For a long time, researchers have been trying to find a correlation between the food we eat and its impact on health. A more specific research was on the decline of brain health with age that led to Alzheimer’s disease. This saw the birth of MIND diet.
MIND Diet
MIND stands for Mediterranean–DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. The diet consists of the eating habits of Mediterranean countries and DASH that stands for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension.
The approach of this diet is to reduce dementia and decline in brain health as we age. However, MIND diet does differ from the Mediterranean and DASH diets if it is taken as a single entity. For example, berries are emphasised over fruits due to their antioxidant properties and eating fish at regular intervals in a week is recommended. The diet also stresses on green leafy and other vegetables because they are rich in nutrients and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
MIND Diet Formula
The diet has a ‘Ten and Five’ formula. It specifies to focus on the ten foods to have and the five foods to be limited or avoided. The ten foods are green leafy vegetables, vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, whole grains, fish, beans, poultry and red wine. The diet emphasizes on leafy green vegetables that include spinach, kale and collard, which are beneficial for the brain due to presence of Folate, Vitamin E and Carotenoids. A recommendation is for six servings a week.
Nuts and fish are also the main constituents of MIND diet; nuts are an excellent base for Vitamin E, which is a key nutrient for the brain. Recommendations are five servings per week. If you are fond of fish, then those with high Omega 3 are recommended. For vegetarians, they can substitute with flax seeds and green pumpkin seeds.
Health Benefits
Nutrient rich: MIND diet is nutrient rich due to the intake of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.
Anti-inflammatory: It’s also anti-inflammatory due to the intake of Omega 3, Folate, Flavonoids, Vitamin E and Polyphenols.
Antioxidant rich: All the components in this diet are rich in antioxidants and healthy nutrients.
Gut health: The diet is a good source of fibre that promotes a healthy gut microbiome.
Heart health: The diet derives heart healthy properties from nuts, seeds and mono-saturated fats & Omega 3 fatty acids. In the MIND diet, the fibre intake is moderately high with protein from both plant- and animal-based proteins. This also helps in balancing blood sugar.
The five foods to be limited are butter and margarine, cheese, red meat and sweet savouries.
MIND Diet Impact
The diet has shown encouraging results in lowering blood pressure, decreasing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. It has also slows memory loss and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The diet also reduces oxidative stress as it is rich in antioxidants. The diet helps in killing off free radicals to the maximum, indicating antioxidant defences — particularly in the brain areas. It works best in conjunction with regular exercise, healthy lifestyle and adequate sleep with stress free life. This diet has also shown good results during the pandemic and in European countries, especially in Italy, Spain and Greece, everyone is now opting for this diet.
Epilogue
This diet is a mix of two great diets filled with the goodness of anti-inflammatory, heart health and brain health benefits. But still consult your family doctor when you get on this diet.
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