“JUST DO IT” (Nike)

Like most Americans Baby-boomers, I stare at myself in the mirror and wonder is that me? I don’t like what I see. Looking at the cover of GQ Magazine I say, “That’s it,” and I do one of three things. I put extra sugar on my fruit loops, sulk and get depressed. I pick up the newspaper with the headlines, “Disaster, Drought, Devastation, Deluge” and realize I’m not that bad off after all. Or, I pick up the latest diet book, South Beach, Zone, Atkins, Cortisol, Inflammatory, Mediterranean Diets, each volume 200-400 pages in length. My available time is only 20 minutes at most. Prior to writing this book, each above volume was opened only once in a frantic search to get the diet. I didn’t care why, when, or where, I just wanted to know how to lose those ugly pounds, to firm those flabby muscles, to lose those sagging jowls, to firm that sagging skin, to look like Mr. GQ! Below is the 20 minute pitch to begin the diet today, right now!

First, I will give you the guidelines to successful dieting. Second, the foods and supplements for the anti-Alzheimer’s menu. Finally, the fitness and mental exercise plan.

This will jump start you on the road to food for thought for mental health and an increased life expectancy worth living.

It is neuropsychological proven that a diet can becomes a lifestyle when one understands the rationale behind it. The excitement of the moment may keep one’s interest for one to two weeks. We provide this diet right up front in this chapter so you may eat, play, and live a fulfilling life while you read. For a life’s work, an opus that will spell a life-long contentment to “live long and prosper,” one needs to understand the rationale of the diet which you will obtain in the perusal of this book.

The Anti-Alzheimer’s Diet and Lifestyle is not another fad, fallacious hype. The Anti-Alzheimer’s Diet and Lifestyle is based on scientific evidence and double-blind studies from the most prestigious scientific journals, including Nature, Scientific America, Journal of Neurology, the Proceedings of the American Academy of Science, and those books mentioned above that have proven to be scientifically sound and noteworthy.

1. Keep a food journal. Initially, write down everything you eat for at least three days, this will help with self-awareness. Any diet, to become a habit, takes 28 days.
2. Plan on 5 meals a day breakfast, lunch, and dinner and two snacks one between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. Keep foods not vitamins as the primary sources of nutrients.
3. Take time to eat your meal, do it with friends or family, make it an occasion. Do not stand while eating!
4. The new food pyramid taken from the Harvard study is 30% carbs, 30% protein, 40% fats. Try to keep this proportion as it is vital to maintaining ones hormonal balance of insulin and glucagons essential for the Anti-Alzheimer Diet.
5. Fill your plate ½ with vegetables, ¼ whole grains, and ¼ protein (your serving of meat or fish should be no larger than the size of your palm or a deck of cards).
6. Limit intake of salt & sugar. Reduce intake of saturated fats, butter, fatty meats, trans fat found in frying oils and margarine, and foods high in cholesterol including egg yolks and red meats.
7. If you are trying to lose weight you will want to decrease your carbohydrate intake and make sure to consume complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and brown rice, instead of simple carbohydrates such as white rice, pasta, and white bread.
8. Don’t forget to include at least one serving of dairy but of the low-fat or nonfat variety such as cottage cheese and ricotta.
9. Snack on fruits including berries, the darker the better and apples and vegetables such as broccoli which is higher in vitamin C than oranges.
10. Get moving! Walk somewhere, anywhere, 10,000 steps per day can burn 500 calories, or 3,500 calories a week which is equal to one pound!
11. Do a puzzle, read a new book, sign up for a class, talk with friends or family, keep your mind going by engaging it actively at least 8 hrs per day. Watching TV is not actively engaging the brain!
12. Take a moment to de-stress everyday, meditate, drink tea, sit in a bath, go to the gym, take Kava Kava or other supplements.
13. Get a good night’s sleep! Eight hours is advised. Avoid exercise, news, or other stimulating activities as computer games two hours prior to sleep. Do not eat three hours before sleeping to reduce one’s destructive cortisol levels.

Fitness and Mental Exercise

Should include aerobic, non-aerobic, and flexibility.

1. Aerobic – 10,000 steps, 30 minutes walking, 1 hour tennis, etc. Important for cortisol stress reduction and weight loss.
2. Anaerobic – weight lifting 3 times a week, strengthening arms, chest, and legs. Important for growth hormone and thyroid stimulation.
3. Flexibility – pilates and yoga for relaxation and joint protection.
   

People who are aerobically fit tend to suffer less cognitive decline with normal aging and have less chances of developing AD. When Fred Gage of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, allowed mice to run at will - about five kilometers a day, they generated many more neurons in their hippocampus area compared to their sedentary counterparts.

A well-balanced exercise program is the key to optimum mental health While most people think of exercise as a way to reduce body weight , exercise does much more, including reducing insulin resistance and impotence.

