Yield: 4 servings | Prep: 10 minutes | Ready in: 25-30 minutes
Why we love it:
The food choices you make daily just might reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The MIND diet - a hybrid of two proven diets, the DASH and Mediterranean diets - zeroes in on foods in each diet that specifically affect brain health. And since the focus is on nutritious whole foods, this eating plan is also good for your heart and overall health even if you already make appropriate choices most of the time.
With the MIND diet, you eat foods from these 10 food groups:
1. Green leafy vegetables, like spinach and salad greens (6 or more servings a week)
2. Other vegetables (at least 1 a day)
3. Whole grains (3 or more servings a day)
4. Berries (2 or more servings a week)
5. Beans (3 or more servings a week)
6. Nuts (5 servings a week)
7. Fish high in Omega-3 oils, like salmon (once a week)
8. Poultry, like chicken or turkey (2 times a week)
9. Olive oil (use as your primary cooking oil)
10. Wine (1 glass a day, optional)
And you avoid:
1. Butter and margarine (less than 1 tablespoon daily)
2. Fried or fast food (less than 1 serving a week)
3. Cheese (less than 1 serving a week)
4. Red meat (less than 4 servings a week)
5. Pastries and sweets (less than 5 servings a week)
To help get you started, here is an easy Omega-3-rich salmon recipe.
What you need:
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional olive oil for greasing baking pan
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of lemon
teaspoon salt
teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound salmon, cut into 4-ounce serving sizes
What you do:
1. Prepare a baking or broiling pan by lining with foil and brushing foil with olive oil.
2. Preheat broiler (approximately 500 degrees).
3. Mix together 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper to make a well-blended paste.
4. Place fish skin-side down on baking sheet. Spread seasoning paste over flesh.
5. Broil fish at second rack away from heat for 5 minutes or less, just enough to sear fish but not burn herbs.
6. Lower fish to the third or fourth rack and lower broiler heat to 325 degrees. Bake for 10 additional minutes, or until fish is cooked through in the thickest portion.