All posts filed under: Nutrition

Focus on foods for brain health

Be Aware of the Foods You Eat

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In response to the daily prompt: Aware If it is true, and I kind of think it is, that food is medicine than we really need to be more aware of what we are putting into our bodies and how it might be helpful to us when we are feeling a bit on the unhealthy side. For me, one of the scariest health problems is memory loss. So, I’ve been looking at foods that I can incorporate into my diet that might help keep my memory functioning as best as possible. I discovered two foods in particular, walnuts and chocolate, which appear to be do just that. Wow walnuts! Who knew that these little guys that I used to shun as a child would become one of the most important foods of my adult life. So what’s the evidence: According to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition walnut supplementation in lab animals improved their working memory. The scientists hypothesize that it is the polyunsaturated fats, PUFA, in walnuts and their anti-inflammation effect …

Yellow Fruits and Vegetables are Great for your body

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  According to most nutritionists today, from the traditional western medicine folks to the eastern cultures, we would serve our bodies good if we “ Eat the Rainbow.” They say that by filling our plates with many different colors of fruits and vegetables we can help maintain a healthy body. The reasons behind filling your plate in this manner are simple and based on common sense – actually they are based on phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are a part of a plant’s protection system and by consuming these we add that protection to our system, as well. These phytonutrients, aka vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, help with many things including keeping our major organs healthy, stimulating the production of digestive enzymes and protection from UV rays – just to name a few. As luck would have it, these vitamins, minerals and antioxidants often express themselves in fruits and vegetables as different colors. Yellow fruits and vegetables have a ton of great vitamins and minerals, these include: Beta-carotene – healthy skin and eyes Alpha-carotene – healthy skin, bones and …

Olive Oil Makes Headlines – Again!

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Olive oil has been around a long time. According to http://www.olivesource.com, the olive tree is one of the oldest cultivated trees on earth. This bountiful tree originated in the Iran, Syria and Palestinian region of the Mediterranean over 6,000 years ago. It wasn’t until a few hundred years ago, however, that the olive tree made its way out of the Mediterranean. Today, it is just about everywhere and its popularity is growing. You can find olive oil in prepared foods on grocery store shelves, in skin care products and even in pet food. Olive Bars are popping up in grocery stores and shopping malls across America, too, where you can get the fruit of the tree that is often soaking in its own oil. Olive oil has been labeled by those in the nutrition industry as a, “good fat.” This could be the basis of the new mantra, “fat is not bad for you,” that has made its way around the web over the past few years. Unlike vegetable oil or canola oil, olive oil contains more …

Turmeric – Spicing it up for your Health

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I have found that adding spices to my food, especially vegetable dishes, helps to keep me on track with eating healthier, but it turns out that some spices may actually be healthier than the vegetables I put them on. One of the true stand-outs in this category is Turmeric. This spice is native to India and gives curry its beautiful yellow color. The flavor is warm and peppery and I find it pairs well with potatoes (which I do let myself indulge in on a limited basis in my SpiteHot plan). A quick web search will glean you a host of results that highlight the beneficial health properties of this herb. Some of the more memorable benefits are: Anti-inflammatory properties, i.e. lessons inflammation of bodily tissues Linked to Improved Brain Functions May lower your risk for heart disease Can help prevent Cancer Check out http://www.authoritynutrition.com for more information. I have read that the best way to benefit from this herb is to take in pill form, but I lean more toward using the actual spice …

Learning from the Past

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From all my years of reading and trying out different diet plans three stand out as the most effective: Low Carb Weight Watchers Gluten Free Low Carb Low carb dieting worked amazingly fast and I was able to stick with it for several years. I followed the plan explicitly for the first month and lost 26 pounds by the end of those four weeks. This was instant gratification as far as weight loss which was a huge plus, and it had the benefit of increased and sustained energy. Weight Watchers I paid for this one, literally, but only for a short time and it did work fairly well. Almost as fast as low carb, I lost about 10 pounds in a month. The only problem was that I didn’t like paying; so that was the end of that. I am pretty frugal. Gluten Free I spent about nine months going gluten free about 80% of the time. At the end of the nine months I lost about 15 pounds. It was relatively painless, i.e. no …