The MIND Diet

Alzheimer's, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases; biomarkers, lifestyle, supplements, drugs, and health care.
jhei21
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The MIND Diet

Post by jhei21 »

Hi All from Sunny Australia!

I read Stavia's very comprehensive introduction but have a question in particular around diet and more specifically around grains. The MIND diet mentions some food groups we should include and lists Whole Grains

Vegetables
Green leafy vegetables in particular
Berries, especially blueberries
Nuts
Beans
Wine
Whole grains
Fish
Poultry
Olive oil

In reference to reducing Insulin Resistance however it was recommended we avoid grains. Are whole-grains ok but grains in general no good? Or should we take note of the MIND diet minus the grains part?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

:?:
Nancy
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Re: The MIND Diet

Post by Nancy »

Hello! Thank you for the great question! I'm not a doctor or an expert like some of the others on this forum, but after being a member here for about nine months, I think you are kind of accurate when you said the MIND diet minus the grains. Since many of us suffer from insulin resistance, all grains should be limited. We tend to do better that way because of the IR. Also, reducing the grains helps create ketones, which I understand is a better fuel for our brains. However, I still eat some wild and brown rice and oats. I just try to eat much smaller portions than I used to. I also eat them later in the day so that the all day carb cravings are avoided. If I have carbs early in the day, I crave them pretty strongly all day and night! Classic IR...even though my A1c is good. You will hear we APOE4's have "type 3 diabetes" too.
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Stavia
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Re: The MIND Diet

Post by Stavia »

Hi jhei and welcome. (Waves across the ditch).
It's a very good question.
Certainly whole grains are better than refined foods and this was a first step for many of us.
However many of us wished to improve our glycaemic control even after this step and found that eliminating or minimising all starchy foods helped in this regard. Some of us believe that this is the only benefit in eliminating grains, others of us believe some grains are detrimental in other ways to the gut, body and ultimately the brain.
The Science in this area is still hotly debated and there are reputable scientists on both sides who have evidence to support their stance.
What does an e4 do?
I suggest listen to your body, and chose a lifestyle that will be sustainable for decades.

We all have our personal stories, yours is for you to write in a manner that suits you.
I wish I could say "yes" or "no" to grains for ***everyone*** with conviction, but I would be dishonest in my reading of the evidence if I did so.
jhei21
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Re: The MIND Diet

Post by jhei21 »

Thank you both for your helpful and honest replies!
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ru442
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Re: The MIND Diet

Post by ru442 »

Hi jhei!

As Stavia and Nancy say, even though we all share the same gene's, we are all very different from a diet perspective. I imbibe in grains occasionally, but very infrequently (i.e. I have a yen for sushi, so sometimes I'll cheat a little!!). You're gonna need to experiment and find your sweet spot. Another thing to keep in mind and which Stavia has mentioned in other posts is balance... you need to find and sustain a balance you can maintain for the rest of your life. And it's OK to cheat.... we all need to live a fulfilling life, and a cheat once in a while is a good and healthy thing.
Male 4/4 56 yrs., "Live, Laugh, Love"
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Re: The MIND Diet

Post by Nancy »

Yes, I cheat sometimes. For example, I will eat cake for a birthday, etc. Or some goodies at Christmastime. I also eat a cookie, maybe pudding and other things very occasionally, too. There are some healthier versions of desserts, too. Like cutting up an apple or pear, and microwaving it for a minute with a bit of cinnamon and ginger...tastes just like apple pie!
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Hepoberman
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Re: The MIND Diet

Post by Hepoberman »

I consider whole grains an important source of energy, nutrients and fiber. In fact, I had a giant blueberry bagel for lunch yesterday. I didn't even notice the subsequent inflammation and hyperglycemia. -because there wasn't any...its a myth not backed by evidence.

ALZ.org - http://www.alz.org/brain-health/adopt_healthy_diet.asp

-Eat foods that are low in saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol, and high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy.
-Consume whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts.
-Decrease your intake of fats, red meats, sweets, sugared beverages and sodium.

Here are some guidelines with carbohydrates from the American Heart association
American Heart Association - http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLi ... MP0fm8rKM8

"So when it comes to carbohydrates follow these recommendations:

Limit foods that are high in processed, refined simple sugars provide calories but they have very little nutrition.

Get more complex carbohydrates and healthy nutrients by eating more fruits and vegetables.

Focus on whole-grain rice, breads and cereals, and don’t forget the legumes — beans, lentils and dried peas."

American Institute of Cancer Research - http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-ca ... rains.html

There is an overwhelming mountain of data to suggest whole grains are good for our health. Not the contrary.
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Julie G
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Re: The MIND Diet

Post by Julie G »

Welcome, jhei21! The fairly recent discovery of zonulin and it’s effects on the gut and brain is slowly making it’s way into mainstream medicine. Until recently, it was thought that only those with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity benefited from abstaining from wheat and all grains, but newer evidence suggests that zonulin disrupts gut permeability in everyone. Leaky gut is a problem because it allows toxins that should stay in the GI tract to get into the blood stream.

