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• Enjoy a variety of foods in many different colours.
  • Blue and purple fruits and vegetables tend to be packed with anti-oxidants. Blackberries, blueberries, purple cabbage and plums are all great food choices.
  • Go green every day with fruits and vegetables that are good for your brain and also benefit bones, teeth and vision. Green options include avocados, broccoli, celery, cucumbers, peas, spinach, pears, honeydew melon and many more.
  • Choose white, tan and brown fruits and vegetables such as bananas, cauliflower, potatoes, turnips, onions and garlic.
  • Add orange and yellow fruits and vegetables such as grapefruit, cantaloupe, butternut squash, peaches, papaya, oranges, sweet potatoes, yellow peppers and lemons to your plate.
  • Reach for reds every day. Beets, raspberries, red grapes, radishes, tomatoes, red peppers, watermelon, rhubarb, pomegranates and cherries are just a few excellent red choices.
• Eat high fibre breads, cereals and grains and low-fat animal proteins. Include foods rich in omega-3 oils such as cold-water fish (e.g. trout, salmon) and walnuts.
• Add flavour to dishes by adding herbs, spices, nuts and olives. You don't have to give up flavour to follow a healthy diet.
• Maintain a healthy weight by choosing appropriate portion sizes, eating healthy snacks, and drinking plenty of water.
• Plan meals in advance so that you don't leave healthy eating to chance.
• When it comes to food and brain health, set reasonable goals and be patient. By following basic healthy eating guidelines, your brain fitness has the potential to improve.

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Additional Reading

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Eat well. Live well. Canada's Food Guide

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 At any time, you may scroll to the Search bar at the top of the page and type a specific question or topic.

Use the checklist below to help you reflect on your current approach to making food choices.  

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Checklist - Smart Choices Checklist

Source: Eat Well and Be Active Educational Toolkit, Health Canada.

• I eat the recommended amount and type of food each day.
• I eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day.
• I choose vegetables and fruit, grain products, and lean meat and alternatives prepared with little or no added fat, sugar or salt.
• I have vegetables and fruit more often than juice.
• At least half of my grain product choices are whole grain each day.
• I drink skim, 1% or 2% milk each day.
• I choose lower fat milk alternatives.
• I have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often.
• I eat at least two Food Guide Servings of fish each week.
• I include a small amount of saturated fat (oils used in cooking, salad dressing, margarine and mayonnaise) each day.
• I satisfy my thirst with water.
• I limit foods and beverages that are high in calories, fat, sugar or salt.

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Personal Reflection

If you checked ALL of the statements above, then you are making some very smart food choices!

If there are a few statements that do not apply to you today, think about what you will do to improve the quality and quantity of your healthy eating choices.

 Make a note of your ideas so you can include them in your My Personal Action Plan later in this session.

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Additional Reading

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Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide

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At any time, you may scroll to the Search bar at the top of the page and type a specific question or topic.

Canada's Food Guide encourages people to choose a variety of foods from each of the four food groups - Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives, and Meat and Alternatives - and to include a specific amount and type of oils and fats. Following Canada's Food Guide and choosing a variety of foods, according to personal food preferences, will help people to get all the nutrients they need.

The rainbow design used in Canada's Food Guide illustrates the recommended proportion of each food group in a healthy eating pattern.

In Canada's Food Guide, the largest arcs - Vegetables and Fruit, and Grain Products - show that healthy eating includes a lot of vegetables, fruit and grains. The recommended number of servings is different for people at different stages of life and is different for males and females.

The types of foods that people eat are just as important as the amount. Canada's Food Guide also provides direction on specific foods to choose within each food group.

Refer to Canada's Food Guide for the recommended number of Food Guide Servings for males and females at each life stage.

If you haven't already printed a copy, click on the image below to download and print your own copy of Canada's Food Guide.

Canada's Food Guide is also available in a number of formats and 10 additional languages.  Go to http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php

Source:  Health Canada

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Eat well. Live well. Canada's Food Guide

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Personal Reflection Activity #1

One of the best ways to learn about Canada's Food Guide is to practice using it!

