduced mental decline. But a new study out this spring is more specific, showing that for every 3-point improvement of a person’s adherence to the MIND diet (on a 15 point scale), the subjects in the study showed a 20% less physical reduction in the all-important “gray matter” parts of their brains—the equivalent of slowing down aging by 2.5 years. In other words, what you eat directly affects the physical nature of your brain.
So, get out there and enjoy nature’s bounty. And remember the old adage: It’s not just good, it’s good for you!
Here’s some more expert guidance on diet and mental health:
The Mind Diet: Meal Planning to Fuel the Brain:
The MIND diet is associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline and a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Here's a guide.
How to Combine the MIND Diet and the Diabetic Diet:
Even if you have diabetes, there are ways to work the MIND diet, which has been shown to lower the risk of mental decline, into your meal plan. Here's how.
Common Challenges in Eating and Appetite and How to Address Them:
Here are a nutritionist's favorite tips that caregivers can use to manage the common challenges in their loved one's appetite and eating habits.
Best,
Rosemary D Laird, MD, MHSA
Founder and Chief Medical Officer
“One should eat to live, not live to eat."
— Benjamin Franklin