A well-balanced exercise must include three components:

• Flexibility training
• Cardiovascular training.
• Strength training.

Suggested Amount:

Ideally, about 2000 calories should be burned per week. Working out with 30 minutes of aerobics exercise at moderate intensity 5 times a week plus 15-20 minutes of strength training 3 times a week will accomplish this goal.

Mental Exercise

1. Newspapers, magazines
2. Computer and computer games
3. Socialization
4. Cross word puzzles

Mental Capacity is not fixed. It can be increased and maintained through mental exercise. Just like physical exercise can maintain muscle lean muscle mass and increase strength and endurance so can mental exercise and socialization.

MEMORY TEST #1:

For those who fear they may have a memory problem or just want to see how good they are. Please answer “yes” or “no” to the following:

1. In the past month have you forgotten an important meeting or appointment?
2. Do you daily have problems with finding words to express yourself?
3. Do you forget where your keys are more than three times a week?
4. Have you forgotten what movie or TV show you saw or what it was about in the past week?
5. Do you often forget why you have entered a certain room?
6. Have you had your gas, electric, or telephone shut off because you forgot to pay the bill?
7. Did you get lost driving to a familiar place or did you forget where you parked?
8. Do you find yourself not stopping at traffic lights or going through stop signs?
9. Do you find yourself forgetting to shave, put on deodorant, or other hygienic tasks?
10. Have you stopped your recreational activities or decreased them significantly, i.e. golf, club meetings, etc.?

Give yourself 1 point for every “yes” on questions 1-5, 2 points for every “yes” on 6-10.
Three or less is normal for a person in a stressful environment, i.e. job, children, overly committed. Five to eight score: you should be examined by a specialist if this is a long term (more than 2 months) problem. More than 9 points: you need immediate consultation.

Please note that psychiatric disorders such as depression and other medical disorders such as diabetes and insulin reactions, and thyroid disease can affect one’s memory. If symptoms are persistent (more than 2 months) medical evaluation is needed.

MEMORY TEST #2:

Does someone you know (family, friend) demonstrate the following problems:
Please answer “yes” or “no”.

1. Tells you the same story over and over as if it was the first time you heard it?
2. Asks you the same question after you just answered it minutes or hours before?
3. Forgets to shave, bathe, or dress properly?
4. Frequently searching for words to explain themselves?
5. Forgetting well known names of family or friends?
6. Forgetting important appointments such as doctor visits?
7. Had a recent car accident that was clearly their fault?
8. Disregards traffic signs or lights and changes lanes erratically?
9. Burns food on the stove or in the oven?
10. Gets lost either in their car or walking in their own neighborhood?
11. Forgets to pay bills or balance checkbook?
12. Has telephone, electric, or gas due to lack of payment?

Give one point to each of the first five questions for a “yes” answer. 2 points to questions 6-12 for a “yes” answer. A score of 4 or more should be a concern. A score of 6 or more indicates need for medical intervention and evaluation. A score of 8 or more, the person needs referral to an Alzheimer’s specialist.

Please note the individuals who you are evaluating should be well known to you, and you judge that this behavior is radically different than what is normal for them.

TEST #3: AGE TEST

How your chronological age compares to the age as assessed by the following questions:
Please answer “yes” or “no”.

1. Do you floss and brush your teeth daily?
2. Are you more than 20 pounds overweight for a woman, or 30 overweight for a man?
3. Do you know your BMI (Body Mass Index)? Is it over 30?
4. Do you eat meat, i.e. fast foods, two times a week or more?
5. Do you have eggs with meat, ham, bacon, 3 or more times per week?
6. Do you have vegetables and lettuce at least once per day?
7. Do you eat fruits, especially berries, apples, oranges, at least once per day?
8. Do you have fish at least three times a week or take fish oil supplements at least 5 times per week?
9. Do you usually use butter or margarine with bread?
10. Do you eat French fries more than two times per week or butter and sour cream on a baked potato two or more times per week?
11. Do you eat white bread and pasta at least 3 or more times per week, including buns for hamburgers?
12. Do you eat chicken or poultry three or more times per week?
13. Do you season your food with salt on a daily basis?
14. Do you take vitamins daily?
15. Do you take supplements such as folic acid daily?
16. Do you take supplements such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E daily?
17. Do you take Omega-3 fish oils daily?
18. Do you have high blood pressure or rarely have your blood pressure checked?
19. Do you have diabetes?
20. Have you been told that you may have pre-diabetes, kidney or liver failure?
21. Do you use sunblock when you are going to be exposed to direct sun rays for more than 1 hour?
22. Do you exercise less than 1 time per week?
23. Do you exercise 3 or more times per week for one hour or more each time, or a total of 3 hours per week?
24. Do you read books, do puzzles, or other creative activities at least 4 times per week?
25. Do you watch television after dinner more than 4 times per week?