Core Contents: Brain Health & Dementia Risk Jennifer opened with a foundational overview of dementia versus Alzheimer's disease, explaining that Alzheimer's accounts for 60–80% of dementia cases. She distinguished between non-modifiable risk factors (age, genetics, history of traumatic brain injury) and a longer list of modifiable ones — including diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, and poor nutrition. Drawing from the Lancet Commission's periodic global review, she noted that addressing 14 modifiable risk factors could delay or prevent up to 45% of dementias. She also highlighted health equity disparities, noting Black Americans are twice as likely, Hispanic/Latino Americans are 1.5 times as likely, and women account for two-thirds of all Alzheimer's cases.

U.S. POINTER Study Results Jennifer shared findings from the U.S. POINTER Study (with a site in Chicago), a two-year clinical trial she co-directed. Participants who received intensive, structured coaching across four domains — physical exercise, cognitive exercise, MIND Diet adherence, and cardiovascular health monitoring — showed cognitive improvement equivalent to being 1–2 years cognitively younger than those who received information alone.

Illinois Brain Health Project Jennifer introduced the Illinois Brain Health Project (launched April 2025), a public health initiative aimed at reaching underserved and rural communities in Illinois with free brain health resources at YourBrainWillThankYou.com.

The MIND Diet Jennifer covered the science and structure of the MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), developed by Dr. Martha Clare Morris at Rush University Medical Center. Key points included:
- 9 foods to prioritize: leafy greens (1 cup daily), other vegetables, berries (5x/week), extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds, fish/seafood, poultry, whole grains, and beans/legumes
- 5 foods to limit: fried foods, red and processed meats, full-fat cheese, sweets and sweet drinks, and butter
- A 10-year observational study found the highest MIND Diet adherents had a 53% reduced risk for Alzheimer's; even moderate adherence yielded a 35% reduction
- Improving one's MIND Diet score by just 3 points can improve cognitive performance
- Jennifer introduced the "MindPlate" method for meal composition using hand-size guides (50% vegetables, palm-size protein, fist-size whole grains, thumb-size healthy fats)

Live Cooking Demonstration — Laura Morris Laura demonstrated three brain-healthy snack ideas (yogurt parfait with berries and walnuts; edamame with orange slices and olive oil; hard-boiled egg with hummus, cucumber, and tomato) and a MIND Diet smoothie featuring leafy greens, frozen berries, banana, protein powder, and unsweetened almond milk. The feature recipe was a Turkey and Squash Taco Bowl using ground turkey browned in EVOO, honey nut squash with pumpkin spice seasoning, corn, black beans, red cabbage, and a balsamic-honey dressing. Costs were highlighted throughout: the smoothie comes to ~$1.94/person, the taco bowl feeds five for $7.25.

Q&A Highlights Topics included banana substitutes in smoothies (frozen cauliflower, avocado, zucchini), edamame preparation, microplastics in fish, cooking with extra virgin olive oil at high heat, dietary cholesterol myths, complete plant proteins (quinoa, edamame, lupini beans, combined whole grains + beans), and concerns about soy/phytoestrogens.