The MIND diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, designed to reduce the risk of dementia and loss of brain function as you age. The MIND diet emphasizes plant-based foods and limits the intake of animal and high saturated fat foods. The diet recommends specific "brain healthy" foods to include, and five unhealthy food items to limit. Here are the foods the MIND diet encourages:
- Green, leafy vegetables: Aim for six or more servings per week. This includes kale, spinach, cooked greens, and salads.
- All other vegetables: Try to eat another vegetable in addition to the green leafy vegetables at least once per day. Its best to choose non-starchy vegetables because they provide a lot of nutrients for a low number of calories.
- Berries: Eat berries at least twice a week. This includes strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
- Nuts: Eat nuts at least five times a week. This includes almonds, cashews, walnuts, and peanuts.
- Beans: Eat beans at least three times a week. This includes lentils, black beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas.
- Whole grains: Aim for three or more servings per day. This includes oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and whole-grain bread.
- Fish: Eat fish at least once a week. This includes salmon, tuna, and sardines.
- Poultry: Eat poultry at least twice a week. This includes chicken and turkey.
- Olive oil: Use olive oil as your primary cooking oil.
- Wine: Have one glass of wine per day.
The MIND diet also recommends limiting the following unhealthy foods:
- Red meat: Limit red meat to no more than four servings per week.
- Butter and margarine: Limit butter and margarine to less than a tablespoon per day.
- Cheese: Limit cheese to no more than one serving per week.
- Pastries and sweets: Limit pastries and sweets to no more than five servings per week.
- Fried or fast food: Limit fried or fast food to no more than one serving per week.
The MIND diet is flexible and does not include rigid meal plans, but people will need to create their own meal plans and recipes based on the foods recommended on the MIND diet.
