Dementia: Dr Sara on benefits of being in nature
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The BHF has a list of guidelines and tips on which foods to limit, and by how much to limit, to reduce an individual’s risk of dementia.
On fried and fast food, the charity says that these should be limited to less than once a week.
Not only should fried food be limited to less than once a week, so too should cheese.
With regard to red meats, it is recommended that the should be consumed less than four times a week.
Pastries and sweets should be ingested less than five times a week.
Butter is the fifth food to cut with the BHF advising an individual should consume less than one tablespoon a day to reduce their risk of dementia.
Alternatively, there is something known as the MIND diet.
Standing for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, it consists of two diets rolled into one.
First is the Mediterranean Diet, one based on wholegrains, fish, pulses and fruits and vegetables.
The second is the DASH diet.
Standing for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, this diet is aimed at controlling blood pressure.
In contrast to the Mediterranean diet, this has a greater focus on reducing salt intake.
The MIND diet is one of a variety of diets that exist, each with their different purposes.
However, the MIND diet is one of the newest with the first study of how effective it is published in 2015.
The study found that those who closely followed the diet had brains that were “the equivalent of 7.5 years younger than those who followed the diet the least”.
It was also reported by the 2015 study that the diet could reduce a person’s risk of dementia.
While this sounds promising, the study wasn’t conclusive.
More research needs to be done to conclusively identify how effective the MIND diet is at reducing a person’s risk of dementia.
What has been found is the combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet can reduce a person’s risk of developing heart and circulatory disease.
In summary, the five foods and recommendations, are:
• Fried or fast food (less than once a week)
• Cheese (less than once a week)
• Red meats (less than four times a week)
• Pastries and sweets (less than five times a week)
• Butter (less than one tablespoon a day)
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