Eating To Beat Dementia

Eating To Beat Dementia

It is believed that what you choose to eat could have a huge impact on your likelihood of developing dementia.  With no known cure, and being responsible for being the number one killer in women, it’s little wonder that dementia is widely feared.

However, recent research has suggested that not only can you reduce your risk of developing the disease through your choices of food; you could even reverse early signs and symptoms.

Many years of studies and research have shown that what we feed our bodies will have an impact on our brain, whether that’s positive or negative. Our brains use 25% of our body’s energy in order to function, making the nutrients we consume either helpful or potentially toxic. Research has also shown that being obese whilst middle-aged increases your risk of developing dementia by up to 40%.

It is well documented that your choice of food could increase your risk of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but very little is published in relation to our brain health and the risk of dementia development in relation to poor food choices.

So which foods should you feed your brain to ensure it is in tiptop condition?

It is vital that sugar and saturated fat should be consumed in little and infrequent quantities in order to minimise your risk of dementia as they cause inflammation and damage to brain vessels. This includes processed foods including cake, biscuits, crisps and sweets. Also cut down on processed meat such as bacon, pepperoni and sausages. Fried food and butter are also to be avoids – roast, boil or grill food with a dash of extra virgin olive oil if needed. Don’t forget that there are copious amounts of sugar in soft drinks and alcohol, therefore restricting these to special occasions would be advisable.