The diet for life that reduces your risk of dementia

The MIND diet encourages eating foods that will help keep your brain healthy as you age. Photo / Getty Images

• The MIND diet, combining the Mediterranean and DASH diets, aims to keep the brain healthy.
• Following the MIND diet can reduce Alzheimer’s risk by up to 53% and cognitive decline.
• Key foods include leafy greens, berries, nuts, whole grains, and fatty fish; avoid red meat and sweets.

Most of us would do anything to avoid dementia. So what if there was a specific diet, one which doesn’t involve having to get out the scales or cut out all your favourite foods, that helped to do that?

The MIND diet (Mediterranean Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) is not your classic weight-loss plan. It’s an eating strategy for life, designed specifically to keep your brain healthy. First devised in the US, about 10 years ago, studies have consistently shown that following the MIND diet drastically reduces your risk of dementia – one showed a reduction in Alzheimer’s by an astonishing 53% – as well as offering other benefits to your brain.

So where to start?

How does the MIND diet work?

It works on a simple premise, listing 10 foods to include and five to avoid, singling out particular foods that are known to contribute to brain health.

The diet was first devised by a professor of epidemiology, who was leading a trial into a diet to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The scientists decided to combine the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet (full name Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), both shown to be highly effective for protecting against cardiovascular conditions, many of which, including high blood pressure, are implicated in dementia.

The researchers took the two diets and modified them to include nutrients that were specifically important for cognitive health.

Rebecca McManamon, a neurological dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association (BDA), explains: “The slight difference [with other similar diets such as the Mediterranean diet] is that the MIND diet is specific. It recommends that you eat at least one portion of green vegetables every day,” instead of the usual five and specifies fruits, such as a portion of berries, to include every day.

The link between diet and brain health

“There is a clear link between a good diet and healthy gut bacteria, leading to a good absorption of nutrients which is necessary to maintain a healthy brain,” says Dr Martine Stoffels, a psychiatrist with specialisms in old age and neuropsychiatry.

“A healthy diet should be nourishing the brain with foods that protect against inflammation, oxidative stress and cognitive decline, while also promoting vascular health (which means low blood pressure and cholesterol at a good level) – crucial for maintaining healthy brain function.

“The MIND diet is one of the diets which does all of those things and has been shown to benefit brain function and reduces the chances of getting dementia by 35 to 50% by itself, irrespective of other interventions to avoid dementia such as exercise and managing stress.”

Benefits for brain health

The benefits of following the diet are numerous and have been backed by years of research. These include:

• A 35% reduction in risk for those who only followed the diet moderately closely. This was found in the same 2015 study that showed a 53% reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s for those following the diet very closely.
• A reduction in general memory loss, as well as lowering dementia risk. The rate of decline in people’s cognitive abilities over time in people who were on the MIND diet was significantly slower.
• A slower rate of cognitive decline after stroke was found in a recent study.

McManamon confirms: “We’ve got at least 10 years of research, mainly from the US, saying these foods can help lower the risk of dementia and then, separately, they can also slow the loss of brain function that we may have as we get older.”

Stoffels adds: “As a psychiatrist, I would recommend patients to follow the MIND diet because it is easy to understand, doesn’t call for a complete elimination of food groups but, most importantly, because there is significant evidence it works.”

Leafy greens like spinach and kale are included as part of the MIND diet. Photo / 123rf

10 foods to eat on the MIND diet

Variety and “eating the rainbow” is key. Recommended foods include:

• Leafy greens: spinach, kale and other greens should be eaten at least six times a week.
• Other vegetables: aim for a variety, particularly colourful ones, such as peppers and tomatoes daily.
• Berries: blueberries and strawberries at least twice a week.
• Nuts: A handful of nuts at least five times a week. McManamon says almonds and walnuts are best known for their health properties but suggests mixing with other nuts such as pecans.
• Whole grains: oats, brown rice and quinoa.
• Fish: Aim for fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel and sardines at least once a week.
• Poultry: Chicken or turkey should be eaten at least twice a week.
• Beans: Beans and legumes such as lentils, chickpeas and cannellini beans should be included several times a week.
• Olive oil: Use olive oil as the primary fat source rather than butter or coconut oil, which are high in saturated fat
• Wine: A glass of red wine is allowed in moderation (one glass a day), although this, sadly, is debatable.

