Beans and franks. Chips and dip. Mac and cheese. Peanut butter and jelly. Spaghetti and meatballs.

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

Of course, not all food pairings make for healthy meals. But there is one that most certainly does.

Not only will this delicious duo invigorate your taste buds, but it will invigorate your heart health, too…

So what is it?

Dark chocolate and olive oil, that’s what.

I know that sounds like a strange combination, but if you try it, you’ll be surprised at how delicious these two foods are together.

And when it comes to boosting your heart health, these two superfoods may just be the perfect pair…

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Olive oil and chocolate protect your heart

Researchers from the University of Pisa in Italy discovered that adding a dash of extra virgin olive oil to your daily dose of dark chocolate can be beneficial for your heart health.

They conducted a study that included men and women with at least three risk factors for heart disease (things like smoking, abnormal amounts of lipids in their blood, hypertension, a family history of cardiovascular disease, etc.)

They gave these people a serving of dark chocolate for 28 days straight. But this wasn’t plain old chocolate. It was infused with one of two foods — extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or the Panaia red apple (an ancient variety rich in bioactive compounds).

Now, scientists already know that plant polyphenols (like those found abundantly in dark chocolate, EVOO and the Panaia red apple — and a variety of berries) are great for your heart health. These antioxidant compounds protect your body from free radicals and help prevent a long list of diseases, including heart disease. But they wanted to see just which polyphenol-rich pair was most potent.

And dark chocolate combined with EVOO came out on top.

Researchers found that eating dark chocolate enriched with EVOO significantly increased the number of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) circulating in the body. These cells help repair the vascular system and keep the endothelium (the lining of blood vessels) operating properly.

The EVOO-infused dark chocolate also increased HDL (good) cholesterol, lowered blood pressure and decreased levels of compounds known as carnitine and hippurate, which are tied to metabolic changes that are bad for your heart.

All these changes show that when study participants ate dark chocolate enriched with EVOO daily, they were also slowing or preventing the deadly process known as atherosclerosis (the narrowing of the arteries due to plaque build-up), which means much better heart health in the long run.

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Embracing EVOO-infused chocolate

Trying to figure out how to fit more dark chocolate and EVOO into your diet?

Well, the easiest way is to buy an EVOO-infused dark chocolate bar.

Yes, they do exist… although they may not be easy to find. And you’ll always want to check the label to ensure the one you buy contains 70 percent cacao content and no artificial ingredients.

Or just enjoy your chocolate and EVOO separately, but daily…

In the study, people ate about 40 grams of dark chocolate a day, so you should shoot for a similar amount. Most conventional-sized chocolate bars are 100 grams, so that’s a little less than half a bar per day.

EVOO is so easy to incorporate into your diet on its own. Aim for two tablespoons a day and use it in salad dressings, as a dip for bread, drizzled over your meals, or even mixed into a smoothie. It is also tasty drizzled on roasted vegetables after they come out of the oven.

Editor’s Note: You’re invited to join a tiny handful of Americans who enjoy rare, fresh-pressed olive oil all year long. Take my word for it, there’s a difference in taste, quality and benefit! Click here to learn more…

The post How olive oil and chocolate keep your arteries clear appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

They say that one of the most impressive of these superfoods is a common fruit that’s not only readily available at your local grocery store, but also one that most people enjoy.

And if you need an excuse to enjoy it more often, consider the 1,600 health-boosting compounds that can improve your health status — starting with these six benefits…

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Your body on grapes

A study review by a leading cancer researcher at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University scoured over sixty peer-reviewed studies on the health benefits of grapes.

According to those scientists, there are over 1,600 compounds fueling the health-boosting power of grapes. A significant advantage is that the compounds fall into the categories of antioxidants and polyphenols — both of which are considered bioactive compounds.

Bioactive compounds possess diverse biological activities and can interact with biological membranes, receptors and enzymes to influence cellular processes. According to the National Institutes of Health, bioactive compounds are strong enough to exert “changes in health status,” and help prevent myriad diseases.

Those 1,600 reasons make eating grapes a simple and effective way to support head-to-toe health, starting with these six health issues…

#1 – Improved heart health

The research revealed that the benefits grapes bring to cardiovascular health are well established. Grapes are known for promoting relaxation of blood vessels and healthy circulation (which supports blood pressure in the normal range), as well as modulating cholesterol levels.

#2 – Cognitive support

Beyond the heart, clinical trials have shown that grapes deliver powerful support for better brain health, promoting brain metabolism (energy production) and improving cognition. One study found that taking a small dose of resveratrol (found in the skin of grapes) regularly not only improves cognitive function but can also improve blood flow and brain health.

#3 – Beautiful skin

Compounds found in the skin of grapes enhance skin health by increasing resistance to UV radiation and DNA damage at the cellular level. Researchers believe polyphenols, natural antioxidant components found in grapes, are responsible for these beneficial effects.

#4 – Balanced gut microbiome

Grape compounds boost and support overall gut health. Eating grapes has been shown to increase the levels of a type of probiotic bacteria, an enzyme that promotes metabolic detoxification, and enhance the overall diversity of the gut microbiome.

#5 – Eye health

If that weren’t already enough, grapes also contain potent support for your eyes. Beneficial compounds promote retinal health by increasing the optical density of macular pigment (MPOD), a crucial factor in protecting the eyes from harmful blue light and oxidative stress.

#6 – Youthful muscles

Do you worry that family genes can set you up for sickness or early death? Grape consumption has been shown to alter gene expression in relevant body systems. According to leading resveratrol and cancer researcher John M. Pezzuto, Ph.D., D.Sc., Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University, it’s this ability to affect activities at the genetic level that is likely the driving force behind the health-boosting power of grapes.

For example, studies have shown that eating grapes can positively alter gene expression in muscle health. By promoting genes linked to lean muscle mass and reducing those associated with muscle degeneration, adding grapes to your diet could help counteract age-related muscle loss. This effect is especially pronounced in women.

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Great compounds in grapes

So what specific compounds fuel the incredible benefits attributed to grapes? Here are just a few of the special compounds you can fill your body with by eating grapes regularly — and how they promote health…

• Flavonoids – Responsible for the rainbow of colors found in fruits and veggies, these compounds boost the brain’s blood supply and slow its aging and offer blood pressure benefits to boot. Just be sure to diversify your flavonoids to ditch disease and live longer.
• Anthocyanidins – These pigments are known for their antioxidant properties and health benefits, like reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
• Catechins – Another type of antioxidant, catechins are also famously found in green tea. They’re known for their role in reducing inflammation, improving heart health and enhancing brain function. They may also aid in weight management.
• Phenolic acids – These acids are best known for their antioxidant properties and potent support for reducing inflammation, improving gut health and guarding against chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.
• Resveratrol – A potent antioxidant from the skin of red grapes, resveratrol is a health-promoting powerhouse. It reduces brain aging and protects the brain’s barrier, fights muscle loss, promotes heart health and even combats the effects of a high-fat diet and Alzheimer’s.

Enjoy grapes daily to support your best health!

Sources:

This common fruit has over 1,600 compounds that boost brain, heart, and gut health — ScienceDaily

Scientists Discover Surprising New Benefits of Eating Grapes — SciTechDaily

WNE Research Finds Grape Consumption Enhances Muscle Health — WNE

The secret to lower blood pressure with flavonoid – Easy Health Options

Foods that slow brain aging by boosting its blood supply – Easy Health Options

Health benefits of anthocyanins against age-related diseases — Frontiers

Beneficial Properties of Green Tea Catechins — NIH

Phenolic Acids: Sources, Definition, and Health Benefits — Biology Insights

How resveratrol helps fight muscle loss and fatigue — Easy Health Options

Resveratrol fights effects of a high-fat diet and Alzheimer’s — Easy Health Options

The post 1,600 reasons to eat this underappreciated superfruit appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

They become harder, narrower, and filled with a sticky plaque that slowly chokes your blood flow. These changes are known as atherosclerosis, and they occur in more than 3 million Americans each year.

Most people with atherosclerosis don’t know they have it until it’s too late, because it doesn’t have any obvious symptoms until the blockage becomes severe. But your doctor can check for it.

The thing is, whether you have atherosclerosis or not, everyone’s arteries harden some with age. That means, it’s a good idea to proactively protect your arteries, pronto.

So, what can you do to keep your arteries clear?

Eat your vegetables, that’s what. But what if you are just not a fan of the plant stuff? No problem — there’s just one kind you really need to get a little of every day for clear arteries…

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The artery-clearing power of cruciferous vegetables

In 2018, Research at the University of Western Australia in Crawley found that older women who eat their vegetables have much clearer arteries.

The study included 954 women aged 70 or older. They were asked to fill out a food questionnaire and received sonograms to gauge the thickness of their carotid arteries.

Carotid arteries are in the neck, and like the arteries in your heart, they can develop atherosclerosis. The difference is that when carotid arteries get blocked, blood flow to the brain gets cut off, and you have a stroke rather than a heart attack.

The good news is that atherosclerosis can be prevented by pumping your body full of one kind of fresh produce…

The women in the study who ate a lot of vegetables had thinner artery walls than women who didn’t, meaning less atherosclerosis or buildup. Their arteries were 0.05 millimeters thinner. This may not sound like a lot, but researchers say every 0.1-millimeter decrease in carotid wall thickness lowers your risk of having a stroke or heart attack by 10 to 18 percent.

The food questionnaire asked women about their intake of five different types of vegetables. But, researchers determined that there was one type that was doing all the heavy lifting… cruciferous vegetables.

They found that every 10 grams of cruciferous vegetables women ate per day reduced the thickness of their carotid artery wall by 0.8 percent. Since a typical serving of broccoli is about 36 grams, that probably leads to a nice reduction in stroke and heart attack risk.

Additional research in 2020 revisited this data and also found the women who consumed the highest amounts of cruciferous vegetables had less abdominal aortic calcification (an early warning sign of heart trouble) than the women who ate less.

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Plenty of Cruciferae to choose from…

Research says the positive effect of cruciferous vegetables may be due to their abundance of vitamin K, including phylloquinone (vitamin K1) found in leafy green vegetables, broccoli and Brussels sprouts and menaquinones (vitamin K2) found primarily in animal-based foods.

Phylloquinone can break down to menadione, an intermediate that is then converted to menaquinone, a form believed to reduce vascular calcification.

Broccoli is probably the best-known member of the Cruciferae family and a well-known superfood. But there are plenty of other cruciferous vegetables to choose from (even a few surprising ones) if you want clear arteries, like:

• Arugula
• Bok choi
• Broccoli
• Broccoli rabe
• Brussel sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Chinese Broccoli
• Collard Greens
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Radish
• Turnips and turnip greens
• Wasabi
• Rutabaga
• Horseradish

Sources:

1. “Vegetables may help protect elderly women from hardening of neck arteries.”  https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-vegetables-elderly-women-hardening-neck.html. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
2. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/atherosclerosis.html. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
3. P. Toth. “Subclinical atherosclerosis: what it is, what it means and what we can do about it.” International Journal of Clinical Practice. 2008 Aug; 62(8): 1246–1254.
4. “Carotid Artery Disease.” MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/carotidarterydisease.html.Retrieved April 12, 2018.
5. “Cruciferous Vegetables: Cruciferous Definition And The List Of Cruciferous Vegetables.” Gardening Know How. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/cruciferous-vegetables.htm. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
6. Cruciferous Vegetable Intake Associated with Abdominal Aortic Calcification — Natural Health Research

The post Not a veggie fan? Eat just this ONE for clearer arteries appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Worse yet, starting an anti-aging routine without a solid foundation of healthy eating can make many treatments less effective. However, incorporating superfoods into your diet can help you look younger without incurring significant expenses.

Take into account just how important a factor your diet can be when it comes to how old you look. Stuffing yourself full of foods with added sugars and bad fats can be almost as destructive as spending most of your waking hours sedentary on the couch.

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If you want to build a good foundation for healthy foods, try adding a few of these nutrient-packed foods to your daily routine.

1. Tomatoes

Shoring up your diet with tomatoes can add the disease-fighting antioxidant, lycopene, to your diet. Antioxidants are an essential nutrient at keeping your cells working smoothly and in proper numbers. Lycopene may also protect your body against damage caused by pesticides and herbicides. Toss your tomato into a leafy green salad to get a real anti-aging nutrient boost without hours of extra prep work!

2. Beets

Sweet, crunchy and fantastic for you are just a few ways to describe beets. Whether you cut them up and toss them into a stir fry or turn them into a smoothie, beets can help promote healthy blood pressure with the added benefit of having super healthy greens, too.

Although many people claim that beets taste like dirt, the truth is that they contain geosmin, an organic compound with a rich, earthy flavor. Even so, they are considered a superfood because they also include a wide range of nutrients, such as magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C and iron. But their claim to fame is helping with the body’s natural production of nitric oxide — the key to these veggies’ powerful circulation benefits.

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3. Kale

Is there anything kale can’t do? It’s already an easy diet choice thanks to the massive amount of nutrients it carries, including a wild amount of vitamin K that is essential to blood clotting properly and other vital bodily functions.

It can help stave off osteoporosis and heart disease, too, which could just keep you from feeling the pain of joint issues as you age. Put that anti-aging disease prevention to good use by incorporating kale into a healthy, low-impact exercise routine, and your heart will stand an even better chance of staying strong.

4. Fish

Beyond being a healthy source of protein with the added benefit of sustainable farming, fish oils and omega-3 fatty acids help fight the march of time with their status as part of a healthy, anti-aging superfoods diet by fighting inflammation in your body and bolstering your heart health. Mix up your fish intake from a variety of sources and you won’t have to keep as close an eye on your mercury intake, either.

5. Yogurt

Few foods are as complex as yogurt for a variety of surprising reasons. For instance, did you know yogurt technically carries life? Healthy bacteria in yogurts work in tandem with the natural bacteria in your stomach to regulate digestion and keep your body running smoothly.

Probiotics could be the key to helping your immune system fight off nasty foreign bodies. But even the dairy and calcium content of yogurt alone is enough to suggest it as a superfood year-round.

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6. Green Tea

It seems green tea gets top billing on nearly every list of well-kept health secrets, and for very good reason. Just like blueberries, tomatoes and other antioxidants, green tea promotes healthy blood flow and fights heart issues on top of its powerful antioxidant properties. Its low level of processing means more of its natural goodness reaches you before being stripped away by harsh chemical treatment, and it’s easily one of the healthiest drink options to reach for.

Make sure you steep green tea at lower temperatures than others, as higher water temperatures can harm the catechins that produce the antioxidants you’re after. Try to avoid over-sugaring it, but there’s nothing wrong with adding a little honey to sweeten things up.

Conclusion

No single food can make you feel decades younger than you are, but incorporating healthy, anti-aging superfoods into your diet is a good first step in pushing back against the march of time. What you can’t make up for in age, you just might make up for in feeling healthier, more alert or just all-around nicer thanks to the potent healing properties of the foods we often don’t get enough of.

Keep top of mind, though, when eating to improve your health, to eat more organic produce than not. Else, your best efforts can be sabotaged with large doses of chemicals and herbicides.

The post 6 Anti-aging superfoods that will make you feel younger appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But should we be worried about this fungus among us? Could the future of humanity be in the hands of a zombifying fungus?

While cordyceps is quite adept at “infecting” specific bugs in a gruesome way — attaching spores that grow tendrils throughout a host’s body and hijacking it to travel and distribute more fungus spores — you should know what it does to humans…

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Cordyceps’ history with (hopefully not the last of) us

There are hundreds of medicinal mushroom species. There are around 600 species of cordyceps alone.

But cordyceps, though commonly referred to as a mushroom, is technically not one…

Because of that parasitic habit of growing on insects, they are considered entomopathogenic fungi. Don’t get hung up on the technicalities, though — cordyceps has a long history with humans as a healing, functional food.

