The Number One Factor in Maintaining a Healthy Brain

     Is it playing those word games I love?

     Solving math puzzles I don’t?

     Spending regular time with a group of close friends?

     Good genes?

     All of these are factors, but the single greatest element of brain health over which you have control is your diet.

“It’s important for patients to recognize that any single indulgence may not seem to matter – and probably doesn’t – but over time, their choices will influence their long-term health.” 1.

     Does this scare you? It should. A single chocolate bar, bag of chips or fast-food meal probably won’t impact your health, but the choice to indulge on a regular basis definitely will.

    But it should excite you as well. You have a choice. No one is holding your nose and forcing that fast-food burger down your throat. You can choose to eat healthier, and that choice will make a dramatic, positive impact on your health, and your brain.

     Change is hard, and can be daunting. The best approach is one small step at a time. And as much as numbers aren’t my first love, I found this helpful.

     The MIND diet is a combination of two healthy eating plans which focus on what is best for your brain. MIND stands for “Mediterranean-Dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.” Yeah, MIND is fine.

     Here are the numbers, both daily and weekly, plus foods to avoid:

      Every day:

3 servings of whole grains 🍞🍞🍞

1 green, leafy vegetable 🥬

1 other vegetable 🥕

Not more than 1 glass of wine.🥂

Not more than 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine

     Every week:

5– one ounce servings of nuts ( 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is one serving.)

🥜 🥜🥜🥜 🥜

1 serving of fish. 🦈

2 servings of berries 🍓🍓

4 servings of beans or legumes. 🫘 🫘🫘🫘

2 servings of chicken 🐔 🐔

olive oil for added fat 🫒

     Limit:

4 times a week or less for red meat. 🐂 🐂 🐂 🐂

1 time a week for cheese, fried foods/fast foods. 🧀

5 times a week or less for pastries or sweets. 🍰 🍰 🍰 🍰 🍰

     Are you feeling good about your choices or throwing your hands up in despair? Remember that smalll changes can start to make a big difference when you continue them.

     Start with some addition and subtraction.

     Add one healthy food to your meal every day for a week.

     Suggestions: Raspberries and yogurt instead of ice cream.

                          Salad with leafy greens instead of canned vegetables.

                          Chicken instead of beef.

       Whole grain bread instead of white.

 Then do some subtraction:

     One less meal of beef this week.

     One homemade meal instead of fast-food.

     One less chocolate bar or bag of chips, substituted with fresh fruit.

       Another suggestion is to track what you eat. If this seems onerous, try it for a week. I have used the app My Fitness Pal for almost seven years to do this, and it’s easy and gives you the option to set your own limits. However, you can just write it down. The advantage of tracking is to stop “mindless eating”–that mouthful here and taste there. When we are aware of what we are eating, we make better choices.

The goal is to positively affect your body, and especially your brain. A healthy diet leads to a clearer mind, a result we all covet.