- The MIND diet is designed to prevent age-related cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's disease.
- It is similar to the Mediterranean diet, but it recommends more specific foods, such as berries and vegetables.
- Start the MIND diet with simple steps like adding a few servings of vegetables each week.
A simple Mediterranean-style meal plan may be one of the best ways to protect your brain (and body) as you age, and experts say it can be done from simple additions to your grocery list and eating habits. It says you can start.
The MIND diet (short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) specifically incorporates elements of the healthy Mediterranean diet and the heart-healthy DASH diet, as well as foods associated with preventing age-related cognitive decline. It is.
It ranks alongside the Mediterranean diet as one of the healthiest ways to eat, and is a similarly open-ended and flexible eating plan. It was developed by a team of researchers at Harvard and Rush universities led by Dr. Martha Clare Morris, a professor of epidemiology who passed away in 2020.
Her daughter, Laura Morris, is a chef and personal trainer who took over the work and co-authored “The Official MIND Diet.”
She told Business Insider that what sets the Mediterranean-style diet apart from other similar healthy eating plans is that there are 10 foods you should eat more of, including leafy greens, other vegetables, berries, olive oil, and nuts. The goal is to provide more specific recommendations, including food groups. Seeds, fish, poultry, whole grains, beans, and wine (in moderation).
Morris said the recommendations are based on research into which foods, nutrients and eating patterns can help prevent health problems such as dementia and are good for overall longevity.
The MIND diet focuses on gradually cutting back on foods that worsen brain health, such as red meat and sweets, while adding more foods that support cognitive function. “The thing is, you don't have to completely cut out your favorite foods,” says Jennifer Ventrell, R.D., co-author of The Official MIND Diet.
“As a diet, people would probably expect strict rules, but we created these rules with the idea of starting with who you are,” she told Business Insider.
Even if you're new to healthy eating. Ventrell and Morris provide a week-by-week guide on how to implement her MIND diet without upending your life or kitchen.
To get started, evaluate what you're currently eating, add certain foods a few times each week, and gradually increase the amount to avoid common beginner mistakes like overeating too quickly or restricting your diet. Avoid.
Start by tracking what you're already eating
The first step to starting the MIND diet doesn't even require a trip to the supermarket. Before you start, Ventrell and Morris recommend tracking what you eat so you can compare and evaluate the recommendations against your typical habits.
From there, start cutting back little by little, cutting back on processed and fried foods a few times a week and gradually adding recommended foods.
“If you don't know what the problem is, you don't know what to change,” Morris said.
Add brain-healthy foods like berries and vegetables to what you're already eating
One of the distinguishing features of the MIND diet is that rather than banning foods or focusing on what you shouldn't eat, it focuses on improving your health (and possibly even losing weight if that's your goal). That means we're focusing on adding more food.
That means you can incorporate the MIND diet into your current habits, building on the meals and snacks you usually enjoy, like adding a handful of berries to your morning yogurt or mixing some veggies into your shake.
“It doesn't mean eating only the 10 foods on the list and avoiding the foods on the list to limit yourself,” Ventrell says.
Focus on a few servings of healthy food each week
Although the MIND diet is relatively simple, trying to change everything at once can be overwhelming. Ventrell said she still uses simple tools like the MIND diet tracker at home to improve over time. He starts with small changes in one category at a time, such as reducing your red meat intake or increasing your berry intake. That way, you can make progress over time.
“Pick one or two things to change and find very specific, measurable ways to change. Give yourself some grace,” Morris said.
Don't wait – now is the perfect time to start the MIND diet
Morris says brain changes can begin as early as your 30s, so the MIND diet can be effective at any age. And while diet cannot reverse Alzheimer's disease, there is evidence to suggest it may have a preventive effect, even in older adults.
“There's no right time. It's never too early or too late,” she said.
don't worry about being perfect
Before you panic trying to check every box on the MIND diet guide, know that it's not an all-or-nothing endeavor. Research shows that the effects of the MIND diet can be widespread, so even if you don't eat all the foods in the exact right portions each week, you may be able to protect your brain by making a few small changes. there is.
“It's absolutely possible to keep going even if it's not perfect. The idea is to improve on what's going on,” Morris said.
