Diet Changes to Make After an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

If you were recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, now is a good time to evaluate your eating habits.

Consider making the following diet changes to keep your brain as healthy as possible:

To follow the diet, you should eat:

• 6 or more servings of leafy green vegetables per week
• At least 1 serving of other vegetables per day
• 2 or more servings of berries per week
• 5 or more servings of nuts per week
• 3 or more servings of whole grains per day
• Fish (not fried) once per week
• Beans in 1 to 3 meals per week
• Poultry (not fried) in about 1 meal per week
  

The diet also limits certain foods:

• Less than 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine per day (make olive oil your primary oil instead)
• Less than 1 serving of cheese per week
• Red meat and related meats less than 4 times per week
• Fried and fast food less than once a week
• Less than 5 servings of pastries and other sweets per week
• 1 glass of wine per day

“The MIND diet emphasizes blueberries, because they contain antioxidants and anthocyanins, which can really benefit the brain,” says Robinson.

“One thing we’re learning from research is that when we control high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes better, we also reduce our risk for dementia,” says Robinson.

One reason? The MIND diet prioritizes fresh, whole foods over highly processed ones. This style of eating can reduce the amount of saturated fat and salt in your diet, which can protect your heart and brain, says Robinson. A high intake of saturated fats has been linked to high cholesterol and strokes. Reducing salt intake can curb high blood pressure.

If you take a few sips of champagne once a year at a wedding or other special occasion, that’s probably okay. Otherwise, try to avoid alcohol.

“Once someone is having memory problems, we really recommend abstaining from alcohol, because it’s essentially a toxin to the short-term memory centers of the brain,” says Elizabeth Bevins, MD, PhD, a neurologist and assistant professor of neurosciences at the University of California in San Diego.

To stay hydrated, take small sips of water throughout the day. If you’re having trouble remembering, establish a routine by pairing drinking water with activities — like watching your morning TV show or having an afternoon snack, says Robinson.

If you don’t like water, you can make it more interesting by infusing it with fruit, such as lemon or strawberries. You can also try eating more foods that have a high water content, such as grapes, oranges, watermelon, soups, and smoothies. Many MIND diet foods, such as fruits and spinach, taste great in smoothies, Robinson notes.

Overhauling your diet all at once may be too overwhelming, so start with just one healthy change at a time.

“Get the hang of that change and then add on something else that you’re working to reduce or include more of,” says Robinson.

It can help to focus on what to eat more of — for example, fresh fruits and vegetables — versus what to cut, she says. With the MIND diet, “Even a moderate adherence could slow down the progression of dementia, so it’s worth it to try to include these things that are recommended and relax in other ways, if needed,” says Robinson.

• It’s possible to slow down the progression of cognitive decline by following a healthy diet, such as the MIND diet.
• To follow the MIND diet, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, beans and nuts, fish and poultry, low-fat dairy, and whole grains.
• You should also reduce your intake of butter and margarine, cheese, red meat, fast food and fried food, and pastries and other sweets.