What is the MIND Diet?
Reach for blueberries and green leafy vegetables for long-term brain health
A study published this week reaffirms the benefits of the MIND Diet, even when started later in life. Study participants who improved their adherence to the diet the most over time showed the greatest pattern of risk reduction for developing dementia. So just what is the MIND Diet?
The MIND Diet stands for The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. Two well-known diets, the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), have each shown to be associated with slowing cognitive decline, but the intent of each of these diets was not specifically for brain health. Therefore researchers interested in studying nutrition specifically related to brain health combined these diets into the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay or the MIND Diet.
Researchers developed the MIND dietary pattern and score, and results from their study showed that participants with the highest MIND diet scores (those that followed the diet the closest) had a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline compared with those with the lowest scores (participants who had the lowest compliance with the diet).
Regarding the latest study, author Song-Yi Park, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said "Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer's and related dementias. This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia."
The Mind Diet Dietary Pattern
The MIND diet is composed of 15 dietary groups or categories: 101 inclusive “brain-healthy” food groups and 5 unhealthy groups to limit. For each category, there are specific daily or weekly goals.
Brain-healthy food groups to include
The MIND Diet recommends including all of the following foods in your diet with specific recommendations per food category of how much to have daily or weekly.
Whole Grains 3 or more servings per day. When choosing your daily grains, make them most, if not all, whole grains over refined grains. One serving of whole grains looks like: 1 slice of 100% whole wheat bread, 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, 1 corn tortilla, 3 cups popcorn, etc.
Green Leafy Vegetables 1 or more servings per day. Leafy green vegetables include spinach, salad greens, broccoli, Swiss chard, bok choy, collard greens, and kale.
Other Vegetables 1 or more servings per day. Focus mostly on non-starchy vegetables.
Berries 2 to 5 servings per week such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.
Nuts 5 or more servings per week. Choose a variety from almonds, peanuts, cashews, walnuts and nut butters too.
Beans At least 3 to 4 servings per week. Choose a variety from navy beans, black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas etc.
Fish 1 or more servings per week with a focus on fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, etc.
Poultry 2 of more servings per week of lean cuts without the skin.
Olive Oil2 Use olive oil daily for any added fat such as in salad dressing vinaigrettes or sautéing vegetables.
Unhealthy food groups to limit
Limiting these foods are typical of many healthy eating plans. They are high in saturated fats and/or added sugar.
Red Meats Includes beef, pork, lamb and processed red meats such as bacon and sausage.
Butter, Stick Margarine and Cheese
Pastries and Sweets
Fried or Fast Foods
How to Follow the MIND Diet
Using the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate:
Vegetables: Choose leafy green vegetables most days in addition to other vegetable servings.
Fruit: Choose berries at least twice a week as your fruit serving.
Protein: Rotate throughout the week fish, poultry, beans and nuts. Choose red meat sparingly.
Grains: Choose whole grains most of the time. Limit baked goods and other refined grains that may also be high in added sugars.
Use olive oil in salad dressings, and cook with olive oil. Choose fried foods sparingly.
Limit added sugars in baked goods and other desserts to a few servings per week.
The MIND Diet is similar to other healthy dietary patterns with an emphasis on whole grains, fruits (but with the specific inclusion of berries), vegetables (specific to green leafy vegetables in addition to other veggies) and lean proteins.
Additional Resources
The MIND diet may help reduce Alzheimer's risk, a large study shows
Eating Well: 30-Day MIND Diet Meal Plan for Cognitive Health
The Harvard Nutrition Source: Diet Review of the MIND Diet
Thoughtful Food Nutrition is a consultancy that specializes in nutrition counseling and food policy consulting. Appointments and more at www.thoughtfulfoodnutrition.com.
The initial MIND Diet study included wine as one of the 10 healthy categories. Subsequent studies have omitted it for safety reasons. Recent research and scientific reports are changing advocates recommendations regarding alcohol consumption.
Choosing olive oil and other plant oils over butter continues to be associated with positive health outcomes as a recent study in JAMA affirmed.