Mediterranean Foods that May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s
The Mediterranean diet has been recognized for years as one of the world’s healthiest cuisines. To add to the list of benefits that the Mediterranean diet provides, such as lowering one’s risk of heart disease and cancer, studies now indicate that eating traditional Mediterranean foods may also help reduce one’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This anti Alzheimer diet is delicious, nutritious, and beneficial to one’s health in a variety of ways.
Staying healthy with Mediterranean foods
Elderly people may have heard the hype about foods that may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Combined with regular exercise, the Mediterranean diet may compose the ideal Alzheimer’s prevention food.
The Mediterranean diet is typically very low in red meat and poultry, but very high in fish, nuts, and healthy oils such as olive oils. This means that, instead of the unhealthy saturated fats and cholesterol found in foods such as beef or pork, a person adhering to a Mediterranean diet would consume many of the unsaturated fats that the body needs.
For one who is looking for ways to reduce his or her risk of Alzheimer’s, cholesterol levels are a key factor in maintaining healthy brain function. Saturated fats have also been shown to possibly contribute to brain damage by blocking vital arteries that normally supply the brain with the blood and nutrients that it requires.
Conversely, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and olive oils have been found to help preserve the brain’s cell membranes. Additionally, the Mediterranean diet is composed largely of fruits and vegetables, providing an excellent source of fiber and a healthy dose of Alzheimer’s prevention vitamins.
How much to eat?
For a person looking to improve his or her health with anti Alzheimer foods, the Mediterranean diet is surely an excellent choice. However, switching to this diet is not so simple as trading in one’s steak for olive oil and fish. One must keep track of his or her caloric intake and Alzheimer’s prevention nutrition.
Women should eat between about 1,600 and 1,800 calories per day on this diet, with men eating between 2,000 and 2,200 calories per day. Keep in mind that these numbers are highly approximated and will vary greatly based on one’s personal age, weight, and height.
Serving portions should also be monitored. Typically, a serving portion of fish should be about 3 ounces, a portion of olive oil should be about one tablespoon, and a portion of nuts should be about 1/4 cup. Each meal should be composed of as many vegetables as possible, with fruits also being eaten in larger proportions than that of high-fat foods.
A sample meal
Some people have difficulty making the switch to a Mediterranean diet, as this cuisine is foreign to many people. The following are sample meal plans that will hopefully inspire ideas for more dishes that uphold this healthy Alzheimer’s prevention diet plan:
1. 3 oz flounder baked with olive oil, white wine, fennel, oregano, and basil
2. Couscous with garlic, parsley, squash, and tomatoes
3. Greek salad with low-fat vinaigrette and Kalamata olives
I understand the article is not meant to be comprehensive, but omitted too mentioned two important ingredients. Most importantly the social gregarious stress relieving aspect of eating with friends company family which has a stress lowering effect. That is also why a glass of wine is an essential part of the Mediterranean diet.
Piero
hi!
my grandpa is in my country i have 10 years that i havent seen him and my question is how long can a person live when they are diagnose with a alzheimer’s disease!
do they like feel pain? what can i do so that he can keep up? he is gettin to the point were he plays like a 8 y.o. what can i do in that situation!
Joseline – my father (now 81) has alzheimers’ and I don’t believe he feels physical pain.
Your grandpa will do much better if he is surrounded by family members and friends who care for him and whom he can trust. Being alone is not good. My father is like a child now, needing much more social attention; hating to be alone. Fortunately he has (most of the time) a very cheerful, happy disposition that makes it easy for him to make friends. Some of the time he gets paranoid and angry for no (logical) reasons. We calm him down, not by reasoning with him but by switching the topic to something happy – or by praying with him or telling him we love him and God loves him. It works! He is now moving into a retirement home with some assistance (meals and light housekeeping, and lots of group activity) and we hope he can stay there for a long time before needing more care. Family is nearby to visit him frequently. Every case of alzheimer’s is different, but I am quite sure that your grandpa will decline more quickly if he does not have a social network of family and friends providing routine support including emotional and social support and times of fun. My father, bless his dear heart – used to love being alone, but now in older age, he needs more people around.
Also watch for your grandpa’s diet. A lot of older men don’t know how to cook in a healthy way for themselves. Healthy diet is important to help keep their mind (and body) in better shape, or slow down decline. If possible, be sure that your grandpa is not mismanaging his finances. My father has done that (overspending to the point of not being able to pay his bills or taxes, so we are having to intervene legally to prevent this so he can still live a good life.
This time has been very challenging for me and my family – but also there are many blessings of learning life-skills and growing in kindness and patience, and knowing that when my father passes on, we are at peace and he is at peace with the family and with God.
I wish you well and pray you find wisdom and peace to help your dear grandpa.