Your Brain's Ideal Day
By Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D. End your day feeling as sharp as when you started with these strategies:
Fill your cup. Coffee (six cups a day) can reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease by more than 20 percent.
Rise to the challenge. Hit a tough problem first thing in the morning? Good! Constant mental challenges are Miracle-Gro for your mind.
Walk to lunch. Regular, moderate exercise cuts dementia odds in half.
Order up some Mediterranean food. Eating more fish, fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes than most Americans do (not difficult!) reduces your risk of Alzheimer's by up to 40 percent. (This also means avoiding added sugars, syrups, trans fats, saturated fats and any grain but 100 percent whole grain.)
Spice it up. Indians have 75 percent less brain dysfunction and Alzheimer's at the same age as Westerners. The reason: It's thought to be the curcumin-derivative turmeric found in curry (and inexpensive mustards).
Savor a little chocolate. Chocolate keeps your brain happy, possibly by keeping your arteries young.
Slice it (on the ping-pong table). Playing a sport that requires fast changes in direction improves balance and memory.
Practice! Playing music bolsters language areas of your brain. Bonus: You can be bad at it (keep the day job!) and still benefit.
Pop some DHA and D. DHA is the omega-3 fat that helps keep brain cells young. Get 600 mg a day from fortified foods or DHA supplements. And add 1,000 IU of vitamin D-3 to help keep the arteries going to your brain younger, too.
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The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of "YOU: On a Diet." Want more? See "The Dr. Oz Show" on TV (check local listings). To submit questions, go to www.RealAge.com. (c) 2010 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc. The YOU Docs -- Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz -- are authors of the best-selling "YOU: The Owner's Manual" and "YOU: On a Diet." To submit questions and find ways to grow younger and healthier, go to www.RealAge.com, the docs' online home.
Read more about By Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D. at ArcaMax.com.
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