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April 10, 2013 Leave a Comment

Coconut Oil and Cognitive Function

To Put it Simply: Your Brain Loves Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil

One of my favorite flavors in the world is coconut. It’s right up there with chocolate and coffee. I’m pretty sure Mounds candy bars were made just for me. Give me a Mounds and a cup of coffee and you won’t hear a peep out of me for a while.  I’m pretty silent when my own happy little Paradise.

Fortunately, chocolate (dark chocolate) has its health-related virtues (heart) and coffee is known to help prevent Alzheimer’s.  We’re beginning to hear more and more about the health benefits of coconut – which is just all around great news for coconut nuts like myself.

A recent article on Green Med Info caught my eye. How could it not? – It combined two things that interest me most in the world: Cognitive Function (as well as Alzheimer’s and Dementia Prevention) and the magic word… coconut. Coconut oil to be exact. (Buy Coconut Oil on Amazon)

Studies show that just one dose of coconut oil a day can tremendously boost brain function and cognitive ability.  Coconut oil has also shown AMAZING promise in the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.

Read the fascinating article by clicking the link: How Coconut Oil Boosts Brain Function

You can learn more about Coconut Oil and its effect on Alzheimer’s and Alzheimer’s Prevention on Natural News.

 

Filed Under: Brain Food, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Prevent Memory Loss Tagged: , , , , ,
March 30, 2013 Leave a Comment

Yet Another Reason to Love Green Tea (and Drink it By The Gallons)

Add it to Your Alzheimer's Prevention Arsenal

Cup of Green Tea

There are already, seemingly, 1,001 healthy reasons to drink green tea. The antioxidants are great for your health and can help prevent many diseases and illnesses. What’s more, green tea acts like a spark plug to your metabolism, encouraging it to burn more calories by turning them into energy-giving fuel.

Personally, I love green tea and have for some time. Most people either strongly prefer it hot (like my oldest daughter) or iced cold (like my husband), but I love it at any temperature it’s comfortable at! I like to mix things up with what I add to my green tea, too. Sometimes I go with a little honey or a squeeze of fresh citrus, but most of the time, I drink it straight up because I’m wild about the flavor.

If you’re one of the millions of people who are getting serious about Alzheimer’s Prevention, now you have another reason to drink green tea. A specific molecule in green tea, known as EGCG, has been shown to interfere with formation of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s. EGCG breaks down existing aggregate structures in the proteins that contained metals—specifically copper, iron and zinc.

Pour yourself a tall glass of green tea and read more about the study here: Green Tea in the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Filed Under: Brain Food, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Tagged: ,
June 13, 2012 Leave a Comment

Using a Computer Protects Your Mind: Good News for Those of Us Seldom Out of Its Sight!

Using a Computer is good for your brain!

When writing health-related articles, whether they’re geared toward physical health or mental health, I’ll often come across information that makes me cringe. For example,w hen I read how unhealthy diet soft drinks were, it hit me where it hurt.  I had a 2 liter a day diet soda addiction for over 10 years! That was a very, very hard one to give up.

I’m never happy to read about the negative effects other favorites (fried food, doughnuts, burgers..) have on the body either.  Kind of depressing, truth be told.

However, there are other times when the news is so good I want to do a happy dance.  Take, for example, when I read that coffee was considered a tool in the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease. This coffee fanatic pumped her fist in the air over that one.  It’s recommended that you drink at least 3 cups to reap the benefits. Frankly, I’ve achieved that well before 10:00 each morning.

I was also glad to learn that walking is considered to be a very healthy activity for the body and mind. Walking is a great passion of mine, so the news almost made up for the loss of diet soda.

I recently had another reason to pump my fist.  As you may know, I work entirely from home with my web publishing business. I’m on the computer almost as often as its logo.  Some days it seems like I’m there longer.  So, needless to say, I was overjoyed to read that computer use has a protective effect on the brain.  What’s more, if computer use is combined with exercise of some sort (such as walking), the positive effects are even greater.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic studied 926 people in Minnesota between the ages of 70 and 93. They had the individuals fill out questionnaires which included questions about the kinds of physical activities they engaged in regularly. The participants  were also asked about mentally stimulating activities, such as playing games, reading, play music, arts and crafts, and using the computer.