Zonulin and its regulation of intestinal barrier function: the biological door to inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21248165
Abstract
The gastrointestinal tract has been extensively studied for its digestive and absorptive functions. A more attentive analysis of its anatomo-functional characteristics, however, clearly indicates that its functions go well beyond the handling of nutrients and electrolytes. The exquisite regional-specific anatomical arrangements of cell subtypes and the finely regulated cross-talk between epithelial, neuroendocrine, and immune cells highlights other less-studied, yet extremely important, functions of the gastrointestinal tract. Of particular interest is the regulation of antigen trafficking by the zonulin pathway and its activation by intestinal mucosa-microbiota/gluten interactions. These functions dictate the switch from tolerance to immunity and are likely integral mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and neoplastical processes.

The classical paradigm of inflammatory pathogenesis involving specific genetic makeup and exposure to environmental triggers has been challenged recently by the addition of a third element, the loss of intestinal barrier function. Genetic predisposition, miscommunication between innate and adaptive immunity, exposure to environmental triggers, and loss of intestinal barrier function secondary to the activation of the zonulin pathway by food-derived environmental triggers or changes in gut microbiota all seem to be key ingredients involved in the pathogenesis of inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer. This new theory implies that once the pathological process is activated, it is not auto-perpetuating. Rather, it can be modulated or even reversed by preventing the continuous interplay between genes and the environment. Since zonulin-dependent TJ dysfunction allows such interactions, new therapeutic strategies aimed at reestablishing the intestinal barrier function by downregulating the zonulin pathway offer innovative and not-yet-explored approaches for the management of these debilitating chronic diseases.
Here's a YouTube video of Dr. Fassano, lecturing on this new discovery: The Gut is Not like Las Vegas

This same gluten-zonulin inflammation has been demonstrated to migrate from the gut via the blood stream to disrupt the blood-brain barrier. In fact, gluten sensitivity alone can cause enough disruption across the blood-brain barrier to create visible changes in the white matter of the brain, according to a 2010 paper published by Dr. Marios Hadjivassiliou in the journal The Lancet Neurology.

Through Cyrex Laboratory testing, I learned that I was gluten sensitive. I’ve since dropped gluten and all grains and replaced them with vegetables. My widespread fibromyalgia-like body pain is gone. I suspect this was a huge part of my healing, including from insulin resistance. If my health was fully optimized with a diet that included grains, I'd be more hesitant to adopt this dramatic change. That being said, several years ago, I was at a conference in New York where Dr. Martha Clare Morris presented about the research behind the MIND Diet. Dr. Richard Isaacson, who was also in attendance, a neurologist at Weil Cornell who runs a practice focusing on preventing Alzheimer's, recommended that ApoE4 carriers tweak the MIND Diet to include more fish, LESS whole grains, and more vegetables. You may want to slowly experiment with a transition and see how you feel.
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Re: The MIND Diet

Post by SarahAnne »

I am reading Dr. Wahl's book and the vegetable quantities she suggests seem overwhelming to me (9 cups each day). I believe in this recommendation and have recently had some "metabolome" testing that suggests my biological ("mitochondrial") age is much older (much worse!) than my chronological age. I have to jump start those little mitochondria! My question, regarding MIND or Wahl or whatever protocol people are doing, does anyone have any tricks regarding how to consume such high quantities of veggies? Do you believe in green/superfood powders, or health bars, or drinks that can be purchased or blended? I can barely get through five servings, but now I find I should be eating even more. Is there any thread on this website that provides possible product recommendations and/or recipes, and/or links? I'm not sure I could ever ingest so many vegetables and greens. I could use suggestions:)
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SusanJ
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Re: The MIND Diet

Post by SusanJ »

SarahAnne, it does seem like a lot, doesn't it. Something to keep in mind is that we're all differently sized people - your amounts may vary naturally. The basic idea is to eat mostly veggies, so if you're doing that, you're probably just fine.

For myself, I eat 3 times a day, after about a 14-15 hour fast. The 2 ways to make sure I get enough veggies is to eat them for breakfast (sometimes in an omelette or lightly sautéed hash on the side) or in a smoothie (spinach is a great one to sneak into smoothies, but I've done cooked veggies like beets and carrots). And to include a salad with my lunch and/or dinner. Greens aren't that filling as say broccoli, and you can still add some other veggies into the salad to add to your total. Soups are also good for hiding lots of veggies.

Don't know if you look at any food blogs, but they have great ideas for hiding vegetables in your cooking, like making cauliflower rice instead of regular rice.

Good luck!
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