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. ...

So many people think eating healthy means they need to cut some foods, especially desserts, out of their diet.   But I am a big advocate of adding healthier foods to your diet.   I like my desserts and I am not cutting them out of my diet.   But I also have a very healthy diet.   One can add some very simple healthy habits to their day and start to eat healthier.   One very easy way to eat healthier is to add a handful of nuts to your day.   Why a handful?   Because you don’t want to eat the entire can and a handful provides a lot of nutrients without piling on the calories.   I always tell the students in my class that Dr. Oz recommends a handful of nuts a day for good health. What is so healthy about eating some nuts every day?   Healthy fats – yes, nuts have fat in them.   But the different fats in nuts are heart healthy fats.   Nuts provide the good omega-3 fats but are low in the saturated fats that are linked to heart disease...

Now that the weather has turned colder, it is time to think about how you can protect yourself and family members from getting colds or flu this winter.    There are many things people can do in terms of diet, exercise and habits that can greatly reduce your chances of getting sick.    What diet and other changes can you focus on to boost your immune system and keep you healthy?      1.   Fruits and Vegetables – 5 A Day is the suggested amount but eating even more than 5 A Day during the cold and flu season is a wise choice. a.        Antioxidants for your immune system: Fruits and vegetables are not only full of vitamins and minerals but also antioxidants that can help you fight off those infections and build your immune system.   But each color of fruit and vegetable has different antioxidants.   To ensure you are getting a wide range of colors, vary your colors.   Include many di...