Introduction
Eating healthy is essential for overall health and wellbeing, but did you know that certain foods can also help to improve your brain health? Scientists have identified the #1 best diet for your brain health, and it’s called the “Eat This Not That” diet. This diet focuses on eating whole, unprocessed foods that are rich in nutrients and low in unhealthy fats and sugars. It also encourages eating a variety of foods from all the food groups, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Eating this way can help to reduce inflammation, improve cognitive function, and protect against age-related diseases. In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of the “Eat This Not That” diet and provide tips on how to incorporate it into your lifestyle.
The #1 Best Diet for Your Brain Health, Say Scientists — Eat This Not That
If you’re looking to improve your brain health, scientists say there’s one diet that stands out above the rest. According to a recent study, the Mediterranean diet is the best for your brain health.
The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that focuses on whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. It also includes healthy fats like olive oil, and moderate amounts of fish, poultry, and dairy. The diet is low in red meat, processed foods, and added sugars.
The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, looked at the diets of more than 9,000 people over the age of 55. The researchers found that those who followed the Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia.
The researchers believe that the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for brain health because it is rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and other nutrients that can help protect the brain from damage. It also helps reduce inflammation, which is linked to cognitive decline.
So if you’re looking to improve your brain health, the Mediterranean diet is a great place to start. Eating a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods can help protect your brain and keep it healthy for years to come.
There are plenty of activities you can do to stay sharp as you age. You can do puzzles, you can exercise, and you can stay connected with your friends and family, to name a few. The foods that you eat can have a major effect on your brain health, too. Now, new research from the American Academy of Neurology finds that sticking to an anti-inflammatory diet could lower your risk of dementia.
In the study, which was published in the journal Neurology, researchers examined more than 1,000 older adults in Greece with an average age of 73. The authors looked at data concerning the participants’ health and diet over roughly three years, comparing occurrences of dementia with the foods they ate.
Specifically, the researchers looked at the diet inflammatory index (DII), which gives each food a score that takes into account its pro- and anti-inflammatory properties, with the highest-scoring foods being those that are the most likely to promote inflammation. They found that higher DII scores were linked with a higher risk of dementia.
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As with any study of this kind, all we know is the association—individuals who stuck to the diet who had the lowest inflammatory scores were also the least likely to develop dementia. That’s certainly a good sign, but we still don’t know for sure whether eating a more anti-inflammatory diet caused this lower risk.
“I’m afraid that some people may consider our findings as a definite proof,” study author Nikolaos Scarmeas, MD, MS, told Eat This, Not That! in an interview. “Our study does not prove that eating an anti-inflammatory diet prevents brain aging and dementia—it only shows an association.”
Still, the research is promising, and many of the foods that have low inflammatory scores are also good for your health in other ways. For instance, the Mediterranean diet is known to promote anti-inflammatory processes in the body, and it’s also associated with a host of other health benefits. Plus, fighting chronic inflammation may also protect you from health problems, such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.
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“Getting started on an anti-inflammatory diet may be easier than you think; it doesn’t require a complete dietary overhaul for most people,” Seattle-based registered dietitian nutritionist Ginger Hultin, MS RDN, owner of ChampagneNutrition and author of Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep and How to Eat to Beat Disease Cookbook, told Eat This, Not That!. “Studies show that people who follow a Mediterranean-style diet may influence inflammation in the diet, and lower inflammation could create more positive outcomes in those with dementia and other chronic diseases.”
For more ways to eat your way to mental fitness, be sure to check out the Popular Foods That May Improve Brain Health, Says Dietitian.