The researchers were particularly interested in computer use.

The study proved that both exercise and computer use each have protective effects on the brain – but the two together are even better!

“The aging of baby boomers is projected to lead to dramatic increases in the prevalence of dementia,” study author Yonas Geda said in a news release. “As frequent computer use has become increasingly common among all age groups, it is important to examine how it relates to aging and dementia. Our study further adds to this discussion.”

Keeping cognitively active seems to, somehow, protect the brain. Exercise, too, has been shown to reduce the risk for cognitive decline and even help reverse symptoms once they start.

The takeaway from this study is pretty obvious.  In addition to eating a healthy diet, we should all strive to be physically active each day.  What’s more, we should keep our brains active and challenged.  Never let them remain idle and make certain you never allow them to become content with the knowledge they have today.   If you want your mind to be strong and healthy 10 years from now, you have to make its health a priority each day.

  • Eat plenty of brain food, including fruit, vegetables, coffee (yay!), and Omega 3s.
  • Play brain games regularly.
  • Read fiction.  Have a great novel “going” at all times.  Bonus points if it’s a novel with a large cast of characters. Agatha Christie books are pure gold for keeping your brain sharp.
  • Read non-fiction. Read about different places, people, and events regularly.  Open up a whole new world by learning about someone or someplace that you know absolutely nothing about.
  • Be physically active.  Walk each day, even if it’s just around the yard.
  • Pick a topic that interests you and “Google” it. Find all the information you can on the subject and read until you’re practically an expert!
  • Your brain needs to be challenged in different ways. Memorizing information is a wonderful mental workout, but it also needs a steady diet of problem solving. Good, old-fashioned workbooks (high school or college level) can help keep your mind sharp.  The brain also wants exercise in creativity. This is an area most people overlook.  Pick up a craft or hobby that allows you to be creative and flex your mental muscles in a whole new way. Build model airplanes, make jewelry, sew, knit, paint, make soap, draw, or pick up a coloring book and color! Don’t tell anyone, but that sounds like a lot of fun right about now.

The Mayo Clinic study was published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Make each moment count double,

~ Joi

Filed Under: Improve Your Memory, Mental Fitness, Prevent Memory Loss Tagged: , , , , ,
May 22, 2012 Leave a Comment

Eat This Daily to Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Steel Cut Oats with Berries and whipped heavy cream

Eat Berries Daily for Optimum Brain Health and to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.

As you would expect, I read a great deal (make that great, great, great deal – daily) about mental fitness, brain fitness, and preventing Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Memory Loss. When I see certain tips and recommendations show up again and again, I quickly realize just how vital these particular tips are.

Then I start shoving them down your throat!

I write a lot about brain food and super foods that can help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease because our diet has been proven to have a HUGE effect on our brain’s health.  For a complete list of these foods, see Foods that Prevent Alzheimer’s.  For this post, I only want to concentrate on one particular type of food: beautiful, delicious, nutritious, and versatile berries.

Berries contain high levels of  components, including a class of compounds called anthocyanosides, which fight memory impairment associated with free radicals and beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. Scientific lingo for…. Berries help keep your brain out of trouble! Think of them as body guards – or secret servicemen – for your brain cells.  If you were the President of the United States, would you want to go out in public without your secret service men?

No way! You’d be WAY too vulnerable, right?

Start thinking of berries in the same light. Don’t allow your brain to face a day without several servings of berries.

  • Throw them into your oatmeal, yogurt, or cereal. I actually just finished a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, strawberries, and a little whipped heavy cream on top (pictured at the top). YUM!
  • Place them in a bowl in your refrigerator, ready-to-eat, covered with saran wrap (that way you see them, sitting there in all their beauty).
  • Drink smoothies made from strawberries and/or blueberries.
  • Throw blackberries on top of frozen vanilla yogurt!

I read an article by a brain expert this morning in which she finished with the words, “Eat berries each day for maximum benefit.”  As I folded the paper and put it away, I answered her with, “Just try and stop me!”

Challenge Accepted.

Make each bite COUNT!

