Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The Mediterranean Diet

I mentioned last week that I attended the Wisconsin State Alzheimer's Conference. During lunch there has always been a doctor speaking about something to do with the disease. This year, I was pleased to find out that it was food related. Dr. Piero Antuono presented an excellent presentation entitled: "Prevention & Environment in Alzheimer's Disease: The Role of Diet & Nutrition." He started by prefacing the research stating that he was not a dietitian or nutritionist, he just "likes to eat!" Many of the points that he made for preventing Alzheimer's ran along the same lines that the Core menu entails: Fruits, veggies and fish were a common thread throughout his presentation. He cited many studies involving cultures that consume a mostly "Mediterranean Diet." So what is a Mediterranean Diet? It is eating at least 2 meals of fish or seafood per week and limiting processed foods. Sounds like a healthy diet to me. If eating fish and fruits and veggies will help prevent or at least help prevent early symptoms of Alzheimer's, why aren't we all eating this way?

He did mention that some cultures, like our own, do not eat fish regularly. This could be due in part from our environment, which includes price. Fish is expensive and several people do not have the resources to eat fish. He did say that the kind of fish what not as important as the idea that it was fish and included fish oils.

Dr. Antuono also mentioned several super foods in his presentation including all berries, green foods and curry/spices. Eating healthy and staying away from processed foods seems to be the best and easiest way to work towards a healthy memory in the future.

Kitchen Update


8 pictures from the same view...starting from the beginning ending today. Tomorrow, new floor. Thursday, light fixtures and finishing carpentry. I'm amazed at how everything has come together.


















Baby Update
Wife went to the doctor today and she is 2 centimeters dialated. Doctor says anytime after tomorrow. I asked why tomorrow? 37 weeks tomorrow, which is full-term. Wife is hoping it happens this weekend as she is VERY uncomfortable.

6 comments:

Andrew is getting fit said...

Good luck with the baby!

kborn said...

the cabinets compliment that color very well! who picked it out?

mediterranean diet all the way! my staff fought me at the nursing home when i had fish on the menu 3-4 times weekly---they didn't quite get it! my budget was crap as fish aren't very local in Mn, but we had some relatively healthy 60+ year olds!

Baby that soon!!!!! I sat at 2cm for a month...talk about uncomfortable!! Lotsa luck!

TB--Milwaukee said...

KT~do you really have to ask who picked out the color? Claire wanted a bright green like the one one the sidebar!

Matt Keeling said...

Cabinets look great. I really like the can lights.

Funny you mention the fish. Grilled Salmon is on the menu this weekend.

Kathy said...

Wow...I'm late reading your post and all kinds of things are a-poppin'!!!
Good Luck to all of you.

Anonymous said...

Yah with the baby!! Can't wait to see pics! I'm thinking June is far away but I guess not. BTW, I was dilated 2 cm at 36 weeks and had DD16 at 41+ weeks. Depressing!! (Don't tell your wife that story!)

Kitchen looks good & your son is a clone of you!! LOL Cute.

The AD info is very interesting. My great-aunt who lived till 106+ ate salmon sandwiches all the time. In fact, when we went for her 106th b.day she declined the cake and was thrilled that someone brought her a salmon sandwich!! She was mentally all there until the end. Amazing. I really do think that diet has a lot to do w/ AD -- and one thing that I've noticed is that alot of AD patients have either not eaten well all of their lives or dieted constantly through life -- been very weight conscious. Scares me. That's why I want to eat well, always. D