“Healthy” eating advice gets almost as much ink and air time around the holidays as shopping deals, predictions and advertising.

Unfortunately much of it is ill-advised; a preponderance is based more on marketing than science. The intentions are good, but the results can be just the reverse.

Weight gain is always a major issue – of course. Look at what foods are hyped: cakes, pies, cookies, cookies and more cookies. And throw in some red, white and green or chocolate candy to tide you over from meal to meal. Sugar piled on to more sugar.

Check out a holiday table piled high with side dishes: white rice, refined bread, rolls, stuffing, and 14 ways to fix potatoes – but hold the butter and fat. In fact, always go for low fat and artificial sweetening (which makes you crave more sweets), the common advice holds.

I’m reprinting the entirety of recent study results from the Mayo Clinic, and funded by the National Institutes on Aging, so you can choose your own alternatives for a healthy, happy holiday season and nutritious new year.

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Eating Lots of Carbs, Sugar May Raise Risk of Cognitive Impairment, Mayo Clinic Study Finds

Those 70-plus who ate food high in fat and protein fared better cognitively, research showed.

People 70 and older who eat food high in carbohydrates have nearly four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, and the danger also rises with a diet heavy in sugar, Mayo Clinic researchers have found. Those who consume a lot of protein and fat relative to carbohydrates are less likely to become cognitively impaired, the study found. The findings were published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

The research highlights the importance of a well-rounded diet, says lead author Rosebud Roberts, M.B., Ch.B., a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist. "We think it's important that you eat a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat, because each of these nutrients has an important role in the body.”

Researchers tracked 1,230 people ages 70 to 89 who provided information on what they ate during the previous year. At that time, their cognitive function was evaluated by an expert panel of physicians, nurses and neuropsychologists. Of those participants, only the roughly 940 who showed no signs of cognitive impairment were asked to return for follow-up evaluations of their cognitive function. About four years into the study, 200 of those 940 were beginning to show mild cognitive impairment, problems with memory, language, thinking and judgment that are greater than normal age-related changes.

Those who reported the highest carbohydrate intake at the beginning of the study were 1.9 times likelier to develop mild cognitive impairment than those with the lowest intake of carbohydrates. Participants with the highest sugar intake were 1.5 times likelier to experience mild cognitive impairment than those with the lowest levels.

But those whose diets were highest in fat — compared to the lowest — were 42 percent less likely to face cognitive impairment, and those who had the highest intake of protein had a reduced risk of 21 percent.

When total fat and protein intake were taken into account, people with the highest carbohydrate intake were 3.6 times likelier to develop mild cognitive impairment.

"A high carbohydrate intake could be bad for you because carbohydrates impact your glucose and insulin metabolism," Dr. Roberts says. "Sugar fuels the brain — so moderate intake is good. However, high levels of sugar may actually prevent the brain from using the sugar — similar to what we see with type 2 diabetes."

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Here’s sound advice from Sally Fallon, nutrition researcher and educator. “Never eat sweet things without some fat to accompany them – whether it be cream on fruit or in ice cream, or butter and eggs in cakes and pies. Fats like butter, cream and egg yolks slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream while providing fat-soluble nutrients that nourish those glands involved in the blood sugar regulation mechanism.”

So, looking for an elegant, sumptuous but healthy dessert to follow all the protein and vegetables you’ll be emphasizing for holiday meals? Try this one adapted from Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook.

Spice Cake

½ cup whole-fat yogurt

½ cup butter, softened

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1-1/2 cup wheat flour (preferably sprouted – widely available online or in health food stores)

1/4 cup sugar (preferably Rapadura, dehydrated cane sugar juice – extremely rich in minerals)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

2 tsps baking soda

Butter Cream Icing

4 egg whites, at room temperature

pinch of sea salt

1 cup sugar (preferably Rapadura)

2 tsps vanilla extract

3/4 cup butter, softened

This is a moist cake composed of two thin layers and rich butter icing.

Blend yogurt, butter, flour, salt and water. Beat in sugar, vanilla, spices and baking soda until dough is very smooth.

Line two buttered 8-inch cake pans with rounds of parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pans with unbleached white flour. Divide the batter between two pans and bake at 300 F for about 1 hour. Loosen layers immediately but let layers cool before removing from pans.

To make icing, beat butter until smooth and creamy. In clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla. Spoonful by spoonful beat in the butter. Chill well.

Assemble the cake on a decorative plate, applying icing between the layers and to the top and sides.

Allison St. Claire loves to dream about, study, grow, play with, prepare and ultimately enjoy eating great food.

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