~ Joi

Filed Under: Brain Food, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Prevent Memory Loss Tagged: , , , ,
March 29, 2012 Leave a Comment

Stimulate Your Mind and Keep Alzheimer’s Off Your Doorstep

Willis Tower 3D Puzzle

First things first. What are information-processing activities?  Basically, this is a fancy way of referring to anything that makes you think.  Reading an Agatha Christie novel, an article online, a newspaper, or a romance novel are all information-processing activities.

Listening to the radio, watching an educational program on the Discovery Channel, and visiting historical sites and museums are also information-processing activities.

You get the picture. Anything that makes your brain cells sit up, take notice, and feel alive.

A National Institute on Aging study has found that people who most often participate in information-processing activities are 47% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who participated least often in these same activities.

“If you sit around and don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies — and the same goes for the brain,” says Dr. Kimford Meador, MD, fellow with the American Academy of Neurology and professor of neurology at the University of Florida. The phrase use it or lose it comes to mind.

Below are more ways to stimulate your mind.

  • Read older novels. Your mind has to really stay on its toes to “translate” the language into today’s verbiage.
  • Paint by Numbers. A lot of people are more creative than they realize
  • Play cards. Learn as many card games as possible, then become the best player you know!
  • Visit museums.  Make it a point to visit all the museums in your state. Then branch out further.
  • Take up bird watching. Learn to identify birds in your region by sight and sound.
  • Pick up a new craft. Learn to knit, crochet, make soap, make candles, etc. Master one, then move on to the next.
  • Work several puzzles each day. Whether it’s Sudoku, crossword puzzles, or word scrambles – make them a part of your daily routine.
  • Work jigsaw puzzles regularly. Start simple, then move on to the challenging ones.
  • Buy a telescope and learn about the stars. New hobbies are rewarding in so many ways!
  • Choose an author you like and read every book he or she has written.  
  • Write your own novel!

A reminder: Don’t do the same activities over and over again – thinking that you’re hitting the ball out of the park.  There are different parts of your brain (some people think of them in terms of regions), and each part is stimulated differently.  The area of your brain that’s stimulated by a game of cards might not respond at all to painting by numbers.  Use a wide range of activities that encourage a wide range of benefits. Use art-based activities to encourage creativity, take up hobbies that encourage concentration and focus, frequently play games that require memorization, etc.

  The greater the variety of activities, the greater the benefits.

Photo Credit: The Willis Tower 3D Puzzle, shown at the top of the article is from Marbles: The Brain Store.

Product Description:
This museum quality 3D puzzle stands over 24 inches tall and boasts authentic details and sturdy construction. Whether you opt to call it Willis or Sears Tower, assembling this 51-piece puzzle will help you fine-tune your motor and visual perception skills.

Filed Under: Improve Your Memory, Motivational, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Prevent Memory Loss Tagged: , , , ,
March 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

Brain Games: The Fun Way to Improve Your Memory and Prevent Memory Loss and Alzheimer’s

Memory GameA lot of brain fitness and health advice is good old fashioned common sense:

  • Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
  • Get plenty of rest
  • Reduce the amount of stress in your life
  • Be active

We’re familiar with these healthy tips because we’ve been reading them for more years than we’d care to count. These 4 rules are the core of every disease-prevention tool box out there.  Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and so on – none of these tend to favor the individual who eats a healthy diet, gets plenty of activity in their life, gets around 7 hours of sleep each night, and manages stress (rather than the other way around).

The fact that we’re so familiar with them is what concerns me.  Sometimes we take them for granted. They become like the old standards:

  • If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all.
  • Wash your hands before eating.
  • Brush your teeth 3x a day.
  • Always say PLEASE and THANK YOU.
  • etc…

I don’t have to point out how few of these we adhere to religiously. Don’t tell my dentist, but I can’t remember the time I brushed my teeth 3x a day.

When we hear things so often (or read them, for that matter), we get to the place where they don’t even register.  How many times have you read an article about health and fitness and just glanced over the paragraph about trans fats as you thought, “Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don’t know.”?

When advice can help us live longer and live better, we need to stop glancing and start advancing.  Our heart and our brains desperately need for us to eat healthier, stress less, get more activity, and sleep 7 hours each night. Don’t wait until problems creep up before you give your life a healthy overhaul – do it before any problems are even thought about.

