According to surveys, loss of mental function is the second greatest fear (following cancer) when people consider their senior years. Research has shown that we can greatly affect our degree of functionality and wellness in later years by our dietary and lifestyle choices.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Inflammation is characteristic of all neurodegenerative conditions. AD patients characteristically suffer from this as they tend to have lower antioxidant status. James Joseph, Ph.D., head of the Neuroscience Laboratory and the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University states, “Every major disease has inflammation and oxidative stress as major components and it increases with age.”
Incidence of neurodegenerative disease is increasing in the U.S., mainly due to poor diet, stress, and a sedentary lifestyle. Employ the following tips so that your retirement years can truly be golden.(more…)
Circumin is a potent antioxidant found in turmeric powder which appears to slow the formation of and help destroy the brain plaques that cause Alzheimer’s. The compound is highly anti-inflammatory and thereby reduces oxidative stress throughout the body. Scientists found that combining curcumin with vitamin D3 potentiates immune system stimulation and increases eradication of plaque.
Vitamin D
Adequate vitamin D is important as low levels increase risk for dementia. If you are not getting 10-15 minutes of sunlight exposure on at least half your body a few days each week, a supplement of 1000-2000 IU daily is recommended. Vitamin D has been found to be protective against a wide range of acute and chronic illnesses.
Folic acid
Consume a diet that is plentiful in foods that are rich in folic acid. This B-vitamin decreases the body levels of homocysteine, a harmful amino acid that increases risk for Alzheimer’s as well as heart disease and death from all causes.(more…)
We made this at my cooking class last Saturday and it was a big hit. I wrote the recipe for cooking everything together in a wok, but I actually browned the chicken in a skillet and added the ginger and garlic to that. It works well either way.
My daughter, Theodora, chopped all the vegetables and stirred together the sauce before class. That’s most of the work; the cooking only takes a few minutes. We just warmed up some brown rice I had cooked the day before to complete the meal.
To save time at home, cut the veggies and prepare the sauce ingredients a day or more ahead. (A good chore for a teenager That way you can have a fantastic meal within minutes when you want it.(more…)
Did you know that at least one-third of all cancers are caused by poor diet? Definite health benefits come from centering your diet around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes. This combined with regular exercise, a healthy weight, alcohol used only in moderation, and avoiding tobacco are the fundamentals for disease prevention.
Many experts believe as much as 50-60% of degenerative disease is due primarily to dietary factors! Here are some tips that will maximize your protection.
Eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. If you have trouble getting this much in, cover your bases with a whole food concentrate to make up for the nutritional shortfall.
Eat dark green leafy and cabbage family vegetables daily. Try to include a wide variety - broccoli, spinach, kale, chard, mustard greens, collards, bok choy, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, turnips, and others.(more…)
The nutrients in plant foods are called phytochemicals. Phyto means plant, so these are just plant chemicals. Plant foods contain many thousands of these health-promoting substances. They include enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and many other protective chemicals.
Only plants, including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, contain these healthy chemicals. And research shows that the more plants foods you eat, the lower your risk of cancer and other diseases.
Consider Your Diet
Beyond eating plenty of plant foods, variety is important for optimal disease prevention. If you just stick with familiar foods, you miss out on nutritional benefits many other foods offer. When was the last time you ate kiwi or cherries? How about mango and guava? Do you eat fresh pineapple? What about papaya?(more…)
Motivation is all about knowing what’s important to you. Is it your health and longevity? Is it how good you look? Is it the way you feel? If you can’t find powerful motivators for losing weight, food will continue to have greater attraction than your desire to reduce your size.
There are a few key questions you need to ask: What do I want and why? And what am I willing to do to get it? It’s best to write your answers down - that way you have something to review whenever your resolve starts wavering.
What Do I Really Want?
Of course you want to lose weight, but be more specific. How much do you want to lose? Do you want to become more fit? Do you want improvement in your social life or relationships? Are your goals realistic and achievable?
Think about what’s most important to you and get an idea of what losing weight really means for your life. Knowing where you’re headed and why will help you stay focused.
Now, write it all down. List the things you want that relate to weight loss and health improvement.(more…)
It’s important to recognize and prepare psychologically for the stages of motivation.
At first you’re full of enthusiasm and that’s great. Unfortunately, this initial zeal tends to wane after a week or so.
Now comes the trial and error stage. You need to try out various strategies for taking in less calories while burning more to find out what works best in your case. You’ll experience successes and failures. Maintain your determination and consider it a learning process. Bouncing back from setbacks is absolutely essential for success.
At this time, motivation can begin to ebb. It may sometimes look too hard and you may wonder if it’s really worth it. Temptation to give up can become intense.
When you feel your motivation slipping, don’t delay; enlist the aid of others for support and encouragement. It’s vital to have a group or at least one person that will hold you accountable and be there to encourage you when the going gets tough.(more…)
Do you eat lots of brightly colored fruits and vegetables? The colors correspond to different plant chemicals or phytonutrients. Many fruits and vegetables contain flavonoids, a very large and diverse family of antioxidant phytochemicals.
Blueberries are the richest sources of potent antioxidants in our American diet, but the following foods are also high in flavonoid life-preservers:
Two clients came to my inaugural cooking class today and we all enjoyed a great time sharing with one another and a wonderful lunch of brown rice topped with tasty stir fry and crispy tofu. Cooking started at 11:00 and we were done eating by noon.
Here’s the recipes although I really didn’t follow the stir fry very closely as I had different vegetables on hand and no seaweed. That’s one of the great things about stir fries - you can use whatever you have. Just try to have some green veggies and some orange and/or red to give plenty of contrast.
When I cut up the vegetables, I put the ones that take longer to cook in one bowl and the ones that cook quickly like tomatoes, peppers and summer squash in another. I start frying the harder veggies first and then add the others along with the garlic and ginger after a few minutes.(more…)
Melatonin is manufactured by the pineal gland in the center of our brain and secreted during darkness. Besides its well known functions of setting the biological clock and controlling circadian rhythms, melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant. It is able to significantly reduce levels of oxidative stress in the body due to damage by toxic molecules called free radicals. These reactive species are produced by the thousands every second of the day in most body cells as a normal byproduct of metabolism.
It’s Also in Food
According to Russel Reiter, Professor of Neuroendocrinology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, “Melatonin is found in all vertebrates and invertebrates, even in algae, slime molds and bacteria, so we not only produce it in our bodies, but we eat it in our diets.” Happily, this health enhancing hormone has been found to be present in walnuts in greater amounts than in any other plant food. Reiter conducted research that shows the melatonin in walnuts to be easily absorbed and utilized by the body.(more…)
According to surveys, loss of mental function is the second greatest fear (following cancer) when people consider their senior years. Research has shown that we can greatly affect our degree of functionality and wellness in later years by our dietary and lifestyle choices.
That way you can have a fantastic meal within minutes when you want it.
Motivation is all about knowing what’s important to you. Is it your health and longevity? Is it how good you look? Is it the way you feel? If you can’t find powerful motivators for losing weight, food will continue to have greater attraction than your desire to reduce your size.