Mushrooms are rich sources of unique health-promoting compounds and have been used in Chinese medicine and other traditional healing systems for thousands of years. Cordyceps is near the top.

One family of carbohydrates found in mushrooms is beta-glucans, which have a particular affinity for immune cells. They stimulate macrophages, lymphocytes, T-cells and Natural Killer cells. They are primarily focused on our innate immunity, the immune system’s first responders.

But mushrooms do more than boost your immunity; they “train” immune cells to respond appropriately to pathogens, toxins, cancerous cells and other dangers. Medicinal mushrooms are unique to this purpose, as they boost immunity and help calm an overactive autoimmune response. This can be pretty helpful when addressing autoimmune conditions.

Cordyceps are specifically reported to enrich the bone marrow. They also have demonstrated anti-tumor activity.

Like reishi, cordyceps support athletic performance, increasing cellular energy production and oxygen utilization. One study found that cordyceps improved endurance in older people.

In addition to boosting mitochondrial function and oxygen utilization, cordyceps help detoxify the body and support the adrenals.

They also promote healthy heart function by reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) and increasing HDL (the good variety).

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Should you be worried about becoming cordyceps spawn?

In a recent Nature paper, Dr. Jim Kronstad, a professor and microbiologist at UBC’s Michael Smith Laboratories, and co-authors, highlight a warming climate as a potential contributor to the spread of harmful fungi like Coccidioides, which causes valley fever, and the current rise of Candida auris, which infects hospitalized patients and is resistant to available antifungal drugs.

The authors also noted the discovery of a new fungus last year, Rhodosporidiobolus fluvialis — in humans — previously found only in soil.

R. fluvialis was discovered in the blood of two unrelated patients with serious underlying health conditions. One patient was a 61-year-old who died in an ICU in Nanjing in 2013. The other patient was an 85-year-old who died in 2016 after being treated in an ICU in Tianjin. The report doesn’t note whether the fungal infection directly contributed to the patients’ deaths or if they just happened to be infected at the time.

These are undoubtedly isolated cases. And so far, cordyceps is keeping its distance from humans.

As Dr. Kronstad says, “Fungi are super important, it’s phenomenal what they’ve done for humans.”

Using Cordyceps

Cordyceps, since they grow like slim tendrils, are often used more efficiently as a powder, which is popularly used in supplements and teas.

You can take the tendrils, referred to as “fruited bodies,” and boil them in water to make cordyceps tea. But just knowing those tendrils fruited out of an insect body is enough to turn me off of that idea.

Sources:

The new season of The Last of Us has a spore-ting chance at realism — Science Daily

The Last of Us Season 2: A Q&A with Dr. Jim Kronstad about fungal infections and climate change — The University of British Columbia

Unusual ways to boost your energy — Easy Health Options

New fungal infection discovered in China — Live Science

The post Cordyceps: Superfood or Brain-hijacking ‘zombie’ fungus appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

They’re most revered for their reputation in supporting heart and brain health. That’s because they contain a powerful antioxidant that rivals resveratrol, called pterostilbene.

But as researchers dig deeper into the little round wonders, they’re learning more every day — including how they can support the gut against painful and debilitating conditions by going after their root cause…

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Blueberries soothe inflammatory bowel symptoms

Blueberries, like some other dark blue and purple foods, are chock-full of anthocyanins — a special group of polyphenols well-known for preventing the damaging inflammation behind so many diseases, including gut-related conditions like hemorrhoids, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

In a recent study, researchers have been able to pinpoint exactly how anthocyanins support the gut by zeroing in on a common anthocyanin known as malvidin-3-O-galactoside (M3G).

In studies using mice, the scientists found that M3G regulated key proteins that enhance the protective function of the colon’s mucosal barrier.

This mucosal barrier is essential for maintaining digestive health, protecting against pathogens, and preventing inflammation. When it’s damaged the colon can become an open door for leaky gut syndrome.

The scientists were able to mimic the symptoms of ulcerative colitis in mice and then treated some of the mice with M3G.

Supplementing with M3G increased mucous thickness, which indicated an improvement in the intestinal barrier’s function. Food intake in the mice improved and their body weight significantly increased, a sign that it was having a protective effect against colitis symptoms.

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Cell-to-cell communication that protects the colon

Another interesting benefit from supplementing with the anthocyanin was the regulation of something called the Notch signaling pathway, a cell-to-cell communication system that controls many cellular processes.

The Notch pathway is crucial in determining the life cycle of cells, including cell maintenance, renewal, proliferation and apoptosis (natural cell death). This means the pathway can also promote and inhibit tumor development.

Upon deeper analysis, the scientists found evidence that much of the regulation of the colonic barrier is mediated through its interaction with this pathway.

Blueberries for your gut’s sake

As if this superfood’s reputation wasn’t strong enough, the research clearly demonstrates the dietary anthocyanins they contain enhance the integrity of the colon’s barrier — suggesting its potential as a natural therapeutic agent for intestinal health, researchers say.

If you follow nutritional health like I do, none of this is really surprising. Blueberries have already been found to help lower blood pressure and reduce risks for cognitive decline.

And in some studies that focused on the compounds responsible for their health-promoting properties, they’ve found eating the berries in their entirety was most beneficial.

How ever you choose to enjoy them, adding a cup of blueberries to your daily diet could lead to benefits too numerous to count.

Best of all, blueberries are considered a low-glycemic food, ranking around 53 on the glycemic index (GI) scale. They won’t give you a “sugar high,” but they sure are sweet!

Sources:

Blueberry-derived compound shows promise in enhancing colonic mucosal Barrier function — Eureka Alert

Malvidin-3-O-galactoside ameliorates colonic mucosal barrier function via the Notch signaling pathway — Food Innovations and Advances

Recent Research on the Health Benefits of Blueberries and Their Anthocyanins — Journal Advances in Nutrition

The post The berry powerful enough to treat bowel inflammation appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And it’s easy to see why…

Statistics show that one in nine of us will end up with Alzheimer’s and that of all of the diseases out there, heart disease takes more and more lives every year.

However, statistics don’t paint the full picture…

That’s because there are things within our power to keep these organs functioning at their best, like exercise which helps keep them both in tip-top shape.

And if you want something you can do that takes even less time and is super tasty, why not reach for a handful of blueberries?

Not only has past research demonstrated that blueberries pack some clout to dementia-proof the brain in middle age and ward off heart disease, but the results of a multi-study controlled investigation show this holds true even if you’re already well into your senior years…

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The ROAB study: improved executive functioning

With aging, dips in executive function, including attention and episodic memory can become more common. This can happen even more frequently in the afternoon following lunch.

However, there is evidence that eating anthocyanin-rich foods such as berries could help reduce this cognitive decline.

Additionally, high blood pressure has been associated with poor cognitive function.

So researchers set out to test the effects of wild blueberry extract on both executive function and blood pressure.

Participants between the ages of 68 and 75 were given either a placebo or a single dose capsule of powdered wild blueberry extract over five weeks in varying dosages (111 mg, 222 mg, 444 mg, 888 mg), with researchers checking outcomes for six hours after taking the doses.

The results showed that while participants who took the placebo experienced drops in executive functioning just four hours post-lunch, those who took the blueberry capsule did not.

Investigators also observed benefits in episodic memory with the 444 mg dosage.

But at only 222 mg, participants experienced reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared with placebo.

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The BEAT study: dosage mattered

Then in the next study, known as BEAT, researchers tested the 222 mg dose after lunch once again for five weeks.

The team recruited 45 participants, aged 68 to 75, to take either the wild blueberry capsule or placebo, and once again checked their cognition in the afternoon when a post-lunch dip was anticipated.

Executive functioning reaction time was found to be significantly faster for the blueberry capsule group compared to those taking the placebo.

But at only 222 mg, the researchers didn’t see significant cognitive benefits or cardiovascular outcomes.

Based on the ROAB results, the higher dose of 444 mg was the winner and is probably what you would want to shoot for, both for better brain and heart health.

The researchers also added that “Investigators may have observed greater benefit in the ROAB and BEAT studies if participants took the supplement over a longer period of time.”

Never too late to reap the benefits of blueberries

If you haven’t enjoyed blueberries regularly, no worries. These studies show that even in our senior years, the benefits can be substantial.

Get started by eating a handful of berries every day (try this trick to get up to 10 times their anthocyanin benefits). Or drink a couple of tablespoons of blueberry juice. You may also want to seek out a blueberry powder drink mix which may be closer to the capsules used in the studies.

My favorite way to get my berry fix is a daily smoothie. I used a berry powder drink mix or fresh blueberries, just depending on what I have on hand:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries or a scoop of berry powder
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 ½ cups water
• 2 tablespoons flax seed
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup fresh spinach

Simply place all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth and enjoy!

Sources:

Wild Blueberry Extract May Improve Cognition and Cardiovascular Health in the Elderly — Natural Medicine Journal

Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures — Alzheimer’s Association

The top 10 causes of death — World Health Organization

The post The berry boost for a better brain and blood pressure over 65 appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Yes, they are high in fat and calories. But a good chunk of that fat is of the heart-healthy variety. And they contain specific nutrients that should promote healthier blood pressure.

It’s this last bit that grabbed the attention of a group of scientists in Mexico. They decided to put the blood pressure-busting effects of avocados to the test. And what they found is pretty amazing…

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Avocado lowered blood pressure in women

The researchers examined a cohort of female Mexican teachers who were more than 25 years old and free from hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at the beginning of the study. The study population was about 13 percent postmenopausal, 78 percent premenopausal and 9 percent unknown.

Dietary data was collected from over 67,000 participants four times over one year. The frequency of avocado consumption was categorized as one serving, which equaled one-half of an avocado. Results were grouped into five categories: less than one serving a month, two to three servings a month, one serving a week, two to four servings a week and five or more servings a week.

Ultimately, they found that women who ate five or more servings (or 2.5 avocados) per week had a 17 percent lower rate of hypertension than those who ate fewer servings.

And just as the researchers suspected, the avocado’s nutrition came through…

The women with the highest intake of avocados had increased levels of:

• heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs);
• fiber than those who ate lower amounts of avocados;
• magnesium and potassium as well.

The bottom line: All of these components improve lipid profiles in the bloodstream.

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It’s all in the superfood nutrition

Just one-half of an avocado contains 4 to 6 grams of fiber. Women who eat 25 grams of fiber a day have been found to have lower heart disease risk, including lower blood pressure. Plus, avocados contain lots of magnesium and potassium, and people deficient in these minerals have a higher risk of hypertension.

The researchers suggest that clinicians should consider adding half an avocado five times a week to a heart-healthy diet. That may sound like a lot of avocados, but there are plenty of ways to add them to your diet.

A little potassium-enriched salt (the salt that doesn’t raise blood pressure) and pepper is the way to go, in my opinion, when enjoying them.

The researchers noted that avocados are rich in several phytonutrients that could provide protective effects for heart disease, including antioxidants and phytosterols.

A 2019 study showed supplementation with phytosterols reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with high cholesterol levels. However, much higher amounts were used in the study than what you might gain from consuming avocados.

Another plus… It may just jumpstart your journey to better health outcomes in more ways than one.

That’s because the researchers found that the avocado-loving women in their study had other healthy characteristics: They were not current smokers and were less likely to be obese — and more likely to have a high-quality diet, be physically active and take multivitamins.

Sources:

1. Avocado Intake Associated With Less Hypertension in Women — Natural Medicine Journal

2. Avocado consumption is associated with a reduction in hypertension incidence in Mexican women — British Journal of Nutrition

The post What half an avocado a day does to your blood pressure appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Fortunately, as more and more of us become aware of how what we put in our mouths affects our mental and physical health, there are better alternatives and recipes to go with them. That encourages healthy eating, even on this stuff-yourself-silly holiday.

Even if you’re going with a more traditional meal, there’s one vegetable that’s always been center-stage, and it’s grown up! Read on to learn more about how good it is for you, and how to prepare it without ruining its wonderful benefits!

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Sweet potatoes: The nutritional giant

The sweet potato (not to be confused with yams – more on that in a bit) is a root vegetable. Other examples of root vegetables are beets, white potatoes, carrots and turnips.

Remains of sweet potatoes have been found dating as far back as 8000 B.C. Today, they are a valuable staple food in many cultures around the world, including China and Ethiopia.

In the United States, the South is known for its sweet potato dishes. Overall, however, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that we’ve been eating less and less of this richly nutritious vegetable in the last few decades.

That’s a shame, because the sweet potato has much to offer in the way of supporting your health…

A medium cooked sweet potato has only 103 calories along with 2.3 grams of protein. It’s rich in the following vitamins and minerals:

• Vitamin A – 438% Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin B6 – 16% DV
• Vitamin C – 37% DV
• Potassium – 15% DV
• Magnesium – 8% DV

That sweet potato also contains 9% DV of copper and 28% DV of manganese. Both these minerals are more difficult to get from your diet, but are vitally important. Manganese is crucial for normal brain and nerve function, as well as for blood clotting.

6 ways sweet potatoes are good for you

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Eaten regularly, this humble-looking vegetable can work wonders on your health.

They stabilize blood sugar. Sweet potatoes have been shown to reduce and control blood sugar, so they are a good choice for people with diabetes.

One study from the University of Vienna gave 61 participants either four grams of sweet potatoes or a placebo daily for three months. The group who ate sweet potato (in this case, the caiapo, a variety known for its anti-diabetic qualities) had significantly lower blood sugar levels.

They’re heavy on antioxidants. Like blueberries and dark chocolate, sweet potatoes are rich in the antioxidants that protect us from metabolic syndrome, the cluster of health conditions that lead directly to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Sweet potatoes, like their fellow root veggie, the carrot, are full of beta carotene, an antioxidant that protects vision, supports the liver, and reduces disease-causing inflammation.

They make your brain work better. Several animal studies have demonstrated that eating sweet potatoes can help boosts working memory, protect against brain aging, and improve focus.

Studies have also shown that the carotenoids in this orange vegetable can help improve brain function in people with mild cognitive impairment.

They strengthen your immune system. The mega-dose of Vitamin A contained in one sweet potato will skyrocket your chances of staying healthy this winter.

Vitamin A helps in the production of the immune cells that fight disease. In fact, many studies have shown that this vitamin can help reduce the risk of death from certain infectious diseases. Some animal studies have even indicated it can help fight tumors. This is one powerful vitamin!

They sharpen your eyesight. Vitamin A is also a crucial factor in keeping your eyes healthy. Dry eyes, night blindness, and even vision loss are symptoms of a Vitamin A deficiency.

And beta carotene, which is actually necessary for the formation of Vitamin A, is known to be important in maintaining healthy vision.

They can help you lose weight. Sweet potatoes are high in fiber and protein, and low in calories, making them the ideal food for filling you up without filling you out. Just one cup of sweet potato gives you 6.6g of fiber. Here’s more on the sweet potato weight loss secret!

Sweet potatoes vs. yams

Just to clear things up: the sweet potato and the yam come from two different families.

Sweet potatoes are related to the morning glory flower. They come from South America, and range in color from bright orange to deep purple. They’re smooth-skinned, taste sweet, and are high in protein and nutrients.

Yams, on the other hand, are related to lilies. They come from Africa and Asia, and are white in color. Their skin is rough, they have a starchy taste, and are higher in carbohydrates and calories.

The post The vitamin-packed “sweet” you should include on your holiday table appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It increases the risk of joint issues like osteoarthritis, breathing problems like asthma and sleep apnea, gallstones and gallbladder disease.

Obesity can also lead to heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, more than a dozen types of cancer and premature death.

Diet and exercise (or lack thereof) play a role in weight gain. But so do hormones, so any tip to make things just a little easier is golden, right?