One of the Most Important Necessities of Brain Strengthening

In addition to the healthy advice above that we’re all going to start LIVING OUT rather than LEAVING OUT, an equally important part of brain strengthening, improving your memory, and preventing Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia is this:  Work out and challenge your brain each and every single day.  Yes, you should read a variety of subjects.  But if you want to really challenge your brain and flex your mental muscles, you need to fall in love with brain training games.

These brain training games can improve your memory, train you to think faster, help you focus, and make your confidence soar.  Some games that you may have on your shelves qualify: Scrabble, Monopoly, Pictionary, Checkers, LIFE, etc.

As someone pretty much… make that very much… obsessed with the subjects of brain health, fighting memory loss, and preventing dementia (including Alzheimer’s), I’d love to see people collecting and using brain training and strengthening games as faithfully as resistance bands and dumbbells.  A pet peeve is when people put their ALL into their physical health without thinking about their mental health whatsoever.  Certainly, many things that improve our physical health also improve our mental health – but it takes more.  And, seriously, what’s the use of a strong body if one has a weak mind?  Our brains are our control centers. They deserve more of our attention!

For optimum brain strength and health, we have to challenge our mind and work it out as we do the rest of our bodies.

That’s where brain games can be golden. And fun!  The game shown at the top of this article is a perfect example. This game is the Name 5 Game and it should, in my humble opinion, be the first brain game added to a growing collection.   Why? Because it meets the criteria:

  1. It’s fun! You’ll play regularly – for fun without even thinking about it’s function.
  2. It’s effective. The Marble Store’s Brain expert puts it this way: “Activate your frontal cortex as you think critically and make decisions during this game.” What they said.
  3. Games such as this train you to think fast on your feet. Remember in school when the teacher asked a question and your hand darted up? Or when you completed homework in 20 minutes because your bike was waiting for you? We can train our brain to work faster again. The great thing is, it’ll be as fun as a bike ride!

I hope you’ll click through and check out this exciting game, as well as the countless others in Marbles: The Brain Store. You might want to start with their 2012 Marbles Sweet 16.  WHERE you start isn’t nearly as important as THAT you start.

Make each moment count double!
~ Joi

Filed Under: Brain Games, Improve Your Memory, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Prevent Memory Loss Tagged: , , , ,
March 25, 2012 Leave a Comment

Antioxidants: A Tasty Weapon in the Battle Against Memory Loss and Alzheimer’s Disease

Experts agree that when it comes to preventing cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, certain foods have superhero powers.  The power lies in the food’s antioxidants.  Antioxidants can slow cognitive decline and memory loss and can even help prevent Alzheimer’s.

The brain-saving power of antioxidants have been proven with in labs, with animals, and with humans.

In what I believe is one of the most thorough, useful, even vital books ever written, 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss, author Jean Carper explains why antioxidants are so important:

Every time you breathe, you take in oxygen, which sparks formation of free-radical chemicals.  These chemicals can run amok, ripping cell membranes, mutating DNA, blocking synapses, and disrupting neural communication networks.  Such devastation is called “oxidative damage” or “molecular rust.”  Your brain is a prime target of free radicals because it is fatty and burns so much oxygen.  When oxidized, the fat in your brain literally becomes rancid, like spoiled meat.  Such ongoing damage accelerates cognitive dysfunction and possibly Alzheimer’s.

That’s where molecular soldiers called antioxidants come in.  They zip around the brain, capturing and snuffing out rampaging free radicals.  These determined terminators, always on patrol, create a formidable and versatile defense system against brain degeneration.  And where do you recruit antioxidants?  From specific foods, mostly fruits and vegetables.  Tests at Tufts University noted that blood antioxidant capacity surged after test subjects ate ten ounces of fresh spinach or eight ounces of strawberries.

