Steps You Can Take To Protect Your Brain From Alzheimer’s Disease

Unless an immediate cure is found, Alzheimer’s rates are expected to triple by 2050.

“Alzheimer’s disease isn’t a natural part of aging,” notes lead author Neal Barnard, M.D., president of the nonprofit Physicians Committee and an adjunct professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine. “By staying active and moving plant-based foods to the center of our plates, we have a fair shot at rewriting our genetic code for this heart-wrenching , and costly, disease.”

The following steps can be taken to help prevent Alzheimer’s:

Minimize your intake of trans fats. Trans fats are found in many snack pastries and fried foods and are listed on labels as “partially hydrogenated oils.” Most packaged food have trans fats. Continue with your good fats such as coconut oil, olive oil and grass fed butter. Good fats help to nourish our brain.

Eat plant-based foods. Vegetables, leafy greens, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), fruits, and whole grains(ancient) should replace some of the meats and dairy products as primary staples of the diet. Think of a plate with as much color as possible.

Consume 15 milligrams of vitamin E, from foods, each day. Vitamin E should come from foods, rather than supplements. Healthful food sources of vitamin E include seeds, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and whole grains. Note: The RDA for vitamin E is 15 milligrams per day.

Take a B12 supplement. A reliable source of B12, such as fortified foods or a supplement providing at least the recommended daily allowance (2.4 micrograms per day for adults), should be part of your daily diet. Note: Have your blood levels of vitamin B12 checked regularly as many factors, including age, impair absorption.

Aluminum-free products. Much research has pointed to aluminum as a culprit in Alzheimer’s disease. Its best to minimize your exposure aluminum cookware, antacids, baking powder, or other products that contain aluminum.

Remove/Minimize Sugar. There is enough research worldwide on the dangers of sugar. We know that it is an inflammatory and is encourages almost every disease in the body including our brain. The worst offender on the planet is soda, a double whammy: An aluminum can with sugar. If you are a soda drinker, this would be the first step for you.

Exercise daily. Include aerobic exercise in your routine, equivalent to 40 minutes of brisk walking, three times per week.

Get the proper amount of sleep. 7 to 8 hours per night is enough to help our brains repair overnight.

Mental activity. Participate in 30-40 minutes of reading, crossword puzzles or learning a new language can boost brain health.

If only more funding was geared towards educating the public about their food and lifestyle choices rather than failed drug trials, we would have a stronghold on this global epidemic.

The preliminary guidelines to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s were formed at the International Conference on Nutrition and the Brain in Washington on July 19 and 20, 2013.