Well, I have one for you that could help make fighting obesity as simple as adding this newly designated superfood to your diet…

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Pecans slay pesky pounds

A team of researchers from the United States and Mexico applied whole pecans, a pecan polyphenol extract and high-fat diets to mice models to see what impact they might have on the development of metabolic abnormalities.

According to the results, supplementing a high-fat diet with whole pecans or a pecan polyphenol extract

• Reduced fat mass by 44 percent and serum cholesterol by 40 percent;
• Enhanced glucose tolerance by 37 percent, prevented the enlargement of pancreatic islet cells;
• And increased oxygen consumption by 27 percent!

How do pecans work their magic?

The researchers found these beneficial effects were connected with increased activity of brown adipose tissue, a type of fat that actually burns calories, as well as mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in the liver and skeletal muscle.

And there’s more…

The researchers also observed anti-inflammatory properties in pecans. The mice fed pecans or pecan polyphenol extract showed a reduction in low-grade inflammation, which can lead to chronic inflammation and subsequent inflammation-related diseases.

Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, a professor at the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and affiliate scientist in the Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, says the results show pecans maintain body weight and prevent diabetes despite consuming a high-fat diet.

“Obesity and diabetes numbers are increasing in modern society worldwide, and the trend in high fat diet consumption is one of the main reasons besides lifestyle and genetic predisposition,” Cisneros-Zevallos says. “People are searching for healthier options, and we have now shown pecans are a healthy tool consumers have in their hands.”

Due to this new functionality, the researchers indicate pecans can be designated a superfood that can be consumed directly or utilized as a functional food or dietary supplement.

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The superfood reputation stacks up

We often think of pecans as a holiday food. But given how healthy they are, they should be seen as a year-round treat.

For one thing, they’re loaded with monounsaturated fats, which help reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A previous study found that eating pecans lowered levels of both total cholesterol and LDL (the “bad” type of cholesterol) 10 percent more than a diet specifically designed to reduce cholesterol. And a second study showed that adding pecans to participants’ daily diet lowered cholesterol more effectively than exercise.

The minerals found in pecans help maintain and improve cognitive function. Pecans also contain antioxidants like flavonoids that help control the free radical damage that can lead to inflammation. And they’re a great source of copper and manganese, two hard-to-get trace minerals essential for bone health.

Pecans contain fiber, which contributes to good digestion, a healthy weight and improved blood sugar levels. Plus, pecans contain vitamin A, which protects the skin from premature aging, and zinc and vitamin E, which help keep skin clear.

Given all these benefits, plus their potential to combat obesity, it makes sense to add this superfood nut to your daily diet. But be careful — because of their high fat and carbohydrate content, pecans have a lot of calories. A one-ounce serving of pecans (roughly ¼ cup) contains about 201 calories.

To maintain a healthy diet, you’ll want to limit your intake to a small handful or two of plain, unsalted pecans a day. Even better, use that small handful or two to replace any less-healthy calorie-heavy snacks you find yourself eating too often.

Sources:

Pecans give obesity and diabetes a slim chance — EurekAlert!

Pecans and Its Polyphenols Prevent Obesity, Hepatic Steatosis and Diabetes by Reducing Dysbiosis, Inflammation, and Increasing Energy Expenditure in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet — Nutrients

Childhood Obesity Facts — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health — Mayo Clinic

The post The nut that slays pesky pounds, diabetes and high cholesterol appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

These powerful little free radical scavengers have been shown to do everything from guarding against Alzheimer’s to warding off diabetes.

But there’s a special class of antioxidants you may not have heard of — anthocyanins.

These are a subtype of dietary polyphenols — those amazing compounds found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables, like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, red wine, eggplant, red cabbage, red/purple grapes and red-fleshed peaches and apples.

They can also help switch off the low-grade inflammation associated with heart disease and other chronic conditions.

Now, a study from King’s College London has found the perfect source of these polyphenols — one that if you snack on daily may significantly improve your heart and blood vessel function.

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Not just for Thanksgiving

In a clinical trial, the London researchers found that daily consumption of powdered cranberries for one month improved cardiovascular function in healthy men.

The study included 45 healthy men who consumed nine grams of whole cranberry powder (the equivalent of 100g of fresh cranberries per day) or a placebo for one month.

And what the researchers found was impressive.

The men benefited from a significant improvement in flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which signals improvement in heart and blood vessel function. Basically, FMD is a biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk and measures how blood vessels widen when blood flow increases.

FMD improved two hours after the first consumption of cranberry powder and after one month of daily consumption.

In other words, the berry powder appeared to go to work right away and kept working long term.

In addition, the researchers were able to identify specific metabolites in the blood of the men that resulted in positive effects on the heart and blood vessels.

Overall, the researchers concluded that cranberries can play an important role in supporting cardiovascular health and good blood vessel function.

Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, senior author of the study, said: “The increases in polyphenols and metabolites in the bloodstream and the related improvements in flow-mediated dilation after cranberry consumption emphasize the important role cranberries may play in cardiovascular disease prevention.

“The fact that these improvements in cardiovascular health were seen with an amount of cranberries that can be reasonably consumed daily makes cranberry an important fruit in the prevention of cardiovascular disease for the general public.”

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Getting the most from your berries

This study was supported by The Cranberry Institute — but don’t let their interests dissuade you. Polyphenolic pigments, like anthocyanins, regardless of which berry the research is done on, have solid evidence behind their health benefits.

Cranberries, blueberries and chokeberries (Aronia berry) do stand out though. They are rich in unique proanthocyanidins that have distinct properties compared to polyphenols found in other fruits.

According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, proanthocyanidins may protect the heart and cardiovascular system because they reduce the risk of blood clots and this may lower the risk of a heart attack.

They also work as antioxidants and block nitrosamines from forming and protect healthy cells from their effects.

If you want to kick their benefits up a notch, enjoy them with a dairy product.

Alpha-casein, a protein found in cow’s milk, helped rats being fed blueberries absorb more of the anthocyanins and their byproducts from the fruit.

So why not eat your cranberries — or favorite berry of choice — with a nice, cold glass of milk.

Or you could even mix them into yogurt with granola to create a heart-healthy breakfast parfait.

Sources:

100g of cranberries a day improves cardiovascular health, study finds — ScienceDaily

The post The berry that improved heart and blood vessel function in 30 days appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Do you remember the days when cottage cheese was the go-to health food?

In the 80s and 90s, it seemed like every restaurant had a cottage cheese dish listed in the healthy section of its menu… like those strange-sounding cottage cheese stuffed tomatoes (FYI… I’ve never had one, so they might actually be really good).

As long ago as that was, this old-school superfood is making a comeback. Suddenly it’s everyone’s favorite post-workout snack — especially if you have problems with lactose…

In a small randomized controlled trial, both milk and cottage cheese increased the rate of post-workout muscle protein synthesis when consumed after exercise. But cottage cheese is much lower in lactose than milk or yogurt. Win!

Personally, I never stopped enjoying cottage cheese. I eat it often because the benefits of this retro superfood still hold strong several decades later — and new ones keep stacking up. But there’s one caveat…

Half a cup of cottage cheese has about as much sodium as a can of soup, about 300 to 400 mg. So if you must watch your sodium very carefully, I’d give up the soup and eat the cottage cheese… because here’s what eating it every day can do for you…

The post Cottage cheese: 3 big benefits of this old-school superfood appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But let’s face it…

Sometimes you just have to enjoy life.

But what if there was a way to bake a cake with superfood benefits?

That’s the promise of a study from researchers at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia who say to add flavonoid power to cake, just mix in kitchen waste.

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The secret’s in the antioxidants

According to scientists, it’s simple to boost the nutritional value of baked goods and even extend their shelf life simply by adding in used coffee grounds or tea leaves.

They say it’s a great way to grab more flavonoids in your diet.

These are compounds that have been shown to possess potential anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties.

In fact, in studies, flavonoids have been found to help:

• Slow brain aging by boosting its blood supply
• Lower blood pressure by increasing gut bacterial diversity
• Reduce the risk of artery calcification to improve heart health
• Reduce weight gain the more you eat
• Beat cataracts by reducing blood sugar levels in the eyes

And that’s just a small sampling of what science says flavonoids can do for your health.

While fruits and vegetables are rich sources of these powerful compounds, coffee and tea come with a flavonoid punch too.

And since they’re also the most popular beverages worldwide, with countless people drinking them daily, yet 90 percent of their grounds and leaves end up in the landfill post-extraction — scientists have been working to find a way to put them to better use.

Have your cake and eat it too

The research was built on previous studies, including a 2020 one that packed gluten-free cookies with coffee and 2023 work that loaded cupcakes with green tea.

For the most recent work, the scientists first delved into whether spent tea or coffee retains its antioxidants after being boiled and ground, and whether that material can be recycled to improve a cake’s nutrition or shelf life.

The team found that even after soaking black tea and Arabic coffee in boiling distilled water for 10 minutes, the dried grounds and leaves still retained a substantial amount of their phenolic compounds, including those flavonoids!

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The study showed that post-extraction, the tea maintained a whopping 73 percent of a phenol called theaflavin trigallate, a potent antioxidant found to help in the battle against high cholesterol, obesity and heart disease.

That’s not all… used coffee grounds sport close to 64 percent of an antioxidant called 1-caffeoylquinic acid. This acid is not only known to be highly antioxidant, but also anti-inflammatory. It’s even been shown to have potent anti-influenza effects.

The researchers say that even after going into the oven, the baked goods maintained their high-level nutrition. They also held higher concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium compared to cakes that didn’t contain tea or coffee.

As a bonus, after two weeks of storage, cakes made with coffee or tea also showed less microbial growth than the control cakes. It’s a phenomenon, the researchers say could be due to the inhibitory effect of certain antioxidants on the growth of bacteria.

So when you brew up your morning cup of coffee or tea, put those leftovers to the side rather than in the trash. They could turn your next cake into a nutritional powerhouse.

Don’t forget about these other recipe switches to make your cake even healthier!

Sources:

Something Fascinating Happens When You Put Tea And Coffee Waste in Cakes — Science Alert

Caffeoylquinic Acids Are Major Constituents with Potent Anti-Influenza Effects in Brazilian Green Propolis Water Extract — Hindawi

The post A novel way to make your cake a superfood appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

As the amount of free radicals we’re exposed to goes up, so does our need for antioxidants to combat them. In a healthy body, free radicals are eliminated before they can cause major damage.

However, advancing age and exposure to environmental toxins, plus things we know (and don’t yet know) of in our diets cause inflammation, and can leave the body without enough ammunition — antioxidants — to destroy free radicals.

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From plant protection to people protection

Antioxidants work to protect plants from a host of diseases and problems, and when humans ingest the compounds in fruits, our bodies pull off a neat trick whereby those antioxidant plant nutrients confer that protection to us.

This makes fruit an excellent way to defend your body against the effects of aging and illness.

Here are a few little-known berries and how they can benefit you and give you a huge antioxidant boost:

Chokeberry – The Aronia berry, AKA the chokeberry — because it can make your mouth pucker — is not only brimming with vitamins and minerals like potassium, zinc, vitamin C and several of the B vitamins including folate, but they have the highest ORAC values recorded among berries. ORAC is the measure of the antioxidant strength of foods. One reason their ORAC value is sky-high is that they are a great source of chlorogenic acid (CGA), which supports bone health, reduces inflammation, is neuroprotective, lowers blood pressure and supports blood vessel function. CGA also has antidiabetic and antibacterial properties.

Thimbleberry – This Western/northwestern fruit looks a heck of a lot like a raspberry, but it’s not. They were once an important food of the native tribes of the region and can be grown in your garden for yourself, or as a food for foraging wildlife if that’s your preference. They’re a little bit tart, rich in provitamin A and vitamin C and have traces of potassium, calcium and iron. A tea made from leaves and roots can be a tonic to treat stomach ailments as well.

Dewberry – This southern/southeastern fruit looks a bit like its cousin the blackberry but is smaller, and sometimes considered a weed. Mistake! They are ripe in April and May and are a bit more tart than blackberries. Dewberries have zinc, vitamin C and also vitamin K1. They are quite fibrous and have very high amounts of antioxidants and potassium content (great to eat when hiking to avoid cramps!).

Barberry – These tart berries can be found all over the world and are quite high in vitamin C, a valuable antioxidant. Did you know that if humans were to make vitamin C like other animals can (but we do not), we would make somewhere between 3 grams and 10 grams a day? Yes, you need more vitamin C.

Marlberry – Not to be confused with the mulberry, the marlberry (or marbleberry) is an evergreen shrub or tree that occurs naturally throughout central and South Florida. The marlberry’s purple fruit (it has one large inedible seed in the middle) has been described as “from bad to almost good.” But others say it tastes similar to blackberries and makes great jam.

Lingonberry – These cranberry-looking and delicious red fruits are the primary dietary source of anthocyanins and other antioxidants for folks living in frozen Scandinavia (think Nordic diet). They are quite high in antioxidant compounds (more than a day’s worth of manganese in ¾ cup) and also a bit of natural fat.

Salmonberry – Like a raspberry blackberry with a tart almost strawberry taste, this little berry, when dried, has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. They contain the rare vitamin K (for heart and artery health), loads of minerals (calcium, potassium, and iron) and a not-insubstantial dose of vitamin C and provitamin A.

Bayberry – Chinese Bayberries (bilberries) look a lot like blueberries, are unusual for a fruit in that they have b-vitamins, but also provitamin A (like carotene), minerals, dietary fiber, and very high levels of vitamin C. They are also a good source of the same antioxidants that give red wine its health benefits.

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One to avoid: The snowberry – No, not “snozzberry,” the fictitious fruit from Willy Wonka. In olden times, one or two of these small, white snowberries that look like little white apples were eaten by the Stl’atl’imx (natives of British Columbia) to settle the stomach after too much fatty food. Why? Because they’re a little bitter, and high in saponins, which causes a mild toxicity to humans that makes one vomit. Quite a way to clear the stomach!

Now, you may have a hard time finding most of these berries at your local market. However, some may be purchased freeze-dried or as berry powders online. Some studies indicate whether freeze-dried or powdered — they still pack a powerful nutritional punch.

However, if you lean more towards popular berries that are easier to find, you certainly can get your fill of free radical-fighting antioxidants in acai berries, blueberries, cranberries and pomegranate (yes, those fleshy red jewels are considered berries!).

The post 8 little-known berries for fierce free radical protection appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

All killers.

But there’s one disease that, for nearly a century, has been responsible for more deaths than any of these…

Heart disease — including heart attacks, stroke, and congestive heart failure — kills about 695,000 people each year. That’s 1 in every 5 deaths in the United States.

It’s no wonder there are ten or more types of drugs that treat hypertension, relax blood vessels, prevent clotting, and generally try to head off a deadly heart attack or stroke.

Of course, nutrition plays a big part in preventing heart disease. And there’s one food that’s been used for healing since Biblical times…

The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Japanese and Indians used it to heal wounds, increase stamina and settle the stomach.

Today, more than 900 studies are confirming the health benefits of this pungent plant that’s hard to define…

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Garlic: The flavor savored around the world

Cuisines all around the world use garlic as a mainstay of their cooking. Its powerful, pungent flavor and aroma can take almost any dish from dull to delicious.

But it’s garlic’s health properties that are truly amazing. Most recently, research has confirmed its ability to kill the antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” that cause 23,000 deaths each year.

Numerous studies have shown that garlic can relax arteries, prevent clotting, improve circulation and lower cholesterol. But there’s one problem.

Allium, the active ingredient in a garlic clove, is not easily broken down by the human digestive system. But aged garlic is much more available for our bodies to use for healing.

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Aged garlic can slash heart disease risk

Aged garlic extract (AGE), also called kyolic, is just what it sounds like — garlic cloves that have been aged until they have lost their strong, pungent flavor.