Never underestimate the power of two or three carrots, broccoli florets, or spinach leaves.  Among a group of older people, eating three servings of vegetables a day slowed the rate of memory decline by 40 percent, compared to eating less than one serving of vegetables a day, according to researchers at Chicago’s Rush Institute for Healthy Aging.  A Harvard study of aging women found particular cognitive-function-preserving antioxidant power in green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, and lettuce) and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts).  Columbia University researchers found that the best anti-Alzheimer’s foods are antioxidant heavy-hitters, including tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables, dark and green leafy vegetables, fruits, salad dressings, nuts, and fish.  New Yorkers over age sixty-five who ate the most of these foods, and the least high-fat dairy products, red meat, organ meat, and butter, were 38 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.  – Pages 29 – 30, 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss

On my self help blog, as well as here on my mental fitness blog, I always (strongly) encourage readers to add some sort of fruit and vegetable to each meal. Freshly squeezed juice, mixed fruit, a salad, steamed veggies – there are simply too many delicious ways to add fruits and vegetables to your diet NOT to.  For example, just yesterday I added strawberries to French Toast by cooking fresh, sliced strawberries with a little sugar and white cooking wine.  When the strawberries were poured over the stuffed French toast, magic happened!

Toss fruit into cereal, oatmeal, and yogurt and on top of pancakes, ice cream, and even peanut butter sandwiches.  Add vegetables to salads, pastas, sandwiches, dips, etc.  Make it a challenge to find as many different ways to enjoy and “sneak in” fruits and vegetables each meal.

Below are, in order, 30 fruits and vegetables with the greatest antioxidant capacity (based on weight). These are from a 2010 analysis of 326 foods by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  And, remember, just because a fruit or veggie isn’t on the list, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have powerful antioxidants. Eat your favorites, just try to add some of the heavy-hitters into your diet as well.

Prevent Alzheimer's with Blueberries

Brain Foods:

  1. Black raspberries
  2. Elderberries
  3. Golden Raisins
  4. Wild Blueberries
  5. Artichokes
  6. Cranberries
  7. Dried Plums (prunes)
  8. Black Currants
  9. Plums
  10. Blackberries
  11. Garlic
  12. Red Raspberries
  13. Cultivated Blueberries
  14. Strawberries
  15. Dates
  16. Cherries
  17. Raw Figs
  18. Red Cabbage
  19. Apples, with peel
  20. Leaf Lettuce, Red
  21. Pears, with peel
  22. Asparagus
  23. Sweet Potatoes
  24. Broccoli Rabe and Florets
  25. Oranges
  26. Beet Greens
  27. Avocados
  28. Red Grapes
  29. Radishes
  30. Spinach

Finally, I 100 percent recommend 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age-Related Memory Loss. You can buy a copy on Amazon (which is where I bought mine) for less than $15. Trust me, this book is worth a heck of a lot more than that!

Filed Under: Mental Fitness Tagged: , , ,
October 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

Improve Your Memory and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease One Bite at a Time

What’s something we do every day, without fail? In fact, woe be unto the person who tries to stand between us and this activity?!

Unless we have a stomach virus from Hell, we eat and drink each and every day. Without fail. In fact, we eat and drink pretty much throughout the day. If you were to count the number of bites and sips over the course of a day, it’d be pretty amazing. Then if you counted them all up at the end of the week, you’d be astounded.

That’s a lot of bites and drinks! What’s really worth spending a little time thinking about is this: Each of these bites and each of these drinks is either ADDING to your overall health and well-being or they’re TAKING AWAY from your overall health and well being. If we’re going to allow so many foods and drinks to pass our lips, doesn’t it make sense to choose wisely?

I spend a great deal of time researching healthy foods for the body and mind. Not only do I do research for this mental fitness blog, I also do research for my food blog and self help blog. The same super foods turn up again and again. I’ve often said that what’s good for your heart is also good for your brain and when it comes to food, this is abundantly true. Did you know that the foods that are unhealthy for your heart (such as salt) are even unhealthy for your brain?

For example, Omega 3 Fatty Acids (cold water fish) help protect your brain from dementia and improve your memory. If you don’t typically eat a lot of salmon, trout, and mackerel – the time to start is now. Make a point of having these amazingly delicious and healthy fish several times a week.  Your brain will thank you for it, as will the rest of your body.

The following are just some of the foods that are known to improve your memory, protect your brain, and help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease:

  • Walnuts
  • Avocados
  • Peanuts
  • Olive Oil
  • Salmon
  • Trout
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin B12
  • Whole Grains
  • Blueberries
  • Cherries
  • Plums
  • Broccoli
  • Eggplant
  • Corn
  • Asparagus
  • Onions
  • Strawberries
  • Bell Peppers

From Everyday Health:

Give yourself a memory boost with dark berries that help keep blood vessels in the brain clear and protect brain cells from damage. Eat fruits like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Blueberries and similar foods have been shown to actually reverse age-related memory shortfalls in humans and animals. Oranges, cherries, plums, and red grapes are also great memory food. – Everyday Health

Make each moment count double,

~ Joi

Filed Under: Brain Food, Improve Your Memory, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Tagged: , , ,
October 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

Brain Games and Puzzles: Your Brain Craves These Challenges!

