BEST diet for aging brains? STAY AWAY from these foods
Friend, some folks spend their whole lives trying to SHRINK their waists…
But there’s one part of your body you definitely want to stay BIG as you age!
And no, I’m not talking about the “downstairs” area on guys (not today, anyway).
I’m talking about your brain!
Brain health DEPENDS on you NOT losing any grey matter…
Because as brain scans have shown, SHRINKAGE has been linked to cognitive decline… and even dementia.
If you want to maintain your brain volume… the latest research reveals certain foods you should stay FAR AWAY from.
Here’s the diet tweak that could help keep your brain from SHRIVELING UP!
According to a new study published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, a diet that includes MORE inflammatory foods goes hand-in-hand with SMALLER brains, as shown on MRIs.
But here’s the kicker…
This reduction in size wasn’t the ONLY sign of brain aging associated with an inflammation-provoking diet.
The researchers ALSO found a connection between these types of foods and vascular brain injury – specifically, cerebral small vessel disease.
When damage occurs in the blood vessels in your brain… particularly the tiny capillaries that help NOURISH your brain tissue… you could suffer from micro-bleeds or even stroke.
And that kind of structural change has been linked to cognitive decline… and even Alzheimer’s disease… later in life.
Now, according to the standardized Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), inflammatory foods are those that are linked to HIGHER levels of inflammatory markers (like IL-6, CRP, etc.).
They tend to contain high calories… carbs… and saturated fat and trans fats.
The DII claims that protein intake could also JACK UP levels of inflammation markers…
But I wouldn’t recommend ELIMINATING protein from your diet.
My takeaway from these latest findings is that it’s all about BALANCE… and not letting pro-inflammatory foods OUTWEIGH anti-inflammatory foods.
We know, for instance, that the Mediterranean diet helps EXTINGUISH inflammation…
And that’s a style of eating that simply LIMITS portions of animal proteins… while incorporating lots of fruits and vegetables and healthy oils… and a modest amount of whole grains.
If you’re interested in adding more anti-inflammatory foods in your diet… which research shows may help REDUCE your risk of dementia…
Look for those that include… high dietary fiber
vitamins A, B, C, D, E
omega-3 fatty acids
monounsaturated fat
minerals like magnesium, selenium, and zinc.
Some individual ingredients to look at include green tea… black tea… pepper… and garlic.
Unfortunately, there’s no ONE food that could turn around your brain health on its own…
So aim to mix it up with a good variety.
And keep it tasty… so it’s a routine you can stick with.
