What We Eat Matters

We are all familiar with the saying "you are what you eat".  This is very true. What we eat will directly influence our health and well-being. You are reading this because you have an interest in the health of your brain, and current research in the area of diet and brain health indicates that what we eat matters. The MIND diet, which is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets, has been shown to reduce a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. According to a paper published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, the study showed that the MIND diet "lowered the risk of AD by as much as 53 percent in participants who adhered to the diet rigorously, and by about 35 percent in those who followed it moderately well" (DiFiore, 2015, para. 2). 

So what exactly is the MIND diet? The MIND diet emphasizes plant-based foods such as leafy green vegetables, nuts, fish, and berries (specifically blueberries) while limiting animal-based foods, sweets, cheese, and other high saturated fat foods. Also, the MIND diet includes a daily glass of wine! This is good news to me, since I love to cook while enjoying a glass of wine! I personally found that after limiting some of the unhealthy brain foods, I no longer crave them as much as I thought that I would. So raise your glass... {clink} and cheers! Here's to changing some eating habits in 2016 that will further provide us with a happy healthy brain!

Reference: 

Difiore, N. (2015). Rush University Medical Center. Retrieved 12 January 2016, from https://www.rush.edu/news/press-releases/new-mind-diet-may-significantly-protect-against-alzheimers-disease

Read More:

New MIND Diet May Significantly Protect Against Alzheimer's Disease

The MIND Diet: 10 Foods That Fight Alzheimer's (and 5 to avoid)

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