Senior Health: The diet that is good for your brain

Researchers looking for a way to keep brain function healthy have combined the best parts of the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH diet to make the MIND diet.

The diet itself is easy: Eat more foods in 10 categories and eat less of five specific foods, according to healthline.com.

The 10 MIND diet foods:
– Six or more servings per week of kale, spinach, cooked greens or salads.
– Eat at least one non-starchy vegetable per day in addition to the green leafy vegetables.
– Twice a week, eat berries such as blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
– Five servings of nuts per week.
– Use olive oil to cook.
– Three servings of whole grains daily: Oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread or pasta.
– Once a week, eat fatty fish like salmon, sardines, tuna, trout and mackerel.
– Four times a week eat beans, lentils and soybeans.
– Eat chicken or turkey twice per week. Avoid having them fried.
– Drink one glass of wine daily but no more.

The five foods to avoid:
– Butter and margarine. Eat less than 1 tablespoon daily.
– Cheese. No more than once per week.
– Red meat. No more than three servings per week of beef, pork, or lamb.
– Fried food. No more than once per week.
– Pastries and sweets. No more than four times per week.