Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast, where we explore the science of eating and

living well.

I'm Monica Reinagle, your host, and I'm glad you're here.

Today, I have an important update to share with you on the mind diet.

This is a dietary pattern that's garnered some attention for its potential to support

brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

However, I have to admit that the new findings I'm going to share with you today are a bit

of a disappointment for those who place their hopes or their career ambitions in the mind diet

as a hedge against dementia.

But first, let's do a quick recap of the mind diet and its origins.

The mind diet is a combination of the Mediterranean and the dash diets, with a particular focus

on foods that had been previously associated with cognitive health.

It promotes 10 brain healthy foods and discourages five other categories of foods.

So you're encouraged to eat plenty of vegetables, especially the green leafy kinds, berries,

nuts, legumes, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and wine.

And the foods that you're supposed to limit are red meat, butter and margarine, pastries

and sweets, fried and fast food, and cheese.

And I'll have more on that last one in a moment.

Researchers from Rush University hypothesized that following this diet could keep your brain

healthier and preserve your cognitive abilities as you age, perhaps even ward off dementia

and Alzheimer's disease.

To test this theory, they reviewed dietary and medical records for almost a thousand people

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