Brain Games

I buy each and every booklet and book Brain Games comes out with.  They’re fun, challenging, mentally stimulating, and downright addictive.  You can find their booklets in just about any store for less than $4.00 – they’re usually up front near the registers or in the magazine aisle.

Brain Games also has OUTSTANDING lines of books on the market. My advice? My approach?  Keep an eye on Amazon and consistently buy each book you see that you don’t already have.

Yes, as a matter of fact, they’re that good.

To keep your mind sharp, your memory sound, and to do all that you can to prevent Alzheimer’s or Dementia, provide your mind with as much stimulation and with as many challenges as possible.  Having plenty of workbooks and books around will provide you with the easiest way of ensuring you’re doing all you can for your mind.  In addition to physical exercise, a good, healthy diet (remember, anything good for your heart is good for your brain), stress management, and healthy sleep, brain puzzles are fuel your brain needs and even craves.

Below is a brain challenge from the most recent issue of Brain Games (shown above with my trusty pen):

Say What?
Below are a group of words that, when properly arranged in the blanks, reveal a quote from Virginia Woolf.

  • details
  • passionate
  • solitude
  • our
  • lives

“In __________ we give __________ attention to our __________, to __________ memories, to the __________ around us.”

 

Click below for the answer…. after you’ve worked on it sufficiently!

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Brain Games, Brain Gym, Improve Your Memory, Prevent Alzheimer's Disease Tagged: , , , ,
August 28, 2011 Leave a Comment

Be Mind-Ful of Heart Health!

Salmon is loaded with Omega 3's which are great for your heart AND your mind!

Research shows that, beyond any shadow of doubt, brain health and heart health are directly linked. It goes without saying, but I’ll probably say it anyway, what’s good for your heart is good for your mind.   There are many ways you can incorporate heart-healthy habits and lifestyle changes into each day. When you do so, your heart AND your brain will become healthier.

That may be the best two-for-one deal I’ve ever heard of!

  •   Studies have found that eating the king of all omega-3 fatty acid super foods, fish, is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline or dementia. Omega 3′s are also, of course, the cornerstone of all heart healthy diets.
  • Eat to live, don’t live to eat. At the risk of being blunt, get your weight under control NOW. Study after study shows that people who are obese in middle age were twice as likely to develop dementia in later life. Those who also had high cholesterol and high blood pressure had six times the risk of dementia.
  • Get some sort of activity (such as walking) for 30 minutes each day.
  • Reduce your intake of fat and cholesterol. Countless studies have shown that high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol clogs the arteries and is associated with higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Use mono- and polyunsaturated fats, such as olive oil, for example. Bake, steam, or grill your food instead of frying. Find alternative seasonings to help your taste buds adapt.  An example: I LOVE fried fish – to absolute distraction. However, I’ve found that if I use a Blackened Fish seasoning, I honestly like it just as much grilled or baked. I’ve been grilling fish on my George Foreman grill and, honestly, can’t remember the last time I fried fish. I simply don’t miss it at all.
  • Don’t smoke. If you smoke… stop.  If you don’t smoke, don’t start. Smoking interferes with blood flow and oxygen to the brain and is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

From the Alzheimer’s Association:

Some of the strongest evidence about maintaining your brain links brain health to heart health. Even though you can’t feel your brain working, it’s one of the most active organs in your body. Your heart pumps about 20 percent of your blood to your brain, where billions of cells use about 20 percent of the blood’s oxygen and fuel.

If your heart isn’t pumping well — or if your brain’s blood vessels are damaged — your brain cells have trouble getting all the food and oxygen they need. Any condition that damages your heart or blood vessels can affect your brain’s blood supply.

 Off-Site articles you’ll find interesting:

Can Vitamin B12 Lower your risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?

Walking 6 to 9 Miles a Week May Help Memory

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