The MIND diet Overview:
After the great immense success that the DASH and the Mediterranean diet had over the years, this diet was created as a merging point and it was specifically designed for optimizing the brain health function. Hence the name abbreviation: Mediterranean dash Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.
The initial purpose for this diet was to help people with Alzheimer’s disease and its blend between the Mediterranean diet that focuses on eating all natural organic foods while lowering red meat and sugar, the DASH diet was made to stop hypertension through strictly limiting sodium intake.
Our mind function is deteriorating by the day, brain capacity is getting weaker, memory is getting smaller and our attention span is getting more and more diminished every single day. This diet proved to be one of the best diets around to help your mind stay sharp, carry out large tasks that require a lot of brain function and perceptual speed, more so, it will help with hypertension and with health in general since it blend between the two famous diet, it takes the best of both worlds.
It also helps greatly in eliminating the risk for dementia and takes foods specifically designed to aid brain function and puts them at the top of the food pyramid in the diet. For instance, since wine, fish and nuts have been strongly correlated with helping brain function, these foods are at the topic of what you should eat in day to day basis.
Along with these perks, you will also benefit from:
Reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 53 percent
Benefits for the heart
Reducing blood sugar levels
Lose excess weight
Lower LDL cholesterol
Lower blood pressure
A feeling of being leaner in mind and body
Not feeling tired all the time
Take years off your brain
Increase cognitive ability
Reduce inflammation
Slow down memory loss
Decrease Oxidative Stress in the body
Prevent dementia
This diet seems great, but it is also not the best option for losing weight, it was specifically designed for improving brain health and increasing the cognitive abilities of people who are getting older. So let us get to know about the food groups that you can eat in the MIND diet.
Foods to eat on the MIND diet:
Meats and dairy:
Recommended: Fish, chicken, turkey, salmon, sardines, shrimp, tuna, cod, trout, and carp. Note: 3 times a week is optimal
Occasionally: One serving of red meat of grass-fed beef a week and dairy of all kinds
Never: Fried chicken, too much red meat, fried fish, chicken nuggets, etc.
Grains and starches
Recommended: Whole grains, brown rice, quinoa, mixed wheat pasta and bread, buckwheat, oatmeal, etc.
Never: White processed carbs, white wheat, refined wheat bread, regular rice, etc.
Eggs
Recommended: Boiled eggs, fried eggs with olive oil, scrambled eggs
Fruits and berries
Recommended: 4-5 servings per week from strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mulberries, moderate intake of fruit, etc.
NOTE: Fruit intake has not been scientifically correlated to the brain function abilities; therefore, it is not as recommended as fruits for instance.
Vegetables
Recommended: More than six servings per week: Leafy green cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, kale, spinach, arugula, etc.
NOTE: All others vegetables are highly recommended as they have been linked to better brain function and general health for the mind and body.
Nuts and seeds
Recommended: At least six servings a week: peanuts, walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, etc.
NOTE: The MIND diet encourages its users to eat a lot of nuts daily and vary them to get more variety in the minerals and vitamins, thus increase your brain health.
Oils, fats, sauces, and sweeteners
Recommended: Organic extra virgin olive oil is very important to consume as it contains Vitamin E which has been constantly linked to brain health and function. No more than three servings per week for sweets.
Never: Hydrogenated oils, donuts, too many sweets, pastries, etc.
NOTE: The MIND diet encourages its users to use olive oil as the main cooking oil
Beverages
Recommended: One glass of wine a day, lemon water, tea, coffee in moderation, etc.
Never: Overdrinking
Samples for the “MIND” diet in one day:
Sample Meal Plan 1
Breakfast:
Banana strawberry smoothie
Scrambled eggs. 3eggs cooked with a bit of olive oil
Peanut butter and no sugar raspberry jelly sandwich
Whole wheat bread toasted
Lunch:
Mediterranean salad
Turkey breast grilled
Side of vegetables
Half of a cup of cooked brown rice
Dinner:
Grilled salmon
Vegetable stir-fry with spinach, kale, broccoli, red pepper, onion, garlic, eggplant
Half of an apple
A glass of red wine
Sample Meal Plan 2
Breakfast:
Steel-cut oatmeal with dried fruits and berries mix: strawberry, blackberry, blueberry.
Cup of tea
Greek yogurt
A handful of almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and cashews
Lunch:
Tuna sandwich
Whole wheat bread
Mediterranean salad
Orange and strawberry juice
Dinner:
100 g steak
Baked potatoes
A glass of red wine
Sample Meal Plan 3:
Breakfast:
Two boiled eggs
Almond butter and strawberry jam whole wheat sandwich
50g of raspberries
Lunch:
Grilled chicken
Whole wheat spaghetti
Dinner:
Lentils
Grilled salmon
Side of vegetables
A glass of red wine
Snacks:
Nuts
Tips to help you with the MIND diet:
In order to stay on track, you need to eliminate any fast foods, fried foods, too much sugar, and excessive drinking. This is going to a key issue in the diet as the consumptions of fast food has been strongly linked to brain deterioration and brain fog.
Another very important tip is to keep snacks such as nuts handy; they have a lot of minerals and vitamins that will aid in the brain reparation. In addition to that, try to consume fish approximately 3 times per week and get a glass of wine a day as a maximum.
Keep in mind that this diet is simply optimized between the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet, so it is not a completely different diet, and that means you can go back to the Mediterranean diets for some days if you are on a vacation or you can increase elements in the DASH diet if you also suffer from hypertension; this diet becomes very versatile.
It is also important to note that you can actually increase the efficiency of this diet by incorporating physical activity into your daily program. The MIND diet does not directly advocate for working out but regular physical activity can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 50 percent, a study has found. So you can see how you can optimize this diet very easily.
MIND diet Summary:
There is no doubt that this diet works for people who have dementia or brain tissue loss, it was shown in research that it can decrease Alzheimer’s disease by almost half, so it is very effective in what it does. It functions primarily on making your brain work better as you age.
Nevertheless, this may not be the diet for you if you wish to lose pounds of fat very fast or if you have a very active lifestyle, after all, you have to find what works for you and what can supply your daily requirements in the day.