By Alex Baran,
Project Weight Loss Staff Writer
July 17, 2009 If you follow a "heart healthy" diet, you can experience less cognitive decline as you age, according to the Utah researchers. One of the "heart healthy" diets is the DASH diet. Let’s have a quick over the most efficient heart healthy diets.
The DASH Diet, also known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, offers a solution not only to lose weight, but also to lower the blood pressure by reducing salt intake down to 1500 mg. This diet promises successful results even after only two weeks. You can find an article on Project Weight Loss about the DASH Diet.
Here are some foods that protect your heart and blood vessels: salmon, flaxseed, oatmeal, black or kidney beans, almonds, walnuts, red wine, tuna, tofu, brown rice, soy milk, blueberries, carrots, spinach, broccoli, sweet potato, red bell peppers, asparagus, oranges, tomatoes, acorn squash, cantaloupe, papaya, dark chocolate, and tea.
A good heart healthy diet keeps your blood cholesterol low and decreases the chance of developing heart disease. It includes 8-10% of total calories from saturated fat consumed daily; at most 30% of total calories from fat consumed daily; at most 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol consumed daily; 2400 milligrams of sodium intake per day.
As I was saying, this diet lowers blood pressure and protects you from mental decline. The participants of the study who closely followed a DASH diet have shown high cognitive functioning over time.
According to other researchers the Mediterranean diet (you can find an article about this diet too on Project Weight Loss) also helps the cognitive function. The Mediterranean diet is characterized by an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, bread, potatoes, beans, nuts, and seeds. The olive oil is the source of monosaturated fats. The poultry and red meat consumption is limited.
The DASH Diet, the Mediterranean diet, and other heart healthy foods can keep you sharper as you age and lower the blood pressure. These findings are important for your lifestyle since there are more than 26 million people with dementia around the world.
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