Page 64 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power

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A Memory-Healthy Diet

Contrast these drastic tactics to the methods used by David Finestone, the forty-nine-year-old
corporate executive that I described in the introduction. He came to see me with the symptom of
forgetting names and appeared to have suffered from a very small stroke. Based on my advice, he
lost weight by cutting back on his intake of saturated fats, primarily red meat and pizza. His program
also included eating more fresh fruit and green vegetables, in addition to beginning regular physical
exercise. Over time, these changes worked wonders for him. A sensible diet supplemented by a
regular exercise regimen is by far the best strategy to lose weight. Why this simple, conventional
approach is shunned by so many has always mystified me; perhaps they want a quick fix rather than
wait for the slower, but more permanent, results from a long-term program.

Avoid Saturated Fats

A saturated fat-rich diet can indirectly lead to memory loss. High cholesterol levels lead to fatty
plaques that deposit themselves on the inner walls of arteries and slow down blood flow in the brain.
If this slowing of flow occurs in a small artery (as is common), blood clots gradually form and cause
a ministroke, and depending on which part of the brain is damaged, cognitive deficits can occur. If
hippocampal or specific frontal lobe nerve cells are affected, memory loss will be the result. The best
time to focus on dietary preventive techniques is before these lesions develop, because after a
ministroke, the dead nerve cells cannot be regenerated. Another reason for cutting back on saturated
fats is that they increase the number of free radicals, which are toxic to most brain cells and can
produce memory loss.

What's Good for Your Heart Is Good for Your Brain

A diet that is good for the heart is equally good for the brain. Foods that are low in saturated fats and
high in fiber content and vitamins and minerals are ideal to prevent heart disease and stroke, and
decrease free radical formation. The following table provides a broad overview of common foods
and their relative nutritional content, and their potential impact on memory. Butter, margarine, and
desserts are among the worst offenders, as is red meat. I strongly advise you to cook with oils high in
unsaturated fats: canola, sunflower, corn, or olive oil. Walnuts contain a lot of “good” cholesterol
and unsaturated