All You Need to Know About the MIND Diet

What is the MIND Diet?

Millions of people suffer from Alzheimer's disease globally, and the number is growing fast. Currently, there is no cure but there are things we can do to keep memory loss at bay: exercise, not smoking, getting enough sleep, staying socially engaged, learning new things, reducing stress and anxiety, and eating a brain-friendly diet.

The MIND diet, which is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, was developed by researchers at Rush University in Chicago and Harvard's School of Public Health in Boston.

In an observational study, people who strictly stuck to eating the MIND diet saw a 53% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's. Even people who ate the MIND diet most (instead of "all") of the time saw a 35% reduction in developing the disease.

Why combine the Mediterranean and DASH diet?

The rationale behind combining the two diets to make it specifically brain-friendly is that what’s good for the heart is good for the brain. In this respect, MIND includes a low consumption of salt, fat, and sugar (integral part of the DASH diet) in addition to consuming high amounts of fibre (vegetables, whole grains, and pulses) of the Mediterranean diet.

Like the DASH diet, and unlike the Mediterranean diet, the MIND diet provides specific guidelines for daily and weekly consumption of foods.

The reason for emphasising green leafy vegetables as opposed to other vegetables and berry family members as opposed to other fruits is that these food groups have been shown to significantly reduce the build-up of beta-amyloid plaque and tau tangles (the two biomarkers of AD) in the brain.

What to Avoid on the Mind Diet

Similarly to the Mediterranean diet, everything should be cooked with olive oil and hydrogenated fats like margarine and processed vegetable oils (corn, canola, soybean, safflower) should be avoided.

Also similarly, sweets and sweetened drinks should be avoided

Unlike the Mediterranean diet which allows moderate quantities of butter and cheese and red meat once a week, these are recommended to be avoided on the MIND diet.