If you want to decrease your chances of contracting Alzheimer’s, then it’s critical that you eat a well-balanced, low-to-no-sugar, diet that pulls mainly from whole foods (meaning not processed like, say a frozen meal).  Fruits and Vegies, which are high in fiber, should be a focal point of every meal, along with reasonable portions of lean meat and fish – or legumes and nuts for those choosing a more vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.  

Back in 2015 (so not too long ago!) a researcher in the fields of nutrition and epidemiology came up with a diet that brings all this together.  Called the MIND diet, which is short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurogenerative Delay diet, this approach to nutritious eating basically combined the best aspects of the Mediterranean diet with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.  Intended to slow the cognitive decline that comes with aging, the MIND diet continues to rise to the top as the best diet for preventing and slowing Alzheimer’s Disease.  The MIND diet is a unique version of the Mediterranean diet protects the brain and can help in preventing Alzheimer’s Disease. 

We aren’t talking complete elimination of all sugar, but being aware of your intake and reducing unnecessary sugar intake helps reduce inflammation and over all acidity – both of which are a benefits of our Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategy.  Read product labels – you don’t need sugar in your ketchup.  You don’t need sugar in your bread.  Use healthier alternatives like honey when possible (which is a natural antibiotic).  Over time, you’ll crave sweets less and eventually you will actually begin to prefer savory foods over goodies like cake and ice cream.  

Another part of our Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategy is the deliberate incorporation of good bacteria into your diet.  And If we could buy stock in this company, we would.  This particular Probiotic, called Kefir, which is found in the yogurt section of most grocery stores, has the single best pro-biotic to fight Alzheimer’s Disease – Lactobacillus Planetarium.  We discovered Kefir when we looked at the variety of Mediterranean Diets out there to see if any version stood out with better outcomes.  After a lengthy review, we discovered that the regions that incorporate Kefir in their diet had the lowest Alzheimer’s incidence – hands down.  Looking deeper into why this is the case, we discovered that L. Planetarium (the main bacteria contained in the Kefir product pictured here) eats up the food source for all the bad bacteria that causes IBS and can possibly cause Alzheimer’s – which is a natural way to defend yourself that protects both the gut and the brain.

For those of us who cannot tolerate dairy, Gut Belly  makes a dairy free pill option:  https://shop.goodbelly.com/mango-juicedrink-32-oz

Another great tip: Change your oil to Olive

Another great Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategy that’s very easy to incorporate into your diet is substituting butter and margarine with Olive Oil when possible.  In fact, across the board, all researchers agree that the Olive Oil found in the Medi-diet is a crucial ingredient to great brain health and placidity.  As with everything, moderation is key. 

Eating fish twice weekly – limit red meat is also considered very brain-healthy

And our final Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategy is to consider adding Fish and seafood to your diet.

As with olive oil, wild-caught fish is high in Omega-3 fats, which has been proven to be very protective for our brains. Not so much with farm-raised fish (which is indicated on all packages now). Farm-raised fish is actually high in the wrong fat – Omega-6 – which is actually harmful to us. Eating fish at least twice a week as your protein is not only brain smart, but belly beneficial.  Try Tuna in the can, or Salmon, Cod or Tilapia, Shrimp, Scallops – the good-for-you options are so vast and exciting!