The old saying, “You are what you eat,” applies to maintaining a healthy brain. Although there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease, studies have found that making mindful dietary choices can help fight against it. 

Sometimes it can be tough coming up with a new menu when you’re used to eating damaging foods like red meat or pastries. Although habits can be hard to break, creating new cravings will not only help your body, but your mind too. When preparing dinner for yourself, or a loved one, here are five tips to incorporate into your meals:

A balanced diet is an essential part of maintaining cognitive health.

1. Make a Salad. Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene. These plant-based foods may help slow cognitive decline.
2. Sear Salmon in Olive Oil. Fatty fish are full of omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats are essential for helping to lower the levels of beta-amyloid in the brain—the protein which causes Alzheimer’s. By searing fish in olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, you’re getting even more of the healthy fats that your brain craves. Take it a step further and carve up some slices of avocado on the side—avocado is another terrific source of omega-3.
3. Legumes. Packed with vitamin B, beans, lentils, and soybeans and great for your brain. Toss them in a salad, make a soup, or add some tofu to your meal to reap the benefits of legumes.
4. Berries for dessert. Why not get your sweet fix and your flavonoids—which help improve memory—all at once? A study done by researchers at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that women who consumed two or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week delayed memory decline by up to two and a half years.
5. Red Wine. Don’t indulge and drink the whole bottle, but research shows that small doses of red wine could be beneficial for the brain. Have a glass, and cheers to your health.

Our bodies and minds are more linked than we often realize, but when we work to bring them into alignment, with care and consideration, health is our reward.  A balanced, plant-based, diet is a key component to fighting against Alzheimer’s disease.