Take a few minutes to review the Guide.  As you read, circle the images of the items that you eat frequently.

• Do you notice any patterns?
• Does it appear that you eat a lot from one food group and not much from another? If so, what food group?
• Are there one or more food groups that you think you would like to work on?

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Personal Reflection Activity #2

Download the file below and print a copy of the My Healthy Eating Guide.

Find your age and sex on Canada's Food Guide.  Fill out the recommended number of Food Guide Servings from each food group in the table.  You can also use this Guide to track your daily totals.

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My Healthy Eating Guide

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At any time, you may scroll to the Search bar at the top of the page and type a specific question or topic.

Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide is designed to help us make wise food choices by translating the science of healthy eating into a practical pattern of food choices that meet our need for nutrients, promote health and minimize the risk of nutrition-related diseases.

Learning more about Canada's Food Guide will help you and your family know how much food you need, what types of foods are better for you, and the importance of physical activity in your day.

Having the amount and type of food recommended and following the tips included in Canada's Food Guide will help:

• Meet your needs for vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
• Reduce your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer and osteoporosis.
• Contribute to your overall health and vitality.

Click on the image below to download and print a copy of Canada's Food Guide.

Canada's Food Guide is also available in a number of formats and 10 additional languages.  Go to http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php

Source:  Health Canada

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Eat well. Live well. Canada's Food Guide

Download File,

At any time, you may scroll to the Search bar at the top of the page and type a specific question or topic.

Taking care of your general health and paying attention to your “health numbers” are practical actions you can take to improve your brain health.

By making healthy lifestyle choices, you may be able to reduce your risk and improve your brain's ability to sustain long-term health.

Will healthy lifestyle choices prevent Alzheimer's disease? There are no guarantees, but evidence suggests that healthy lifestyles help the brain maintain connections and even build new ones. That means that a healthy brain can withstand illness better.  So take action today.

Sessions 5 to 8 of this program touch on the following four important lifestyle choices:

• Be physically active
• Make healthy food choices
• Know your heath numbers
• Reduce stress

Watch this video and listen to host Liana Shannon, as she provides a brief overview of these four topics. When you complete this session, take some time to work through session 8 -- and if you haven’t already done so, return to sessions 5 and 6.

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Brain Health - Choose a Healthy Lifestyle

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Additional Reading

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Heads Up for Healthier Brains

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Heads Up for Healthier Living

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An Enduring Power of Attorney is called "enduring" because it continues to protect and manage a person's affairs even after they lose capacity and carries on while they are incapacitated. This ensures that their wishes and needs are respected and taken care of, providing peace of mind during difficult times.

Here, we have a conversation with the lawyer, Doris Bonora. It is one of four videos in this session that explain what legal and financial documents need to be prepared and what needs to be done to ensure the concerns and wishes of the person living with dementia are met.

In this video, Doris explains the importance of an Enduring Power of Attorney. 

Feel free to make some notes as you listen.

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Segment with Lawyer: Power of Attorney

Key Points

An Enduring Power of Attorney deals with financial matters. The primary purpose of a Personal Directive is to name someone to make personal decisions for you, such as where you will live and the medical treatment you will receive.

Learn more about Personal Directives under part 4 of this session.

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More Learning Resources

Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (CLPEA): planning for future care

Government of Alberta – Office of Public Guardian: Enduring power of attorney

Decision making and respecting independence

All About Me: booklet designed for people living with dementia to help them create a record of their background and what is important to them 

This session includes the following parts:

Part 1:  What is Advance Care Planning

Part 2:  Future Planning: Legal and Financial Considerations

Part 3:  Enduring Power of Attorney

Part 4:  Personal Directives

Part 5:  Last Will and Testament

Part 6:  Adult Guardianship and Trusteeship Act (AGTA)

Part 7:  Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada (2023)

Part 8:  Questions for Reflection

Part 9:  Questions Others Have Asked

Summary

Work through the various parts in the session at your leisure. Move from one part to another at your own pace and in the order that makes sense to you, based on your own needs and interests.

At any time, you may scroll to the Search bar and type a specific question or topic to learn more.