The MIND Diet For Eye Health

Your eyes are not separate from your brain. Indeed, they are part of the same system. That is why we take nutrition seriously when we talk about protecting vision as you age, especially if you are worried about macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, dry eye, or the slow creep of cognitive decline.

We dig into the MIND diet, a research-backed blend of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet for blood pressure, and explain why it is so compelling for both brain health and eye health. I break down what the science is really saying, including long-term data that tracks older adults over years and findings that link higher MIND diet adherence with dramatically lower Alzheimer’s risk. We also talk honestly about supplements: they can help, but diet and lifestyle do more heavy lifting when your goal is healthy circulation, lower inflammation, and stronger protection against oxidative stress.

You will leave with a clear “what to eat” list you can actually use: whole grains, vegetables with an emphasis on leafy greens, nuts like walnuts, fiber-rich beans, antioxidant berries, olive oil, plus fish and poultry if you include them. We also cover what to limit, including pastries and sweets, fried foods, margarine with trans fats, and excessive red meat and cheese. To round it out, we pair the food plan with practical movement, including a simple aerobic routine and a short workout concept aimed at boosting nitric oxide for better blood flow.

If you care about keeping your mind and your sight, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these natural, complementary strategies.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

This is the Natural Eye Care Podcast, hosted by leading holistic optometrist Dr. Mark R. Grossman. Senior citizens are at the highest risk of developing macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, dry eye, and more. The Natural Eye Care Podcast provides complementary and natural approaches to vision problems, eye health, and overall health. Find out how lifestyle, diet, and nutrition can help maintain healthy vision and even improve eyesight. Dr. Grossman has degrees in optometry, biology, physical education, and learning disabilities. He is a New York State licensed acupuncturist. With forty years of experience, he has co-authored the book Natural Eye Care Your Guide to Healthy Vision and Healing. Dr.

Why The MIND Diet Matters

Where The MIND Diet Comes From

What To Eat On MIND

What To Avoid And Why

Research Results Plus Action Steps

Resources, Contact, And Subscribe

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Grossman. This podcast is on the mind diet. Why do I like the mind diet? Because it's a combination of a Mediterranean diet and a DASH diet that helps blood pressure. And why do I like it? Because if it's good for the brain, it's good for the eyes. Embryologically, physiologically, neurologically, the eyes, brain tissue. So this diet has been shown to be really, really good for preventing dementia, Alzheimer's Parkinson's. So let's dive into what it's about. This targets the health of the aging brain. Dementia is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, driving many, many people to search for ways to prevent cognitive decline. If you watch television at all, you might see all these ads for different supplements and this and that to help your brain from aging and getting dementia. Yes, supplements can be helpful. We have some great ones that we've researched on natural eyecare.com. But diet and lifestyle is more important. Dr. Martha Morris at Rush University Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health published two papers introducing the mind diet. Both the Mediterranean and the DASH diet that was good for blood pressure have been associated with preserving of cognitive function, presumably through their protective effects against cardiovascular disease, which of course in turn preserved brain health. The research team followed a group of older adults for up to 10 years. They were recruited from more than 40 retirement communities. More than a thousand participants filled out the dietary questionnaires. A mind diet school was developed to identify foods and nutrients which helped protect against dementia and cognitive decline. The effects of the mind diet on cognition showed greater effects than either the Mediterranean or the DASH diet alone. How does it work? You might want to get a pencil and paper to write it down. The healthy items, the mind diet guidelines, are three plus servings a day of whole grains, one plus servings a day of vegetables other than green leafy vegetables, six plus servings a week of the green leafy vegetables. Five plus servings a week of nuts. I love the walnuts because they're really good in omega-3s. But walnuts, almonds, pistachios, all great. Four plus meals a week of leans. I like the black beans because they're the highest ones in fiber. But all of them are good kidney, chickpeas, canela beans. Love my beans every day. Two plus servings a week, even though I think it should be more, of those berries, those blueberries, those blackberries, those dark grapes, all really good. Berries. Two plus meals a week of poultry if you're not a vegetarian. One plus meals a week of fish if you're not a vegetarian. Mainly olive oil. Extra virgin organic olive oil if needed. The unhealthy items are saturated and trans fats. Cut out those pastries and sweets. Try to really reduce that red meat, unless it's organic and grass-fed. Try to reduce cheese and especially fried foods. And please take away margarine for its trans fats. The research has shown that a 50% lower rate of Alzheimer's disease for those with the highest mind diet scores, indicating a higher intake of foods on the mind diet. Even those participants who had moderate mind diet scores showed a 35% lower rate compared to those with the lowest mind scores. A 2023 randomized controlled trial followed 604 adults aged 65 and older. They found that those who did the mind diet and reduced their intake by 250 calories per day, both groups also lost about 11 pounds. But the mind diet group showed greater improvements in diet quality score. The authors examined changes in the brain using MRI imaging. Nutrition experts commenting on the study noted that those with the improved diet quality showed much less dementia and improve cognitive function. You can go online and look up the mind diet. And not only is it good for cognitive issues and eye issues, but it also will help improve cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Please look into the mind diet and don't forget to exercise at least four times a week, 20 minutes a day of aerobic exercise. Also, look up Dr. Zach Bush, the four-minute workout, to increase your nitric oxide levels. So we want to help you keep your mind and your eyes. So visit us at naturaley care.com to keep your precious gift of sight and your precious gift of your mind.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

For more information, visit naturaleycare.com and doctorgrossman2020.com. Our email address is info at naturaley care.com. If you have any questions, call us 845-475-4158. And if you don't already subscribe to this podcast, please subscribe and review us.