Although we all know that diet is important when it comes to our health, today’s hectic pace of life can make it all too easy to get into bad eating habits and forget crucial nutrients. However, failing to eat a balanced diet isn’t just detrimental to our short-term wellbeing – it could also have an impact on our future health and quality of life.
Getting the right nutrients now, and developing good eating habits, can help to protect you from a wide range of diseases and conditions, including dementia. Keep reading to find out more.
Diet and dementia
According to the Alzheimer’s Society, making basic changes to your diet can reduce your chances of developing dementia by as much as 53%. This dramatic reduction can be achieved by making just a few small changes to your diet, something that all of us should be able to achieve with a little help and guidance.
Whole grains
Whole grains have been shown to be incredibly beneficial when it comes to boosting our health. Swapping white rice for whole grain and plain pasta for brown are two easy ways to boost the amount of whole grain in your diet. Ideally, you should be eating around three portions of whole grain foods a day if you want to get maximum health benefits from the food source.
Leafy green veg
Leafy green vegetables, like spinach, kale and chard, have been shown to help sharpen the memory and improve mental function. You can easily incorporate green veg into your meals by throwing a handful of spinach into your pasta sauces, adding kale to your curries and mixing chard in with your stir fry. Aim to eat these nutrition-packed ingredients at least six times per week.
Swap red meat for veg
Reducing the amount of red meat you eat, while increasing the amount of veg in your diet, is a great way to improve your overall health. Although red meat contains a lot of beneficial nutrients, eating too much can be harmful to your health, so try to avoid digging into stakes and fatty roasts more than four times a week. Swap your red meat for veg to give your diet a further boost.
Fish and chicken
If you don’t like the idea of veggie cooking but want to make your diet a little healthier, you can simply swap red meat for fish or chicken when cooking up your nightly feast. Low in fat and high in nutrients, fish and chicken make great alternatives to steaks and sausages. Grill or steam your ingredients to reduce the amount of fat you’re eating and make your meals as healthy as possible.
Beans, nuts and berries
Beans, nuts and berries are all packed full of healthy nutrients. Upping the amount you eat will help to ensure your body is getting the vitamins and minerals it needs to stay healthy and happy. Try to eat berries twice a week, beans three times a week and nuts whenever you’re feeling peckish to supercharge your diet and boost your health.
Making these quick and easy changes to your diet should help you to improve your health both in the short and long term.
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