One more reason

If you need it, here's yet one more reason to eat well and exercise (from Harvard Medical School.)

 

Can you sidestep Alzheimer’s disease?

A recent international survey identified Alzheimer’s as the second most feared disease, behind cancer. It’s no wonder.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by progressive damage to nerve cells and their connections. The result is devastating and includes memory loss, impaired thinking, difficulties with verbal communication, and even personality changes. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may live anywhere from two to 20 years after diagnosis. Those years are spent in an increasingly dependent state that exacts a staggering emotional, physical, and economic toll on families.

A number of factors influence the likelihood that you will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Some of these you can’t control, such as age, gender, and family history. But there are things you can do to help lower your risk. As it turns out, the mainstays of a healthy lifestyle — exercise, watching your weight, and eating right — appear to lower Alzheimer’s risk.

5 steps to lower Alzheimer’s risk

While there are no surefire ways to prevent Alzheimer’s, by following the five steps below you may lower your risk for this disease — and enhance your overall health as well.

1. Maintain a healthy weight. Cut back on calories and increase physical activity if you need to shed some pounds.
2. Check your waistline. To accurately measure your waistline, use a tape measure around the narrowest portion of your waist (usually at the height of the navel and lowest rib). A National Institutes of Health panel recommends waist measurements of no more than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men. 
3. Eat mindfully. Emphasize colorful, vitamin-packed vegetables and fruits; whole grains; protein sources such as fish, lean poultry, tofu, and beans and other legumes; plus healthy fats. Cut down on unnecessary calories from sweets, sodas, refined grains like white bread or white rice, unhealthy fats, fried and fast foods, and mindless snacking. Keep a close eye on portion sizes, too.
4. Exercise regularly. This simple step does great things for your body. Regular physical activity helps control weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, biking, rowing) can also help chip away total body fat and abdominal fat over time. Aim for 2 1/2 to 5 hours weekly of brisk walking (at 4 mph). Or try a vigorous exercise like jogging (at 6 mph) for half that time.
5. Keep an eye on important health numbers. In addition to watching your weight and waistline, ask your doctor whether your cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar are within healthy ranges. Exercise, weight loss if needed, and medications (if necessary) can help keep these numbers on target.

For more on ways to help prevent Alzheimer’s as well as information on diagnosing and treating it, buy A Guide to Coping with Alzheimer’s Disease from Harvard Medical School.

More about real food

This is a great question. Real food costs what it costs - yes, it can sometimes seem like a lot especially if you are on a budget with little room to deviate. BUT the inexpensive food is most times NOT FOOD. It's chemicals and additives that may or have been proven to negatively affect your health (mood swings, weight gain, reduced energy level, gastrointestinal problems, etc.) and buying this type of "food" financially hurts the farmers.  

Eat whole foods. Eat real food. Cook at home.You'll soon find that you are not spending that much more. You are likely to even save money; one reason is that your unhealthy food cravings will disappear in time. Processed foods are very addictive. From NaturalNews.com, "Your body processes whole foods much differently than it does refined, processed, and heavily-modified "junk" foods. Processed foods tend to overstimulate the production of dopamine, also known as the "pleasure" neurotransmitter, which makes you crave them constantly. Your body ends up not being able to resist the temptation to continue eating junk foods in excess, which can lead to obesity and other health problems."

Another reason you'll save money (and our natural resources) is because making a batch of chili, for example, can be cheaper per serving than buying cans. No waste. It's healthier. And home-cooked tastes better!

Read about the other reasons to never eat processed food again. 

You can find lots of articles online about money-saving grocery shopping ideas. Here are two to get you started:

What to Eat When You're Broke
Healthy Eating on a Budget

Best Diets of 2015

In case you missed it, here's a detailed guide to the best diets overall and in sub-categories (best weight-loss diet, best diabetes diet, etc) -  US News & World Report Announces Best Diets of 2015

Now in my opinion, the best diet for you is one that works for you and your family. Does it include whole foods? Is it easy to follow? Is it non-restrictive? Can it work for you in the long-term? Can you incorporate it into your life? Do you feel good and have energy when eating this way?

