MIND Diet

Why the MIND Diet?

I care for my mom, who has dementia and some chronic health issues. While researching ways to improve her physical and cognitive health—and preserve my own—I came across the MIND diet. It has also has also been shown to support healthy aging and cardiovascular health, including lowering blood pressure, which would be beneficial for me.

Researchers tested the effectiveness of the diet by assessing the diet and cognitive abilities of hundreds of people for ten years. They found that people who followed the the diet even moderately well had a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline, and a lower rate of Alzheimer’s disease than those who didn’t.

The MIND diet is simple and flexible, with minimal requirements, allowing you plenty of freedom to enjoy the foods you like.

Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian, or nutritionist. Please contact someone trained in nutrition if you have questions about the safety of the MIND diet.

What is it?

MIND is an acronym for Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. Researchers devised the MIND diet by combining elements of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, both of which had been shown to slow cognitive decline, with modifications based on the most compelling findings in the diet-dementia field.

The MIND diet is a Mediterranean style diet that:

  • is a flexible dietary pattern for life, not a rigidly defined set of specific quantities of foods;
  • emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and legumes;
  • includes fish, poultry, olive oil and nuts;
  • limits added sugars, sugary beverages, highly processed foods, saturated fats, and fatty meats.

It has a few recommendations that are more specific than the Mediterranean and DASH diets. It recommends:

  • green leafy vegetables as a separate group from other vegetables;
  • avoiding oils other than olive oil;
  • berries over other fruits;
  • strictly limiting red meats, sweets and dairy products that are high in saturated fats.

The MIND diet organizes 15 food groups into two categories: healthy and unhealthy. The original research paper lists these groups and the recommended number of servings for each. Unfortunately, the group classifications are somewhat vague with limited examples listed, and it doesn’t define serving sizes.

The table below shows the categories, groups and recommended number of servings from the research paper. Serving sizes and examples were collected from several books and other other sources.

Food Group Serving Size Servings Notes
Healthy
Whole Grains
  • 1/2 cup cooked
  • 1 slice bread
 3 or more / day Whole-grain breads, pasta, cereal and crackers, brown or wild rice, quinoa, barley, bulgur, farro, oats, popcorn, corn tortillas.
Green Leafy Vegetables
  • 1 cup raw
  • 1/2 cup cooked
 6 or more / week Dark leafy greens include spinach, kale, collards, Swiss chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, arugula, endive, grape leaves, romaine lettuce, spring mix/mixed greens, and bok choy, etc. Exclude iceberg and Bibb lettuce.
Other Vegetables
  • 1/2 cup cooked
  • raw cut up
 1 or more / day Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, green beans, mushrooms, onions, okra, pumpkin, snow peas, squash, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes or tomato sauce, yams, etc. Exclude white potatoes and vegetable juice.
Nuts & Seeds
  • 1 oz nuts
  • 2 tablespoon of nut butter
 5 or more / week Almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, pistachios; seeds such as pumpkin, chia, flax, sunflower, hemp, nut and seed butters. Exclude nut or nut yogurts, candied nuts, powdered peanut butter.
Beans & Legumes
  • 1/2 cup cooked
 3 or more / week Black, pinto, cannellini, kidney, lima, red/white, and navy beans, chickpeas, lentils, split peas, tofu, edamame, tempeh, and hummus. Exclude soy based meat substitutes.
Poultry
  • 3-5 oz
 2 or more / week White-meat chicken and turkey (skinless, deli-style, or ground). Exclude fried poultry, dark meat, duck.
Berries
  • 1/2 cup
 2 or more / week Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries. Exclude dried berries, cranberry sauce.
Fish & Seafood
  • 3-5 oz
 1 or more / week Salmon, tuna, tilapia, cod, mahi-mahi, halibut, scallops, clams, oysters, shrimp, lobster, etc. Exclude fried.
Unhealthy
Pastries & Sweets
  • 1 pastry or sweet
  • 8 fluid oz drink
 less than 5 / week Biscuits, cakes, sweet rolls, pies, doughnuts, cookies, brownies, candy bars, ice cream, pudding, milkshakes, and sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened waters, coffees, and teas. Exclude hard candy, gelatin.
Red Meat and products
  • 3-5 oz
 less than 4 / week Beef, roast, steak, hamburger, pork, ham, lamb, hot dogs, sausages, bacon, bologna. Exclude pork loin/tenderloin, meat alternatives.
Butter, Margarine
  • 1 teaspoon
 less than 1 / day Butter, margarine, butter-olive oil blends. Exclude “heart-healthy” buttery spreads in a tub such as Smart Balance, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter etc.
Cheese
  • 1 oz
 less than 1 / week Full-fat mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, colby, ricotta, cottage, cream cheese, and all other whole-milk cheeses. Exclude low-fat or fat-free cheeses.
Fried Foods
  • meal
 less than 1 / week Any deep-fried food such as potato chips, tortilla chips, french fries, fried chicken or other fried meat, falafel, hushpuppies, empanadas, etc. Exclude pan-fried, sautéed, or air-fried foods.

How has it worked?

I’ve only been on the MIND diet for about a month, so it’s hard to judge how effective it has been.

I wouldn’t say that I’ve seen any change in my mom’s condition, but it’s been really hard to get her to follow it very closely. She continues to eat a lot of sweets, but I have been able to work a little more leafy green vegetables, whole grains, and fish into her diet.

I’ve been following the plan much better. Before starting the diet, I primarily ate proteins with some vegetables and very little carbohydrates and sugars. It has been challenging to incorporate enough beans, whole grains, and leafy greens into my diet.

Since starting the diet, I’ve felt great, never hungry, or feeling like I’m sacrificing. My blood pressure has been significantly better, and I have lost several pounds which I wasn’t trying to do.

My thoughts

The MIND diet is very flexible, with its minimum daily recommendations accounting for less than half of a 2,000-calorie diet. This is great because it gives you the freedom to enjoy the foods you like.

Unfortunately, in order to use it as the basis of a healthy diet, this flexibility combined with the lack of quality information online requires either: a large amount of research and knowledge of nutrition, consulting with person trained in nutrition, or a reputable book on the the diet.

I can recommend the following books:

For more information

For more information on the MIND diet see:

For more information the DASH diet see:

For more information on the Mediterranean diet see: