By Clare Howard

Margaret Ovitt, of Macomb, drove 70 miles to Illinois Central College in early May to hear Dr. Neal Barnard lecture on “Power Foods for the Brain.” After the lecture, Ovitt drove home. She made the four hour, 140 miles round trip with the return home at night in a thunderstorm. Ovitt said the lecture was worth it.

Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and author of 12 books and scores of academic papers, spoke about a topic not often discussed in physician’s offices, hospitals and medical schools. About 400 people wanted to hear what he had to say, and they filled the Performing Arts Center to listen to the physician and medical researcher speak about foods that play a role in the prevention of dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and strokes.

His overarching message is eat a plant-based diet, avoid animal products and avoid added oil. (Don’t even sauté in oil or add oil to salad dressings.) His prescription: eliminate bad fats and metals like iron and aluminum; follow a vegan diet; stress B vitamins, physical activity and mental stimulation.

“Kids today are eating in ways unprecedented in history and are having unprecedented problems” he said, citing atherosclerosis before their high school diploma, doctors talking about bariatric surgery for teens, diabetes medicines for kids. The answer is not to wait for the government to step in but to change the way we eat.

“A generation ago we tackled tobacco. This generation must tackle food issue,” Barnard said, calling this a revolution that has already begun.

Barnard founded Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in 1985 and while he didn’t explicitly say Western medicine focused on pharmaceuticals and surgery is irresponsible, he did review study after study that linked consumption of animal fat with mental decline. He cited examples in his own family where Alzheimer’s and strokes robbed relatives of their memories and lives.

Long known for his advocacy of a vegan diet to fight pain, diabetes and a host of other diseases now endemic in Western society, Barnard built a case that dementia and Alzheimer’s are not inevitable because of genetic makeup.

“Genes are not destiny,” he said. “Alzheimer’s genes do not dictate our destiny. They’re like committees, they make suggestions.”

A diet low in saturated fat can cut the risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 85 percent, he said, noting that “once you know there is a link, every person can make this choice.”

Listing a few foods high in saturated fat, he suggested substitutions: eliminate dairy and drink almond milk, eliminate bacon and eat veggie bacon, skip eggs for breakfast and eat oatmeal.

Seventh Day Adventists and people living in Okinawa eat plant based diets and live longer healthier lives, he said. He urged people to avoid cooking regularly in cast iron pans because excess iron can lead to oxidation and free radicals that can damage the brain. Aluminum has also been linked to Alzheimer’s so avoid aluminum foil, use anti-perspirants with no aluminum and check the list of ingredients in food. One brand of baking powder has aluminum but another popular brand has no aluminum. Some salt has aluminum added so it pours more easily, he said. Avoid it. Maalox has aluminum, Tums does not, he said, noting that the human body needs no aluminum yet aluminum is found in the plaque of Alzheimer’s patients.

When evaluating vitamins and nutritional supplements, Barnard recommends food, not pills because pills have not been shown to be as effective. He makes exception, however, for Vitamin D and B 12, recommending that people take the pill form. He also recommends avoiding GMO food by eating organic and getting good sleep with a regular 10:00 p.m. bedtime.

Low vitamin E consumption is linked with higher rates of Alzheimer’s while high vitamin E consumption correlates with lower rates of Alzheimer’s, he said. Memory improvement has been found when diets include more foods rich in B vitamins, grape juice, blueberries and other fruits, tomatoes, carrots and other vegetables, whole grains and legumes. A brisk walk three times a week reverses brain shrinkage and improves memory. Mental activity also helps reduce brain shrinkage.

Ovitt, a nurse, had been diagnosed with an autoimmune problem six years ago. She was already a vegetarian at the time but learned dairy protein may be linked to autoimmune problems so she eliminated dairy from her diet. Three months later, she had lab tests with results she labeled “fantastic.”

Since then, she attended a “Forks Over Knives” immersion course with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn teaching about the plant-based diet and it was there she learned about Barnard.

“A vegan diet can include oil and processed food,” she said. “But this diet is plant based, whole food, whole grains, no added oil. I can’t understand why more doctors don’t recommend this diet. Evidence shows what we eat can help or harm our health. It’s an easy change, and I urge people to keep an open mind.”

Also attending the lecture were Bob and Joan Ericksen, of Washburn, who started shifting to this diet decades ago.

“It was an exquisite presentation. He referred to a lot of new studies and his own family story watching brilliant people fall apart with Alzheimer’s and dementia” Joan Ericksen said. “Barnard is a pioneer for this generation, leading people out of the darkness of our beliefs.”

Below are two recipes from Dr. Barnard’s Book

Summer Salad

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish

The colors and textures will seduce you even before you taste this salad’s sweet, cooling flavors. Because the flavor gets even better with time, it’s perfectly portable.

½ red onion, diced
1 Mexican gray squash or zucchini, diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
2 small tomatoes, diced (and seeded if you like)
¼ cup sliced red cabbage
2 stalks celery, sliced
Kernels from 2 ears corn (about 1 ½ cups)
Pinch of sea salt
Juice of 1 small lime (about 1 tablespoon)
Optional: 3 tomatillos, diced; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro; 1 cup rinsed cooked or canned red beans or 1 cup sautéed tempeh; 1 cup sliced Swiss chard leaves

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and allow the salad to marinate for at least 30 minutes but preferably 2 hours. You can forgo this step and eat the salad right away, though the flavors won’t be melded quite as much.

Options: If you use the tomatillos, peel away the papery part and make sure to wash them before cutting; this removes their sticky outer film and makes them much easier to handle. You can also use frozen corn in this recipe, though it will lack the crispness and sweetness of fresh corn. Want to make this a meal in itself instead of an accompaniment? Add the beans or tempeh and you’ll have a delicious dinner in minutes.

Per serving (½ of recipe): 159 calories, 4 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 12 g sugar, 2 g total fat, 32% calories from fat, 7 g fiber, 246 mg sodium

Grilled Eggplant Niçoise

Serves 4

This simple Mediterranean sandwich makes an elegant lunch or a late-afternoon dinner.

4 cloves garlic

1 large eggplant, sliced into thick slabs
Juice of 4 lemons (abt ½ cup)
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon dried lavender
½ teaspoon saffron
4 large slices French bread or sourdough bread, toasted
1 small fennel bulb, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
¼ cup sliced pitted Niçoise olives or green olives

Smash the garlic and rub each slab of eggplant with the garlic. Place the eggplant in a shallow bowl and pour the lemon juice over it. Add enough water to submerge the eggplant. Allow the eggplant to marinate for at least 1 hour, then drain and place it in a shallow dish. Add the garlic, pepper, lavender, and saffron and let it sit for about 1 hour.

Place the eggplant directly on a grill over medium heat and cook until it is soft on both sides but not charred. Place a grilled slab of eggplant on a slice of bread and top with a couple slices of fennel and tomatoes and about 1 tablespoon sliced olives. This sandwich is served open-faced.

Per serving (1 sandwich): 154 calories, 7 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 9 g sugar, 2 g total fat, 9% calories from fat, 10 g fiber, 478 mg sodium