The Caring Corner®

10 Best Foods to Avoid Dementia

Do you worry about dementia in yourself or a loved one? Would you like to improve their diet to help reduce the risk of brain decline? Would you like to know which diets and foods can help you the most?

I’m going to cover the benefits of different diets touted in the press and share with you 10 specific foods which have been recognized as super foods for supporting brain health. And unlike other blogs that might cover similar topics, I’m going to back up my recommendations  with research so you understand better why these foods make the list.

If you have an older loved one with cognitive issues and think that it’s too late to adjust their diet, think again.  I had one client who was very concerned about her dad who at the time was in his late 70s. There are a lot of books regarding diet and dementia and I suggested she look at some of them. She called me back a few months later and told me, “you saved my dad’s life!’

I was flattered, but the point of the story is that at any age, there’s no telling how healthy we can be if we’re not getting the right nutrients. 

First let’s talk about diets. As a general framework for what to put in your mouth or not, diets are great tools.  There are many diets that have been recognized to help keep your brain healthy. These include the 

• The Mediterranean Diet
• the DASH Diet (also known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) 

and a combination of the two which is the 

• MIND Diet, or Mediterranean Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.

But which is best? How do you make sense of the similarities and the differences?  The good news is …  I don’t think it matters.  All of these diets have their advocates and they all contribute to good health and especially brain health.   And the conclusion of one study in the Journal of advanced Nutrition is they are all effective in supporting brain health and lowering your risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

#1 FATTY FISH

A lot of diets tout salmon as the king of fish for your brain healthy diet. It’s rich in important omega 3 oils and it can be delicious.  But the downside to salmon is that it’s pricey and sometimes challenging to cook. But there are other options which are very good for brain health.  One study in the journal Neurology found that consumption of fatty fish, in general, not just salmon, but fish like albacore tuna, sardines, herring and mackerel reduce your risk of dementia by 28%

And some of these other options come canned, so are much easier to prepare and have on hand.  My wife loves salmon and she’s a great cook so when we have it it’s wonderful, but it’s also a production. She buys it fresh and cooks it the same day.  On the other hand I love sardines. And if you get them packed in olive oil you’re getting an additional brain health benefit that we’ll talk about later.    Now some people say that sardines smell.  When i eat them, my wife complains that  i’m stinking up the kitchen.   I tell her I’m saving a lot of money and she tells me that it won’t be so much money if I have to pay for a divorce. So, just make sure you keep the kitchen well ventilated. 

#2 EGGS

Another high- protein food that should be on your brain- healthy diet are eggs.  They got bad rap for years due to the notion of them raising your cholesterol. However, a huge study in 2018 that looked at egg consumption in 500,000 adults concluded the exact opposite. They found that.  

Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet.  After all, It’s the food that Mother Nature created to support all birds until they hatch.  A large egg contains about 6 grams of protein and they are a great source of other nutrients, including choline, which is possibly the biggest nutrient they have that is important for your brain.   A key study performed in Scandinavia found that people who eat regularly  Had a 28% lower risk of dementia.

So,  enjoy your eggs and keep in mind that if you run out you can also get decent amounts of choline from poultry, meats and fish

#3 NUTS

They are rich in protein and their fat protects against inflammation, oxidative damage and  the aging process.  A number of studies have shown that nearly all of them are good for you. But one study actually evaluated the anti-dementia properties of 9 different kinds of nuts and  it found that  

What we do in our house is  buy all four and mix them up so that we make sure we’re getting the broader nutritional spectrum that is provided by a variety of foods.    Whatever kind you buy, keep in mind, nutritionists say that the most nutritious form of nuts are raw or dry roasted.

#4 – CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES

I bet you’ve heard this one before, right?  Things like Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale and more.  These vegetables are loaded with fiber that helps support your microbiome which is necessary for brain health, and they have a ton of micronutrients which are good for us in many ways. But the single most important element for brain health might be that they are  rich sources of sulforaphane. Sulforaphane has a range of unique biological properties, and it is especially important in metabolic detoxification processes that impact brain health.  A study  published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences concluded that  

One food prep suggestion … don’t overcook the vegetables. If possible eat them raw, and chew them well to ensure that you get full benefit of the sulforaphane content.  And if you really want to load up on your sulforaphane, eat Broccoli Sprouts.  Which contain as much as 100 times the sulforaphane content of regular broccoli 

#5 – DARK GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES

While we are on the topic of vegetables let me add dark green leafy vegetables to the mix. and please keep in mind that there is some overlap.  For example, kale is both a cruciferous vegetable and as well as a dark green leafy vegetable which goes great in salads.   Dark green leafy vegetables are loaded with a variety of important brain nutrients including vitamin K, lutein, β nitrate, and others.

A study in the Journal of Neurology had an amazing statistic

#6 – EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Now that you have your salad makings figured out, you need to make a dressing for it and the number one choice is extra virgin olive oil.   It’s the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. It is an unrefined oil, which means it is made only by cold-pressing the olives. Sometimes manufacturers add heat or chemicals to get more oil out of the olive, but these things reduce the nutritional value. Cold pressed Extra Virgin olive oil  is more expensive,  but in this case the benefits far exceed the extra cost.   A study published in the journal Nutrients found that 

That’s very important because your blood-brain barrier are the specialized  cells that shields your brain from toxic substances in the blood. We go through life and get exposed to lots of garbage. It’s easy to ingest bad stuff that gets into our blood stream. The blood-brain barrier ensures that our brains remain protected and safe.

#7 – AVOCADOS

On a list of brain superfoods avocado possibly reigns as king. Avocado contains several nutrients like carotenoids, monounsaturated fats, potassium, and fiber.  An amazing study that appeared in Frontiers in Nutrition evaluated almost 3,000 people over age 60 who regularly consumed avocado.   They found that avocado consumption was associated with significantly better performance across all cognitive tests including immediate recall, delayed recall and other measures of cognitive performance. 

The great thing about avocado is that you can enjoy it as guacamole and it’s one of the most delicious snacks on the planet. 

#8 – BERRIES

Berries are another food that’s good news because who doesn’t like tasty berries and they’re an awesome addition to any diet.   Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are high in flavonoids  and improve cognition.  A study published by the American Neurological Association found that 

Now one downside of berries is that if you buy them fresh, sometimes they’re not available. They might be out of season. And when you do get them you have to wash them.  Not the end of the world,  but it’s one more thing to do in a busy schedule.  The good news is that frozen berries are an excellent option. You see most food processors actually chill the fruits in the field as they are harvested, locking in their nutrition.   A study performed by the University of California evaluated the nutritional content of eight fruits and vegetables in fresh vs frozen format. They concluded that 

#9 – DARK CHOCOLATE

Berries are good news for the diet and our last food item is too!  Dark chocolate packs a powerful brain health benefit because it’s a rich source of cocoa flavonoids. A study conducted by researchers in Japan  found that the flavonols in dark chocolate are good for your brain because it

That’s correct! The flavanols in dark chocolate actually help increase the volume of your brain matter.   When you buy dark chocolate keep in mind that what counts is the percentage cacao. You get your best brain health boost with chocolate containing 80% cacao and higher.

#10 – COFFEE

Item number 10 is coffee, not a food but a beverage.  The caffeine in coffee is a protective factor for your brain.  A tudy published in the journal of Alzheimer’s Disease revealed that 

So these are my top 10 recommendations. Are they the only foods you should eat? No! Are there other foods that can be part of a brain healthy diet? Absolutely!  Are there other foods you would add to the list?  

It’s never too late to start adding these foods to your diet.  

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