What are the best foods for dementia patients?
Answers
1. Leafy, green vegetables
If you eat leafy vegetables like kale, collard greens, spinach, and Swiss chard, you get a lot of essential B vitamins like folate and B9. These vitamins can help you stay happy and improve your memory. People who want to eat more vegetables should not just have leafy greens for salad. They should also add these vegetables to soups, stews, and puree and add them to sauces, pesto, and hummus.
2. Berries
Anthocyanin is a flavonoid found in raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and cherries. It stops the damage caused by free radicals to the brain. These and other berries also have a lot of antioxidants and vitamins that can help you fight off inflammation and keep your brain in good shape.
3. Nuts
Those who eat nuts like pecans and almonds are more likely to have good brain function and avoid the first signs of dementia. They also have healthy fats, magnesium, vitamin E, and B vitamins. Women over the age of 70 who eat at least five servings of nuts per week had much better brain function than women in the same age group who do not. Another study found that the anti-inflammatory phytochemicals in English walnuts can help keep brain cells from becoming inflamed as we get older.
4. Omega-3 fatty acids
Numerous foods are high in omega-3 fatty acids with DHA that help your brain stay healthy. Some are olive oil, flax seeds, and fatty fish like tuna, salmon, and mackerel. Many studies show that omega-3s can help fight dementia and prevent it, and experts recommend taking 200 mg of DHA daily to maintain healthy brain function. However, in the United States, the average daily DHA intake is just around 80 mg. Make an effort to ingest more omega-3 fatty acids, or ask your doctor to prescribe DHA-safe and effective supplements.
5. Cruciferous Vegetables
B vitamins and carotenoids can help lower homocysteine levels, the amino acid responsible for brain shrinkage and dementia. These vitamins and carotenoids are abundant in Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables. Cook those with garlic and olive oil, or use them in smoothies, soups, and sauces.
Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, bok choi, Brussel sprouts, and cabbage contain unique phytochemicals that reduce that amino acid.
Dark chocolate contains flavanol, an antioxidant that helps improve the brain’s blood flow. Generally, the darker the chocolate, the more anti-dementia attributes you get.
Eating a couple of nuts can supply your body with many nutrients like omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Your body will also receive high folate (Vitamin B9), Vitamin E, and magnesium, substances that help prevent age-related dementia and other cognitive decline conditions. They will also help lift one’s mood in a snap. You can receive these beneficial attributes from all varieties of nuts like peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and cashews.
Unfortunately, no food can directly combat dementia. However, some foods may help prevent or slow the cognitive decline that leads to dementia. Starting with fruits, berries (blueberries, cherries, blackberries, and raspberries) are excellent for the brain’s health. They have a flavonoid named anthocyanin which stops free radicals from damaging the brain. Cherries also contain many vitamins and antioxidants good for your brain. As for greens, you can boost your cognition by eating spinach, Swiss chard, kale, and collard greens. They also contain essential B vitamins, which can heal depression.
Nuts like almonds, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts have healthy fats, vitamin E, magnesium, and B vitamin. All these items help ward off dementia and slow cognitive decline. Studies suggest that consuming 5 or 6 servings of nuts can significantly increase brain health.
Flax seeds, olive oil, fish like mackerel, salmon, and tuna are also great for your brain. They contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids with DHA and can effectively combat dementia. Experts suggest people take 200 mg of DHA per day for optimal brain health. If you don’t like seafood or olive oil, you can also try DHA supplements.
Spices like cinnamon, cumin, and sage are loaded with polyphenols. They are compounds packed with antioxidants, great for brain health and memory. When proteins in the brain form an abnormal clump, they sever the connection between nerve cells. In doing so, the proteins increase the chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease. Polyphenols can undo this damage by removing these clumps.
Fish provide patients with healthy fats and lean protein. Legumes, such as beans, are essential sources of protein, fibre, and complex carbohydrates in Alzheimer’s diets. Like leafy greens, they are a good source of folate. Low folate levels may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Consuming legume-rich diets may improve brain function as well. You can keep your brain young by drinking one glass of red wine every so often. Overconsumption of alcohol can decrease cognition and increase Alzheimer’s risk. But a glass of wine in moderation can help protect against Alzheimer’s.
Choosing sugar-free, low-alcohol red wine is a good idea if you don’t mind the taste. There is evidence to suggest that moderate wine drinking can reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Adding nuts to your Alzheimer’s or dementia diet is another excellent choice. They contain plenty of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Those fats will protect your brain from damage.
