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Features
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9 Healthful Ways To Boost Your Brain Function And Smarten Up Now
By Kerry Neville, M.S., R.D.
Just like the rest of your body, your noggin’ needs nourishment—and exercise. Research on brain health shows that what you eat and how you live can affect memory, mental acuity, concentration and possibly help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Research from the Chicago Health and Aging Project suggests that older folks who eat at least two cups of vegetables a day can slow mental decline by about 40% more than those who eat less than one serving a day. Eating fruit did not offer the same mental benefits; what people put on veggies (e.g., salad dressing or margarine, which both contain vitamin E) may give vegetables the edge. Still, many animal studies suggest that the antioxidants in certain fruits—notably blueberries—help reverse age-related declines in thinking and neuromotor skills by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain. While researchers caution they don’t know if the cognitive benefits seen in animals translate to humans, the research suggests a way the brain might protect itself from mental decline.
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Eating The Mediterranean Way: Good For A Lot More Than Just Your Heart
By Diane Welland, M.S., R.D.
Ever since researcher Ancel Keys discovered that people living near the Mediterranean Sea suffered fewer heart attacks than Northern Europeans and Americans, the so-called Mediterranean Diet has been touted for heart health. A slew of studies has provided plenty of evidence to back up the diet’s cardio-protective claims of lower low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and triglycerides. Now, it seems the traditional "Med" way of eating benefits more than your heart. New findings suggest it reduces the risk of diabetes, certain cancers, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease—and can help you live a longer, happier life. At the recent 15th Anniversary Mediterranean Diet Conference in Boston, sponsored by Oldways, a food issues think tank, international scientists, nutritionists and chefs presented cutting-edge research plus practical ways to translate Med eating to your own lifestyle. EN was there to bring you the inside scoop.
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Whittle Your Weight By Fixing 6 Common Eating Mistakes
By Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D.
If you’re like many people, your New Year’s resolve to eat better in 2009 may already be a distant memory. But don’t lose hope. Lasting weight loss—or maintaining your weight as you age—results from good eating choices made every day all year long. It may just take correcting a few common eating missteps. Going too long without food. This often starts with skipping breakfast then continues throughout the day. The result is constant nagging hunger. Little known secret? You should diet on full stomach. Sound counterintuitive? It’s not. Hunger is the death knell of any weight-loss diet; when famished, you reach for the first food that comes into view and probably too much of it. Eating often, however, keeps you in control of what you eat, instead of the food controlling you. It perks up your body’s metabolism, too. Plan to put something worthwhile in your mouth every three to four hours. Back to breakfast—the most commonly skipped meal: Studies show that most people who’ve lost weight and kept it off eat breakfast every day.
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