Eating For Health

Everyone has heard of Alzheimer’s and you may know people who have suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.   My sister called my attention to an article in Forbes magazine, People with Alzheimer’s disease tend to be deficient in these 5 nutrients that ‘help keep brains in top condition at all ages’ researchers say.   What are these 5 nutrients and how do these nutrients help protect against Alzheimer’s disease?   These research findings are interesting to me not only as a nutritionist but the work Forbes cited was done at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine by Professor Kathleen Dorey. What was the study and what other studies have been done? Virginia Tech scientists analyzed the brains of 31 donors, average age 75.   Most but not all of the donors had died with Alzheimer’s.   The scientists found that those with Alzheimer’s had brains with only half the level of 5 nutrients.   NIH has also studied diet in preventing Alzheimer’s Disease. ...

Who doesn’t enjoy some fresh watermelon?   So juicy and naturally sweet.   We have some sliced watermelon in our fridge as my husband went to the farmer’s market this week. Many people enjoy watermelon and don’t realize how healthy it is.   Cleveland Clinic says, “watermelon should be part of your diet”.   Why?   Watermelon is “packed with vitamins and minerals and can be enjoyed all year ‘round”.   We hear a lot about superfoods like blueberries but we don’t hear much about other fruits like watermelon.      Watermelon packs a big nutritious punch. One reason why watermelon is so good for your health is that it is loaded with many vitamins and minerals as well as fiber.            Vitamins : watermelon is a good source of vitamins A, C and many B vitamins.   One cup of watermelon balls provides 12.5 mg of vitamin C, almost 25% of daily needs.   One cup also provides 876 IU of vita...

As the weather turns colder, we think of enjoying a hot cup of soup.   Last week, we enjoyed tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.   True comfort food.   How healthy is soup?   Have you tried making your own soup?   Some recipes are actually pretty easy to make and taste oh so good.   Livestrong asks “ Why is Soup Healthy ?” Vegetables – soup is a great way to add some vegetables to your day.   A relative hates tomatoes but enjoys a bowl of tomato soup.   Tomatoes are loaded with good nutrition – vitamins A and C and the healthy antioxidant, lycopene, which is so good for your eyes.   An interesting fact :   about 80% of our dietary lycopene comes from tomato products like tomato soup.   And, the lycopene from cooked products, like tomato soup, is even more bioavailable than lycopene in raw tomatoes.     Vegetable soup, pea soup, bean soup – so many choices that add some veggies to your day.   Kids often s...