June 1, 2007 by admin.

If having blueberries, grapes, cocoa and tea helps me improve my memory, count me in. 

Researcher, Henriette van Praag, and her colleagues at the Salk Institute found that these foods contain a compound called epicatechin, a type of flavonol.  Eating a healthy amount of these along with exercise could possibly reduce the effects of such diseaeses as Alzheimer’s or other cognitive disorders related to aging.

Considering that flavonols also improve cardiovascular function and increase blood flow to the brain, it’s a no-brainer to eat them.  With blueberries soon to be available for the summer and grapes already in the markets, have a handful a day.  Make a pot of tea, put it in a thermos so it’s available to you throughout the day.  And treat yourself to an ounce of dark chocolate for dessert at dinner and you may be able to be as sharp in 25 years as you are today.

It wouldn’t hurt to do a crossword puzzle or try sudoku.  Anything that you do that keeps your brain challenged will keep it more youthful.  It’s no different than with exercise.  The old saying that goes, “use it or lose it” is very true here.

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June 1, 2007 by admin.

It seems that a lot of people are confused about fat and I’d like to set the story straight.  Fat has gotten a bad reputation, especially because people assume that when you eat fat, you get fat.  Okay, if you eat a lot of fat you will get fat.  But then you can eat a lot of protein and a lot of carbohydrates and get fat.

We need some fat in our diet, especially since fat contains nutrients our bodies can’t make.  Let’s not get technical about fatty acids and double bonds and all the chemistry involved.  Most people don’t think in terms of the “chemistry” they’re eating.  They just want to know what’s healthy and tastes good.

I’m sure you’ve probably heard of all the names associated with fat.  There’s saturated fat, unsaturated fat, trans fats, polyunsaturated fat, and monounsaturated fat.  There has been a lot of coverage of trans fat in the news so that most people are pretty aware of the fact that it’s not a good fat to eat.  That’s why food manufacturers are now getting the trans fat out of their products. 

Saturated fat has also gotten a lot of press.  Try to stay away from it, as well.  That means avoiding real fatty meats and tropical oils.  Saturated fat is easy to recognize because it’s solid at room temperature.  Now imagine putting some saturated fat down your sink drain.  Too much of it and it’s going to plug up the works.  Same with your body.

It seems that the unsaturated fats are the ones confusing consumers.  Polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat are good fats and not to be eliminated from your daily intake.  So don’t shy away from canola oil, olive oil, corn oil, and safflower oil.  Just don’t guzzle them from the bottle since they are high in calories. 

A food label will tell you a lot about the fat in the food.  Some manufacturers not only include the amount of Saturated and Unsaturated Fats, but they’re also good about telling you about the amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.  Not that the specific grams will make much of a difference to you, but it does help in letting you know what types of fat are in a food.

Most people don’t appreciate the fact that almost all fats contain both saturated and unsaturated fat.  It’s just some, like meat fat, have a high amount of saturated fat, as compared to olive oil, which is high in unsaturated fat.

Keep these letters in mind as you choose your foods:
S - Subtract the Saturated Fat
T - Trounce the Trans fat
P - Push for more Polyunsaturated Fat
M - Maximize the Monounsaturated Fat

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