Brain Boosters Revised
The following is a cut-and-paste response with my added comments and advice to a real friend of mine who has cognitive issues. No matter what station in life you are at, there are many take home issues here. As always, consult with your physician before blahdy blahdy Hell.
Josh:
This is mostly cut-and-paste from the Life Extension website. I've put my thoughts in italics. While it addresses cognitive decline with aging, It's great advice for all of us. At the end I'll give my best recommendation for you.
Proactive lifestyle changes, cognitive and nutritional interventions such as phosphatidylserine and glyceryl phosphoryl choline have been shown to decrease the rate of intellectual decay and potentially reverse age-related cognitive decline.
I .Lifestyle changes can help reduce age-related cognitive decline:
A.Switch from a western diet high in simple sugars and saturated fats to a Mediterranean diet high in mono- and polyunsaturated omega-3 fats, fiber, and polyphenol.
An eating pattern based on the traditional Mediterranean diet has been shown to have anti-aging effects on brain, cardiovascular, and metabolic functions, and on overall longevity. Findings from a variety of studies suggest eating a Mediterranean-style diet can slow cognitive decline and may reduce risk of dementia. If you are already eating Indian cuisine, it will be easy to go.
With its emphasis on fruits, vegetables, unrefined whole grains, legumes, and extra virgin olive oil, as well as moderate amounts of seafood, fermented dairy products, and red wine with meals,200 the traditional Mediterranean diet provides ample amounts of critical nutrients such as mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. It can be used as a template that can be adapted to favor local and seasonal availability of specific foods.
A study including 832 participants examined every two to three years for up to 18 years found that those whose diets most closely reflected a Mediterranean diet experienced significantly less cognitive decline than those whose diets least reflected a Mediterranean diet. A study based on data collected over 16 years from men participating in the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study found that those whose diets were most Mediterranean-like were 36% less likely to report poor subjective cognitive function than those whose diets were least Mediterranean-like. Examining the brains of cognitively normal older-age subjects has revealed that adherence to a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern is associated with reduced β-amyloid accumulation. The components of the diet most closely linked to this effect were high fruit and vegetable consumption and moderate wine consumption.
A. Olive oil
Use extra virgin olive oil on vegetables, legumes, salads, stir-fries, and sautés;
Flavor food with herbs, spices, garlic, onion, and lemons.
B. Vegetables (mainly deep greeny veggies like kale, asparagus, and the cruceriforms. From Wikipedia:
Have vegetables with both lunch and dinner;
Use vegetables as a main dish often;
Have some raw, dressed with olive oil and vinegar, every day.
C. Fruits
Fruit products often contain added sugar (Low consumption).
Eat raw fruits as dessert most days. Stick to berries, pomegranates, and green bananas (which is a prebiotic).
Include a variety of seasonally appropriate fruits.
D. Unrefined whole grains
Use whole grain bread, pasta, and flour;
Include whole unrefined grains for the fiber, but try to avoid wheat because gluten has its own drawbacks. For more wheat alternatives, check out my friend Dr.Bill David's website, www.wheatbellycom).
E. Legumes
Include a variety of beans, lentils, and peas.
Cook dried beans or choose canned beans without additives.
Because some legumes are high in lectins, l recommend only those I mention in my post of the same name.
F. Nuts and olives
Have nuts and olives as snacks. Peanuts are not avoid choice, though.
Eat a handful of raw nuts daily.
Choose a variety of nuts.
G. Moderate seafood intake
Fatty fish (tuna, salmon, sardines) twice or more weekly;
Shellfish (oysters, clams, squid, shrimp) occasionally. No, avoid clams and oysters unless farm-raised.
H. Moderate fermented dairy (yogurt and cheese, kefir).
Use unsweetened yogurt and flavor with fruit.
Have small amounts of fresh or cured cheese occasionally;. Hard cheeses are best. I love cottage cheese though, so I chest on this one.
Avoid ice cream. Well, except Breyers Butter Pecan.!
I.Home cooking
Limited intake of homemade baked goods and processed baked goods (high in sugar, processed fats, and additives). 8n fact Josh, just avoid altogether.
Bake at home;
Use olive oil instead of butter. Naw. Use organic, range-fed butter and ghee liberally.
Eat baked goods only occasionally or better, not at all
Little meat and limited poultry.
I disagree with this. Range-fed livestock and chicken, wild salmon and tuna, crab and shrimp, calamari, and lobster are tasty and healthy foods. Avoid clams and oysters since they are filter-feeders which means you are eating fish poop and spawn. Overlooked meats in the US are goat and sheep. Also, Dave Asprey recommends organ meats from range-fed livestock.
Limit meat consumption to a fistful per meal.
J. Beverages
Avoid beer, hard liquor, and sugar-sweetened soft drinks.
Include moderate amounts (up to 1 glass per day for women and 2 glasses per day for men) of wine, preferably red, always with meals. Merlot, Shiraz, and Port. You want a red wine so dry it makes you pucker.
Drink water instead of soft drinks. Limit fruit juices most of all. If you decide to do Intermittent Fasting, break your fast with a single glass of apple or grape juice. These replenish your liver's glycogen stores but too much decreases sperm count and semen volume.
Read up on Bulletproof Coffee which is coffee with ghee (or range-fed organic butter such as KerryGold) and coconut or MCT oils. www.bulletproofcoffee.com. I think. It's what I drink.
