Yes, it appears!
Aluminum is abundant in our lives and said to be terrible for our bodies and minds. Most everyone knows about the connection between absorption/ingestion of aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease, a.k.a. dementia. Aluminum crosses the blood brain barrier and deposits in our brains (called brain metal uptake), where it definitely does not belong. This of course does damage which affects brain function (including autism, by the way).
Aluminum is in an awful lot of substances in our lives, including drinking water (along with arsenic, lead, etc.), non-stick cookwares, baked goods (baking powder), cheese, pharmaceuticals, drink cans, and in food dyes containing “aluminum lake.”
Alzheimer’s is a frightening, debilitating condition where our mental abilities are severely impaired, with formerly sharp, independent people possibly becoming helpless as infants, unable to care for themselves and unable to remember important things, like family members! Twenty-four-hour care by strangers, indefinitely, is often the result, living in specialized facilities, and in total just a terrible way to exist in old age.
Studies have shown that VEGANS (and others eating primarily plant foods) HAVE A LOWER RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S compared with “normal” people eating standard meat/dairy/egg heavy diets. How much lower the risk for vegans separately is unclear at this time.
Of all things, higher SILICA in many plant foods could be a key to lower Alzheimer’s rates. Dietary silica is silicon dioxide, a special form of sand called quartz sand. It’s said to improve hair, skin and nail health, joint and bone health, heart health, digestive health, immune system, and the healing process. Importantly, it flushes out aluminum and other metals and toxins from the body by absorbing them and, being partly (about 40%) indigestible, the excess silica flushes nearly half of those absorbed toxins, such as lead and aluminum, out in our urine, so they cannot reach the brain. In that last way, silica is said to help prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease.
It’s recommended to get silica from food rather than supplements, since there are problems associated with long-term use of a supplement, such as horsetail herb.
And guess what? All of the most silica rich foods are plant foods! With green beans topping the list according to some sources, and other sources stating that dried dates contain the highest amount. Oatmeal is also a great source of silica.
Contrarily, processed cheeses and meats like BACON, smoked turkey, ham, etc., are foods that induce memory loss and increase Alzheimer’s risk, by building up proteins in the body that have been associated with Alzheimer’s, and containing nitrosamines as in the processed meats, which cause the liver to produce fats that are toxic to the brain, according to Alzheimers.net.
Exercise is said to further detoxify our bodies due to the vigorous use of our muscles, sweating, getting the blood pumping for long periods, rather than being immobile and “stagnating” day after day. A large percentage of vegans are also into being active regularly, working out, hiking, running, etc., so that likely also contributes to our lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
High flavonoid foods are also important for preventing the dreaded diseases including Alzheimer’s, due to their being antioxidants and reducing or eliminating free-radical attacks on brain cells. Some potent flavonoid foods are: berries, red cabbage, onions, kale, parsley, tea, tomatoes, red wine, dark chocolate, citrus fruits, and SOYBEANS (shout out to all the soyphobes 😱). Healthy fats, as in avocados, seeds and nuts are also said to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s.
Lastly and most important here…
Below are some top foods said to contain good amounts of silica, in alphabetical order, which we (who don’t have allergies etc.) should all be consuming regularly, which I do, thankfully, as a strict, healthy vegan for over 14 years, and I’ll sign off with them:
Bananas
Carrots
Dried Dates
Green Beans
Greens (spinach, kale, broccoli, etc.)
Mineral Water with Silica
Oats
Raisins
Rice (brown is better than white)
Tofu (organic non-gmo)
Whole Grain Cereals and Breads (incl. sprouted)