It’s no secret that prescriptive diets can be challenging to stick with, and may lead you give up shortly after starting because you’re just tired of eating the same thing all the time. Yet, as you get closer to midlife, dietary choices becomes increasingly important, particularly when it comes to taking care of your cognitive health. Yes, that’s correct: You can actually enhance brain function and help shield it from age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, and still eat a wide variety of healthy foods, prepared in flavorful ways. Enter the MIND Diet.  

Experts have long touted the cognitive benefits of the MIND Diet, a brain-healthy diet that stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It’s a dietary pattern designed to promote brain health and reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. 

And the benefits extend beyond just cognitive health. “They always say what’s good for your brain is good for your heart, or what’s good for your heart is good for your brain,” Dr. Kellyann Niotis, MD, a preventative neurologist specializing in risk reduction strategies for Alzheimer’s and Flow Space Advisory Council member, tells Flow Space. “So a diet like the MIND Diet is going to help reduce all chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, all of these chronic diseases that contribute to dementia later in life.”

Ahead, there’s more about the MIND Diet plan, its brain benefits, and how to make it work with your lifestyle.

Understanding the MIND Diet

A hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, the MIND Diet focuses on foods that research suggests are particularly beneficial for cognitive function. It emphasizes specific food groups and nutrients that have been linked to better brain health: These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, poultry, and fish.

Incorporating low glycemic index carbohydrates, such as vegetables, fruits, and leafy greens, into your diet can be highly beneficial for a number of reasons. These foods not only aid in reducing insulin resistance but also provide a wealth of essential vitamins such as B, D, and A, which are known to support brain health. In addition to leafy greens and fruits, Dr. Niotis swears by berries, which she says are a big component because they’re high in flavonols. “Flavonols are antioxidants that are thought to help reduce inflammation in the central nervous system, and that are thought to contribute to how they’re neuroprotective.”

If you’re not already eating seafood like salmon about once every week, now is a great time to start to protect your cognitive health. “Fatty fish is very very important because it is high in a specific type of omega-3 called DHA, which is our brain-healthy omega-3,” explains Dr. Niotis.  

Based on a daily 2,000 calorie intake, the MIND diet recommends a variety of healthy foods, such as:

• 3 or more servings of whole grains per day
• At least 1 serving of non-leafy vegetables per day
• 6 or more servings of leafy green vegetables per week
• 5 servings of nuts per week
• 4 or more meals with beans per week
• 2 or more servings of berries per week
• 2 meals featuring poultry per week
• 1 meal with fish per week
• Preferably, use olive oil as the primary added fat

There’s no set time to start integrating this diet into your meal routine, but she emphasizes that the earlier you begin, the greater your chances of Alzheimer’s prevention. She explains, “This disease as we know it takes decades for it to form. So if you’re starting in your 20s and 30s that’s prime.” 

As for the foods you should limit, the MIND diet involves cutting back on your intake of red meats, butter, cheese, sugary, fried, or processed food. This stems from their adverse effects on the way that the body processes insulin, according to Dr. Niotis, which actually helps regulate the brain’s metabolism.

What’s the science behind the MIND Diet?

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting an estimated 5.8 million people in the United States. According to a recent report from Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM),  the disease disproportionately affects women, who make up nearly two-thirds of the over 5 million Americans living with the disease. What’s more, women in their 60’s are approximately twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

A study conducted by Harvard T.H. School of Public Health found that adhering to the MIND Diet guidelines resulted in a 53% reduction in the rate of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers were able to follow a group of older adults for up to 10 years, who were free of dementia at the time of enrollment.  Over 1,000 participants filled out dietary questionnaires every year for nine years and underwent two cognitive assessments. They came up with a MIND diet score to pinpoint foods and nutrient intake, along with portion sizes, linked to safeguarding against dementia and cognitive decline. 

The study revealed fifteen dietary components categorized as either “brain healthy” or unhealthy. Those with the highest MIND diet scores experienced a significantly slower cognitive decline compared to those with the lowest scores. Interestingly, the impact of the MIND diet on cognition was even more pronounced than either the Mediterranean or DASH diet alone.

Is a MIND Diet applicable for anyone who has a history of Alzheimer’s?

For individuals with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, a MIND Diet could be especially beneficial because they’re at a higher risk. “We understand that these people have a harder time getting things like DHA across the blood brain barrier. They actually need higher levels of DHA,” says Dr. Niotis. “And we also understand that the earlier they start using DHA whether that’s through consumption of fatty fish or supplementation, the better chances are that they won’t develop dementia later in life.”

While a diet could potentially reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, Dr. Niotis notes that there’s no “one size fits all” dietary plan when it comes to preventing Alzheimer’s, and that you should adopt a multi-modal approach to cognitive health. Alongside a balanced diet, Dr. Niotis emphasizes the need to prioritize factors like quality sleep, regular physical activity, and stress reduction; all of these various components together are important to supporting overall brain health effectively.

“It’s important not necessarily in the sense that you should go out and start doing Sudoku or crossword puzzles, but doing something intellectually stimulating, whether that’s your profession or social activities with other people,” Dr. Niotis says. “All of that is key.”