MIND Diet
The MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) is a hybrid of the mediterranean-diet and dash-diet, specifically designed to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline.
Core Components
Ten brain-healthy components (higher = better):
- Leafy-green vegetables (≥6 servings/week)
- Other vegetables (≥1/day)
- Berries (≥2 servings/week — uniquely emphasised)
- Nuts (≥5 servings/week)
- Olive oil (primary cooking fat)
- Whole grains (≥3 servings/day)
- Fish (≥1 serving/week)
- Beans (>4 meals/week)
- Poultry (≥2 servings/week)
- Wine (≤1 glass/day)
Five unhealthy components (lower = better):
- Butter/margarine, cheese, red meat, fast/fried food, pastries/sweets
MIND score: 0–15 (0, 0.5, or 1 per component)
Unique Features vs Mediterranean/DASH
The MIND diet specifically singles out berries (especially blueberries and strawberries) as a distinct category — not subsumed under “fruits” — because of specific evidence for their effects on cognitive aging. It also directly targets fried food and fast food as harmful categories.
Evidence for Healthy Aging
In Tessier et al. (2025), the MIND diet showed significant associations with healthy-aging across all domains. It was particularly associated with intact cognitive function, consistent with its brain-health focus.