With the aging of America, cases of Alzheimer’s disease are expected to nearly triple by the middle of the century. More and more evidence suggests you may be able to at least slow the development of dementia by making better choices in the grocery store.
Greens and grains are on the list of foods that have been linked to lower rates of mental decline. Leafy green vegetables, blueberries, nuts and seeds, fatty fish, olive oil, lentils, and legumes have all been associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. So have whole grains, lentils and legumes.
Registered Dietitian Alissa Rumsey says, “these foods all have different components in them that are either neuroprotectives – they help protect our brain, or other ones that give our brains fuels.”
These so-called brain foods are also elements of the Mediterranean diet, which includes less red meat and processed foods. Nine out of 12 recent studies found a link between that diet and a reduced risk of Alzheimers.
The Alzheimer’s Association has evaluated the evidence and says it does point to a link between heart healthy foods and a lower risk of dementia.
Rumsey says it’s easy to add add those foods to your diet. “It’s about trying to take those refined carbohydrates, and the higher sugar foods and the saturated fat, sort of, out of your diet slowly, and adding those other foods to replace them,” she explains.
The Alzheimer’s Association says a healthy diet should go along with other healthy behaviors like challenging your brain with education and strategic exercises.
