Our newspapers keep describing new ways to avoid Alzheimer's – but I think these ways to prevent Alzheimer's often fly right over our heads. Why? Because they're what our mothers told us to do all along.

What did your mother say?

1. Eat Your Vegetables.

2. Go Outside And Play.

3. Study Hard.

AVOID ALZHEIMER'S BY EATING YOUR VEGETABLES

Eating (or drinking) our vegetables is a prime way to avoid Alzheimer's. In fact, a 2006 study by researchers from Vanderbilt University showed that subjects who drank three or more servings of fruit and vegetable juice per week had a 76 PERCENT LOWER RISK OF THE DISEASE! It seems our mothers were on the right track, and we may be able to prevent Alzheimer's by eating, or drinking, our vegetables.

AVOID ALZHEIMER'S BY EXERCISING

Exercising outside, or exercising inside for that matter, also helps us avoid Alzheimer's. Researchers from the University of Illinois found that those who exercised for at least 15 to 30 minutes at a time, three times per week, were more likely to avoid dementia or Alzheimer's later on. And the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study found that MEN WHO WALKED TWO MILES PER DAY HAD HALF THE RISK OF DEMENTIA compared to those who walked less than a quarter mile per day, according to the report published in the September 22, 2004, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

AVOID ALZHEIMER'S BY LEARNING NEW THINGS

People who learned memory and reasoning strategies not only improved their mental alertness and increased their reasoning abilities, but they still enjoyed improved abilities five years later, according to a research report published in the December 20, 2006, Journal of the American Medical Association.

In other research, "brain games," or brain training, were found to re-ignite key areas of the brain, offsetting some age-related declines and boosting performance.

My grandfather used to say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Grandpa was wrong. Older people can learn "new tricks," and they will benefit greatly from doing so.

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