Dallas County Living Well Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 15

Making the right food choices
can keep your brain healthy

T

By Diana Kerwin, MD
  here are a number of ways, as we grow older,
that we can improve our overall health and
sharpen our memory.
As Chief of the Section of Geriatric Medicine
at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas,
my goal for the aging population is to increase exercise and
promote a brain-healthy diet. And as a specialist in cognitive disorders and brain health, much of my career has been
spent researching about how the brain changes as we age
and what steps we can take to keep it healthy.
I’m also the medical director of Texas Alzheimer’s and
Memory Disorders, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice in Dallas, and I serve on the board of the Alzheimer’s
Association. My practice is dedicated to promoting the
health of my patients through education on how to improve
their brain health through food choices––a nutrient-dense
diet is a big part of the prescription for my patients.

The simple truth
While it’s easy to simply say, “eat healthy,” the truth is
that many times we’re confronted with complicated data
that sometimes contradicts itself when offering what we
believe are helpful tips for our diet.
The recent explosion of food science, government recommendations and new products has overwhelmed us with information. We’re encouraged to read labels to find optimum
levels of nutrients, balance our meals and use supplements.
We hear about antioxidants, Omega 3s vs. 6s, probiotics,
good fats, bad fats, nitrates, gluten, power bars and energy
drinks, etc.  
I advocate for maintaining an ideal body weight by making brain-healthy food choices with a simple plan: choose
fresh ingredients; avoid simple sugars; consume lots of
whole foods (nothing processed); and avoid fast food. These
steps are nothing new––but it can be challenging at first to
adopt this new approach to a brain-healthy diet.
Like the heart, the brain also needs the right