6 Foods That Support Your Brain and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease & Cognitive Decline
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in the United States alone, over five million individuals suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, and this number is expected to increase by eleven million people by the year 2050. Alzheimer’s Disease affects fifty percent (50%) of people over the age of eighty-five.
Moreover, according to Dr. Daniel Amen, author of New York Times bestsellers, Change your Brain Change Your Life and Change your Brain Change Your Body, and the founder of the Amen Clinics, Alzheimer’s starts thirty years before any symptoms. This is why it is so important to start taking steps now to protect your precious brain.
Your Early Development Over Time
Almost all the cells in the brain are in place by age two or three, and only a few small regions of the brain grow new cells after that point. While the brain typically accounts for less than two percent of a person’s weight, it consumes twenty percent of the body’s energy at a rate that is ten times faster than the rest of the body per gram of tissue. As a result, the brain requires a constant supply of energy to function, and what you ingest and are exposed to has a direct impact on its processes.
Feeding Your Brain To Optimize Health
As Dr. Amen explains, “If you don’t feed it [the brain] properly, you won’t think properly. The fat on your body is not your friend. It stores toxins. It increases inflammatory cytokines that directly damage brain function. As your weight goes up, the size and function of your brain goes down.”
Research has shown that the following foods, as part of a healthy balanced diet, help support neurological health.
Organic Wild Blueberries - organic blueberries are extremely high in antioxidants and have been shown to increase neurological function among individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Organic wild blueberries from Maine are the best!
Avocados - Avocados are full of antioxidants and studies have shown that they may help improve cognitive function.
Walnuts - Walnuts are a powerful brain food shown to support increased processing time and cognitive flexibility.
Green Tea - green tea is high in antioxidants, helps prevent inflammation, which results in premature aging, and reduces the risk of cognitive decline.
Dark Chocolate - studies have shown that flavonols from cocoa may help reduce the severity of age-related cognitive decline, so here is your excuse to enjoy some dark chocolate every day as a brain-supporting treat!
The Mediterranean diet - The Mediterranean diet has been shown to slow the rate of cognitive decline. The diet is rich in whole foods and healthy fats and low in processed foods.