health quiz

Dark green leafy vegetables

Mix Things Up

Remember trying to talk backwards as a child? Researchers at Duke University created exercises they call “neurobics,” which challenge your brain to think in new ways. Since your five senses are key to learning, use them to exercise your mind. If you’re right-handed, try using your left hand. Drive to work by another route. Close your eyes and see if you can recognize food by taste.

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Regular physical activity promotes general good health, reduces the risk of developing many diseases, and helps you live a longer and healthier life. For many of us, “exercise” means walking, jogging, treadmill work, or other activities that get the heart pumping.

But often overlooked is the value of strength-building exercises. Once you reach your 50s and beyond, strength (or resistance) training is critical to preserving the ability to perform the most ordinary activities of daily living — and to maintain an active and independent lifestyle. The average 30-year-old will lose about a quarter of his or her muscle strength by age 70 and half of it by age 90. “Just doing aerobic exercise is not adequate,” says Dr. Robert Schreiber, physician-in-chief at Hebrew SeniorLife and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Unless you are doing strength training, you will become weaker and less functional.”

Source: Harvard Medical School, Healthbeat Newsletter (Issue #4)

Vitamin B₁₂ and folate form one of nutrition’s best couples. B₁₂ helps the body absorb folate, and the two work together to support cell division and replication, which allow the body to replace cells that die. This process is important during times of growth in childhood, and throughout the body of adults as well. Cells that line the stomach and the cells of the hair follicle, for example, divide and replicate often. Good food sources of vitamin B₁₂ include:

• meat
• eggs
• milk
• Leafy green vegetables
• beans
• other legumes

Nutrition guidelines recommend 2.4 micrograms of B₁₂ and 400 micrograms of folate daily. This can usually be achieved easily by eating a reasonably well-balanced diet. However, vegans — people who don’t eat meat and other animal-based products — may have B₁₂ deficiencies. And people who eat poorly or drink too much alcohol may have folate deficiencies. . . . Deficiency in either or both vitamins may cause a form of anemia called macrocytic anemia. B₁₂ deficiencies can also cause mild tingling sensations and memory loss.

Source: Harvard Medical School, Healthbeat Newsletter

So how does it work? Intuitive eating comes down to paying attention to your body, whether you feel sated, says explains Tracy L. Tylka, professor of psychology at Ohio State University who has extensively studied intuitive eating.

Through her Intuitive Eating Scale, she notes four main characteristics of the approach:

What Is Healthy Eating

The key to a healthy diet is to eat the right amount of calories for how active you are so you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use.If you eat or drink more than your body needs, you’ll put on weight because the energy you do not use is stored as fat. If you eat and drink too little, you’ll lose weight.You should also eat a wide range of foods to make sure you’re getting a balanced diet and your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs.

Healthy Eating Tips

1. Base your meals on higher fiber and starchy carbohydrates -such as potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and cereals. Choose higher fiber or wholegrain varieties, such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice or potatoes with their skins on.
2. Eat lots of fruit and veggies.
3. Eat oily fish like salmon at least twice a week.
4. Cut back on saturated fats and sugar.
5. Lose the salt shaker.
6. Stay hydrated.

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Folate and Folic Acid

Why you need it —  Folate is a general term that’s used to describe the many different forms of vitamin B9. Vitamin B9 is one of the eight B vitamins. It’s important in red blood cell formation and for healthy cell growth and function. And it’s particularly important for women to ingest folate during the first three weeks of pregnancy to prevent birth defects. Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate that is used in supplements and in fortified foods. (Fortification is the process by which vitamins and minerals are added to food.)

How to get it —  It can be difficult for some to get the daily recommended amount of folate through foods alone. “Keep in mind that many of us are still not getting enough fruits, vegetables and legumes — our best sources for folate. You can get more folate naturally simply by increasing your intake of these foods:

• • • Leafy green vegetables.
    • Fruits — especially citrus fruits, melons and strawberries.
    • Fruit juice (Remember: The less sugar, the better).
    • Legumes such as dried beans, lentils and peas.

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Eat Your Greens

There are countless benefits to eating a diet rich in plants: It can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. It can boost your immune system and brain function. It’s no surprise that the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and American Diabetes Association all recommend a plant based diet as one of the best ways to prevent disease.

Plants are nutrient-dense, which means they contain more beneficial nutrients – like vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants – than calories. For those watching their weight, a plant-based diet can help control appetite since the low glycemic index and high fiber content of fruits and veggies keep you feeling full longer.

Source: US News Health Team Newsletter

Though they’re small in size, nuts of all types pack a nutritional wallop – and they provide a number of health benefits for aging people. Research suggests eating nuts can lower your risk of cancer and protect your heart health.

6 health benefits of eating nuts: