Did you know that a healthy diet can help you avoid developing Alzheimer’s Disease? Although you can’t do anything about your age or genetics, a review of the research published in Neurobiology of Aging journal found that the following seven strategies are the best for keeping your brain healthy:
Did you know that a healthy diet can help you avoid developing Alzheimer’s Disease? Although you can’t do anything about your age or genetics, a review of the research published in Neurobiology of Aging journal found that the following seven strategies are the best for keeping your brain healthy:
- Minimise your intake of saturated and trans fats – this may be a strong argument against following high protein diets such as the Paleo diet which encourage high intakes of red meat, cream and coconut oil. More importantly though, limit your intake of biscuits, chips and other processed foods.
- Consume a diet rich in plant foods – replace meat with legumes at least twice per week, have vegies with lunch as well as with dinner and make sure you’re eating your two serves of fruit each day.
- Vitamin E should come from food rather than supplements – nuts are one of the best sources of vitamin E, so include some nuts in your diet most days.
- Ensure you meet your vitamin B12 requirements – B12 is essential for a healthy brain. Make sure that you get your vitamin B12 levels checked every few years if you’re at risk (those on medications for diabetes, those at retirement age, those with Crohn’s disease or coeliac disease and those who’ve had weight loss surgery). It’s just a simple blood test conducted by your GP. Dairy products are one of the best sources of B12.
- Only take iron or copper supplements when you are deficient – this is an interesting one as many multivitamins contain iron and copper, but the recommendations for avoiding Alzheimer’s disease are that we shouldn’t be!
- Minimise your intake of aluminium – although the evidence for this is still debated, it is probably a case of being safe rather than sorry, so where possible, avoid the use of aluminium cookware.
- Include regular aerobic exercise – make sure that you’re doing at least 40 minutes of aerobic exercise three times per week. This could be bike riding, dancing, playing tennis or going for a brisk walk.
To Do: Choose one of these strategies and incorporate it into your routine.