What Is the MIND Diet and Does It Really Work?
What Is the MIND Diet and Does It Really Work?
The MIND diet, which is officially known as Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, is a diet that’s known for helping to protect followers against cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s or other brain conditions like dementia.
But another side to the diet is that it does help you to lose weight at the same time. The diet is also considered a heart healthy one as well. The diet is a mixture of two diets. It used the guidelines from both the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet but relies on foods from those that are known to be beneficial for the brain.
It has a focus on specific groups of foods that are healthy such as vegetables, especially leafy green ones like kale and broccoli, fish and poultry, certain fruits, whole grains and more.
The diet also suggests consuming a salad every day. It does call for the use of healthy oils but wants users to stay away from certain other foods. Found on the list of foods to avoid are foods like cookies, cake, candy, foods that are fried or come from fast food restaurants, butter and red meats.
If you can’t or won’t avoid those foods, the diet suggests limiting them. Studies done using this diet showed that people who followed it did have a less mental decline than the study group that didn’t follow it.
But it also showed that another effect was that the study group shed unwanted pounds. The eating plan on the diet has followers eating vegetables, plenty of whole grains and consuming healthy snacks.
Dieters are also supposed to eat plenty of beans and berries as well as make sure their eating plan has a weekly serving of fish. The fat that’s recommended for meal preparation is mainly olive oil.
Because the MIND diet is a mix of both the Mediterranean and the DASH diet, you will lose weight even during the first week because both of those diets focus on weight loss while eating healthy.
The Mediterranean diet does have some allowances such as butter that the MIND diet suggests limiting. The key to success is found in tailoring your version of the MIND diet so that it fits your calorie and energy needs.
As long as you’re taking in less calories that you’re expending, you will lose. The diet is convenient so it’s easy to follow. You can create your meals from recipes that follow the diet or you can put together your own meals using foods that the diet suggests. You will be able to dine out, but may need to ask for special concessions such as making sure your foods aren’t fried.