More importantly, though, the long-term aging of garlic cloves in diluted alcohol results in a unique sulfur-based compound known as S-allyl cysteine, more readily absorbed by the human body, and a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent inflammation.

Taking aged garlic in capsule form can be far more effective than simply chewing on garlic cloves. And less difficult to swallow, too!

Just look at the ways AGE can guard against heart disease by helping to:

• Promote artery health. In a study conducted by researchers at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, 65 firefighters received either a placebo or aged garlic extract plus coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). After one year of quarterly checkups, despite the high stress levels of a firefighter’s life, those who took the supplements showed an average decrease in vascular stiffness, as well as significantly improved endothelial function. The endothelium is the lining of the blood vessels and heart. Its function is to filter out toxins, support the immune system and maintain the overall health of blood vessels.
• Avoid plaque buildup. When subjects ages 40 to 75 who had metabolic syndrome took 2400mg of aged garlic extract daily for a year, they had a slower accumulation of arterial plaque than a placebo group. More importantly, though, the AGE group had a slower buildup of the soft plaque that easily breaks off and clogs arteries.

• Control blood pressure. It seems that the compound S-allyl cysteine in aged garlic improves production of nitric oxide, which relaxes smooth muscle, dilates arteries and thus lowers blood pressure.
• Lower cholesterol levels. Obese patients who took 3600mg of aged garlic daily for six weeks had reduced LDL (“bad” cholesterol), as well as a reduced presence of C-reactive protein, which causes inflammation.

Sources:

1. Effect of garlic on cardiovascular disorders: a review — Nutrition Journal
2. Garlic and Cardiovascular Disease: A Critical Review — The Journal of Nutrition
3. Aged garlic extract reduces blood pressure in hypertensives: a dose-response trial — European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
4. Aged garlic extract suppresses inflammation in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice — Molecular Nutrition & Food Research
5. Beneficial effects of aged garlic extract and coenzyme Q10 on vascular elasticity and endothelial function: the FAITH randomized clinical trial — Nutrition
6. How Aged Garlic Extract Can Slash Heart Disease Risk — Life Extension
7. Heart Disease Facts — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The post A clove a day to keep heart attack away appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

So instead of sitting down to a well-balanced meal three times a day, most of us may end up getting at least one meal a day in the drive-thru…

Or worse, you might miss a meal altogether and end up binging on a not-so-healthy snack to quell your gnawing hunger, like that box of doughnuts calling your name from the office breakroom.

Each of these scenarios can result in blood sugar spikes, or dips, that create dramatic ups and downs in your energy and mood.  That’s no fun for you — and not good for your insulin sensitivity.

Because reduced insulin sensitivity leads to insulin resistance — putting type 2 diabetes just a hop and a skip away.

But there’s a little (tiny, actually) food that can help…

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Tiny seed, big superfood

Chia seeds boast high amounts of protein, polyphenols, peptides, antioxidants, omega-3s, fiber and loads of vitamins and minerals — just a few of the reasons this little seed has superfood status!

But research has uncovered two more that can help keep all of us on track when it comes to maintaining healthier blood sugar levels — and eating better…

When researchers gave a group of healthy participants a glass of water containing 25 grams of ground chia after a meal containing 50 grams of carbohydrates (which is a lot for one meal), they found it not only helped reduce spikes in blood sugar but also helped them feel full.

Lower blood sugar with chia

The study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that “chia seed water” reduced peak glucose levels by 39 percent, following the study participants’ high carbohydrate meal.

That’s impressive, especially when you consider similar studies have shown that chia consumption with meals reduces peak glucose by an average of 35-41 percent. You might say the proof is in the overnight chia seed pudding!

These findings are incredibly important to blood sugar control because the results are not only the immediate blood sugar-lowering effect — but an indication that chia seeds may also prevent downward surges in blood sugar.

If you’re struggling with energy issues or fatigue, or have blood sugar regulation issues like prediabetes, adding 2 teaspoons of chia seeds to your meals may make a big impact — and that’s cheaper than those side effect-riddled injectable drugs we’ve all been reading about!  

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Feel fuller longer with chia

Satiety refers to your feeling of fullness. It’s how foods influence your hormones and hunger responses so your brain registers that you are full.

And you know how important that is to control cravings and decrease your appetite.

During the same research, scientists discovered that chia seed intake improved all satiety measurements, outdoing its closest competitor — flax seed, a superfood in its own right — by a mile, in all aspects of satiety measured, including:

1. Desire to eat
2. Hunger
3. Fullness
4. Prospective consumption
5. Overall appetite

While both seeds are high in dietary fiber, their “fiber makeup” is different. Flax actually consists of five times the amount of soluble fiber on a per-gram basis. Logically thinking, flax should outdo chia but that was obviously not what happened in this study.

Chia well and truly outperformed flax…

On further exploration, the researchers discovered that chia has a much higher viscous gel-like fiber content, practically 4 times higher than flax. The two seeds also consist of different fiber compounds and this affects their water-holding capacity and vulnerability in the acidic environment of your digestive tract — which is a big part of the chia’s success…

This viscous gel and superfood strength of chia seems to alter the rate at which carbohydrate is absorbed — and has a stronger impact on hormones and enzymes that control blood sugar and satiety.

So there you have it! This study and others keep fortifying the chia seed’s reputation as a “therapeutic weapon for metabolic disorders.”

Try adding a few seedy friends to your daily routine — both seeds have health benefits but chia seeds are the clear winner of the superfood-status race!

Sources:

Comparison of flax (Linum usitatissimum) and Salba-chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds on postprandial glycemia and satiety in healthy individuals: a randomized, controlled, crossover study — European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.): A therapeutic weapon in metabolic disorders — Food, Science and Nutrition

The post What this tiny seed does to your big appetite appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Has much changed since then?

Surprisingly, a Green Giant “Favorite Veggie” survey crowned broccoli as America’s favorite vegetable — yet only one in ten of us is meeting the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.

That means most of us are probably still not eating enough broccoli and we’re cheating ourselves of major disease protection…

Broccoli is packed with sulforaphane and other phytochemicals, like diindolylmethane (DIM), that can help fight diabetes, slow aging, strengthen your bones, protect your eyesight, defend against colon cancer and support prostate health.

And that’s not all researchers are finding out about this superfood….

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Molecule in broccoli keeps your gut intact

In a new study, researchers at Penn State divided mice into two groups to determine broccoli’s impact on the small intestine. They fed an experimental group of mice a diet containing 15 percent broccoli (equivalent to 3.5 cups per day for humans) and a control group a typical lab diet without the superfood.

The wall of the small intestine is designed to be permeable enough that water and nutrients pass into the bloodstream, but strong enough to keep harmful food particles and bacteria inside until it’s voided. The epithelial lining of the small intestine is made up of specific cells that support this healthy balance.

In the study, the researchers discovered that molecules in broccoli known as aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands bind to aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AHR), initiating activities that affect the functions of those cells.

An AHR is a transcription factor, a type of protein that when activated signals both your immune cells and the cells lining your intestines to stop all inflammatory processes and repair any cells that were previously damaged.

The analysis showed the mice that weren’t fed broccoli lacked AHR activity, resulting in altered intestinal barrier function and reduced transit time of food in the small intestine. These two things are harmful because reduced transit time means waste sits in your intestines longer. And if the barrier is not functioning as it should, harmful elements of the waste, including endotoxins (fragments of bacteria), can breach the barrier.

These mice also had decreased numbers of goblet cells, which secrete a protective layer of mucus on the intestinal wall; decreased Paneth cells, which secrete lysosomes that contain digestive enzymes; and a reduced number of enterocyte cells, which absorb water and nutrients.

“The gut health of the mice that were not fed broccoli was compromised in a variety of ways that are known to be associated with disease,” says Gary Perdew, chair in agricultural sciences at Penn State. “Our research suggests that broccoli and likely other foods can be used as natural sources of AHR ligands, and that diets rich in these ligands contribute to resilience of the small intestine.”

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The importance of your gut barrier

It’s much easier to keep your gut lining healthy than it is to repair it. If it’s damaged, via any number of factors including poor diet, antibiotic use, stress or aging, the barrier weakens, increasing intestinal permeability and allowing endotoxins to enter the bloodstream. This is known as leaky gut — a condition that acts as an open door to disease.

A person suffering from leaky gut may experience a range of symptoms from diarrhea to constipation, bloating, skin problems, joint pain, headaches and even confusion.

It also exacerbates weight gain. Researchers that looked specifically at the impact of endotoxins on fat cells discovered that key processes that usually help control the buildup of fat are interrupted by the material.

And as inflammation further wears down the intestinal barrier, its spreads throughout the body, triggering the immune system to over-respond.

The result? A wide range of symptoms that drag health down, lead to food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities, as well as autoimmune diseases. And because the symptoms and these types of conditions are so varied, often mimicking other illnesses, it can take years to get a diagnosis from a physician.

So, if you’re not over your aversion to broccoli it’s time to get serious about working this superfood into your diet.

Supplements can also support your gut lining and you can read about five of them here.

Sources:

Broccoli consumption protects gut lining, reduces disease, in mice — Penn State

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation Coordinates Mouse Small Intestinal Epithelial Cell Programming — Laboratory Investigation

Do Pureed Vegetables Have as Much Fiber as Fresh? — Week&

The post Why broccoli is a gut-saving disease-fighting superfood appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Moringa is native to India and grown in Asia and Africa and is becoming quite popular for its nutritional properties and medicinal compounds. When we called it a vitamin powerhouse, we weren’t joking…

Moringa has 7 times more vitamin C than oranges and 15 times more potassium than bananas!

So far, scientists have investigated only a fraction of its many bioactive plant compounds. But that’s changing — partly because a Fogarty-funded researcher, Dr. Carrie Waterman, a natural products chemist at the University of California, Davis, secured a five-year development award to explore moringa’s potential and bring to light the scientific evidence behind this superfood that comes from a plant traditionally known as “the miracle tree.”

Some of the claims that Dr. Waterman is delving into include the plant’s anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and antioxidant potential as well as its effect as a beneficial brain health agent. 

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Anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties

A growing body of evidence suggests that moringa helps fight sustained inflammation, which is linked to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer.

In 2015, Dr. Waterman and colleagues published a 3-month study that showed feeding mice with 5 percent moringa concentrate while eating a high-fat diet improved glucose tolerance and insulin signaling. These moringa-fed mice didn’t develop liver disease and gain 18 percent less weight than the control group.

A small study of 30 women found that taking 1.5 teaspoons (7 grams) of moringa leaf powder every day for three months reduced fasting blood sugar levels by 13.5%, on average.

These results provide evidence that moringa intake may be a useful tool in managing weight in obese individuals, including the risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Moringa leaf powder has been effective at lowering blood sugar and cholesterol in diabetic patients. Waterman hopes results from the research project, and these studies will fuel interest and funding for human clinical trials.

Antioxidant

Moringa leaves contain antioxidants that fight free radicals causing oxidative stress and cellular damage. Moringa contains flavonoids, polyphenols and ascorbic acid, which prevents the damage and degradation of free radicals cause in the cells of the organs in our bodies and keeps them functioning at their best.

Brain health

Moringa supports brain health because of its antioxidant, high content of vitamins E and C, and neuro-enhancer activities. These plant extracts show promising preliminary results as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. It also plays a role in memory, increased dopamine and serotonin (happy hormones), and could potentially treat depression in the future.

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How to use moringa powder and tea

Dr. Waterman plans to apply for NIH and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to support additional research into how consuming moringa can affect inflammation and chronic disease in humans. “It can both generate income for farmers, as well as provide food security,” she said. “I think moringa can be a smart tool in our toolbox of strategies to approach global health needs in an environmentally and socially conscious way.”

In Western countries, the dried leaves are sold as dietary supplements in powder or capsule form.

• Add it to your smoothie
• Sprinkle it into your soups
• Add to your salad dressing
• Mix it in with baked goods
• Try moringa-infused teas

Research has shown that it is safe to eat the leaves, seedpods and leaf extracts. Moringa is available as a powder, pill, oil and tea. Pregnant women should not eat the bark, root, or pulp and use caution if breastfeeding. Always talk to your doctor before taking any supplements, especially if you are taking prescription drugs.

Sources:

Scientist studies the moringa plant’s medicinal, nutritional benefits — NIH Fogarty International Center

Effect of supplementation of drumstick (Moringa oleifera) and amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves powder on antioxidant profile and oxidative status among postmenopausal women — Springer Nature

Oxidative DNA damage protective activity, antioxidant and anti-quorum sensing potentials of Moringa oleifera — NIH 

Effect of plant extracts on Alzheimer’s disease: An insight into therapeutic avenues — National Institutes of Health

6 Science based health benefits of moringa oleifera — Healthline.com

The post Moringa: An anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic superfood appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

From guarding your body against metabolic syndrome and improving blood pressure numbers to keeping your mouth healthy, it’s often considered the holy grail of drinks.

So if drinking green tea is so good for you, wouldn’t leveling up its power and using a high-dose green tea extract be even better?

Not so fast…

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The health benefits of green tea

But before we jump into what we’ve learned about green tea extracts, let’s take a look at why we should all be adding green tea to our daily sipping schedule:

• Protection from DNA damage – Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant found in green tea, has been found to boost levels of a natural anticancer protein known as p53. It’s a protein that acts as a guarding for your genome, capable of repairing DNA damage and destroying cancerous cells.
• Lower blood pressure – A study in China found green tea was associated with a 6 percent lower risk of hypertensive BP.
• Better eyesight – Green tea has also been shown to strengthen the eyes and protect against two common causes of vision loss, cataracts and glaucoma.
• Improved gut health – Poor gut health can put you at risk for everything from diabetes to heart disease. But green tea has been found to decrease gut inflammation to help ward off disease.
• Potent antibacterial activity – This may surprise you, but green tea has so much antibacterial power, it works to fight off a multitude of disease-causing bacteria, including bacteria that target your mouth and skin. It’s even strong enough to go after tuberculosis (TB).
• A slimmer, trimmer body – And if all that weren’t enough, the caffeine and antioxidants found in green tea can also enhance weight loss by increasing metabolic rate and fat burning, both at rest and during exercise.

Clearly, the benefits of green tea really stack up! Does that mean more is better?

Use caution with green tea extracts

But when it comes to green tea, like many other things — you can get too much of a good thing…

Using data from the Minnesota Green Tea Trial, a large study of green tea’s effect on breast cancer, Rutgers researchers discovered a small subset of people in whom too much of the predominant compound found in green tea — epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) — increased stress on their livers, which could potentially lead to damage or even failure of the organ.

Now mind you, they took in 843 mg daily via green tea extracts — that’s the equivalent of about 8 to 10 cups of green tea daily — over a one-year period.

The researchers found that early signs of liver damage were more common in women with one variation in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotype and strongly predicted by a variation in the uridine 5’-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase 1A4 (UGT1A4) genotype.

For this high-risk group, signs of liver stress increased by a whopping 80 percent after just nine months of consuming a green tea supplement.

However, even the people without that genetic issue weren’t out of the woods. According to the researchers, people that were part of the low-risk genotypes saw the same enzyme go up by 30 percent.

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The takeaway?

According to Hamed Samavat, senior author of the study and an assistant professor of nutrition sciences at the Rutgers School of Health Professions, “We’re still a long way from being able to predict who can safely take high-dose green tea extract.”

But Samavat noted the risk of liver toxicity is only associated with high levels of green tea supplements and not with drinking green tea or even taking lower doses of green tea extract.

Green tea is an incredible tool in your arsenal to promote health and keep your body at its best. Just be sure to do it sensibly and avoid high-dose green tea extracts.

