{"id":670,"date":"2021-09-30T15:02:10","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T15:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/?p=670"},"modified":"2021-09-30T15:03:33","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T15:03:33","slug":"brain-food-what-to-eat-at-any-age-to-fend-off-alzheimers-disease-and-dementia-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/2021\/09\/30\/brain-food-what-to-eat-at-any-age-to-fend-off-alzheimers-disease-and-dementia-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Brain food:  What to eat &#8211; at any age &#8211; to fend off Alzheimer&#8217;s disease and dementia"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"670\" class=\"elementor elementor-670\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-af3e4c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"af3e4c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-16b7d046\" data-id=\"16b7d046\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-451829db elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"451829db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<p>BY CLAUDIA BUCK<br \/>cbuck@sacbee.com<\/p>\n\n<p>Put down the fork. Step away from the buffet table.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>UC Davis nutrition expert Liz Applegate wants us to think about exactly what we\u2019re shoveling down our throats. Not just to lose weight but to protect our brains.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cBrain food is real and it really does matter,\u201d said Applegate, an author, professor and director of sports nutrition at UC Davis. She\u2019s an advocate of the MIND diet, a combination of two long-studied diets that have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>We talked with her recently about so-called \u201cbrain foods,\u201d their impact on 20-somethings and boomers, why it\u2019s hard to stick to a healthful diet, as well as her favorite breakfast foods. Here are some excerpts:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Q. Are there really \u201cbrain foods\u201d that help fend off Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia?<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>A. Diet absolutely does play a role. The brain is like any other organ that is susceptible to (foods) that can protect against oxidation damage. \u2026 Think of oxidation like a fire getting started. These (good) foods act like little tiny fire extinguishers that help put out those fires that otherwise would cause damage leading to loss of brain function. \u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>For me, the research is very compelling. There is a 53 percent lower risk of Alzheimer\u2019s if you follow the MIND diet (see box). It\u2019s eating a diet that provides an array of antioxidant compounds (such as berries) and omega-3 fats (from fish) and avoiding certain foods that may accelerate cognitive decline, like fried foods. Fried foods appear to accelerate oxidative damage and promote inflammation.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Q. The MIND diet is lots of leafy greens, vegetables, nuts and berries, but limits on red meat, butter, cheese, sweets and fried food. How does that translate into reducing the risk of Alzheimer\u2019s?<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>A. We know that people with Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia have very similar characteristics to people with Type 2 diabetes. In fact, some researchers want to call Alzheimer\u2019s the \u201cType 3\u201d diabetes. Over years and years, if your body is insulin resistant, those high blood sugar levels cause damage to linings of blood vessels and make them more prone to gunk building up \u2026(such as) the amyloid or plaque that we see in brain or heart disease. \u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>This is pulling from the research studies what particular foods show the best correlation with decrease in dementia risk. \u2026 We\u2019re not telling people to do anything wacky. Following this diet is a very conservative approach. But the evidence is very compelling. This type of eating can slow the inevitable cognitive decline of aging. \u2026 We don\u2019t know how to fix Alzheimer\u2019s. The only thing we can do is modify the risks.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Q. Is this true for 20-somethings as much as boomers?<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>A. I think people of all ages can eat more healthily to stave off cognitive decline. People in any age group may be eating highly refined sugars or not many berries. Or their seafood intake isn\u2019t much. \u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Dinner might be fast food or a prepared entree that\u2019s high in fat, low in fiber and not a single, green leafy vegetable. I see this kind of thing a lot, in all ages. \u2026 It\u2019s never too late to make changes. Hopefully people in their 20s and 30s will sit up and take notice. Ask yourself: What would you like the quality of life to be as you age? \u2026 This would be a great New Year\u2019s pledge: I want to take care of my brain.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Q. Sweets, cheese: How do we live without \u2019em?<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>A. If people have only a few servings a week of sweets, it seems to be OK. But I experience people who have a couple sweet items per day. A person has toaster waffles, with syrup on top for breakfast, with coffee and an egg. That\u2019s low in fiber, no fruit.