Contrast these drastic tactics to the methods used by David Finestone, the forty-nine-year-old corporate executive that I described in the introduction. He came to see me with the symptom of forgetting names and appeared to have suffered from a very small stroke. Based on my advice, he lost weight by cutting back on his intake of saturated fats, primarily red meat and pizza. His program also included eating more fresh fruit and green vegetables, in addition to beginning regular physical exercise. Over time, these changes worked wonders for him. A sensible diet supplemented by a regular exercise regimen is by far the best strategy to lose weight. Why this simple, conventional approach is shunned by so many has always mystified me; perhaps they want a quick fix rather than wait for the slower, but more permanent, results from a long-term program.
Avoid Saturated Fats
A saturated fat-rich diet can indirectly lead to memory loss. High cholesterol levels lead to fatty plaques that deposit themselves on the inner walls of arteries and slow down blood flow in the brain.
If this slowing of flow occurs in a small artery (as is common), blood clots gradually form and cause a ministroke, and depending on which part of the brain is damaged, cognitive deficits can occur. If hippocampal or specific frontal lobe nerve cells are affected, memory loss will be the result. The best time to focus on dietary preventive techniques is before these lesions develop, because after a ministroke, the dead nerve cells cannot be regenerated. Another reason for cutting back on saturated fats is that they increase the number of free radicals, which are toxic to most brain cells and can produce memory loss.
What’s Good for Your Heart Is Good for Your Brain
A diet that is good for the heart is equally good for the brain. Foods that are low in saturated fats and high in fiber content and vitamins and minerals are ideal to prevent heart disease and stroke, and decrease free radical formation. The following table provides a broad overview of common foods and their relative nutritional content, and their potential impact on memory. Butter, margarine, and desserts are among the worst offenders, as is red meat. I strongly advise you to cook with oils high in unsaturated fats: canola, sunflower, corn, or olive oil. Walnuts contain a lot of “good” cholesterol and unsaturated fatty acids, but most nuts, including peanuts, are fairly high in saturated fat content and hence bad for you. Next come milk products with high concentrations of fat, particularly cheese. Milk itself and yogurt also contain some saturated fats, but in lower concentrations. Low-fat yogurt is an improvement but still contains some fats and cholesterol.
Egg whites are made up of albumin, which is a near-perfect protein source, but the yellow yolk is pure cholesterol. I recommend chicken without the skin, which contains a lot of saturated fat. Fish not only has the advantage of high protein and low fat content, but some species like cod and halibut contain the “good” fats (including omega-3 fatty acids) and cholesterol, which may actually reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, the fish-eating Japanese have one of the lowest rates of heart attacks in the world. So the old saying that fish is good for your heart and for your brain isn’t too far off the mark.
Taken From: The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss
and Enhance Memory Power
