Farm to Table, GMO’s, Organic: What’s the difference?

Posted on January 13, 2019 by autocreate740

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to focus more attention on what type of groceries I am purchasing. In addition, I want the recipes I make to be creative, tasty and healthful. My grandmother cooked what could be called ‘soul food’, which was always delicious and she was healthy all her life. She lived to be 94 years old. My grandmother was not the only person I know of who lived a long life and ate things like collard greens, macaroni & cheese, biscuits. I also remember her having a garden, where she grew all kinds of vegetables and from which she used to cook her dinner. I actually don’t recall her using a lot of fertilizer on the vegetables she grew.

Recently, I treated myself and bought the TV Chef Carla Hall’s Soul Food cookbook. I trusted that when I have seen her on TV she is always doing the right thing by food. It’s tasty and the ingredients are the best she can find for the occasion. She is creative. Often, when she’s cooking a version of ‘soul food’, Carla makes it a point to prepare her food lighter – by cutting calories – and cutting out fat. This is how she was trained to cook by her grandmother; and, her grandmother was a dietitian at a hospital. What better way to learn how to cook ‘good-for-you-soul food’? Exciting! Continue reading →

Healthwise – Yogurt – Probiotics – Diet

Posted on December 21, 2018 by autocreate740

Are you aware of the benefits that senior citizens (referred to as elderly people) can receive by eating yogurt? Are you aware that not all yogurt give you the same benefits, and why you might choose one type versus another type?

First off let’s discuss some of the health benefits of eating Greek yogurt : helps with digestion; controls blood pressure; provides protein, it is also an excellent source of calcium. So there I was eating my Greek yogurt, and something told me to check the ‘benefits’ of the one I was eating. I went to Fooducate.com

Fooducate is a website that provides detailed information about the nutrition facts of the food you are eating. It also gives the food brand a rating. There is an app that you can put on your smartphone. It’s considered to be one of the best food rating apps. To my surprise, I found out that the yogurt I was eating received a B- for one cup of the yogurt, which is worst than average! Further details indicated it had over 50% of daily saturated fat, and 6 teaspoons of sugar per serving. I also checked whether the yogurt I was eating had probiotics. It did not. Continue reading →

Smart Walking for Seniors

Posted on November 14, 2018 by autocreate740

Once again there is good news about walking as an exercise, which could be especially good for us seniors. The newest information I read about this exercise is too good not to share. That’s right.

For those of you who find it difficult to get exercise, ten minutes of mild exercise can benefit the brain by creating new cells and improve memory. This is certainly worth trying instead of being sedentary. The exercise does not have to be intense either. Are you feeling better about my news already? I thought you would. Although some of the tests referred to in the article were done on animals, it turns out that past studies also have shown that people with a larger, healthier hippocampus (essential for memory creation and storage) exercise regularly.

Not convinced? Another study was conducted again by scientist on college students. This time the exercise was done for 10 minutes on bicycles at a gentle pace. It was very easy, according to the article. The students were given computerized memory test immediately after slow pedaling. Then the students were given the same sequence on the bikes for 10 minutes; however, the testing took place inside an MRI machine, where their brains could be scanned.
Continue reading →

The Aspirin Question

Posted on October 31, 2018 by autocreate740

Just when we thought we had the right information about taking aspirin, a new study comes out to create confusion. Even though I have had heart surgery, I must admit I do not take aspirin. As a matter of fact, I only took it immediately after my open heart surgery 23 years ago. My surgery was not because of a heart attack. I stopped taking aspirin because of an allergic reaction one time, and I never took it again. Now, it turns out that I am on the right side of what is healthy for my age. Below is a summary of my findings, which I hope helps clear up a few things for you. Please use the source links for more detailed information.

♥ If you are 70 and older, there is no benefit at all to taking an aspirin a day, unless you have had a heart attack; have a stent; had a bypass surgery; suffer from angina, or had a stroke.
♥ The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that those in their 50s with a 10 percent higher risk because they have high blood pressure/high cholesterol, should continue to take aspirin. The same is true for people in their 60s.
♥ Aspirin can cause bleeding, which can be dangerous. Find out from your doctor whether there are benefits for you. Continue reading →

Arthritis Seasons & Remedies

Posted on September 30, 2018 by autocreate740

I have shared with some of you in the past that I am an aromatherapy enthusiast, and recently acquired my certification. So, I am delighted to tell you that I read lavender and rice warmed in the microwave can relieve some arthritis pain. That’s right ! Why don’t you try it?

Put the dried lavender and rice in a pair of clean gloves or socks. Warm them in the microwave. After warming the items, wear them to relieve the pain. Not only will you feel better, but lavender, is known to have other therapeutic values like calming the nervous system; initiating deep relaxation, and emotional balance, to name a few.

