Boosting Your Brain Health

This year I have a new goal of trying to gather information for a family tree.  I love family history, especially when learning about my mother's Italian family.  My 90 year old Italian grandmother, Nana, was trying to remember as many people as she could for my new project.  Sometimes she took a little while to think about the answers, but I am amazed at how much she can still remember and hope that my brain is as healthy as hers at 90!  What can we do to help prevent dimentia?  Fortunately, Alzheimer's does not happen overnight.  It is a slow progression of degeneration of brain cells and accumulation of protein clumps or plaque.  Possible causes of dimentia include diet, inflammation, decreased blood flow to the brain and oxidation.  Forgetfullness happens to all of us, but if you feel like you are experiencing something more, contact your doctor immmediately.  Too often people ignore the signs of dimentia until it is too late.  Monique Ryan, M.S., R.D., has the following tips to keep our minds moving thrugh the decades.  .

1.  Eat a heart-healthy diet.

2.  Avoid trans and saturated fats and consume healthy unsaturated fats instead. 

3.  Eat one fish meal per week.  The Omega-3 content of fish has been linked with improved brain health.

4.  If you have cholesterol, reduce it by adding fiber, exercise and eliminating unhealthy fats from your diet. 

5.  Decrease high blood pressure as it can exacerbate heart disease and dimentia.

6.  If you have diabetes, closely monitor your medication and blood sugar levels.  Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to circulation damage and free radical damage. 

7.  Make sure to get adequate B vitamins in the diet to help keep homocysteine levels in check.  Homocysteine has been linked with dimentia. 

8.  Be sure to eat a diet (supplements will not do the trick) in antioxidants. 

9.  Be sure to exercise!  Anything is better than nothing.

10.  Keep your mind active with crossword puzzlies, soduko, etc. 

 With these great guidelines, I hope to someday be able to tell my grandchildren their family history, too.