Life of Wry

Lots of talk these days about anti-dementia food choices. The MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet is the preferred strategy. It’s a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets. They are all about upping fatty fish (salmon, sardines), berries (esp blueberries), olive oil, dark leafy greens (like kale, chard, spinach), nuts, seeds, spices (turmeric, cinnamon), whole grains (oats, brown rice), cruciferous veggies (broc, Brussels), and poultry. Have I left anything out? They like foods high in antioxidants and polyphenols. They want you to minimize (or eliminate) red meats, butter, cheeses, sugar, and especially, ESPECIALLY processed foods.

We do that, mostly. I’m still sussing out whether my protein powder of choice is a processed food (most are, but the Transparent Labs brand may be okay). I’m also trying to figure out how much of the good stuff (cheese, butter, sweets) you can allow yourself, especially if you prioritize the MIND diet foods.

With that in mind (so to speak), Madeline’s theme tonight for our quarterly Dining Divas gathering was the Mind Diet. For her main dish, she made a Mediterranean chicken dish with rice and kale. Carol brought tsatsiki, olives and pita; Tracy brought roasted sesame carrots; Rissa brought a salad with a raspberry vinaigrette and I brought up the rear with this:

The photo is a pre-garnish version of the MIND Diet’s chocolate mousse. It’s made with — don’t gag — avocados, dutch cocoa powder and maple syrup (and a wee amount of vanilla, milk, salt). It was not sweet enough for me, so for that garnish, instead of pomegranate seeds, I used candied spiced walnuts and pecans (which I made, that had maple syrup, molasses, olive oil, and spices). I also served a MIND Diet version of banana bread (oat flour, ww flour, barely any sugar, but otherwise a common assortment of banana bread ingredients). None of that was exceptional, but all reasonably tasty and certainly checked a lot of MIND Diet boxes.

I’m satisfied that Jim and I eat well enough. Though I’m not planning to make that mousse again.