The MIND diet suggests one glass of red wine a day is acceptable, but that is being questioned by some experts. Photo / 123rf

As well as following the list, McManamon advises that the key to success is variety.

“There’s research that strawberries can help us to reduce our blood glucose levels, or reduce the risk of diabetes. And the kind of the polyphenols that are in the blueberries can specifically help in terms of brain function and memory.”

She adds that frozen berries are much cheaper and are as good as, if not better, than fresh, having been picked and frozen immediately, preserving nutrients.

On the oily fish front, smoked mackerel fillets are not a good substitute for fresh ones as smoked fish is considered unsuitable for high-risk groups, including pregnant women and those with compromised immunity.

She also, sadly, has some spirit-dampening news about the inclusion of red wine on the list.

“Alcohol is a big bone of contention because, technically, that is part of this diet. However, the World Health Organisation has classified alcohol as a carcinogen and we know that alcohol in excess can cause brain damage as well as brain-related dementias.

“Maybe 10 years ago, people might have been saying having one glass of red wine might be part of a normal day on the MIND diet (as they did with the Mediterranean diet). But now, with more research into how harmful alcohol is to our health, I would not condone it. Technically, there isn’t a safe level. I would go back to the government advice: have some alcohol-free days and limit the number of units that you have.”

Red meat should be avoided as part of the MIND diet. Photo / 123rf

5 foods to avoid on the MIND diet

The main culprits include:

• Red meat, including processed meats, such as bacon and salami. Limit consumption to no more than three times a week.
• Butter and margarine: reduce intake to less than one tablespoon a day.
• Cheese: Limit to less than 30g a week.
• Sweets and pastries: Consume these no more than five times a week.
• Fried or fast foods: limit to less than once a week.

McManamon points out that, by including more “good” foods in your diet, you will naturally displace the “bad” ones.

How to get started

The MIND diet is suitable to start at any age. McManamon points out: “Your brain is still developing up to about the age of 25, so it’s going to nurture your brain up to that age, and then your brain is then going to go through a period of decline. So this is absolutely something that is beneficial for all ages, and can be part of family meals.”

She also emphasises that it’s never too late to make a change. “Very recently it was shown that, even in older people, making this change to the MIND diet helped with their memory.”

MIND diet meal planning

Choose one each from the below, making sure to eat moderate portions.

Breakfast

• Poached egg and spinach with seeded or wholegrain toast
• Porridge with blueberries
• Fruit salad to include berries and Greek yoghurt
• Smoothie with frozen mixed berries
• Grain and seeds cereal with milk
• Omelette with onion, pepper, sweetcorn or other vegetables to taste
• Avocado with onions and herbs on seeded or wholegrain toast

Avocados on wholemeal toast is a suggested breakfast as part of the MIND diet. Photo / 123rf

Lunch

• Three Bean Salad
• Carrot and lentil soup
• Ratatouille with chickpeas – optional to make shakshuka style with eggs
• Rocket and tomato salad – basil, tablespoon of pine nuts and olive oil, cottage cheese
• Tinned mackerel in tomato sauce on seeded or wholegrain toast
• Kale and quinoa salad
• Wholegrain minestrone soup (wholewheat chopped spaghetti and chickpeas)

Carrot soup. Picture / Eleanor Ozich.

Evening meal

• Salmon oven bake, with green beans, tomato, new potatoes
• Leek and white bean cassoulet
• Sweet potato boats or loaded potato skins (add egg, turkey or chicken during baking) with broccoli
• Chicken cashew stir-fry
• Turkey lasagne layered with alternate aubergine and wholegrain lasagne sheets
• Lean steak strips with butternut squash, mushrooms and wholegrain rice
• Greek salad and bulgur wheat

Salmon is encouraged as a healthy dinner option on the MIND diet. Photo / Babiche Martens

Snacks

Have a handful of nuts or berries daily, if not already included within the meal plan.

Dietary suggestions compiled by Rebecca McManamon, consultant dietitian.

The experts

Rebecca McManamon is a neurological dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association (BDA).

Dr Martine Stoffels is a consultant psychiatrist with Phoenix Mental Health Services with specialisms including old age and neuropsychiatry.