To slow down the onset of neurodegenerative diseases, the MIND diet and exercise program was created. Individuals’ mental health often declines as they age, but the MIND diet aims to reduce the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and similar conditions. It takes ideas from the Mediterranean and DASH diets (which aim to lower blood pressure) (DASH).
Origin OF MIND DIET
The National Institute on Aging supported the research that led to its creation by a nutritional epidemiologist at Rush University Medical Center, Martha Clare Morris. She hoped to reduce the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease by promoting a diet high in brain-healthy foods.
How does the MIND diet works?
Most of the MIND diet’s suggested rules center around whole, minimally processed plant meals and discourage using high-saturated-fat animal products and added sweets. Even while the diet stresses the need for portion management, it is not primarily a weight reduction plan.
Ten food categories are recommended on the MIND diet, with a further five being restricted. You should have at least three servings of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables daily, one to two servings of legumes, chicken, and fish per week, and nuts and berries as snacks regularly. In addition, the diet recommends using olive oil as the primary cooking oil because of its reputation as a healthy fat.
You may still consume meat and dairy products within the diet’s guidelines, but you should limit yourself to no more than four servings each week. Beans and legumes, which are high in protein and beneficial to brain health, are recommended as a replacement in the diet.
10 Things You Should Eat on the MIND Diet
Berries
At least twice a week, eat berries. Even though only strawberries were studied in the research, you should also eat blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries for their antioxidant benefits.
Green, leafy vegetables
Try to get at least six servings a week. This includes salads, cooked greens, kale, and spinach.
All other vegetables
Green leafy veggies are great, but you should also try to eat other vegetables at least once a day. To get the most out of your diet while minimizing calories, go for non-starchy veggies.
Olive oil
Olive oil should be your go-to oil for cooking. To learn more about the health benefits of using olive oil in the kitchen, read this article.
Whole grains
Try to have at least three meals every day. Oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and 100% whole-wheat bread are all great options for whole grains.
Wine
Drink no more than one glass of alcohol daily—possible cognitive benefits of red and white wines. In any case, resveratrol, a molecule found in red wine, has been the subject of many studies because of its potential to protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
Don’t give up on the MIND diet plan if you cannot meet your daily serving quota. A lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s has been linked to a modest adherence to the MIND diet.
Fish
Be sure to include fish in your weekly diet. Salmon, sardines, trout, tuna, and mackerel are some of the most excellent options since they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Beans
It would help if you ate beans in at least four of your weekly meals. This encompasses every kind of bean, lentil, and soybean.
Poultry
Incorporate poultry into your diet at least twice weekly. In particular, fried chicken is not recommended while on the MIND diet.
Nuts
You should eat at least five servings of nuts every week. The MIND diet doesn’t say which nuts are acceptable, but eating a wide range of nuts is an excellent way to be sure you’re getting enough of everything.
While on a diet, you can consume more than just the 10 listed items. On the other hand, your outcomes might improve the more strictly you adhere to the diet.
Eating more of the 10 recommended foods and less of the items to avoid is related to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and improved brain function over time, according to studies.
5 Things to stay away from on the MIND Diet
Cheese
According to the MIND diet, cheese should be eaten no more than once a week.
Pastries and sweets
Anything sweet and processed is on this list. Sweets of all shapes and sizes, including ice cream, cookies, brownies, snack cakes, donuts, candies, and more. Please do not do more than four of them each week.
Butter and margarine
Cut down to less than a tablespoon daily (about 14 grams). Instead, swap out your regular cooking oil with olive oil and try dunking your bread in flavored olive oil.
Fried food
Fast food and other forms of fried food are strongly discouraged by the MIND diet. Reduce your intake to less than once a week.
Red meat
Keep your weekly intake to no more than three servings. All beef, hog, and lamb, as well as any items containing these meats, fall under this category.
Researchers encourage limiting your consumption of these foods because they contain saturated fats and trans
fats.
MIND Diet is ranked
#4 in Best Diets Overall
#34 in Best Fast Weight-Loss Diets
#28 in Best Weight-Loss Diets
#7 in Best Heart-Healthy Diets
#5 in Best Diabetes Diets
#4 in Best Diets for Healthy Eating
#3 in Easiest Diets to Follow
Benefits of the MIND Diet
When it comes to health perks, you get the best of both worlds with the MIND diet. “Any benefit of the Mediterranean diet and any benefit of the DASH diet will be exaggerated in a good way with the MIND diet,” says Young.
Here are some specific health benefits associated with the MIND diet:
Possibility of Longer Lifespan
According to a study that followed 882 people over 12 years, individuals with the highest rates of MIND diet adherence had 37% lower mortality risk than those with the lowest rates.
Safeguards Against Alzheimer’s Disease
Moderate adherence to the MIND diet is related to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In contrast, high commitment to the DASH diet, the Mediterranean diet, and the MIND diet all seem to lessen the risk of Alzheimer’s disease among older persons.
Protection against Motor Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease
A study published in a 2018 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging found that older adults who adhered to the MIND diet had a 13% lower risk of developing parkinsonism symptoms over nearly five years. These symptoms include bradykinesia (slow movement), gait abnormalities, rigidity, and tremors.
Modulates the Brain’s Aging Decline
Research demonstrates that over five years, older persons whose diets were most similar to the MIND diet showed a slower loss in episodic memory, working memory, semantic memory, visuospatial ability, and perceptual quickness.
Consistent consumption of the MIND diet has been linked to a reduced rate of cognitive deterioration in older persons with a history of stroke over almost six years in independent research.
The possibility of a decreased risk of breast cancer
Those who followed the MIND diet religiously had a 60% reduced breast cancer risk than women who strayed from the diet, according to research published in Clinical Breast Cancer in 2021.
Risks of the MIND Diet
Experts agree that the MIND diet is safe from a nutritional standpoint. The danger of excessive consumption increases “when you inform individuals that wine is on a diet,” adds Christie.
Following the MIND diet seems to be no danger to your health. Morris, the creator of the MIND diet, told U.S. News in 2015 that neither the DASH nor the Mediterranean diets have been found to pose dangers for any illness or condition.
Conclusion
The MIND diet is a healthy eating plan that combines the Mediterranean and DASH dietary patterns, both of which have been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, improved metabolic health, and a longer life span. If you want to lose weight healthily, this diet might help if you follow it with the recommended balanced plate. Clinical trials are now underway to confirm that the MIND diet slows cognitive decline with age, and further study is needed to verify the results.