The residents at Emeritus Senior Living in Sandy Springs are suddenly eating more fish, whole grains and fresh berries. White bread, even white rice, got booted off the menu.
While a lower fat, vitamin-rich menu helps fight obesity, diabetes and other health conditions, Emeritus was highly focused on something else.
Emeritus call the new cuisine“The Brain Diet.”
This Sandy Springs Emeritus, which is one of the assisted living company’s memory care homes, is one of seven Emeritus residences across the country testing the Brain Diet. The new menu was introduced in mid-November after taste tests with residents and their family members.
While it’s been long established what we eat can be good – or bad – for our heart, a growing amount research also suggests what we consume can also play an important role in protecting brain health.
“We are continually learning more about the benefits of brain-healthy eating,” said Dr. Paul Nussbaum, clinical neuropsychologist and adjunct professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and also a consultant for Emeritus Senior Living. “As researchers continue to seek ways to address the soaring rate of Alzheimer’s disease, diet is one of the areas receiving greater attention.”
Nicky Siggers, executive director of the Sandy Springs Emeritus, said all meals and snacks have been changed. Chefs swapped out pork bacon and sausage for turkey breakfast meats. The menu, long dominated by chicken and red meat dishes, now features a steady offering of turkey, fish and sometimes veggie burgers. Beans have been added into vegetable mixes, she said.
Siggers said the menu has been warmly received by residents. She said her biggest concern was the brown rice, which, “can be dry.” But she praised the in-house cooks for adding fresh herbs to make the rice more palatable.
The new dining offerings costs 10 to 20 percent more than the old menu. A spokesman for the Emeritus company said the extra cost is not being passed onto residents.
Other senior homes have revamped their menus. Over the past three years, Sunrise Senior Living has added nutritious, vitamin-packed food choices designed to meet many health and dietary needs, including promoting brain health. Menu options now include dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, chard and spinach; deep orange vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots; berries; a variety of fish and seafood like salmon, cod, tilapia and scallops; and healthy carbs like lentils, black beans and brown rice.
While you can be eat healthy and exercise and still get Alzheimer’s, emerging research suggests a healthy lifestyle can make us less vulnerable to the disease. Researchers believe it may be possible to stall dementia for 10 years, maybe even prevent it altogether, with a good mix of exercise and diet.
A 2009 Columbia University study found that seniors who most closely adhered to a Mediterranean diet were 40 percent less likely to get Alzheimer’s, according to a study that included 1,880 seniors with an average age of 77. A Mediterranean-type diet is typically characterized by high intake of fish, vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals and monounsaturated fatty acids; relatively low intake of dairy products, meats and saturated fats; and moderate alcohol consumption. Meanwhile, this same study found that those seniors who were physically active were 33 percent less likely to get Alzheimer’s. For those seniors who both exercised regularly and adhered to a Mediterranean-type diet, they had a 60 percent risk reduction for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Nikos Scarmeas, study leader and an associate professor of clinical neurology in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center, has completed other research also linking a Mediterranean-type diet to a lower risk in mental decline.
For now, the Emeritus program was rolled out only in its memory care facilities and is still considered a pilot program. Nussbaum expects menu changes be expanded to other Emeritus senior homes across the country during the coming months.
The presumption might be, ‘Gee whiz, the person already had the disease. There’s nothing we can do,” he said. “But maybe food can slow the course. It can help with mood and quality of life. And maybe this can be a powerful intervention for people with mild cognitive impairment.”
Even for those with dementia, Nussbaum said, a brain-healthy diet can have an impact due to the brain’s plasticity, or ability to generate new cells regardless of age.
Eating a healthy diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, almonds and green leafy vegetables may offer immediate benefit to the resident but also carry long term influence on the larger community — from getting the employees to thinking more about healthy foods to getting the residents’ children and grandchildren to be more proactive about their diet.
Dorothy “Dot” Prochaska, who is the early stages of dementia, gave the new menu a thumbs up.
“I think it’s great,” she said on a recent morning after having cornflakes, orange juice and coffee for breakfast. She said she’s a rather light eater, but she enjoys the increase in fish options on the menu. She thinks eating well helps her energy and ability to enjoy activities.
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