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Lunch could be a sandwich, grab a couple of cookies. Later they have a sweetened ice tea. They might have an alcoholic beverage or two mixed drinks at night. \u2026 I don\u2019t like being a sugar Nazi, but you just have to be aware of what you\u2019re eating. \u2026 With cheese, that\u2019s a tough one. It doesn\u2019t seem to be good for brain health. Saturated fat tends to be more inflammatory. Hard cheeses are better than soft. \u2026 But stay tuned. We still have a lot to learn. Maybe other research will show that having more than 1 ounce a week of cheese is OK for us.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Q. You\u2019re a nutritionist; what\u2019s your typical breakfast and dinner?<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>A. I\u2019m glad you asked. For breakfast, I usually flip-flop between kale, onion and two to three eggs scrambled or low-sugar granola with nuts and dried fruit, like blueberries or (golden) raisins. I\u2019ll have it with a cup of plain kefir (cultured milk) and a piece of fruit \u2026 a banana, citrus, a mandarin orange.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>For dinner, I usually have lean protein or fish a couple times a week, a baked potato, vegetables like cauliflower or Brussels sprouts and a big green salad: leafy greens, carrots, red cabbage, radishes \u2026 lots of color. I\u2019m not big on refined carbohydrates, like sourdough bread with a meal.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Q. Breaking bad habits and switching to a healthier diet isn\u2019t always easy. Any New Year\u2019s get-started tips?<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>A. At the first of the year, everyone goes too crazy, (vowing) to follow this diet plan or that diet plan. I encourage people to take just one step at a time, baby steps. Pick one thing to work on: I\u2019m going to eat berries twice a week. Make a berry smoothie on Tuesday and Friday or put berries on your oatmeal. Just chip away at eating more healthfully.<\/p>\n\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Claudia Buck: 916-321-1968, @Claudia_Buck<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>WHAT\u2019S THE MIND DIET?<br \/>It\u2019s essentially a combination of two healthful food plans: the Mediterranean diet (lots of vegetables, lean meat and olive oil) and DASH diet (similar with reduced salt to prevent hypertension). Officially, MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, based on research showing it can dramatically reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Origins: For years, the Mediterranean and DASH diets have been shown to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease. The MIND diet, developed in 2015 by Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center researchers, goes further and identifies 10 good and five bad food categories that appear to affect cognitive decline. In a four-year study of 960 seniors, those who rigorously followed the MIND diet lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s by up to 53 percent. Even those who consumed it only \u201cmoderately well\u201d lowered their risk by 35 percent.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>In January 2016, U.S. News &amp; World Report ranked the MIND diet as the No. 1 easiest-to-follow diet and the No. 2 \u201cbest diet overall,\u201d based on its evaluation of 38 well-known eating plans.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Good foods: Leafy salad greens, other colorful vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and a daily glass of wine.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Bad foods: Red meat, butter\/margarine, cheese, pastries\/sweets, fried\/fast food.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Recommended: Three servings daily of whole grains (such as farro or brown rice); one daily serving (raw or cooked) of dark, leafy salad greens (spinach, broccoli, kale, collard, bok choy, etc.) and one other colorful vegetable; fish (3-4 ounces) at least once a week; poultry at least twice a week; 1\/2 cup berries (frozen or fresh) at least twice a week; beans or legumes every other day. Limit red meat and sweets to fewer than 5 servings a week. Snack daily on at least 1 ounce of nuts. No more than 1 tablespoon a day of margarine or butter (use olive oil instead). Limit cheese and fried foods to less than one serving a week. Have a daily 5-ounce glass of red wine or unsweetened purple grape juice. (Note: All serving sizes are 1 ounce.)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>NATIONAL<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<p>Read more here: http:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/nation-world\/national\/article127009359.html#storylink=cpy<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BY CLAUDIA BUCKcbuck@sacbee.com Put down the fork. Step away from the buffet table. \u00a0 UC Davis nutrition expert Liz Applegate wants us to think about exactly what we\u2019re shoveling down our throats. Not just to lose weight but to protect our brains. \u00a0 \u201cBrain food is real and it really does matter,\u201d said Applegate, an&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/2021\/09\/30\/brain-food-what-to-eat-at-any-age-to-fend-off-alzheimers-disease-and-dementia-2\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Brain food:  What to eat &#8211; at any age &#8211; to fend off Alzheimer&#8217;s disease and dementia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":674,"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670\/revisions\/674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ariacares.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}