Dementia and Alzheimer's care is on the rise in America. The problems have been linked to diet, but scientists have found that the MIND diet can decrease many of the factors that lead to debilitating cognition and memory loss. If you are not familiar with the MIND diet, here is a breakdown of it and why it helps reduce risk factors for Alzheimer's and dementia.

Most People Are Not Getting Enough Brain-Healthy Vitamins

The MIND diet provides lots of vitamins E, C, antioxidants, amino acids and good fats for the brain. People with Alzheimer's are deficient in one or more of these nutrients, but eating foods with high content of any of these nutrients seems to help slow the progression of the disease and even improve some cognitive function. Your doctor has probably already told you that you should eat more fish or consume fish oil capsules as a supplement to your diet, and fish is one of the food items the MIND diet recommends.

Other Foods the MIND Diet Says You Should Eat

Along with fatty fish like salmon and tuna, you should eat:

• Lots of leafy greens (iceberg lettuce does not count!)
• Lots of non-starch vegetables (corn and peas do not count!)
• Blueberries and strawberries, which are both high in vitamin C and antioxidants
• Beans and lentils
• Lots of nuts
• Whole grain breads with no additives, preservatives, or bleached flour
• Olive oil only for cooking, marinating, and/or salad dressing
• Poultry instead of red meat or pork
• A single glass of red wine everyday for the brain-boosting grape extracts (drinking more than one glass a day has the opposite effect as too much alcohol can kill brain cells)

Most of the foods that the MIND diet says you should avoid are already foods you know you should not eat, such as red meat and sweets or pastries.

What You Can Do If a Loved One Already Has Alzheimer's

If your family member has already been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, then you can encourage him or her to change the way they eat and get on the MIND diet. Doctors are already prescribing this diet to patients in nursing homes and extended care facilities to help slow down the disease and boost the positive effects of Alzheimer's medications. If your loved one is still living at home, it is easy to switch them onto this diet. Once in-home Alzheimers care begins or you move your relative to a nursing facility, then the diet has already been ingrained as routine and it can follow your family member wherever he or she goes.