“Follow the Mediterranean or the MIND diets and your mind
will be sharper in six months – and less susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease
decades later.”
--Majid Fotuhi, M.D., medical
director of NeuroGrow Brain Fitness Center and affiliate staff at Johns Hopkins
Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland
 |
| Tuscan (or flat-leaf) kale |
Every time I read an article about brain health and
Alzheimer’s, I think about the emerging knowledge that Alzheimer’s is a
disease which begins 30 or 40 years before the first symptoms appear. An article in the October 2015 issue of AARP's Bulletin, “Eat Your Way to Brain Health,” is about the MIND* diet which emphasizes fish, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, beans, and a daily
glass of wine. Eating foods that contain
the good, healthy fat (unsaturated fat) like olive oil, nuts, and fish (but not
farm-raised fish) enhance memory and information processing.
As parents, we should take note of all this emerging
knowledge. Scientists are documenting
the foods that can keep our brains active as they attempt to urgently learn how
to blunt the life-robbing effects of Alzheimer’s as the numbers of Americans
affected continue to increase each year. It is clear that Alzheimer’s does not develop in one month or one year. It develops over several decades of eating
foods that clog up the brain instead of eating brain-boosting foods that
maintain healthy blood flow and prevent inflammation. Choosing
more of the good foods and deciding to eat less of the bad foods is what the
Growing Healthy Kids workshops teach children and their parents. This is why teaching kids to be Nutrition Scientists is
so much fun!
Here are some foods that are very good for your brain (now
and in 30 years):
- Olive oil
- Blueberries
- Turmeric (curcumin, its active ingredient, is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory substances in the world and a key ingredient in curry)
- Nuts, especially walnuts
- Beets, tomatoes, and avocados
- Leafy greens like kale, spinach, broccoli, collards
- Dark chocolate (I eat a little piece every day!)
Please pass the kale!
In gratitude,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
*MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay
