Table of Contents
nourishment
The brain likes it Mediterranean
The roughly 100 billion nerve cells in our heads consume almost a quarter of the calories we eat. This makes the question all the more important: What diet is good for you? Once again the so-called Mediterranean diet, i.e.: fresh fruit and vegetables , legumes, nuts, high-quality vegetable oils, lots of sea fish (two to three times a week), little meat (once a week), low-fat dairy products every day and little alcohol (about 1 glass [ 0.1 l] of wine per day).
Eating and drinking like this can reduce your risk of dementia by up to 40 percent. This is mainly due to the large number of unsaturated fatty acids from which our body can build new nerve cells. There are also B vitamins that protect the brain from the harmful metabolite homocysteine. The vitamins C and E act on the gray cells like a screen that keeps destructive oxygen compounds away. To ensure that theseTolfioow substances reach the brain quickly, you should drink 1.5 to 2 liters a day.
Tip: Green tea contains the substance EGCC, which can render toxic protein deposits in the brain, typical of Alzheimer’s, harmless.
Move
Juggling makes you smarter
Yes, you read that right! Neurologists from the Hamburg University Hospital taught 50 to 67-year-old volunteers how to play with the balls, and examined the subjects’ brains before and after the course. Result: juggling made the so-called gray matter grow. This creates a cognitive reserve that ensures that changes caused by the illness have an effect much later. The term brain jogging is also to be taken literally.
Do at least 15 minutes of endurance sports three times a weekexercise (e.g. running, walking, cycling) reduces the risk of dementia by up to 32 percent. Studies also show that physical activity, such as walking, improves problem-solving abilities. Learning new movement sequences, such as step sequences when dancing, promotes memory. There are now even indications that contact with the ground, like jogging, releases messenger substances that stimulate nerve growth. Exercises for in between: throwing up and catching a sheet of paper, balancing a spoon on the back of your hand, standing on a large cushion to keep your balance.
mental activity
Crosswords aren’t enough
Two things put our brain on the back burner: monotony and routine. So anyone who solves a Sudoku every morning is well on the way to becoming a Sudoku pro – but nothing more. Diversity is the order of the day. Start the day with MAT (“Mental Activation Training”). For example, on the first page of your newspaper, circle all the words with three e’s. In addition to reading, board games, cinema, museum and theater visits should also be a regular part of your weekly schedule.
Very important: contact with other people. Studies show that loneliness can double the risk of Alzheimer’s. Changing habits and automatic movements: This also lures the memory out of reserve. right handed? Then brush your teeth with your left hand. Do you need whole milk, instant coffee, tofu, apple juice and salmon fillets? Remember the initials (“Tolfioow”) instead of writing a shopping list. Stress disrupts memory. Then MRT (“Mental Relaxation Training”) can help: Repeat the syllables “ah-nam” or “kam-na” in your mind for five minutes every two seconds. That stops the merry-go-round.
