Memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease – these negative reminders of what old age can bring with it can seem overwhelming, foreboding, and almost inevitable. The good news is that while genetics, environment, and gender have something to do with overall cognitive decline, so does a healthy and smart diet play a role in combating it. A growing degree of Alzheimer’s awareness has helped to support valuable research to better understand this disease.

What is Alzheimer’s?

To many, Alzheimer’s is best known as the memory loss disease that can occur in middle to old age. The general degeneration of the brain progresses in Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia, to a mental deterioration that can also lead to senility, loss of basic cognitive function, and the inability to respond to one’s environment and carry out day to day tasks. Other symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia include sundowners disease. What is sundowners disease? Towards the end of the day, older adults with brain damage from dementia might experience sudden confusion, agitation, and outbursts resulting from a possible altered sleep/wake cycle.

Why Is Diet Vital to Brain Health?

The key to developing a diet which improves cognitive function is understanding how the brain operates and what brain health really means. Your brain is the proverbial control center for all your senses and actions – from movement, to judgment, decision-making, critical thinking, attention, problem solving, memory, and storing knowledge and information. While the ‘rational’ part of your brain finishes developing around the age of 25, your brain actually continues to update and adapt – forming new pathways between brain cells, re-organizing, and storing new information. This is called brain plasticity.

When neurons, or nerve cells in the brain, are ‘fired’ through a synapse, a junction between two nerve cells, to the receptor of another cell, say in a muscle or in your blood, they communicate and send messages back and forth. Deeper in those brain cells (and most all your cells) you will find trillions of mitochondria – organized structures that generate energy and cellular function from what you eat. In your brain specifically, mitochondria regulate neurotransmitters and free radicals. Foods that boost neuron and synapse production, that repair and power strong and active mitochondria, and which prevent oxidative stress in the brain can all play a significant role in fighting Alzheimer’s.

What Should I Eat to Help Prevent Alzheimer’s?

Promote brain health and prevent cognitive decline with foods rich in healthy fats, lean proteins, antioxidants and phytonutrients. Dark, Leafy Greens: In addition to being great sources of fiber and essential electrolytes, iron, and calcium, dark, leafy greens like kale, collards, and spinach provide brain-boosting nutrients like folate, Vitamins C, B-6 and K, and carotenoids. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that protect cells (like those in your brain) against damage, support your immune system, improve eye health, and are believed to combat cancerous tumor growth.

Cruciferous Vegetables:

The cruciferous, or cabbage, family of vegetables includes broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and bok choy, to name a few. Rich in folate, a B vitamin that creates DNA and other genetic material and also helps with cell division, cruciferous vegetables also offer appreciable amounts of potassium, fiber, and disease fighting phytochemicals and carotenoids. Studies have shown that lower folate concentrations are more present in elderly people with dementia or Alzheimer’s¹

Wild Salmon

In addition to huge amounts of Vitamin D (127% recommended daily value in a 4 oz. piece) and B12 (236% recommended daily value in a 4 oz. piece), wild salmon generates beneficial amounts of brain-powering Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats aid in building cell membranes, forming new brain cells, and reducing brain inflammation. Wild salmon is also rich in choline, a macro-nutrient which helps with metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis.

Almonds

Boasting a praise-worthy amount of healthy fats and vitamin E, almonds contain two important brain-activating nutrients – riboflavin and L-carnitine. Also know as vitamin B2, riboflavin is responsible for helping process amino acids and fats, as well as producing cellular energy and serving as an antioxidant. L-carnitine is an amino acid that transfers long-chain fatty acids into those valuable mitochondria that manufacture energy. Almonds have been shown to improve learning and memory skills, and prevent age-related cognitive decline².

Beans

Stocked with nutritional components including phosphorous, fiber, protein, folate, iron, and zinc, legumes like black beans and pinto beans are a natural way to boost brain health. Phosphorous in particular is a vital mineral that optimizes hormonal balances, cellular repair, and energy extraction. Found inside brain cells, phosphorous promotes cognitive growth and development, and deficiencies have also been linked to Alzheimer’s³.

Blueberries

Grab a handful of blueberries for a powerful punch of antioxidants. In addition to offering loads of Vitamins C and K as well as manganese, blueberries’ antioxidants protect your brain cells against free radicals which can damage as much as your DNA. The parts of your brain where you process knowledge and intelligence is where flavanoids, the antioxidants from blueberries, tend to settle, improving intercellular communication and delaying cognitive aging⁴.

What Should I Avoid?

Have you heard the saying, “if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, it probably isn’t good for you”? Processed foods from either a fast food restaurant or a packaged snack at the grocery store typically contain preservatives, chemicals, added sugar, and other health-harming ingredients that you simply don’t need. Oftentimes loaded with saturated fats, processed foods can lead to blood sugar spikes, weight gain, heart disease and symptoms which can impact future brain health. As much as possible, cooking meals in your own home with whole ingredients like those listed above gives you the most control over what vitamins and nutrients you get to consume. Cheers to eating well and protecting our brains!