There are so many different diets today catering to many different people depending on their goals. The MIND diet focuses on eating “brain healthy” foods, like berries and green vegetables. There have been studies that find this kind of healthy eating shows a link between “brain healthy” eating and improved brain health.

The MIND diet stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. (Yes, there are lots of acronyms.)

What makes this diet better than any other “eat healthy” approach? Here’s an example: Most fruits are healthy for your heart but not for your brain in terms of cognitive performance. They aren’t bad for your brain, but they don’t appear to prevent dementia.

So, what does boost your cognitive function? Experts say to focus on berries – especially blueberries. Leafy green vegetable are more beneficial to the cognitive part of brain than other vegetables.

The MIND diet also recommends nuts, beans, whole grains, olive oil … and wine!

The research may be motivating for this reason: In one particular study mentioned above, almost 1,000 people kept a record of everything they ate for more than four years. The average age of those people was 81 years old. The people whose diet choices adhered closely to the MIND diet had a 53% reduced risk for developing Alzheimer’s.

Remember, brain healthy foods can also help you in other ways. With talk of diet, also comes talk of exercise. It goes hand in hand, so it’s always important to keep an active lifestyle. Another recent study out of Sweden also suggests that physical activity will also lower your chances of developing Alzheimer’s.

While more research and studies will continue on the subject, this is a promising start to help prevent a disease that does not have a cure.