Diet and Dementia

"Researchers have successfully tested a special diet that they designed that appears to reduce the risk for developing dementia." NY Times, April 21, 2015

The researchers found the MIND diet, the Mediterranean diet, with its emphasis on brain-healthy foods, like berries and green leafy vegetables, lessened the occurrence of dementia, even when it was not strictly adhered to.  The diet is largely plant based, but does not contain much fruit, except berries, especially blue berries.  It recommends eating berries two times a week, one serving a day of leafy greens, and one to two servings of some other vegetable per day.  Nuts, whole grains, olive oil and one glass of wine a day are also recommended.  In their research, people who ate 1-2 servings a day of green vegetables had a "dramatic decrease in cognitive decline".  This diet would be a good idea for all of us caregivers, and has even had some impact on those with beginning dementia.