“Nutty with a Dash of Meat” Jeanette Levellie here, with five ways to keep your brain healthy and circumvent future trouble. No matter your age or current mental state, you can avoid and fight dementia and Alzheimer’s disease The Alzheimer’s Association recommends four simple ways to circumvent these demonic maladies, and I have added one of my own:Â
1. Keep active physically. Exercise and physical activity that increases your heart rate maintains healthy blood flow to your brain, cheering on the growth of new brain cells.
2. Eat like a healthy person. Low-fat, low-cholesterol diets right in antioxidants like colorful fruits and veggies, grilled fish, oatmeal, beans, yogurt, turkey, leafy greens, garlic and nuts can contribute to lowering cholesterol, which helps fight Alzheimer’s.
3. Stay socially involved. If you interact with others regularly, your stress levels may stay lower than those who are loners. Lower stress levels contribute to healthy connections among brain cells.
4. Keep doing mental chin-ups. Read a book on a topic you’ve never studied before, work harder Sudoku or crossword puzzles than you’re accustomed to, play a challenging game such as Scrabble or Dizzios, and have a stimulating, analytical conversation with a close friend. These activities stimulate and exercise the brain and may even create new nerve cells.
5. (mine) Talk for life, not death. The writer of Proverbs says, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” If you lose your car keys or forget your favorite uncle’s name, instead of saying, “Oh, I guess I’m getting Alzheimer’s,” say, “I will find those keys-Lord, please lead me to them,” and “I know I know his name; it will come to me.”
Use the power of words to your advantage, to strengthen your brain, not weaken it. Don’t buy into the popular idea that you have to go downhill mentally as you age. Think positive, eat and act positive, and speak words of faith over your brain, and you will fight dementia and Alzheimer’s and WIN!
Which one of these dementia-overcoming tips are you going to implement into your life today?Â