Finding the right diet can be a monumental challenge. It’s tough to choose a diet that not only promotes weight loss/fat loss but also provides all the nutrients your body needs to function properly. Far too many diets involve calorie deprivation, elimination of important nutrients, or an imbalance of macro and micronutrients.
But, if there’s one diet that has been proven effective time and again, it’s the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet. The MIND diet is the creation of Martha Clare Morris, a nutritional epidemiologist at Rush University Medical Center, and her colleagues. The diet was created after four and a half years of painstaking study, combining the U.S. government recommended DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet with the balanced Mediterranean diet—two of the top rated diets in the world.
The MIND diet focuses on eating fruits and veggies, legumes, poultry, whole grains and cereals, seeds, nuts, and moderate amounts of wine (one glass every two days). It also cuts back on red meat, cheeses, margarine, butter, pastries, fried foods, sweets, and fast food.
But what makes the MIND diet so effective is the fact that it combines the heart-smart DASH diet with the brain-boosting Mediterranean diet. The combination of these two diets has been proven to reduce hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, stroke, and Alzheimer’s/dementia. Strictly adhering to the diet can slow the decline of cognitive function associated with aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
U.S. News & World Report rated the MIND diet the “Easiest Diet to Follow.” The MIND diet also tied for second place as the “Best Diet Overall,” and third place for “Best Diet for Healthy Eating.” It’s also among the top ranked “Diets for Diabetes,” “Heart Healthy Diets,” “Weight Loss Diets,” and “Fast Weight Loss Diets.”
U.S. News & World Report creates its list only after painstaking months of researching medical journals, government reports, and other data to create complete profiles that explain how the diet works, the proof behind its claims, the health risks, and the benefits of each diet. The fact that they ranked the MIND diet so highly means it’s a diet worth considering.
The fact that it’s ranked as “The Easiest Diet to Follow” means it’s the ideal diet for most people. Considering the busy lives we lead, a complex diet is often forgotten or abandoned after a short period. The easy eating of the MIND diet makes it not just a you-friendly diet, but one you’ll be able to sustain over the long term.
Reference:
1. Rush University Medical Center. “MIND Diet Repeatedly Ranked Among Best.” ScienceDaily. Accessed January 12, 2017.
