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How can you preserve muscle as you age?

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We have all seen frail, elderly people who have seemed to have lost a lot of muscle.   But did you know that you start losing muscle long before you become elderly?   Studies have found that after the age of 30, yes 30, you begin to lose about 3-8% of your muscle mass per decade.   This loss accelerates after the age of 60.   Environmental Nutrition (April 2024) has a great article, “Preserving Muscle is a Key Part of Healthy Aging”.   But this information isn’t just for the elderly but for anyone who wants to preserve muscle mass.    What is sarcopenia? Sarcopenia is a fancy name for losing muscle and muscle strength as we age.   Building muscle requires your body to make muscle protein.   Unfortunately, our body’s ability to make muscle protein declines as we age.   Sarcopenia is more common in people over 60 and it affects both men and women.   Studies estimate about 5-13% of people over 60 have sarcopenia and up to “50% of 75 year olds have sarcopenia”.      Losing muscl

How does coffee and tea affect blood sugar?

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Who doesn’t love some morning coffee?   Or, on cold days, a nice hot cup of tea.   Does drinking coffee or tea affect one’s blood glucose levels?    Should healthy adults be concerned about coffee or tea and blood glucose levels?   The Mayo Clinic says that for healthy adults, caffeine will probably have no noticeable effects on their blood sugar or blood glucose levels.   Studies have found that up to 400 milligrams of caffeine is safe for most of us.   A cup of coffee has about 120-180 milligrams of caffeine and most adults drink about 2 cups of coffee a day.   FDA says healthy adults can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day which equates to about 4-5 cups of coffee a day, or 10 cans of soda , or 2 “energy shot” drinks.   (See:   Caffeine – good or bad for your health? )     Can drinking coffee or tea reduce chances of getting type 2 diabetes? Some studies have found that coffee, tea, and other drinks with caffeine can lead to weight loss and a lower body mass index (BMI

Can a nutrient in meat and dairy help fight cancer?

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Many people hear that meat, especially red meat is bad for you.   Others avoid dairy for many reasons.   But the latest research has found that meat and dairy may actually help your immune system fight cancer.   Who knew?   What have scientists found out about meat and dairy? What is it about the composition of meat and dairy that may have some good health benefits? What is this newly discovered nutrient in meat and dairy that helps fight cancer? Researchers at the University of Chicago studied a nutrient found in beef, lamb and dairy products that helps our immune system fight cancer.   What is this nutrient?   I had not heard of it and you probably haven’t either.   It is actually found in the fat in meat and dairy and is called trans-vaccenic acid or TVA.   Research on nutrients like TVA highlights the link between diet and human health demonstrating how compounds from food can influence our immune responses and overall well-being.    Where is TVA found? Certain animals h

How Can You Eat Healthy on a Budget?

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Almost every day you hear people complaining about the high prices at the grocery store.   And grocery prices are higher, rising over 20% on average from January 2021 to January 2024.   In the nutrition classes I taught, students often complained about how much “real” food costs and said it was cheaper to just buy the junk food.   But “Cheaper doesn’t have to mean junk food” according to the article, How to Eat Healthy on a Budget by Mary Hunt.   What are some ways to save money at the grocery store?   1.  Buy protein on sale and don’t pay full price. Meat, fish, poultry can be an expensive food purchase.   Look for sales on tuna, chicken breasts, chicken legs/thighs, lean cuts of beef.   Even if you don’t want to store-hop, you can probably find some meat items on sale in your grocery store.   My husband often comes home and says the pork chops were on sale.   So rather than buy just one package, he often buys 2 and freezes one.   Other times a meat package will be marked down for