Dementia diet

This article is suitable for those readers who are in their early 50s, or even younger and not yet afflicted by any telltale signs of dementia. As a principle Porosh believes in preventive care so that we never rue the fact of not having taken adequate precautions while in our prime. The contents of this write-up have been adapted from a write-up ‘Dementia diet: The vegetables you should eat weekly to ward off memory loss for longer’ published by Aimee Robinson in https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health. Although the research findings pertain to the West yet the basic content remains relevant for us Indians.

While dementia cannot be cured, scientific research over the years has found that certain lifestyle factors can hold off symptoms for longer. Although sleep, exercise and alcohol consumption all play a pivotal role in keeping the brain healthy, diet is among one of the best ways to ensure you are fuelling your brain with nutrients.

There are a number of foods likes berries, fish and nuts. However, one group of vegetables rises to the top of the charts when it comes to their memory-boosting attributes. According to the rules of the MIND diet, people should try to eat a minimum of six portions of green leafy vegetables each week. Leafy greens include salad vegetables and can be enjoyed as a side with a protein of your choice. Moreover, if the amount of leafy greens consumed is increased, it can have even more benefits for neurological health.

A study published in Neurology in January 2018 found that eating half a cup cooked or one cup raw of leafy green vegetables every day was associated with a slower decline in brain function. Furthermore, researchers at Tufts Human Nutrition Research Centre on Ageing in Boston and Rush University in Chicago, found that from a group of 960 participants, those who ate leafy greens were the equivalent of 11 years younger than those who shunned the vegetables. According to the researchers, many of the nutrients packed into leafy greens are what makes them so beneficial. Lutein, vitamin K, nitrate, folate, alphatocopherol, beta-carotene and kaempferol were all identified as key players in boosting cognitive health.

However, leafy greens are not the only vegetable beneficial to brain health and memory maintenance. According to the MIND diet, eating any other portion of vegetables as part of your weekly diet can also play a crucial role. Despite this, though, experts do say that diets are not a "cure-all", and should be followed as a suggestion rather than a solid solution.

Nikolaos Scarmeas, MD, associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center and at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens said: "It may be prudent to follow such diets even with suggestive, rather than proven, evidence regarding their cognitive benefits."

We hope that the readers of this blog who are not necessarily senior citizens and thus, make relevant lifestyle changes.

In quest of happiness

Quite often we say that happiness is a state of mind. But how many of us comprehend the underlying meaning? Perhaps not many. An analogy of a child could help us appreciate it better. A child of a few months is a bundle of joy so long as its basic needs are taken care of. Anyone coming in contact with the child also feels happy. If observed minutely a child is incapable of attributing its happiness to any object external to it as the faculty of ownership is not yet developed. Thus, even a seemingly trivial object like a piece of paper is good enough to him/ her cheerful. But, as adults, we usually seek happiness in acquiring material objects. Therefore, a question that should bother a reflective mind is the source of happiness whether it is external, or internal.

Actually it is both. The internal source of happiness is self-sustaining and can be nurtured through self-disciplining techniques etc. However, we are not taught to look inwards for seeking happiness. It is always externally projected. Hence, acquisition of new objects gives us joy but its impact is only momentary.

One may, with experience, realize this inevitable truth of life but it often this realization comes tad too late for us to cultivate the habit of looking inwards and thus, be in a state of cheerfulness most of the time.

Prevention is better than cure

Lest Porosh sounds cynical and desirous of cashing-in on the fear of others (and that too senior citizens), well then, it is a case of misplaced perception. In one of our earlier articles we had mentioned the role of organizations like us who are committed and dedicated to the well-being of elderly people in need of support has a duty to make them of aware of the happenings around so that they take preventive measures so that it is never too late.

As we are aware, the 3rd Wave has taken-off in India and who knows if it will not take the form of a tsunami soon! Hence, the need of the hour is to remain cautious and not let our guards off. While travelling on the streets of Kolkata one gets an impression that we have not learnt from our terrifying experience during the 2nd wave of Covid only a few months ago.

The basic practice of following social distancing, wearing mask and sanitizing of hands are being flouted. Such cavalier approach seems to suggest as though we have developed herd immunity against the deadly virus. Let us share an example to indicate how shallow is our understanding about the lethal virus. The other day while travelling in Metro we overheard a person observing, “Jaak duto dose vaccine neoa hoye gechhe, aar kono bhoy nei.” (Now that I have been vaccinated twice, I do not have anything to fear of.) So, what else can be a more fertile ground for the virus to spread its tentacles if not this?

Hence, we felt that we sound once again caution our readers, members and clients about the impending disaster. Although it cannot be averted yet the impact of it can be minimized by adhering to the Stand Operating Procedure (SOPs).