For most people, one to four cups of green tea daily is considered safe. The amount of EGCG in an 8-ounce cup of green tea ranges between 50 to 100 mg. So if four cups deliver 400 mg, that’s less than half of the amount that caused potential liver problems in the groups at risk in the Rutgers study.

Sources:

Not Safe for Everybody: The Hidden Risk of Green Tea Extract – SciTechDaily

The post Green tea extracts may turn superfood’s benefits harmful appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And that’s fine with me. I love the creamy taste of avocados, and spreading one on my toast seems so much better and more flavorful than slathering it with butter, or worse, “fake butter.”

Well, research is now showing that eating just one avocado a day can help lower “bad” cholesterol and protect you from stroke and heart disease.

More specifically, an avocado each day seems to protect you from oxidized LDL.

Oxidation in the body is the start of a chain reaction that ends in hardened arteries, stroke and heart disease.

If just eating something I like every day can protect me from that, well, I’m in!

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Just one each day to reduce stress on your heart

Research from Penn State University took people who were overweight or considered obese as its subjects and looked at whether eating an avocado each day would help lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

Specifically, Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State, wanted to see if an avocado would reduce the oxidation of LDL particles.

“When you think about bad cholesterol, it comes packaged in LDL particles, which vary in size,” Kris-Etherton said. “All LDL is bad, but small, dense LDL is particularly bad. A key finding was that people on the avocado diet had fewer oxidized LDL particles. They also had more lutein, which may be the bioactive that’s protecting the LDL from being oxidized.”

Just as it turns an apple brown or causes metal to rust, oxidation causes harm in our bodies. We usually call this oxidative stress.

“We were able to show that when people incorporated one avocado a day into their diet, they had fewer small, dense LDL particles than before the diet,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition, who added that small, dense LDL particles are particularly harmful for promoting plaque buildup in the arteries.

“Consequently, people should consider adding avocados to their diet in a healthy way, like on whole-wheat toast or as a veggie dip.”

Why avocados?

Besides controlling the oxidative process in the body, avocados do other things for heart health.

• Avocados are rich in lutein, a plant pigment found in the macula of the eye. In the Penn State study, participants who ate an avocado daily increased their levels of lutein by more than 68 percent. Lutein has been found to decrease the production of inflammatory cytokines in coronary artery disease patients.
• One avocado has 975 mg of potassium, about a third of the daily recommended amount. Low potassium has been linked to hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.
• Avocados fill you up. The healthy monosaturated fatty acids found in avocados help you feel full, which can help you manage blood sugar and reduce levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol.

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How to eat more avocados

There are so many possibilities here!

A ripe, soft avocado can be mashed and spread on whole-wheat toast, or combined with garlic, onions and lime juice for tasty guacamole to be enjoyed with carrots and whole-wheat pita bread.

The health benefits and versatility of the avocado are no secret. Here are even more details on what avocados can do for your health.

And here are some super ways to get more avocado in your life!

• Avocados for breakfast: Avocado Toast and Eggs Over Easy
• Avocado Banana Smoothie
• Avocados for dinner: Guacamole Burgers
• Avocados in salad: Chickpea, Avocado, and Feta Salad

Sources:

1. One avocado a day helps lower ‘bad’ cholesterol for heart healthy benefits — EurekAlert!
2. How Eating One Avocado a Day Can Help Your Health — Bicycling
3. Lutein exerts anti-inflammatory effects in patients with coronary artery disease — Atherosclerosis
4. Lutein and Your Heart — Cleveland HeartLab

The post One a day to lower cholesterol, stroke and heart disease risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s right, the fat that sits right under the surface of your skin, known as subcutaneous fat is the one responsible for the bulge you may be battling on your hips and thighs.

But visceral fat, which lies deep beneath your skin, wrapping around your organs, is the type of fat you should be worried about.

Not only is it harder to get rid of with traditional dieting, but high levels of visceral body fat skyrocket your risk of diseases like diabetes and dramatically raise your risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

Luckily, a study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has found a simple way to banish that deep belly fat (at least in women), and it’s as easy as an avocado a day…

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What is visceral fat and how can you measure it?

Like all fat, visceral fat occurs when you’re consuming more calories than you’re burning up each day. And while an expanding waistline is often written off as just something that comes with old age, the truth is that some people are predisposed to storing fat around their bellies, rather than their hips and thighs.

To top it off, women can experience increases in visceral fat after menopause as their muscle mass goes down, even if they don’t put on more weight.

An easy way to determine if you might be carrying too much of this fat is to measure your waist size over your belly button.

In women, 35 inches plus is a sign of visceral fat, while for men the magic number is 40.

Another down and dirty measurement that can tell you if visceral fat is a problem is your body mass index or BMI. A BMI of 30 or above puts you in the overweight category and could signal increased visceral fat.

Reducing deep visceral fat

So what can you do to banish that deep belly fat?

Well according to those Illinois researchers, you should eat an avocado one time per day.

Their study followed 105 overweight or obese adults for a full 12 weeks.

Half were asked to eat an avocado at one meal a day, while the other half ate meals with the same number of calories and nearly identical ingredients, just without the avocado.

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And the results showed:

• Women who consumed avocado as part of a daily meal had a reduction in deeper visceral abdominal fat.
• They also experienced a reduction in the ratio of visceral fat to subcutaneous fat, indicating a redistribution of fat away from their organs.

The researchers say that together, these two findings demonstrate the power of avocadoes to not only reduce visceral fat but also ward off the diseases it can cause.

And this isn’t the first time that avocadoes have been shown to play a major role in changing health for the better…

Researchers from Penn State University discovered that eating this green fruit daily resulted in less oxidative stress on the heart, lowering cholesterol, stroke and heart disease risk.

Sources:

Avocados change belly fat distribution in women, controlled study finds — ScienceDaily

Belly fat in women: Taking — and keeping — it off — Mayo Clinic

What Is Visceral Fat? — Nourish by WebMD

The post The green fruit that keeps deep belly fat away appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

As you get older, cell regeneration gets sluggish, and it becomes harder for your body to create new tissue. That’s why you get wrinkles, gray hair, stiff joints and failing organs.

But that’s not the worst of it…

Your cells also accumulate toxic, damaged material as you age. A cell-cleaning process called autophagy removes this toxic junk. But this process happens less frequently in your older years. And if that weren’t bad enough, the more toxic junk your cells accumulate — the faster you age.

But with the boom in anti-aging research, experts say there are a couple of ways you can trick your cells into detoxing more frequently regardless of your age…

One way is exercise. But the best way is through calorie restriction or fasting. That’s because autophagy happens when your cells go into starvation mode. They eat the toxic junk as a source of energy.

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For years, most of the research surrounding fasting had been on flies and mice. Then, adult rhesus monkeys, a primate fairly similar to humans, were able to live longer and disease-free when fasting, so scientists felt positive about the same effects in humans.

So in 2023, an international team of researchers led by Columbia University conducted the CALERIE study — which stands for Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy — the first-ever investigation into the effects of long-term calorie restriction in humans.

Participants who were able to stick to a 25 percent calorie-restricted diet for 2 years experienced a 2 to 3 percent slowing in the pace of aging. This translates to a 10 to 15 percent reduction in mortality risk, which is similar to the impact of quitting smoking.

Of course, calorie restriction or fasting isn’t for everybody. It requires a will of steel to reduce your caloric intake by such extreme amounts.

Fortunately, there is something else you can do to turn back the clock on your cells’ aging process — without starving yourself…

There’s a compound found in certain foods and synthesized by your body that encourages autophagy in your cells.

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How spermidine guards against aging

Research has found that spermidine increases lifespan in mice, flies, worms, yeasts and human cells. It appeared to have potential to fight off age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. All because of its ability to make cells call in the cleaning crew.

And a spermidine study in human participants didn’t disappoint…

A cohort study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined the association between spermidine intake and mortality among 23,894 participants (ages 18 and over).

They were categorized by lowest, middle, or highest third of spermidine intake. The good news?

Compared with the participants who had the lowest intake of spermidine, the participants with the highest intake had a lower risk of both all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.

The researchers concluded that their findings “lend epidemiologic support to the concept that nutrition rich in spermidine is linked to increased survival in humans.”

How can you put spermidine’s impressive age-reversing powers to work for you? Well, don’t starve yourself for sure. That’s for the birds. Instead, just eat more spermidine-rich foods. That means more plant-based foods including these in order of highest content:

1. Wheat germ
2. Soybeans and soy derivatives including tofu, natto, miso and soymilk
3. Mushrooms
4. Chickpeas
5. Hazelnuts and pistachios
6. Green beans
7. Onion
8. Peas
9. Broccoli
10. Cauliflower
11. Legumes
12. Pears
13. Potatoes
14. Shellfish

I do have one quick caveat about increasing spermidine in your diet though. If you have psoriasis, spermidine is not the anti-aging compound for you. That’s because scientists believe spermidine might contribute to the disease by causing skin cells to regenerate at a rapid pace.

If psoriasis isn’t a problem for you, you should be safe to eat more spermidine. Researchers say the effects of adding more spermidine to your diet should kick in within three months. That’s how long it takes for spermidine levels to increase in your bloodstream.

Sources:

Caloric restriction improves health and survival of rhesus monkeys — Nature Communications

Higher spermidine intake is linked to lower mortality: a prospective population-based study — American Journal of Clinical

NutritionPolymines in food — Frontiers in Nutrition

Polyamine-Rich Diet Elevates Blood Spermine Levels and Inhibits Pro-Inflammatory Status: An Interventional Study — Medical Sciences Journal

Yamaguchi, K. Otsu. “Role of autophagy in aging.” — Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. 2012 Sep; 60(3):242-7. doi: 10.1097/FJC.0b013e31824cc31c.

“Healthy ageing — longer healthspan with spermidine.” — MedicalXpress. Retrieved September 2, 2016.

Eisenberg, et al. “Induction of autophagy by spermidine promotes longevity.” — Nature Cell Biology 11, 1305 – 1314 (2009).

A. Ali, et al. “Polyamines in foods: development of a food database.” — Food & Nutrition Research. 2011; 55:10.

J. Lowe. “Cutaneous polyamines in psoriasis.” — British Journal of Dermatology. 1982; 107:1.

The post Forget fasting: These 14 foods turn back time appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

They’re low-this, low-that, high-priced and claim to help suppress your appetite. And they might. But the side effects could include caffeine jitters, constipation, fatigue and more.

But there’s a superfood that does great things for body weight — naturally — and with an upside: improving your health…

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Berries’ biggest benefits for weight

The simple berry is simply the best diet food that most dieters don’t seem to know about. No matter which type of berries you prefer — strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries or boysenberries — these diminutive nutrient wonders deserve a place in everybody’s meal and snack plans.

Here’s how they help…

Berries make you feel full. First off, as a snack, berries have advantages that processed foods like bars can’t touch. A study at Loughborough University, Leicestershire, England, shows that munching on berries in the afternoon can help you consume significantly less food. In this test, the researchers found that berry snackers ate less at a later meal than folks who snacked on bars, cookies or other confectionary snacks.

Berries for better blood sugar. Despite their sweet taste, berries contain natural compounds called anthocyanins that can help regulate blood sugar. Research at the University of East Anglia in England shows that berries help make the body more sensitive to insulin — the hormone that takes glucose out of the blood and into cells to be used for energy. If you become insulin resistant, that process doesn’t work so well and leads to prediabetes — and you know what happens after that.

Berries blot out inflammation. The natural compounds found in berries also reduce inflammation. Science has shown a longstanding association between increased weight gain and increased inflammation. An overactive immune system can lead to chronic inflammation. Gut inflammation may also be a contributing factor and can lead to weight gain. 

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If you’re like me, you’ll find that snacking on berries just makes you feel better mood-wise than indulging in sweet treats like cookies or cakes. Plus, I find the taste of ripe berries to be a pleasure that no food that came out of a factory can match.

That’s another advantage of berries — in many parts of the country, you can grow your own, they are easy plants to care for and the fruit right off the bush is a delight. And if you’re lucky, they may be growing in the wild near where you live.

But if fresh berries aren’t readily available, don’t worry. Recent research has shown that frozen and even powdered berries confer big benefits.

The post The appetite suppressant the diet industry hopes you won’t discover appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But I really shouldn’t worry. It turns out tea, my drink of choice, gives coffee some stiff competition as far as healthy beverages go…

For one thing, tea is loaded with flavonoids, naturally occurring compounds that act as antioxidants to neutralize free radicals that contribute to chronic disease.

Tea also contains L-theanine, an amino acid that’s only found in tea and some mushrooms. L-theanine helps promote good mental function, and when combined with the caffeine in tea, can benefit attention task performance.

It’s also been reported to strengthen the immune system and assist in weight loss. And drinking 1 to 2 cups of tea every day could significantly reduce the risk of diseases like vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

And the most recent research found some stunning news about tea and artery health…

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The connection between tea and heart health

When specifically looking at black tea’s heart benefits, researchers have found a link between its flavonoid content and reduced risk of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC).

The abdominal aorta is the largest artery in the body. It supplies oxygenated blood from the heart to the abdominal organs and lower limbs, and its calcification can predict cardiovascular risks such as heart attack and stroke.

AAC also has been found to be a reliable indicator for late-in-life dementia.

Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia studied elderly women with a median age of 80. The study found these women were far less likely to have an extensive buildup of AAC if they consumed a high level of flavonoids in their diet.

Ben Parmenter, an ECU researcher and study lead, says while the participants consumed many dietary sources of flavonoids, some had particularly high amounts.

“In most populations, a small group of foods and beverages — uniquely high in flavonoids — contribute the bulk of total dietary flavonoid intake,” he says. “The main contributors are usually black or green tea, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, red wine, apples, raisins/grapes and dark chocolate.”

In the ECU study, black tea was the main source of flavonoids. Participants who drank 2 to 6 cups of tea per day had a 16 to 42 percent lower chance of having extensive AAC compared to those who did not drink tea at all.

Certain other dietary sources of flavonoids such as fruit juice, red wine and chocolate did not show the same beneficial association with AAC.

Still, Parmenter notes that out of the women who didn’t drink black tea, higher total non-tea flavonoid intake also appeared to protect against extensive artery calcification. And previous studies have already shown flavonols are great for healthy blood pressure.

“This implies flavonoids from sources other than black tea may be protective against AAC when tea is not consumed,” he says. This is important, he adds, because in other populations or groups of people black tea may not be the main source of flavonoids.

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Specific flavonoids that target AAC

When looking at specific types of flavonoids, flavan-3-ols and flavonols appeared to have a significant relationship with AAC. Those who had a higher intake of total flavonoids, flavan-3-ols and flavonols were 36 to 39 percent less likely to have extensive AAC.

If you don’t drink tea, now might be a good time to start to protect your health later in life. But if you really dislike the beverage, try adding other flavonoid-rich foods to your diet so protect your heart health and stave off dementia.

A good place to start is with blueberries, dark chocolate and cranberries, all of which are excellent sources of flavonoids.

Experts recommend getting about 500 mg of flavonoids a day, roughly the amount in 1-2 cups of tea or 100 grams (1 cup) of blueberries.

What about coffee?

Interestingly, coffee also contains flavonoids like flavan-3-ols and flavonols, but in much smaller amounts than tea and other flavonoid-rich foods. That means you may not get the same flavonoid-associated benefits from coffee that you would from tea.

Sources:

Put the kettle on! How black tea (and other favourites) may help your health later in life — Edith Cowan University

Higher Habitual Dietary Flavonoid Intake Associates With Less Extensive Abdominal Aortic Calcification in a Cohort of Older Women — Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology

5 Types of Tea That May Help With Weight Loss — Everyday Health

USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods — U.S. Department of Agriculture

Flavonoid research — Edith Cowan University

The post The beverage that helps prevent calcified arteries appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

While some work, they often are not as workable or useful as we hope or are led to believe.

