Welcome

Who says we have to suffer...to live a healthy happy vibrant life?

Red wine and dark chocolate... might seem decadent...but these guilty pleasures also might help us live longer...and healthier lives. Red wine and dark chocolate definitely improve an evening..but they also contain resveratrol..which lowers blood sugar. Red wine is a great source of catechins..which boost protective HDL cholesterol. Green tea? Protects your brain..helps you live longer..and soothes your spirit.

Food for Thought, the blog, is about living the good life...a life we create with our thoughts and our choices...and having fun the whole while!

I say lets make the thoughts good ones..and let the choices be healthy...exciting...and delicious! Bon Appetit!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Do not buy into IOM's new advice on vitamin D.

I can hardly find words to describe just how crazy the Institute of Medicines new guidelines on vitamin D make me.
Ignore them please. Or should I say follow them at your own peril.
They are saying that if we just reduce the definition of adequacy regarding our level of vitamin D from 30 ng/ml to 20 ng/ml that 80% of Americans will not need supplements.
In other words, 80% of Americans are at or above 20 ng/ml so lets just call that OK.
But it isn't ok. Being at 30 ng/ml ( compared to being deficient) is linked to dramatically reduced incidence of heart attack, stroke, major cardiovascular events, respiratory infections and rates of major cancers. 
DO NOT accept a reduced standard. It is the equivalent of austerity measures for your health. It is nutritional foolishness. old school thinking. All of the noted vitamin D experts challenge this mindset. And I agree with them.
Keep your target level of vitamin D ( measured as 25OH D) at or above 30 ng/ml. Normal range is 30-100 ng/ml. Anything less is a call to action.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

High Carb Diet Bad For Elderly Cognitive Function

Just say no!

Seniors who follow a high-carbohydrate diet are nearly four times as likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, especially if their food intake is high in sugar, researchers from the Mayo Clinic report in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. They also found that seniors whose diets are high in protein and fat are less likely to develop cognitive impairment.

The researchers found that:
      
    The highest carbohydrate eaters had a 1.9 times higher risk of mild cognitive impairment than the participants who ate the fewest carbs.
             
   The highest sugar consumers had a 1.5 times higher risk of cognitive impairment compared to the lowest consumers.           
    
   The participants with the highest fat intake had a 42% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment compared to the lowest fat eaters.
            
   The highest protein consumers had a 21% lower chance of developing dementia compared to the lowest consumers of protein.
      
   When taking into account fat and protein intake, the highest carb eaters had a 3.6 times higher chance of developing mild cognitive impairment.

"Relative Intake of Macronutrients Impacts Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia"
Rosebud O. Roberts et alJournal of Alzheimer's Disease, October 2012. 10.3233/JAD-2012-120862

Fruits and Vegetables: Seven-A-Day for Happiness and Mental Health


Yes that's right...in this study done in the UK, happiness and mental health were highest among people who ate seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Now heres the problem.  Only one in ten people actually ate that many servings of fruits and vegetables and 25% ate less than one serving daily. Clearly we can do better.


University of Warwick (2012, October 9). Fruits and vegetables: Seven-a-day for happiness and mental health. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­