Wellness Unmasked Weekly Rundown: Plant-Based Diet & Dementia Risk Explained: Brain Health, Nutrition Myths & What to Eat

Dr. Nicole Saphier breaks down a new study linking plant-based diets to a lower risk of dementia—but challenges the idea that you need to give up meat entirely.

What’s really driving brain health? Dr. Saphier explains how cholesterol, inflammation, and vascular health impact cognitive decline, and why balance—not extreme dieting—is key to long-term wellness.

She walks through simple, practical changes you can make today, including adding more nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts, and anti-inflammatory herbs—without sacrificing protein or essential nutrients from animal products.

In this episode:

• The truth behind plant-based diets and dementia prevention
• How arterial health and blood flow affect the brain
• Why ultra-processed foods—not meat—are the real concern
• The best foods to support cognitive function and longevity
• Easy, realistic diet shifts anyone can implement

If you’re looking to protect your brain health, improve your diet, and cut through the noise of trending nutrition advice, this episode delivers science-backed insights you can actually use.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Wellness and Mass. I'm doctor Nicole Sapphire and
this is your weekly rundown. Well, a new study just
came out linking those who eat a plant based diet
have up to a twenty percent lower risk of dementia.
So does this mean that we all need to become vegetarian? Well, no, no, no,
of course not. In fact, we just finished eating steaks
here at the Sapphire House. So I'm certainly not encouraging

(00:27):
everyone else to go out and be a vegetarian while
I am not, because that would make me a hypocrite
and I am not. Let me break down this study
a little bit for you and then let's talk about it.
So the reality is the more meat you eat, there
is more fat in it, there's more cholesterol in it,
and that can cause atherscleotic plaque or build up in

(00:49):
your arteries. Now, if you have build up in your arteries,
that can cause microvascular disease in your brain that can
actually lead to dementia. It's a form of dementia when
it comes from decreased blood flow. So in theory, if
you cut back some of the fatty foods you eat
and you replace it with healthier plants. Yeah, I mean

(01:10):
you're reducing your risk of athoskalatic disease and that in
turn would reduce your risk of dementia. So I get it.
But it's not just about okay, no meat and eat
whatever you want like ultra processed foods and sugars. No no,
no, no no. What they're saying is, listen, you can eat meat.
You should. Actually, there's a lot of nutritional benefits in

(01:31):
meat and animal products. I mean, whole milk is a
staple here in the Sapphire household, as our eggs, and
you know, we eat steak maybe once a week, and
we try to do lean meats like chicken and obviously
fish as much as possible. What we're talking about is
removing some of the fatty foods and replacing them with whole,

(01:53):
nutrient dense plant based foods that support the vascular health
and also brain function. So what does that look like
in real life? Well, I absolutely need to start with
leafy greens. I just planted my spring garden and it
is full of leafy greens. In fact, I have four
different types of lettuce, from kale to spinach to romain,

(02:15):
and I don't know something else I think that had
purple in it because I thought it might look pretty.
But yeah, leafy greens like spinach, kale, arugula, These are
packed with folate, vitamin K, and antioxidants that have been
linked to slower cognitive decline, meaning you stay sharp cognitively
sharp longer then if you layer in berries like blueberries strawberries,

(02:36):
these are rich in flavonoids that could help combat oxidative stress.
I also like to say, don't forget about nuts and seeds,
specifically walnuts. If you look at a walnut, what does
it look like to you? It looks like a mini brain.
You know why it looks like a mini brain because
it's good for your brain, at least that's what I
tell my kids. Yeah, walnuts linked to brain health and

(03:01):
that can give you steady energy. But it also can
give you a good source of fiber. Now here's something
that people overlook, which you've heard me talk about it,
which is why I created drop our X and the
liquid herbs to begin with, because I actually really do
like adding herbs to my daily wellness routine, specifically tumeric, rosemary, sage, bocoma,

(03:23):
monieri ginsing. These are all and ginko boloba. These are
all supposed to be good for fighting inflammation and also
have been linked possibly to helping with brain health. That's
why a lot of them are in focus one of
the tinctures of drop our X. I am married to
a neurosurgeon. You think I can't. I can't avoid the

(03:45):
whole brain health conversation, so of course we needed to
have a brain health one. So bottom line, you don't
need to be perfect, and you don't need to go
fully vegetarian or vegan or whatever the latest trend diet is.
But you know, shifting your plate just a little bit,
maybe just a little bit more plants and fruits in

(04:06):
your plate, that might be good. You know, it's okay
to have your meat, but make sure you're getting those
leafy greens in and maybe try and just be plant
based one day a week. There's a lot of things
you can do for your protein and your fiber and
your other things. And hey, research is starting to show
it might be good for your brain. So it may
be one of the most powerful tools we have our

(04:27):
diet to protect our brain health as we age. I'm
doctor Nicole Sapphire. That's your weekly rundown Thank you so
much for listening. Be sure to listen to Wellness un
Masks on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.