MIND Diet: Recipes

What types of meals should you eat on MIND Diet?

You'll stock up on selections from the 10 brain-healthy food groups. Every day, you eat at least one leafy green vegetable – they're packed with lutein, important for staving off aging-related mental decline. You also pick at least one other daily vegetable. Berries, also lutein-rich, are the only fruit addressed in the MIND diet – focus on blueberries first, strawberries second. Nuts, another top-10 food, make great snacks. Beans and three servings of whole grains work for lunch and side dishes. Olive oil is your choice for salad dressing and cooking. You dine on fish at least once a week, and poultry twice weekly or more. A daily glass of wine rounds out your diet. Meanwhile, you avoid foods from the five brain-unhealthy groups. Weekly, that's fewer than four servings of red meat and meat products, fewer than five sweets or pastries, and less than a serving of cheese, fried food or fast food. With butter, you're limited to less than 1 tablespoon a day.

MIND Diet Meal Plan

Here's a day of typical meals, which was developed by U.S. News and based on the Mediterranean and DASH diets.

Breakfast

6 ounces Greek yogurt topped with 1/2 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup strawberries
1 slice whole-grain toast with half an avocado, mashed

Snack

1/3 cup almonds, unsalted

Lunch

Sandwich:

• 2 slices whole-wheat bread
• 3/4 cup cooked chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salad:

• 1 cup romaine lettuce
• 1 cup fresh cucumber slices
• 1/2 cup tomato wedges
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon low-calorie Italian dressing

Dinner

Salad:

• 1/2 cup arugula
• 1/2 cup baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon vinaigrette dressing made with olive oil

3-ounce salmon topped with 1 teaspoon tarragon and 1 teaspoon mustard      
1/2 cup couscous, 1/2 cup zucchini and 4 asparagus spears
1 cup lima beans
5 ounces red wine

Snack

1/2 cup sliced almonds