Eat more colorfully

The diet that has been most strongly connected to the best health benefits is the Mediterranean Diet. Researchers determined that people who followed the Mediterranean Diet most closely were 36% less likely to have stroke related brain damage and 28% less mild cognitive impairment compared to those who followed the diet least closely. Even those who only moderately followed the diet had a 21% lower risk of brain damage and 17% less mild cognitive impairment, compared with the lowest group. The Lyon Heart Health Study concluded that after an average of 46 months on the Mediterranean diet, people who followed the diet had a 50 70% lower risk of recurrent heart disease. The Mediterranean Diet is a colorful diet and involves eating 7 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, eating whole grains instead of white bread, using herbs instead of salt, and using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. Vegetables and fruits that are dark green (spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and collard greens), orange (squash, yams), dark blue or red (blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries) are particularly good for you. If you eat dairy, choose low fat or skim varieties. Beans, peas, lentils, and sunflower seeds are good sources of folate, which is essential to make and repair DNA.Fish is one of the best foods to eat and is recommended twice a week. Salmon is preferred because it has a lot of Omega 3s and wild salmon is recommended because many farmed salmon are said to contain PCBs, a type of toxin. Sardines are also recommended and are a good source of calcium. A number of studies have shown that regularly eating a small handful of raw nuts (especially walnuts and almonds) may have a protective properties against cardiovascular diseases. Try to get plain nuts, not roasted or salted or ones with hydrogenated oils. Also remember that nuts are high in calories so youll need to decrease the same number of calories by cutting down on fat and sugar from other parts of your diet. Remember to check with your doctor before you change your diet since some foods can cause irritation for some medical conditions and may even interfere with certain medicines.