But Mother Nature sure does have a way with her “products.” One such tiny superfood is so amazing it’s worth celebrating… and taking every day.

Tiny Green Algae

Chlorella consists of tiny green algae that grow in the freshwater ponds and lakes of Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia and in other areas.

First discovered in 1890 by a Dutch microbiologist, this unicellular alga packs a powerful punch.

It’s so powerful that scientists tried to package it as a meal for post-World War II famines and NASA space missions.

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Tiny Organism, Huge Nutrition

While only 3 to 8 micrometers in diameter, chlorella is among the most nutritionally dense foods in existence.

It contains a relatively enormous amount of protein when compared with spinach (two times as much), soybeans (38 times as much) and rice (55 times as much).

Not to mention, it’s chock-full of essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

It is packed with magnesium, which the body needs for thousands of different functions.

It helps stimulate probiotic growth in the gut and also binds with toxins (including the pesticides and fungicides that linger on our foods) and heavy metals (from the mercury in silver fillings), moving them out of the body and keeping them from recirculating in the bloodstream.

Medical Miracle

Algae could be considered Mother Nature’s medical miracle. Not only does it naturally contain and support the most beneficial things humans need to thrive, but many of its natural components help reduce the negative effects of a modern lifestyle. That is, its nutrition helps protect against diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity and syndrome X (metabolic syndrome).

Our modern diet today is atrocious. Fast food, packaged and preserved food, genetically modified food, pesticides and depleted soil leaves the average person with health issues that are the direct result of a calorie-dense and nutritionally deficient diet. Even when we try to eat healthily, the food is often laced with herbicides and packaged with unhealthy ingredients.

By adding chlorella to your daily intake, you can help supercharge your health while reducing the effects of our poor modern diet and lifestyle. Here’s what Mother Nature’s little green product does:

• Helps reduce body fat, blood glucose and blood serum cholesterol levels.
• Helps counter type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
• Boosts the immune system.
• Improves irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), helps prevent constipation and aids digestion.
• Acts as a natural antidepressant and stress reducer.
• Helps with symptoms of fibromyalgia, ulcerative colitis and hypertension.
• Is the ultimate superfood for detoxing

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Chlorella’s Ingredients

Here are the reasons why chlorella is a superfood and Mother Nature’s best health product:

• Abundant in vitamins, including A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E.
• Packed with minerals, including magnesium, potassium, iron and calcium.
• Contains amino acids to help rebuild lean body tissue and replenish neurotransmitters.
• Rich in chlorophyll to improve immunity, promote alkalinity and reduce inflammation.
• Detoxifies; binds to toxins and heavy metals in the intestines and removes them from the body.
• Promotes healthy probiotics in the gut to diminish candida or yeast overgrowth and aid digestion.
• Contains powerful carotenoids to help boost immunity and fight cancer and heart disease.

How To Take Chlorella

The best way is to make sure it is an ingredient in a greens powder with additional green superfood powders. I enjoy it in with flax milk for a nutrient-dense, detoxifying and satisfying breakfast, but it mixes well with water, regular milk, oat or almond milk or even juice and is a must-have ingredient in any smoothie recipe.

If you purchase chlorella, make sure the label indicates it has broken cell walls, thus making it more bioavailable. You can also purchase it in capsules.

Whether you are seriously ill, suffering some of the modern-lifestyle diseases or an athlete looking to perform and feel better, chlorella is what you need. I take it daily (sometimes two to three times daily), and I feel marked improvement overall. Do yourself a favor and give it a try, too.

The post Chlorella: Mother Nature’s superfood miracle appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Diets come and go like the seasons. Fitness programs gain steam and tire out.

And supplement companies pound the pavement in relentless advertising with claims of amazing health benefits of things from faraway places, or with strange-sounding names.

Acai is one example that has been made into a supplement and sold as a wellness miracle. But is it? Perhaps, but not so fast. Today I’d like to look into some of the super claims associated with acai, especially about weight loss, inflammation, heart health and more.

Acai is a fruit…

The acai “berry” is a fruit that looks an awful lot like a grape. Unlike grapes, however, it doesn’t contain very much pulp. Also, the acai contains a single large seed, like the pit of a plum. The fruit grows on trees, with approximately 800 fruits per panicle (which is something like a branch). Acai are harvested and are a staple food in under-developed regions of the world.

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Some very big claims…

The health benefit claims for Acai can leave one bursting with enthusiasm. Advertisers claim this miracle fruit can work wonders for arthritis, cholesterol, obesity, heart health, digestion, constipation, energy, erectile dysfunction, inflammation, appetite, detoxification, diabetes, allergies, bloating, water retention, muscle cramps, oxidative stress, and even cancer.

How can ALL this be true?

It’s in the antioxidants…

Well, no matter what the marketing claims, one thing is for certain: acai is packed with antioxidant power. Moreover, it contains fiber, heart-healthy fats and plant phenols giving it an ORAC value of 102,700. The ORAC score is about the antioxidant power of a food regardless of its nutritional content. And acai has many times the ORAC value of any other fruit or vegetable.

Acai is also packed with minerals like calcium, iron, potassium and sodium; and vitamins like A, E and C.  And it’s rich in plant sterols which act as vasodilators relaxing blood vessels. This is important for reducing blood pressure, preventing blood clots, calming or preventing migraines, and lowering risk of heart attack and stroke.

Because of acai’s inherent qualities, like other plants and high-ORAC and antioxidant fruits and vegetables it can do wonders for the body. Aside from the overall benefits some studies point to additional specific benefits…

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Studies show positive effects

• According to the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health, a preliminary study suggested that eating acai fruit pulp might reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels in overweight people. Laboratory studies have focused on acai’s potential antioxidant properties, and a juice blend with acai as the main ingredient has been shown to have an antioxidant effect in people.
• The journal Biology of Sport published the findings of the effects of supplementation with acai berry-based juice blend on the blood antioxidant defense capacity and lipid profile in junior hurdlers. While the six weeks of consuming the acai blend had “no effect on sprint performance,” it did lead to a “marked increase in the total antioxidant capacity of plasma, attenuation of the exercise-induced muscle damage, and a substantial improvement of serum lipid profile.” These findings are mainly attributed to Acai’s high total antioxidant and polyphenol content.
• The China Journal of Materia Medica presented a study looking at the protective effect of Acai on chronic alcoholic hepatic injury in rats and their mechanism. The researchers found that acai berries show s specific protective effect on alcoholic hepatic injury.

The post Acai: Miracle of wellness appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Yet, too often we hear about memory loss and other cognitive problems as being a normal part of aging.

But, that doesn’t have to be the case.

You already know nuts are good brain food. But a new study at Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center has actually measured their powerful effect in the form of brain waves…

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The antioxidant answer

The study was performed using people who ate six types of nuts: almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts.

Electroencephalograms (EEG) were taken to measure the strength of their brainwave signals, during sensory awareness tasks. These sequences of tasks were varied so that the EEG could measure wave activity across nine different brain regions.

Here’s what they found…

All of the nuts tested were beneficial for strengthening brain waves. In other words, eating nuts on a regular basis can actually strengthen your brainwave frequencies to improve your cognition, healing, learning, memory and other key brain functions.

According to the researchers, that’s because nuts have high concentrations of flavonoids —antioxidants believed to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous and heart protective effects. Previous research has shown that these flavonoids can enter areas of your brain’s hippocampus that are responsible for learning and memory.

In your brain, flavonoids are thought to have neuroprotective effects, leading to “neurogenesis,” or the “birth” of new neurons, as well as improving the blood flow to your brain.

The researchers also found that some nuts stimulated some brain frequencies more than others.

For example, pistachios produced the greatest gamma wave response, which is critical for enhancing cognitive processing, information retention, learning, perception and rapid eye movement during sleep.

And, peanuts, which are actually legumes, but were still part of the study, produced the highest delta response, which is associated with healthy immunity, natural healing, and deep sleep.

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Nut power

Thanks to this research, you now know how important it is to incorporate nuts into your daily diet to boost your brain power.

Here are some ways, you can enjoy more nuts:

• Spread nut butter on your morning toast instead of butter or cream cheese.
• Sprinkle chopped nuts on cereal or yogurt.
• Toss nuts into a green or fruit salad.
• Add halved cashews to your Asian stir-fry.
• Top fruit or crackers with nut butter.
• Try nut-encrusted fish or chicken, such as pecan-encrusted trout.
• Make your own nut and seed mix by lightly toasting almonds, walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a 160-170 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Add extra flavor by mixing your favorite spices, like cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and cayenne pepper.
• Finely chop almonds and walnuts and add them to your favorite soup.
• Toss chopped almonds or pecans and steamed green beans in a bowl with olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper for a tasty side dish.
• Add pine nuts or walnuts to your coleslaw for an extra crunch.
• Soak walnuts for six to eight hours then chop in food processor with parsley, onion, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil for a perfect pate.

The post Eating nuts strengthens your brain waves appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Superfoods such as berries, beets, kale and green tea can do everything from reducing inflammation and improving your blood sugar to promoting healthy blood flow and fighting heart issues.

But there’s one superfood that hasn’t necessarily received the attention it deserves — the pomegranate.

This juicy red fruit is not only packed with antioxidants, but it also possesses rich levels of a compound known as urolithin A. It’s a compound that has been found to have the power to revive aging and defective mitochondria ­­— the powerhouses of your cells — to help keep your muscles stronger longer and extend your lifespan.

And now a new study has revealed that this one compound also has the potential to power the fight against colorectal cancer, and possibly all other forms of cancer as well.

The role of the immune system in colon cancer

Colorectal cancer is gotten a lot of attention in the last couple of years. Not only is it impacting younger people, like beloved actor Chadwick Boseman who lost his battle at just 43, but it carries high mortality rates in advanced stages.

And while some progress has been made in recent years that has improved early diagnosis and therapy, not all patients respond to the current therapeutic approaches.

One of the reasons for this is due to a specific characteristic of cancer tumors: immune dysfunction.

Basically, it works like this…

When you get cancer, immune cells in your body that are supposed to fight the tumor are actually suppressed by the surrounding tissue of the tumor or the tumor microenvironment.

When this happens, T cells, which are your body’s natural immune response against cancer, are restricted in their function, allowing the tumor to grow and spread uncontrollably.

And that’s where urolithin A comes in.

Supporting immune cells in their fight against cancer

Researchers in Frankfurt using preclinical models, as well as in studies on human immune cells, have now found that urolithin A is capable of improving the function of immune cells in their battle against cancer.

And it all has to do with its effects on mitochondria that also help your muscles.

The researchers found that because urolithin A kicks off a biological pathway that recycles and renews mitochondria inside the T cells that are necessary to fight off cancer, defective T cells are removed and replaced by new, functional ones.

Those T cells become T memory stem cells — potent immune stem cells that, due to their ability to divide, constantly supply the immune system with rejuvenated, non-exhausted T cells.

This makes your body better able to fight the tumor.

The researchers say that this fact opens up the door to using urolithin A not only in the treatment of colorectal cancer but also in other cancers as well.

Pomegranate power, let me count the ways

So it looks like someday soon, pomegranates may take their place in cancer therapy.

In the meantime, you can up your levels of urolithin A by simply enjoying a juicy pomegranate, sipping pomegranate juice or taking a urolithin A supplement.

There are even more good reasons to enjoy pomegranates or pomegranate juice…

Need to lower your cholesterol, pomegranate can help!

When brain cells called microglia become inflamed, they can damage neurons and accelerate dementia. Pomegranate can help here too.

And the benefit to male health is a long list you’ll have to read here.

You’ll be powering the powerhouses of your cells for better health now and in the future.

Sources:

Pomegranate fueling cancer therapy – EurekAlert!

The post Pomegranate: The fruit fueling cancer-fighting cells appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s pumpkin season…

Pumpkin-spice lattes. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin pancakes. Pumpkin-flavored foods are everywhere.

But despite the undeniable deliciousness of all these foods, many of them come up short in the health department. Why?

They’re packed with sugar, which means you get more than your fill of the sweet stuff during pumpkin season. So, how can you take a break from sugar and still get your pumpkin fix?

Stick to the seeds.

Pumpkin seeds are nutrient powerhouses. Problem is, most people only eat them one day per year… the day they carve their Halloween pumpkins. Even worse, some people put these healthy morsels in the trash rather than the oven even on pumpkin-carving day.

If you’re one of these pumpkin seed-deprived peeps, get ready to change your ways. Because once you know the six big health benefits of these seeds, you won’t be able to keep your paws off them…

The post 6 fabulous reasons to eat more pumpkin seeds appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

I know I do…

I still remember going in with my husband for his yearly physical and listening to his doctor tell him that if he continued eating eggs for breakfast, his cholesterol would end up through the roof and heart disease would be just around the corner.

Several studies have brought those myths into question and clarified the impact of dietary cholesterol. And, not only have eggs been shown to be beneficial for heart health (lowering your risk of heart disease by a whopping 18 percent!), they’ve even been found to:

• Reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
• Curb cravings to boost weight loss
• Enhance muscle building to combat age-related muscle loss

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And, there’s more “eggciting” news about our favorite breakfast food…

Eggs could be the answer to helping prevent certain neurodegenerative diseases sweeping our country, including Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s!

Here’s why…

It’s all in the Choline

A new study by researchers at the Arizona State University Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center has now proven that the choline found in eggs has the potential to prevent brain inflammation and cell death common to all of those neurological diseases.

The team of scientists was following up on two previous studies…

The first showed that mice whose mothers were given choline supplementation during pregnancy were significantly less likely to show Alzheimer’s-like symptoms as they aged.

The second study demonstrated the power of lifelong choline supplementation to reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms in male mice.

These studies led the team to wonder whether choline supplementation would have the same effect in females – since women are at higher risk than men for Alzheimer’s and if so, how choline works to prevent the disease and its damage.

So, what did they find?

They discovered that not only did choline work to overcome Alzheimer’s in females, it did in two separate but important ways:

• First, choline blocks the production of amyloid-beta plaques — a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Second, lifelong choline supplementation reduces the activation of microglia. Microglia are specialized cells that rid the brain of debris that destroys its function. Although they naturally occur to keep the brain healthy, if they are over-activated, brain inflammation and brain cell death (common symptoms of Alzheimer’s) will occur.

And, it’s that second one that’s really interesting…

The scientists say that choline’s ability to reduce disease-associated microglia, which are present in various neurodegenerative diseases, could be the answer to preventing and treating far more than just Alzheimer’s. It could actually help in cases of traumatic brain injuries, multiple sclerosis and even Parkinson’s disease.

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Higher levels used in study

While the current established RDA for choline in adult women is 425mg/day, and 550mg/day for adult men, additional choline may be beneficial to prevent the decline you see in an aging brain.

According to the researchers, the tolerable upper limit of choline unlikely to cause side effects for adult men and women is 3500mg/day (over 8 times higher than the RDA). For the study, the scientists only had to use choline supplementation which was 4.5 times the RDA to get results, making it a safe strategy, in their opinion.

However, there may be some cons to supplementing that much choline. It may be better to rely on dietary sources. One large egg gives you 147 mg of the good stuff.

In addition to eggs, you can also find high levels of choline in:

• Chicken liver – 3oz delivers 247mg
• Grass-fed steak- 3oz has 55mg
• Wheat germ – 1oz toast offers 51mg
• Milk – 8oz gives you 38mg
• Brussels sprouts – 1/2 cup provides 32mg

A daily choline supplement in the form of choline bitartrate or choline chloride may be a good choice for people on plant-based diets.

Sources:

1. The controversial breakfast food that beats away diabetes risk — Easy Health Options®
2. Common nutrient supplementation may hold the answers to combatting Alzheimer’s disease — EurekAlert!