That being said, at some point we all need a map to help us reach our goals. Sometimes an exercise plan is helpful to get us started exercising in a more effective way, recipes are great for people to learn to ways to cook, and a "diet" is a great guideline to help people improve their eating habits. With all of these, you don't need to follow them indefinitely. Learn new things, incorporate that into your routine and refer to them for guidance as your create your own "diet."

The Best Diets Overall:
1. DASH Diet (from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)) 
2. TLC Diet (from the National Institutes of Health)
3. Mediterranean Diet
4. Weight Watchers
5. Mayo Clinic Diet

Check out the link above for great information and lots of free information from some of the organizations such as the NHLBI)


Action Item: Use one or more of these diets as a roadmap to a healthier you! Discover new ideas and recommendations and mix that with what you are currently doing that's already working for you.

Choco Muesli

I took this photo the first day I tried the mixture
in milk - without baking it. Baking the ingredients
of course makes them a bit crunchy which is even
more delicious. I used pumpkin seeds instead of
walnuts in the first batch; both provide lots of
nutrients.

I came upon this delicious creation by accident. I was making granola bars for my son's class, and I didn't use enough "binding" ingredients so the granola bars were crumbly. "Hhhmmm," I thought to myself "this stuff is delicious. I think I'll put it in milk." Surprise, the taste took me back to my favorite Choco Muesli in Germany.

Follow this recipe for Energy Bars.
My ingredients this time included: oats, O's cereal (with only 1g of sugar), dark chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chia seeds, dried cranberries, maple syrup and natural almond butter. Different than the granola bar recipe, I used 1.5c of maple syrup and 1c of almond butter. I might try even less syrup/nut butter next time just to cut back on calories and cost.

Bake in the oven at 250 degree for 75 minutes.
I took this advice from my 100 Days of Real Food cookbook. I guess this technically makes it granola and not muesli. Try it either way - nothing needs to be cooked, the time in the oven just adds a nice crunch if you like it.


The result: Delicious and very filling. Start with a small bowl, because I promise you don't need a lot. Or sprinkle some muesli on your yogurt or just eat it as a dry snack.

Running got you down?

If running is one of your go-to exercises and you find yourself in a slump, just take a break! Not from all exercise but from running. Cycle, swim, ski or practice yoga for at least a week if not longer - with no running - then see how much better it feels to run again! Your running muscles will get a break, other muscles will get worked, and you can face your next run with a whole new attitude.

 

Action Item: Cross training is always a great idea. What other sport or activity have you been wanting to try? Give it a shot for your next workout.

Pancakes are forgiving

 

With a topping of maple syrup, a good pancake is not difficult to make. As my vegan friends already know, you can make delicious pancakes without eggs. Previously I've substituted for eggs with flaxseed, another time I used Greek yogurt because of the thick consistency, but today I had no egg, flaxseed nor Greek yogurt. I made the pancakes anyway as we just returned from vacation the day before and our refrigerator was still a little bare.

Here are the ingredients I used:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1 cup vanilla almond milk
2 Tbsp (approximately) natural apple sauce (just finished what was in the jar)
2 tsp baking powder
good sprinkling of cinnamon

The end result? Yummy and filling pancakes.

The photo is a whole wheat and flax recipe from skiptomylou.org. I think they look delicious!

Action Item: Make pancakes tomorrow. It's faster than you might remember!

Chocolate Sauce

Need some chocolate sauce for your occasional bowl of yummy ice cream? Forget the high-fructose-bottled stuff at the grocery store, all you need is maple syrup and dark chocolate chips. Melt the two ingredients together in a small saucepan and VOILA! Delicious and much better for you than the store-bought alternatives.

Ingredients:
maple syrup
dark chocolate chips (at least 60% cocoa)

Make as little or as much as you want. Add chocolate chips to the maple syrup until you think it's the right consistency. If you have any left, store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

Action Item: Keep items with high fructose corn syrup out of your home. Check your cabinets. Is there anything you can replace the next time you go grocery shopping?