With Thanksgiving around the corner, feasting is on everyone’s mind. But with so many studies revealing the next food-based fountain of youth, maybe this year it’s time to skip the turkey and create one (allegedly life-saving) meal to end all meals. We’ve put together the ultimate menu of dementia-preventing, life-enhancing foods—for science, of course.
Champagne
Drinking one to three glasses of champagne a week wards off memory loss and dementia, according to a University of Reading study from 2013. Certain compounds in bubbly help delay the onset of brain disorders, like dementia, by encouraging healthy levels on proteins in the brain that usually deplete during aging.
Spicy Foods
Grab a handful of chili peppers and the closest glass of milk (to calm your post-spice taste buds). A Chinese study found that those who ate spicy foods six or seven times a week had a lower risk of death from cancer or heart disease. Capsaicin, an ingredient in chili peppers, has been also been linked to increased fat burning.
Mediterranean Meals
This diet filled with vegetables, fish, and healthy fats has been proven in studies to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and breast cancer, and can nearly halve the risk of heart disease. Spicy hummus, anyone?
Red Wine
The ideal meal is hardly lacking in alcohol. There are many health benefits that have been linked to red wine, but research at the University of Alberta found that resveratrol in a glass of red wine improves hearth and muscle strength as much as one hour at the gym.
Chocolate
We can’t forget dessert? Chocolate makes us smarter, according to Harvard researchers in 2013. Hot cocoa in particular can help boost the brain’s blood supply and increase memory. Chocolate has been also found to reduce blood pressure.