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Fighting Dementia? 4 Foods Your Diet Needs.

April 5, 2023

Wondering about Dementia friendly foods? This post is the perfect place to start.

Older black couple sharing a meal and smiling while eating foods that help fight Dementia

Dementia affects the life of people living with it. Not only does it impact their memory, but it also makes it challenging to perform tasks like washing, eating, bathing, and getting dressed.

As a result, people with this condition progressively become dependent on others.

Statistics indicate that approximately 944,000 Brits live with dementia, predicted to increase to 1 million by 2030.

Fortunately, you can prevent this condition in many ways, including monitoring what you eat.

Here are some brain-friendly foods to fight dementia

Dementia friendly foods - image of older black lady making salad

Colourful fruit and veggies

Research shows that eating colourful fruit and vegetables can lower dementia risks by 20%.

This is because these food items contain high levels of flavonoids.

Flavonoids are polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants commonly occurring naturally in plants.

These polyphenols boost blood flow to the brain, delivering more nutrients and oxygen. This, in turn, provides more energy to the brain cells. They also reduce inflammation and free radicals, which can accelerate ageing. These are just the types of dementia-friendly foods that will help boost memory and other symptoms of Dementia.

Several vegetables and fruit contain flavonoids, including; blackberries, blueberries, celery, citrus fruit, broccoli, cherries, mint, parsley, chamomile, red peppers, strawberries, grapes, and so on.

Fortunately, you can incorporate these items into your diet in fun ways. For instance, you can make fruit popsicles, steamed vegetable side dishes, etc. 

Fish

If you enjoy fish, this is another reason to include it in your diet regularly.

Fish oil has omega-3 fatty acids, which boost memory and learning while promoting blood flow to the brain.

Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about gaining unhealthy weight, as fish oil is low-risk but beneficial for your health. Experts advise using fatty species like trout, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines.

Fortunately, fish is versatile, meaning you can incorporate them into various dishes. For instance, you can include sardines in your pasta dishes or steam a trout with dill and mint dressing.

Alternatively, you can pair cod with brown rice, so keep this in mind. It’s also worth noting that you can reap the full benefits of fish based on how you cook it.

Therefore, consider pan-frying, grilling or broiling, baking, and steaming fish for the best results. 

Elegant older black lady eating dementia friendly foods

Whole grains

Replacing refined grains with whole grains benefits your brain and reduces your risk of developing dementia.

Whole grains still have their bran, germ, and endosperm intact.

And they contain a substantial amount of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, and protein.

Seeing their benefits, you’ll find it helpful to include them in your diet if you haven’t already. Quinoa, brown rice, oats, and barley are great options, so feel free to consider them. 

Nuts

Nuts are often popular and for good reasons. They are tasty and excellent for brain health.

For starters, they are loaded with antioxidants that destroy free radicals that cause brain cell damage.

Likewise, they contain many nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that boost cognitive function.

You can use nuts in diverse ways without getting bored. For instance, you can pair them with your steamed vegetables or cereals or eat them as snacks.

You can also leverage them when making your own pesto sauce, so keep this in mind.

Learning about dementia-friendly foods means you or your loved ones can incorporate them into a regular diet that will help improve cognitive function and reduce the risks of dementia.

More Reading

Editing by AskAwayHealth Team

Disclaimer

All AskAwayHealth articles are written by practising Medical Practitioners on various healthcare conditions to promote quality healthcare. 

The advice in our material is not meant to replace a qualified healthcare practitioner’s management of your specific condition.
Don’t hesitate to contact a health practitioner to discuss your condition or reach us directly 
here.

Image Credits: Canva

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