20 Holiday Gift Ideas for People Following The Bredesen Protocol to End Alzheimer’s
I always give practical gifts for the holidays. As a nutritionist that means the gift is often food or nutrition related. So, that got me thinking about practical ideas that I know could benefit my clients with Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative conditions.
Share this list with family members and friends who want to support you or your loved ones with the journey to end, stop progression, prevent or even reverse Alzheimer’s Disease. I have provided clickable links to help you wrap up your holiday shopping.
Wishing you the best holiday season full of family and love and hope. ~Tracey Long, MPH, RDN
1. Four Sigmatic Matcha Tea Mix with Lions Mane Mushroom to help support reducing brain inflammation.
2. Perfect Keto Matcha Tea Mix Matcha Tea Mix (with added MCT oil to boost healthy fat intake) to help support reducing brain inflammation and increasing healthy fats to support mild dietary ketosis.
3. Designs for Health Curcum-Evail Chewables, Mango Nectarine Flavored. Curcumin is anti-inflammatory and helps break up amyloid plaque. If you order this you will need my provider code: TL948
4. Host Defense Primordial Dark Chocolate bars with Lions Mane mushroom added as a healthy low carbohydrate/high fat treat with brain supportive polyphenols and a good source of fiber and magnesium. Lion’s Mane mushroom has been shown to improve memory and cognition. Here is a great options in chocolate form!
5. Eating Evolved Coconut Midnight Chocolate Bar or 85% Dark Crunchy Caramel Chocolate Bar, available at Thrive Market . These are a couple more good options for a healthy chocolate treat. See the example of the Crunchy Caramel bar below.
6. Four Sigmatic Lions Mane Mushroom Elixir Packets. This is a concentrated pure form of dehydrated Lions Mane Mushroom. It tastes great mixed in hot water. Remember, Lion’s Mane has been shown to improve memory and cognitive abilities.
7. Tracey’s favorite Keto snack bar: Pefect Keto Almond Brownie Snack Bars. Because all of us need a keto snack every now and then! This one has no added sugar nor any sugar alcohols. And provides a source of protein and fiber.
8. Gift subscription to Brain HQ Brain Exercise Games. Dr. Bredesen recommends some form for brain challenge activities at least 5 days a week for 20-60 minutes. If your loved one, or you, do not like computer brain games see the list of ideas in number nine below . . . . .
9. Ability appropriate brain games such as Sudoku, Crosswords, drawing activities, etc.
10. Perfect Keto Exogenous Ketones Powder Mix recommended by Keto research expert Dominic D’Agostino because it includes the right amount of recommended electrolyte support. Many people on the Keto Diet get muscle cramping, headaches, or fatigue during the transition from being a carb burner to being a fat burner. These exogenous ketones help the body transition into ketosis and maintain optimal electrolyte balance.
11. Precision Xtra Ketone and Glucose Ketone Meter Precision Xtra Ketone and Glucose Meter with Extra Test Strips with extra test strips because some people really benefit from the biofeedback from testing. Not everyone needs this, but about half the clients I work with benefit from this testing – especially those with Type 1.5 Glytoxic who really need to track blood glucose and ketone levels.
12. Bag of macadamia nuts from Trader Joes or Thrive Market. Did you know that macadamia nuts have the lowest carbohydrates and the highest amount of fat of all nuts?
13. Perfect Keto Nut Butter. This is a nut butter blend high in macadamia nuts and, therefore; higher in fat than most nut butters.
14. Cookbook and Keto Diet Guide by Leanne Vogel: The Keto Diet. This is my favorite comprehensive guide to help newbies get started with the Keto Diet. It includes three separate 4-week menu plans for different variations of the Keto Diet and practical tips on how to individualize the diet. I make this required reading for most of my AD clients.
15. Bag of Pork Rinds by Epic or 4505 Meats at Thrive Market. Pork rinds are high in healthy fat and have some protein. Some people just need a salty, crunchy food option now and then. Did you know that you can also crush them and use them as a crunchy coating on chicken tenders? YUM!
16. Sessions with Tracey Long, RDN, or one of her recommended health coaches to assist with hard to change behaviors: Tracey Long, MPH, RDN at Big Picture Health LLC Please send Tracey a CONTACT form with your request.
17. Gift Certificate from Tracey for a cognitive assessment by CNS Vital Signs ($35 plus a 30 minute session to review results-$99). A baseline is recommended for most people and then follow-ups to monitor improvement with lifestyle changes over time. Please send Tracey a message with this request on her website contact page
18. Copy of Dr. Dale Bredesen’s Book; The End of Alzheimer’s. This book is also required reading for Tracey’s clients. It becomes a great resource to refer back to along the journey, too!
19. Nordic Naturals Pro DHA Strawberry Fish Oil Capsules. This specific type of fish oil is higher in DHA omega three fatty acids compared to EPA omega three fatty acids. The brain is comprised of about 80% fat, most of which is DHA. We want the brain to have an optimal amount of DHA. If you order this you will need my provider code: TL948
20. A Bottle of MCT Oil such as the Thrive Market Brand or Perfect Keto MCT oil powder (flavored options) Perfect Keto MCT Oil Powder (multiple flavor options). MCT oil is absorbed and utilized differently than other fats. It goes right to the liver and can be easily converted to ketones (when carbohydrate intake is low) to support ketosis. NOTE: those with ApoE 4 alleles will need to monitor lipids and possibly adjust types of ingested fat based on blood lipid markers. However, we encourage everyone starting a keto diet to support dietary ketosis with MCT oil.