Can your brain age backward and turn younger?
“Studies show that the MIND diet may maintain cognitive functioning at a rate equivalent to 7.5 years younger than those who didn’t follow the MIND diet.”
What is MIND DIET?
MIND stands for the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.
How will we reduce or delay the decline in brain function health frequently occurring as you age?
MIND diet specialises in helping to prevent dementia and improve brain functions by combining aspects of two trendy diets, the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.
The differences are that both diets agreed to eat lots of fruits.
However, the MIND diet encourages eating more berries among fruits.
Would it work for you?
The MIND diet emphasises foods to help brain health, such as green leafy vegetables, berries, and fatty fish and limits the intake of saturated and trans fats such as red meat, butter, or margarine.
There are currently 47 million people worldwide living with dementia due to the rapid aging population, which is expected to triple over the next 30 years.
Studies found that the MIND diet contains specific vitamins, which are carotenoids that are essential for immune system function, eye health and beneficial antioxidant, and flavonoids that are also believed to reduce oxidative stress and all inflammations.
Researchers found that the participants with an intensive MIND diet lowered their risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 53% and had potential benefits, such as better cognitive functioning, other brain diseases, heart health, diabetes, obesity, and cancers.
Specifically, intake of leafy greens and berries has been shown in human and rodent studies to improve cognitive function. However, the MIND diet is relatively new, and the cause, theory and effect between the MIND diet and cognitive function improvement need to be more investigated.
How do leafy greens and berries help?
Leafy greens and berries are low in fat and calories but rich in vitamin C, E, K, A, folate, fibre, antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids, lutein, carotenoids, sulforaphane, magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, and more which can help slow cognitive decline and benefit you supporting insulin sensitivity (or insulin resistance), bone strength, blood circulation and lowering type 2 diabetes.
Can you drink wine?
Research shows that people who drink moderate levels of alcohol, such as no more than a glass of wine a day, may lower the risk of dementia.
Studies show that red wine is rich in polyphenols linked to brain protection and protects body tissues against oxidative stress, damaging your cells and DNA and contributing to aging.
How to be a MIND Dieter
What do you eat?
1. Food to eat
All vegetables & green salads & leafy vegetables
All berries
Nuts & olive oil
Beans & whole grains
Fatty fish & poultry
A moderate amount of wine
*two or more servings of vegetables a day but notes that at least one serving should be leafy green vegetables*
2. Food to limit (Limiting consumption of saturated & trans fats)
Fried food & pastries & sweets (All processed products)
Margarine & butter
Red meat & cheese
Okay, let’s get started.
This meal plan is an example only. (Calculated approximately only)
Total calories: 1,500 Kcal/ Day (Calculate your recommended calories)
MEAL 1.
Oatmeal with low-fat natural yoghurt, blueberry, strawberry & Almond (381Kcal)
-Cooked oatmeal (1 cup or 234g): 158 Kcal
-Low-fat natural yoghurt 100g: 63 Kcal
-Blueberry 100g: 57 Kcal
-Strawberry 100g: 33 Kcal
-Almond x 10: 70 Kcal
Meal2.
Canned tuna and Mixed Avo& mayo on whole grains toast with green salads & fresh orange juice(506Kcal)
-Canned tuna 100g: 132 Kcal
-Mixed Avocado 1/4 & Mayonnaise 1 tbsp: 116 Kcal
-Whole grain toast x 2: 138 Kcal
-Green salads 30g with olive oil ½ tsp & balsamic vinegar ½ tsp: 26 Kcal
-Fresh orange juice 200ml: 94 Kcal
MEAL 3.
Chicken breast and vegetables sweet chilli stir-fried with brown rice (613 Kcal)
-Chicken breast 150g: 360 Kcal
-Onions 50g, Broccoli 50g & carrot 50g: 57 Kcal
-Sweet chilli sauce 1tbsp(15g): 34 Kcal
-Brown rice 100g: 112 Kcal
-Green Salads Mix 30g: 5 Kcal
-Olive oil 1 tsp & balsamic vinegar 1 tsp for salads: 45 Kcal
*You can change different types of fat, protein, or carbs accordingly*
*Use salt & pepper slightly for all meals*
Food Guide to each nutrition
Fats
olive oil, avocado oil, olive, avocado
Nuts (Almond, Brazil nut, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)
Proteins
Fish (Salmon, Tuna, swordfish)
Legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans, peas)
Natural yoghurt and low-fat cheese
Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), pork
Egg
Beef (small portion only)
Carbohydrates
Wholemeal/whole grains bread
Wholemeal Pasta/ Brown Rice/ Oat/ Quinoa
Sweet potato/ Potato/ Pumpkin
Vitamins & Minerals
Cabbage/ Asparagus
Broccoli/ Cauliflower/ Brussel sprout
Mushroom/ Tomatoes/ Cucumber/ onion
Green bean/ Eggplant/ Turpin/ Celery
Leafy veggies (Spinach, rocket salads, kale, Bok choy, watercress, or any green leafy)
All berries, Apple, Orange, Banana, Grapefruit, Pear, Watermelon
(MIND diet encourages eating more berries than other fruits and leafy vegetables.)
Should you exercise?
It is highly recommended 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise such as power walking or circuit weight training, or reformer Pilates, whatever suits your lifestyle.
Can you lose weight?
The MIND diet focuses on improving brain health rather than calorie counting.
However, you may lose weight if your overall calorie intake is less than your consumption of calories. (Please refer to weight management)
Do you have anything you want to achieve or change now?
It’s never too late or too early.
To be whoever you want to be.
Start whenever you want, there is no time limit.
You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing.
You can make the best or worst of it.
I hope you make the best of it.
I hope you see things startle you. I hope you feel things you have never felt before.
I hope you meet people with different points of view.
I hope you live a life you are proud of if you find you are not
I hope you have the strength to start all over again. (From The curious case of Benjamin button)
You cannot make yourself age backward, but you can look healthier and younger if you make a healthier choice.
Start with drinking 2L of water a day.
It’s never too late.
You can check your calories, how much you need and how to calculate your target calories to manage your weight.
In addition, you can find how vital drinking water is, taking fibre, or checking other diet methods such as the keto diet, Mediterranean diet, intermittent fasting, dash diet, mind diet and paleo diet.