The post Could eggs be the answer to Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and more? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

One of my favorite parts about my blueberry devotion is that unlike my weakness for chips and French fries, blueberries have more benefits than you can keep count…

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A health bounty

For instance, blueberries contain resveratrol, a polyphenol that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and longevity-promoting properties. Resveratrol also releases the same age-fighting proteins the body releases when calories are restricted. And it raises the level of helpful bacteria in our gut while reducing harmful bacteria.

But perhaps the most powerful component in blueberries are anthocyanins, a highly concentrated form of antioxidant that’s twice as powerful as vitamin C. Anthocyanins are responsible for a lot of the heart benefits provided by blueberries, including their ability to support blood pressure and blood vessel health.

Another area where they shine is brain health. Previous studies have indicated that the anthocyanins in blueberries can help improve cognition and memory as well as increase blood flow to the brain in older adults.

These promising results have led researchers to study the brain impact of blueberry consumption in other populations. So far, the results have been promising…

The blueberry’s impact on dementia risk

A research team from the University of Cincinnati added blueberries to the daily diets of adults between the ages of 50 and 65 who were overweight and prediabetic — both risk factors for developing dementia later in life. The participants also had reported a mild decline in memory they associated with aging.

For 12 weeks, the participants were asked not to eat any berries at all. Instead, they were given a packet of supplement powder to be mixed with water and consumed daily with either breakfast or dinner. Half received a powder that contained the equivalent of a half-cup of whole blueberries, while the other half received a placebo.

During the study, the researchers measured certain cognitive abilities that depend on executive control, such as working memory, mental flexibility and self-control. These often decline with aging and late-in-life dementia.

Those in the group taking the blueberry supplement showed improvement in these abilities. They also had lower fasting insulin levels, indicating their metabolic function had improved and they were more easily able to burn off fat for energy.

This is huge news—a double whammy improving cognition and insulin—considering that diabetes can cause Alzheimer’s to develop nearly twice as fast.

Dr. Robert Krikorian, who led the research team, says the blueberry group also displayed a higher rate of a particular mitochondrial function that has been associated with greater longevity and reduced oxidative stress.

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Never too early to get those blueberry benefits

Krikorian’s team has been researching the benefits of berries for people at higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia for several years. Their previous studies focused on older populations, so they wanted to study the impact of berry consumption on those in middle age, which is when about 50 percent of individuals develop the insulin resistance known as prediabetes.

“We had observed cognitive benefits with blueberries in prior studies with older adults and thought they might be effective in younger individuals with insulin resistance,” Krikorian says. “Alzheimer’s disease, like all chronic diseases of aging, develops over a period of many years beginning in midlife.”

Going forward, the researchers intend to focus on gaining a better understanding of the exact mechanisms behind blueberries’ impact on cognitive performance and metabolic function. They also want to conduct studies in a larger number of patients.

“The sample size is an obvious limitation of the study, so it will be important to reproduce these findings, especially by other investigators,” Krikorian says. “In the meantime, it might be a good idea to consume blueberries on a regular basis.”

I know from experience that it’s easy to add a half-cup of blueberries to your diet. Personally, I like to blend my half-cup into my morning breakfast smoothie. But it’s just as easy to mix them into your yogurt, cereal or oatmeal.

Or simply do what my fellow Girl Scout campers and I did — wash them, pour them into a bowl and munch away, preferably with a side of yogurt or big glass of milk, both of which can enhance the effects of blueberries up to tenfold.

Sources:

Regular blueberry consumption may reduce risk of dementia, study finds — University of Cincinnati

Blueberry Supplementation in Midlife for Dementia Risk Reduction — Nutrients

The post The berry that decreases dementia risk even in middle age appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

A typical Mediterranean breakfast might include avocados and eggs, or Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and flaxseed.

You might eat more fish, but the traditional Mediterranean diet also allows small amounts of red meat.

And, there are loads of scientific proof that it can make you healthier in lots of different ways…

It can dramatically improve your gut health. It protects you against weight gain and chronic disease.

Could it get any better? I’ll let you be the judge…

The longest and largest brain MRI trial study in the world has found that following a “greener” version of the Mediterranean diet — rich in plant polyphenols — can slow one of the worst things that happens to an aging brain.

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Slowing age-related brain atrophy

With age, the size of the human brain shrinks. This age-related brain atrophy occurs due to a loss of brain cells. With fewer brain cells, connections are lost and cognitive decline begins.

But a diet modification may slow that process…

Researchers at Israel’s Ben Gurion University took 284 men and women ages 31 to 82 and divided them randomly into three groups.

The first group followed healthy dietary guidelines but not a specific diet. The second group ate a traditional Mediterranean diet, including polyphenol-rich walnuts.

The third group stuck to a Mediterranean diet high in polyphenol-rich green foods: three to four cups of green tea daily, as well as a green shake made with Mankai duckweed as a substitute for dinner. They ate almost no red meat.

In addition, all three groups participated in physical activity programs based on aerobic exercise

At the end of the 18-month trial, brain MRIs on all participants showed a significant slowing in brain atrophy (shrinking) in those who ate a Mediterranean diet.

The change was even more noticeable in participants over age 50 who went “green.”

“The beneficial association between the green Mediterranean diet and age-related neurodegeneration might be partially explained by the abundance of polyphenols in plant-based food sources which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory metabolites. Polyphenols can cross the blood-brain barrier, reduce neuroinflammation, and induce cell proliferation and adult-onset neurogenesis in the hippocampus,” writes Professor Iris Shai, the lead author.

Put in simpler terms, the nutrients in a green Mediterranean diet can help pump up the volume of your aging brain cells, rather than allow them to wither away.

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How to eat a greener Mediterranean diet

“Our findings might suggest a simple, safe, and promising avenue to slow age-related neurodegeneration by adhering to a green-Mediterranean diet,” adds Dr. Alon Kaplan, also from Ben Gurion University.

Not surprisingly a similar study on a green-Mediterranean diet, also incorporating duckweed as a protein source, saw huge improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic factors including lower blood pressure and inflammation levels, reduced insulin resistance and improved cholesterol numbers.

So how do you get started on this amazing diet?

Rather than repeat it here, I’d like you to take a look at my guide to getting started on a Mediterranean diet. Just stick to fish and poultry, leave out the red meat, and you’ll be eating the “green” version.

Of course, an easy way to start is ramping up the amount of polyphenol-rich fruits and vegetables you eat.

Specifically, in the study, greater consumption of Mankai, green tea and walnuts were significantly associated with a slower decline in brain shrinkage in the hippocampus.

But there are many more polyphenol-rich foods to choose from including:

• Berries, which are notoriously high in polyphenols. Blueberries and chokeberries (AKA Aronia berries) are among the highest.
• Vegetables to eat more: artichoke, red onion, spinach or shallots.
• For good measure, eat more olives, nuts, and flaxseed.

This shouldn’t feel like “dieting,” but more like a lifestyle adjustment.

Sources:

Green-med diet seems to slow age-related neurodegeneration, study finds — Science Daily

The effect of a high-polyphenol Mediterranean diet (GREEN-MED) combined with physical activity on age-related brain atrophy: the DIRECT PLUS randomized controlled trial — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Which Area of the Brain Is Most Susceptible to Shrinkage as We Age? — Web MD

The post The diet that slowed over-50 brain shrinkage appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Not to be confused with sulfur, this phytonutrient is a powerful cancer-fighting agent. It’s also a potent protector against oxidative stress that leads to age-related macular degeneration.

There’s only one problem…

Sulforaphane doesn’t just sit there in your broccoli florets, waiting to go to work for you.

In fact, some people cook the nutritional value right out of it — it’s very heat sensitive. But eating it raw still won’t do the trick if you want enough sulforaphane to reap broccoli’s bountiful benefits.

No, you have to eat your broccoli in a particular way so that sulforaphane can do all the great things it has the potential to do for your health — and believe me, it’s worth the extra trouble…

More than just sulforaphane

Along with loads of beneficial sulforaphane, broccoli also contains two other key chemicals: compounds called glucosinolates, as well as the enzyme myrosinase.

Here’s where things get interesting…

Plants like broccoli have evolved the enzyme myrosinase to defend themselves against herbivores (plant-eating animals). When myrosinase goes into action, it transforms glucosinolates into, you guessed it, sulforaphane.

So, in order to release more of the sulforaphane in the broccoli we eat, we need to do physical damage to the broccoli, much like what would happen to it if an animal in the wild came along and started munching on it.

3 options: Which is the most nutritious choice?

Raw broccoli will give you the most sulforaphane. But if you prefer your broccoli stir-fried, you can still get the benefits of sulforaphane… if you’re willing to put in a little time.

In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a group of Japanese scientists tested out three different cooking methods for broccoli, attempting to find out which produced the most sulforaphane-rich vegetable.

First, they pulverized the broccoli, chopping it into 2-millimeter pieces to get as much myrosinase activity going as possible (remember, the activity happens when broccoli is damaged).

Then, they divided their samples into three groups. One was left raw, while another was stir-fried for four minutes right after being chopped.

The third group was left to sit for 90 minutes before it was stir-fried.

Which group do you think was the winner?

“Rested” broccoli works harder for you

It probably shouldn’t surprise you to find out that the chopped broccoli that was left to sit for 90 minutes had almost three times more sulforaphane than the broccoli that was cooked right away.

Enzymatic processes take time, and apparently, it takes some time for the process of myrosinase activity to produce sulforaphane.

So, if you’re going to stir-fry your broccoli, the best thing to do is to chop it into very small pieces and let them “rest” for at least 90 minutes before you start cooking them.

More tips for more powerful broccoli

When you’re preparing dinner, remember to let your broccoli sit for a while after you chop it, to get the biggest benefit. Make it the first thing you do during your dinner prep, then go on to other things while your broccoli “rests” and becomes rich in sulforaphane.

Other tips to get the most sulforaphane for your buck:

• Certain types of broccoli are better than others. Young sprouts of broccoli (also known as broccolini) contain 20 to 50 times more sulforaphane than mature broccoli plants.
• Broccoli stalks contain very little sulforaphane, but the florets are chock full of it.

For these cold winter months, why not try some Broccoli-Cheese Soup

For a different take on stir fry, try Veggie Stir-fry with Cauliflower Rice.

And if you’re a raw broccoli fan, spice things up a bit with Broccoli and Horseradish Sauce.

Sources:

Scientists Found a Healthier Way to Cook Broccoli, But There’s a Catch — Science Alert

Hydrolysis before Stir-Frying Increases the Isothiocyanate Content of Broccoli — Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

The post Amplify broccoli’s superpowers without having to eat it raw appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And for women who have survived the cancer, the only thing that occupies their mind as much as the thankfulness they feel for being alive is the fear that the cancer will return.

Luckily, a study published in the International Journal of Cancer of breast cancer survivors may have the answer to beating back that fear by beating back the risk of cancer recurrence.

And it’s as simple as grabbing a handful of nuts…

Lower risk of cancer recurrence and death

The team of researchers followed almost 3,500 participants who had survived breast cancer from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study. Each participant completed a dietary assessment five years after their diagnosis. And the team kept up with all “breast-cancer specific events” including recurrence, metastasis and deaths.

So what did they find?

According to the researchers, their study proved that eating plenty of nuts may reduce the risk of breast cancer returning, spreading, or death from breast cancer by more than half.

Yup, you read that right…

“Our study is among the first to show nut consumption was associated with up to 50 percent reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence, spread or mortality,” said study author Professor Xiao-Ou Shu, of Vanderbilt University.

In fact, the researchers say that any nut will work to keep breast cancer at bay… from almonds, hazelnuts and pecans, to Brazil nuts, pistachios and cashews.

Even better, they point out that their research proved that there’s a dose-response pattern in the relationship between nut consumption and risk of breast cancer recurrence or death.

Put simply, the more nuts you eat, the lower your risk of all breast cancer issues.

To top it off, the researchers found that the sooner you start eating nuts the better since the association was stronger for survivors who had earlier stages of breast cancer than for those who had later stages.

The health effects of nuts

So how could simply eating nuts have health-protective effects for breast cancer survivors?

As Professor Shu points out, “Previous lab experiments have identified several potential molecular mechanisms indicative of growth inhibitory effects of nut components on human breast cancer cells which may prevent recurrence.”

Basically, they block the cancer growth.

Additionally, nuts may improve cholesterol levels and inhibit oxidation and cell dysfunction — all of which fights cancer.

Past research on colon cancer has even shown that nuts help your body detoxify reactive oxygen species that damage cells and attack your DNA.

Studies have even proven that eating nuts fights type 2 diabetes — an important benefit since women with blood sugar problems have a worse survival rate from breast cancer.

So go nuts and grab the snack shown to keep breast cancer from returning. And for even more breast cancer protection, follow these 10 research-backed ways to reduce your breast cancer risk.

Sources:

Eating nuts may reduce risk of dying from breast cancer by more than half, study suggests — Nottingham Post

Breast Cancer Facts & Figures — American Cancer Society

Can eating nuts have health-protective effects for breast cancer survivors? — EurekAlert!

Nut consumption in association with overall mortality and recurrence/disease-specific mortality among long-term breast cancer survivors — Wiley Online Library

The post Why nuts are a breast cancer survivor’s best friend appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Even though most people rarely lose all of their eyesight from AMD, many will meet the definition of “legal blindness.”

The current treatment for intermediate stages of AMD uses special dietary supplements, called AREDS, that contain vitamins C, E, zinc, copper and lutein and zeaxanthin. No known therapy has yet been shown to impact early stages of AMD.

That’s why when it comes to your keeping your vision, prevention is key.

Luckily, a study conducted at the University of California is offering a way to practice that prevention — one that builds and amplifies current strategies by delivering a highly bioavailable form of two antioxidants which are known to reduce the risk of eye diseases related to AMD.

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Eating your way to better eye health

Those two powerful antioxidants are known as lutein and zeaxanthin.

And according to the researchers, they not only protect against the free radicals that can damage your eyes, they also filter out harmful blue light. Both of these actions help to protect your eyes as you age.

“Lutein and zeaxanthin are like sunscreen for your eyes,” said lead author Xiang Li, a doctoral candidate in the Nutritional Biology Program. “The higher the lutein and zeaxanthin in your retina, the more protection you have.”

Some superfuits are notoriously high in these antioxidant sight savers, so Li turned to an exotic superfruit, the goji berry, which in Chinese medicine is said to have “eye brightening” qualities.

Goji berries are the fruit of two species of shrubby bushes found in northwest China. And dried versions of the berries are a common ingredient in Chinese soups and are popular as herbal tea. They’re even eaten as a snack very similar to raisins.

And sure enough, when she researched the bioactive compounds of the berries, she found that they’re not only rich in both lutein and zeaxanthin, but the form of zeaxanthin the berries offer is incredibly bioavailable.

In other words, your body can put it to work protecting and supporting your eyes very efficiently.

The researchers found that 13 healthy participants aged 45 to 65 who consumed 28 grams (about one ounce, or a handful) of goji berries five times a week for 90 days increased the density of protective pigments in their eyes.

In contrast, 14 study participants who consumed a commercial supplement for eye health over the same period did not show an increase.

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More powerful sight savers to take now

So if you want to keep your vision sharp, goji berries should be on your grocery list.

For even more protection for your eyes, you can also:

• Eat more oranges – A 15-year long research study found that people who eat at least one orange a day are far less likely to get macular degeneration.
• Spice it up – Saffron has been found to be a miracle spice that helps prevent or reverse AMD, as long as you get enough of it each day. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most expensive spices.
• Go Mediterranean – European researchers discovered that people who followed a strictly Mediterranean diet were 41 percent less likely to develop macular degeneration than those who didn’t follow the diet.
• Plate up more cruciferous veggies – The sulforaphane found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and Bok choy has been shown to help regenerate retinal cells that have been under oxidative stress.
• Eat all the superfruits – When it comes to AMD, glaucoma and cataracts, antioxidants are your best friend. Other fruits that pack an antioxidant wallop like goji berries include blueberries, acai berries, aronia berries and pomegranate.

