‘One daily serving’ of special diet can help prevent dementia, diabetes and cancers

Research has found that one diet could help lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and with dementia being the leading cause of death in the UK, many people are keen to prevent it as soon as possible without the need to take medication.

Called the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay aka the MIND diet, it targets the health of the aging brain. According to harvard.edu, dementia is the sixth leading cause of death in the US whilst alzheimers.org.uk states “in the last year dementia is once again listed as the leading cause of death” in England and Wales according to 2022 statistics.

Because of this, people are looking at ways “to prevent cognitive decline”, the study says. Scientists explain that “both the Mediterranean and DASH diets had already been associated with preservation of cognitive function, presumably through their protective effects against cardiovascular disease, which in turn preserved brain health.”

The study further explains: “The MIND diet contains foods rich in certain vitamins, carotenoids, and flavonoids that are believed to protect the brain by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Although the aim of the MIND diet is on brain health, it may also benefit heart health, diabetes, and certain cancers because it includes components of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, which have been shown to lower the risk of these diseases.”

The participants with the “highest MIND diet scores” which means that they had a higher intake of foods on the diet, had a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline compared with those with the lowest scores” showing that “the effects of the MIND diet on cognition showed greater effects than either the Mediterranean or the DASH diet alone.”

The diet is “partially based on the Mediterranean and DASH diets” and specifies that eating “brain healthy food” is the key as long as you also try and limit five foods. In fact, “researchers found a 53% lower rate of Alzheimer’s disease for those with the highest MIND diet scores” with people who had a “moderate” score showed a 35% lower rate compared with those with the lowest MIND scores.

“Several other large cohort studies have shown that participants with higher MIND diet scores, compared with those with the lowest scores, had better cognitive functioning, larger total brain volume, higher memory scores, lower risk of dementia, and slower cognitive decline, even when including participants with Alzheimer’s disease and history of stroke”, it adds.

So what does the MIND diet say I should – and should not – eat?

The healthy items the MIND diet guidelines suggest include:

3+ servings a day of whole grains
1+ servings a day of vegetables (other than green leafy
6+ servings a week of green leafy vegetables
5+ servings a week of nuts
4+ meals a week of beans
2+ servings a week of berries
2+ meals a week of poultry
1+ meals a week of fish
Mainly olive oil if added fat is used

The unhealthy items, which are higher in saturated and trans fat, include:

Less than 5 servings a week of pastries and sweets
Less than 4 servings a week of red meat (including beef, pork, lamb, and products made from these meats)
Less than one serving a week of cheese and fried foods
Less than 1 tablespoon a day of butter/stick margarine

Sample MIND meal plan

There isn’t one diet that you need to stick to, but if you are looking for some inspiration, this sample meal plan is roughly 2000 calories, the recommended intake for an average person. If you have higher or lower calorie needs, you may add or remove a snack snack, says harvard.edu.

Breakfast

1 cup cooked steel-cut oats mixed with 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, ¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries, sprinkle of cinnamon

Snack

1 medium orange

Lunch

Beans and rice – In medium pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Add and sauté ½ chopped onion, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp garlic powder until onion is softened. Mix in 1 cup canned beans, drained and rinsed. Serve bean mixture over 1 cup cooked brown rice.
2 cups salad (e.g., mixed greens, cucumbers, bell peppers) with dressing (mix together 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ tsp black pepper)

Snack

Dinner