Based on research by the Mayo Clinic, there are some simple tweaks you can make to your parent’s diet that could help reduce the risk of her developing Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have found a diet that is a hybrid between the Meditarrean Diet (known to reduce the risk of heart disease) and the DASH diet (known to reduce the risk of high blood pressure) may be the perfect diet to help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Named the MIND diet (short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) this diet is high in vegetables and fruit, while low in red meat, saturated fat and sweets. Some observational studies have shown that it not only reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by more than 50 percent, it also improves verbal memory and decreases cognitive decline.
You and your loved one’s senior care provider can help by purchasing the right products when at the store and then having them readily available in the kitchen. After you’ve purchased the right ingredients, then your parent can begin to make these changes in her diet routine to pump up her body’s ability to stave off Alzheimer’s.
- Have your parent eat at least three servings of whole grains a day. These can be found in her cereal, rice, and even whole grain pasta. Have your senior care provider make sure if she does shopping for your parent, to pick up carbs that are whole grains.
- Green leafy vegetables (such as salad) should be a part of her diet at least six times a week. Not all salads have to be the same, add some quinoa to a salad to get both the leafy vegetables and whole grains or add grilled chicken to another to increase her intake of white meat.
- Add other vegetables at least once a day. Whether it’s a side of broiled broccoli with dinner or added a bunch of cut up vegetables to her salads, she’ll get what she needs.
- For a sweet treat, add berries at least twice a week to her food rotation.
- Red meat should not be eaten more than four times a week. Protein is an important part of your parent’s diet, but have her find it in other foods instead of red meat.
- Eating fish as least once a week is a great way to get the benefits of fish and increase protein consumption.
- Poultry is another way for your parent to get her protein when she cuts back her red meat consumption. Look for white meat when possible.
- Add beans to her diet at least three times a week.
- For a great snack, nuts can be added to your parent’s diet five times a week. Have your senior care provider portion them out in single serving bags to make sure your parent doesn’t go overboard by eating too many nuts at once.
- Reduce fried or fast food to less than once a week.
- Reduce pastries or sweets to less than five a week.
- Cheese should be limited to only one serving per week.
- Use mainly olive oil for cooking.
- Keep butter or margarine a day to less than a tablespoon a day.
- Finally, limit alcohol to one glass of wine or alcoholic drink per day.
Even choosing to just incorporate a few of these changes can help reduce your parent’s likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring senior care in Cupertino, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Helpers today (408) 317-4969.