Healthy Eating: A Guest Blog by Maria Dellanina, RDN

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Eating for Brain Health with the MIND Diet: Part 1

Maria Dellanina, RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist)

Past research concerning brain health focused on specific nutrients such as selenium (an antioxidant). Recently, researchers have found a stronger link between overall diet and brain health rather than the impact a single ingredient such as selenium has on brain health.

Often times, we wonder if taking a Vitamin C, zinc, or an XYZ supplement is going to somehow cure us of a current disease or prevent future disease.

We’ve become too ‘supplement-obsessed,’ when research shows far greater benefits of ample sleep, a well-balanced and nutrient-rich overall diet, moderate exercise, and lowering stressors.

Researchers have developed a diet framework that has shown significantly lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease. By as much as 53%! This framework is called the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay).

If you’ve ever heard of the Mediterranean diet and/or the DASH diet, the MIND diet is a combination of the two.

The Mediterranean diet increases intake of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, and fish, while the DASH diet limits saturated and trans fat, red meat, sodium, and added sugars.

The goal is to provide the body with more fiber, lean proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, while lowering intake of foods that cause damage to blood vessels and body systems.

We’ll be releasing two more parts to this series:

Eating for Brain Health, Part 2: Foods to Add and How

Eating for Brain Health, Part 3: Foods to Limit and How.

,