Eating lots of cruciferous vegetables such as collard greens, kale, and beets slows down the process of cognitive decline as you get older, contributing to the fight against memory loss.
A balanced and healthy diet with lots of vegetables and fruits not only provides many nutrients but is also good for health, preventing heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s… Among them, some vegetables The cruciferous family provides vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help fight cognitive decline and memory loss.
According to the American Heart Association, beets contain lots of fiber and are rich in vitamins A, B, C, K, folate (vitamin B9), and sodium which are good for health. Vitamins C and K contribute to strong bones. Some B vitamins from beets may reduce memory loss because they improve blood flow to the brain.
Beets also contain antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory properties that help prevent free radicals from damaging cells in the body and damaging DNA – a cause of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. , Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Drink beetroot juice, eat it raw, make salads, boil it, bake it, prepare fried or dried dishes, and pickle it to take advantage of its nutritional values.
Collard greens provide lots of vitamins A, C, K and beta carotene, and minerals like calcium bring many health benefits. A 2018 study by Rush University, USA, on nearly 1,000 participants aged 58-99, showed that eating green leafy vegetables including collard greens and kale is good for the brain, slowing down cognitive decline as you get older. .
People who ate the most (an average of 1.3 servings per day, each serving about 28 grams of vegetables) had a slower rate of cognitive decline, equivalent to being 11 years younger. The higher the intake of each nutrient and biologically active ingredient in green leafy vegetables (kale, collard greens, bok choy) such as phylloquinone and lutein, the slower cognitive decline in older people.
According to researchers, consuming about one serving per day of green leafy vegetables and foods rich in phylloquinone, lutein, nitrates, folate, α-tocopherol and kaempferol may be beneficial.
A 2005 Harvard Medical School study of more than 13,300 women found that total vegetable intake was associated with less cognitive decline.
Specifically, women in the group that ate the most cruciferous vegetables had the highest scores on cognitive tests (measuring general cognition, verbal memory, categorization fluency, and working memory) and the highest levels of cognitive performance. cognitive decline was slower than in the group that ate the least amount of this vegetable.