♥Those of us who are challenged with arthritic pain sometimes have flare-ups during rainy seasons and cold weather. I for one feel that kind of pain more in my neck and shoulder. Specifically during these periods, we want to pay attention to what we are eating. Foods that help with inflammation and can be added to our diet are, for example: tomatoes; ginger; olive oil; almonds; walnuts; raisins; fatty fish like albacore tuna; farmed salmon; mussels; and, anchovies. Foods that we want to eat less of are, for example: Red meat; french fries; pasta; candy; and soda. You pretty much know whether you are eating too much of these items.

Read more about remedies at these sources:

https://www.3rdactmagazine.com

https://www.webmd.com

Taking a Time-Out from Exercise

Posted on September 1, 2018 by autocreate740

I have to admit when I look at someone sitting in a hammock I immediately relax. It’s a symbol for instant gratification, reading a book, or daydreaming. It does not remind me of taking that 30 minute walk that I promised to do. A few days ago, I listened to an orator who suggested that the 30 minute walk I take every day is an act of “self♥love”. That’s right. He said, it takes a lot of ‘self♥love’ to exercise, when you really want to do something else. Many of us would not think about it that way. Do you?

Let’s talk about what happens when you take a ‘time-out’ from exercise both for seniors and younger adults. I’m not referring to a day or two. That might be OK, but if you do that for a few weeks, the consequences become much more pervasive. Here are some of the benefits that exercising on a regular basis provides us with: works against Type 2 diabetes; heightened blood sugar; protects against heart disease; lowers “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. As seniors, we are often reminded of these points by our doctors. For younger people, it’s easier to reverse these issues.
♥ I try to get close to 10,000 steps a day. This includes a 30 minute walk, which is about 4,000 steps. During the course of the rest of the day, I try to get 6,000 more steps or close to it by moving every chance I get.
Continue reading →

Stepping Seniors Formula for Best Walking

Posted on July 25, 2018 by autocreate740

I am happy to report that finally there is a formula that can help us calculate our “brisk” walking exercise to give us the best health benefits!

“Brisk” walking can now be calculated with a simple formula of 100 steps per minute! For seniors it’s a good way to have in mind a way to calculate if our walking exercise will be beneficial. For those of us 60 years of age or older, we may need to add more steps to this formula to satisfy the requirement, but this is a good start. And, of course, we can now go beyond 100 steps. Presently, the federal guidelines advises 30 minutes of brisk walking. That translates into 3,000 steps at the pace of 100 steps-per-minute. For those of you who want a more challenging exercise, you can try 130 steps per minute.

The study was conducted by Catrine Tudor Locke, a professor of Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. You can read about the study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. It turns out that walking is the most common form of exercise. So, feel free to continue to use your feet to do just that.

Let’s keep moving seniors!

Read details ⇒ Source: https://www.nytimes.com/section/well/move

Are Fish Oil Supplements Doing the Right Thing?

Posted on June 20, 2018 by autocreate740

On your recent visit to the doctor, did you have a conversation about those Fish Oil supplements you’ve been taking to help with the cholesterol issues you have? No? Well, neither did I. It pays to actually keep up with the latest news on this health stuff. It is true that eating fish has health benefits. However, until recently, it was thought that fish based supplements are also a good thing to take for this.

In the future, you may want to think about who is coming to dinner with you.
Supplements for cholesterol issues usually contain Omega-3 fatty acids (polyunsaturated oils). Omega-3 fatty acids are also available by eating fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel.
It is suggested that people who eat these types of fish two or more times a week may have fewer issues with heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths.
Some of the benefits of eating fatty fish 2 or 3 times a week are: lower heart rate and blood pressure; and improved function of blood vessels, for example.

Now it turns out that those studies, which were done 15 years ago, and reported that fish oils/fish eaters, could lower the risk of heart disease, may not be the only studies to consider. It may be some other factors/characteristics; for example, eating less meat, healthier lifestyles etc., could be contributory factors as well.
Continue reading →

Tweaking Your Workout Activity

Posted on April 16, 2018 by autocreate740

I realize that many of us are not revved up about getting to a 30 minute exercise class, or walking continuously for 30 minutes. In addition, many seniors do not have the extra income required to spend on a health club membership.

I was encouraged by a recent study, which finds that continuous activity is not a requirement to attain the benefits of exercise. That is to say, you do not have to workout 30 minutes at a time to gain the health benefits! You can actually accumulate those 30 minutes of activity 10 minutes at a time.

♥ The latest studies, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association are summarized below:
– “Movement strongly influenced longevity. Men and women who exercised fewer than 20 minutes a day, were at the highest risk of premature death. Those who moved more often, especially if they were active in a day, cut their mortality risk in half”. Continue reading →