Remember, small steps now could mean better vision for years to come.

Sources:

Dried goji berries may provide protection against age-related vision loss – ScienceDaily

Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Facts & Figures – Bright Focus Foundation

The post The raisin-like snack that wards off vision loss appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Instead, I’m going to scour my local produce markets for some fruits that come from those places I can’t visit. They might make me feel like I’m in a warmer place.

But that’s not the real reason I’m looking to try some new tropical fruits right now…

I’d like to tell you about 11 exotic fruits that not only come from warm climates, but that are real nutritional superstars.

11 superfruits and how to enjoy them

Star fruit (carambola). With a flavor that mixes citrus, apple, and plum, the waxy yellow star fruit is loaded with fiber and vitamin C.

But as is the case with many otherwise nutritious foods, star fruit can be problematic for people with certain conditions. If you have kidney problems, avoid this fruit. It contains oxalic acid, which forms kidney stones.                      

Acai. Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) berries are a small, blueberry-sized fruit that is showing up more and more in both supermarkets and health food stores, and with good reason.

Not only do they taste a bit like chocolate, but acai berries have an incredibly high amount of antioxidants (three times the antioxidant power of blueberries!). High levels of antioxidants pummel free radicals, douse inflammation, guard against heart disease and support normal blood sugar levels.

Jackfruit. A jackfruit can weigh up to 100 pounds, making it the world’s largest fruit. It hails from India but has become popular among vegetarians and vegans as a meat replacement in foods like tacos. Its stringy texture is similar to that of spaghetti squash. Jackfruit is rich in vitamin C, B vitamins and potassium.

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Dragon fruit (pitaya). The crunchy pink or white flesh of the dragon fruit is full of tiny black seeds and tastes like a kiwi or pear. But don’t eat the scaly skin, which earns it its name. Dragon fruit supplies plenty of fiber, B vitamins and magnesium, and is used to lower cholesterol and promote healthy digestion.

Breadfruit. A great substitute for mashed or fried potatoes, breadfruit is rich in fiber and potassium. It gets its name from the bread-like texture it gets when roasted.

Guava. One guava has more vitamin C than an orange! The taste may remind you of strawberries and pears. It’s easy to use this South American fruit in juices, jams, and desserts. Even the rind is edible!

Guava fruit has a reputation for helping soothe the stomach, intestinal conditions and pain. Anecdotal reports say it helps help with blood sugar, wound healing and blood pressure.

Passion fruit. It looks like a small plum and tastes a lot like guava. It’s rich in potassium and fiber and has just 17.5 calories per fruit. Slice one in half, then scoop out the pulp and enjoy.

Durian. This fruit is most easily found in Asian markets. It has a custard-like flavor, but not such a great smell. It’s rich in iron, vitamin C, folate, and potassium. But watch the calories on this one. It‘s got about 357 calories per cup!

Horned melon (kiwano).  A member of the cucumber family, it’s got a green jelly-like interior that is meant to be eaten, seeds and all. It’s got a mild flavor that has been compared to a cucumber or lime with a hint of banana. Great for salads or smoothies, it’s rich in vitamin A and low in calories.

Mangosteen. Here’s a truly exotic fruit — pricey, and hard to find. It comes from the Asian tropics and is rich in antioxidants known as xanthones, which are thought to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

Prickly pear. It’s not really a pear at all, but a cactus native to the Americas. When you see it in the produce section, the prickly parts have often been removed. It tastes like watermelon and is rich in calcium and vitamin C. Prickly pear can be eaten plain or used in jelly, candy, or syrup.

Sources:

11 Exotic Fruits You Should Try — Web MD

Why You Should Avoid Eating Starfruit — National Kidney Foundation

What are the health benefits of acai berries? — Medical News Today

Guava- Uses, Side Effects, and More — WebMD

How to Eat Passion Fruit: 5 Easy Steps — Healthline

The post 11 exotic superfruits with supersized nutrition appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Spinach also is packed with phytochemicals known as carotenoids — specifically beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. These carotenoids help prevent eye diseases and reduce the inflammation that can lead to heart disease.

As if that weren’t enough, eating spinach can help lower your risk of certain cancers, including colon cancer. Researchers at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center have been studying spinach for colon cancer prevention, and they’re getting closer to understanding exactly how the leafy green may provide this protection…

Spinach, gut health, genes and colon cancer

While colon cancer is only the fourth most common cancer, it’s the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths and is becoming more common in younger people. In fact, the American Cancer Society now recommends people begin colon cancer screenings at the age of 45 rather than in their 50s.

Investigators are eager to find new ways of fighting this deadly disease. In previous studies, consuming green vegetables and fiber has been shown to cut the risk of colon cancer by as much as half. The most recent Texas A&M Health study goes further, exploring the relationship between spinach, gut health, genes and colon cancer outcomes.

The researchers used a mouse model of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a hereditary disease that causes young people to develop noncancerous polyps in their colon. Most people with this disease end up getting their colon removed to prevent these hundreds of polyps from turning into tumors as they age. Then, they’re subjected to often-toxic treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs to prevent additional tumors from forming in the first part of the small intestine.

Results of the study indicate eating spinach might help prevent cancer in these patients by delaying the need for colon removal and prolonged NSAID treatment.

After feeding these FAP mice freeze-dried spinach for 26 weeks, researchers found significant antitumor activity in the colon and small intestine. When looking more closely, they connected this spinach-related tumor suppression with increased diversity in the gut microbiome and changes in gene expression to help prevent cancer.

The results also showed a rise in beneficial linoleate metabolites, fatty acids associated with inflammation regulation, in these mice after the spinach diet.

Principal investigator Roderick Dashwood, director of the Center for Epigenetics & Disease Prevention at the Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology, says exposure to carcinogens through diet and environment over decades can change the way genes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are expressed. This change can cause polyps to develop in the colon and lower GI tract later in life, which can then progress into cancer.

Hereditary forms of colon cancer like those caused by FAP account for only 10 to 15 percent of cases, with the majority being sporadic, or uninherited. However, in earlier studies, Dashwood’s lab noted the benefits of spinach in a model mimicking sporadic colorectal cancer cases. Because spinach was very effective in preventing polyps in those cases, they decided to see how spinach might work in colon cancer cases driven by genetics.

“My bias was to focus on the chlorophyll story because of my long history examining anticancer effects of chlorophyll,” Dashwood says. “But when we looked at the metabolomic data, there was no chlorophyll. It was actually fatty acids and linoleic acid derivatives that were causing the beneficial effects.”

Ramping up your spinach consumption

Dashwood’s team eventually plans to validate the metabolomic findings, such as concentrations of linoleic acid metabolites and short-chain fatty acids with anticancer effects, in human patients. Until then, he says it’s a good idea for people to start eating more spinach now.

“The sooner the better,” he says. “You shouldn’t wait until polyps arise in order to start to do these sorts of preventive things.”

There are lots of ways to add spinach to your diet. You can start making all your salads with spinach greens or add a handful of spinach to your morning eggs, omelet or quiche. Many soups and stews can also benefit from a healthy dose of spinach.

It’s also great added to smoothie recipes. I toss a couple of handfuls of spinach into a blender with some protein powder, a cup of milk, a banana, a few strawberries and a handful of blueberries. Not only is the resulting smoothie delicious, but it’s also the best way to get the full nutritional benefits of spinach, since chopping up raw spinach leaves releases more of certain nutrients like lutein.

Sources:

Eating Spinach Could Protect Against Colon Cancer, Texas A&M Study Says — Texas A&M Today

Dietary spinach reshapes the gut microbiome in an Apc-mutant genetic background: mechanistic insights from integrated multi-omics — Gut Microbes

Health Benefits of Spinach — WebMD

The post How spinach can help prevent colon cancer appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In fact, to date, studies have shown the advantages of eating mushrooms to include:

• Lower blood sugar
• Improved microbiome and gut health (which helps combat metabolic disorders and obesity, as well as supports the immune system)
• 50 percent reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment
• Reduced joint pain

Studies also show that mushrooms, especially porcinis, are packed with some serious anti-aging potential. And they’ve even been found to lower risk of premature death.

Now, researchers at Penn State College of Medicine say you can chalk up one more big benefit to mushrooms…

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Eat mushrooms for better mental health

In fact, the researchers say that mushrooms are particularly effective against depression. To come to this conclusion, the team combed through data on the diet and mental health collected of more than 24,000 U.S. adults between 2005 and 2016.

They were able to see who the mushroom eaters were and who just weren’t fungi lovers, and what that did to their mental health.

And the results were clear…

People who ate mushrooms had lower odds of having depression.

According to the researchers, the reason that mushrooms can keep you from feeling down is the fact that they contain an antioxidant known as ergothioneine. It’s an antioxidant that may protect against cell and tissue damage in the body. And studies have shown that powerful antioxidants, like this one, help prevent several mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.

“Mushrooms are the highest dietary source of the amino acid ergothioneine — an anti-inflammatory which cannot be synthesized by humans,” said lead researcher Djibril Ba, who recently graduated from the epidemiology doctoral program at the College of Medicine. “Having high levels of this may lower the risk of oxidative stress, which could also reduce the symptoms of depression.”

Additionally, certain mushrooms may also deliver additional mental health help.

White button mushrooms are packed with potassium, which is believed to lower anxiety.

And other mushrooms – like the Lion’s Mane – have compounds that may stimulate the expression of neurotrophic factors that can help disorders including depression.  

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Cooking up mushrooms to cook up better mental health

So if you’ve been down or stressed out, or simply want to get ready for the gray days ahead that can make us all feel a bit blue, a side of mushrooms could be all you need to let the sunshine in.

But it’s important to note that how you cook your mushrooms matters.

That’s because studies have shown that certain cooking methods can decrease the amount of antioxidants you can get from your ‘shrooms.

Cooking methods to stick to in order to keep antioxidant levels up include grilling and microwaving.

So eat up! Enjoy mushrooms on a regular basis to enjoy better mental health for years to come.

Sources:

Mushroom consumption may lower risk of depression – EurekAlert!

The post The superfood that battles depression, anxiety and more appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Recent research has pinpointed a group of fruits that can lower your diabetes risk naturally.

These “superfoods” are already well known for their antioxidant content that protects against chronic inflammation and metabolic syndrome.

Now, scientists have discovered exactly how the natural compounds in these fruits work at the genetic level to shield us from insulin resistance and diabetes.

Stone fruits do double duty to protect against diabetes

Researchers at Texas AgriLife Research, a state agriculture agency, have found that stone fruits — peaches, plums and nectarines — have bioactive compounds that can fight metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that precede diabetes and heart disease.

Each of these fruits contains a mixture of bioactive compounds known as polyphenols that fight obesity and inflammation, two of the major components of metabolic syndrome.

These phenols work together as a team to fight obesity, inflammation, high blood sugar and the oxidation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol that causes heart disease.

But what makes stone fruits unique is that each of the bioactive compounds they contain also “specializes” in a particular aspect of metabolic syndrome, and works to influence the expression of genes that affect that aspect.

“Our work shows that the four major phenolic groups — anthocyanins, clorogenic acids, quercetin derivatives and catechins — work on different cells — fat cells, macrophages and vascular endothelial cells,” explained Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos of AgriLife.

“They modulate different expressions of genes and proteins depending on the type of compound.”

So, eating more plums, peaches and nectarines does double-duty to help you avoid metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

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Other fruits that fight metabolic syndrome

Aronia berry (chokeberry). You’ll probably find these small, purple berries at your health food store. You can get them fresh, dried, or as a juice. Don’t let the nickname worry you. It comes from the tart, mouth-drying taste of these berries.

Preliminary studies in animals have shown strong evidence that chokeberries, which are higher in phenols than other more common berries, relieve insulin resistance and thus can help stave off blood sugar problems as part of a healthy diet.

Pomegranate. Studies have recently shown us that drinking pomegranate juice is an effective and healthy way to combat dyslipidemia, another major component of metabolic syndrome that leads to high blood pressure and heart disease.

And, an Israeli study found that, although pomegranate juice has just as much sugar as other fruit juices, the sugars in pomegranate juice did not have a negative effect on blood sugar levels in study participants with diabetes.

Blueberries. We’ve long been singing the praises of blueberries as a superfood that’s good for your heart, your brain and your immune system.

A recent study has shown that the anti-inflammatory properties of blueberries may be the reason this superfruit also improves your body’s sensitivity to insulin.

Organic is best

The pesticides that are used in growing non-organic fruits can seep into those “healthy” fruits. To what extent isn’t clear, but fruits like blueberries, plums, and peaches are thin-skinned, so chances are they’re absorbing those poisons.

It’s also unclear how much those pesticides degrade the potential health benefits of the fruits we’ve talked about here. But even if they don’t, consuming toxic pesticides sets you up for a host of other health problems.

For example, artificial estrogens (xenoestrogen) caused by many toxins, including pesticides, have an impact on your body’s hormones (remember, insulin is a hormone), and causes a range of troublesome and potentially life-altering symptoms in both men and women.

The point is, whenever possible, go organic when purchasing these “superfruits” to get the maximum benefit and avoid health complications.

Sources:

Peaches, plums, nectarines give obesity, diabetes slim chance Science Daily

Beneficial effects of Aronia melanocarpa berry extract on hepatic insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus rats Journal of Food Science

One Major Effect of Eating Blueberries, New Study Says Eat This, Not That!

Pomegranate Helps Diabetic Hearts Web MD

The post 6 fruits anyone with blood sugar problems should be eating appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Good time of year to discover an orange superfood you may have overlooked.

It’s been granting long life for years to people around the world, including Japan, Greece and Costa Rica — areas known as Blue Zones, because the populations are long-lived and healthy.

And it’s readily available and plentiful right now in your local produce section.

Here’s the skinny on why this superfood is so super, and a handful of ideas for how to enjoy it right now.

Squash 101

One reason the squash family has so much health potential is the high concentration of carotenoids, which depending on variety, includes lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.

Carotenoids can triple your health benefits, especially for…

• Eye health. Carotenoids can help protect your eyes against one of the leading causes of blindness, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Lutein and zeaxanthin absorb a substantial amount of blue light that causes macular damage. And the antioxidant properties of these carotenoids also shield the eyes from the oxidative effects after blue light exposure has already occurred.
• Osteoporosis. When researchers examined 457 postmenopausal women, those with the highest levels of the carotenoid beta-cryptoxanthin in their blood had a 93 percent lower risk of osteoporosis.
• Heart health. Carotenoids have the unique ability to become soluble in both fat and water, which means they can circulate in lipids, cholesterol and fats in your body. This means carotenoids have the unique ability to directly influence arteries, decreasing thickness and stiffening that may lead to the development of atherosclerosis, one of the most common types of heart disease.

Researchers found a “nine-fold increase in total carotenoids provided within orange-red and yellow-orange colored cultigens versus yellow-colored cultigens.”

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Most squash varieties also contain healthy amounts of vitamins C and A and plenty of fiber. So, it’s easy to see the connection between squash and the health and longevity enjoyed in Blue Zones.

If you want to make them a regular part of your diet, here are a few varieties of winter squash to include:

• Acorn squash
• Butternut squash
• Buttercup squash (also called turban squash, for its shape)
• Kabocha, or Japanese pumpkin
• Honeynut squash (a miniature butternut squash)
• Spaghetti squash (yellow inside)
• Pumpkin (yes, pumpkin is a squash!)

4 popular fall squashes and how to prepare them

Kabocha squash. Also called a Japanese pumpkin, this fruit is a popular part of the Okinawan diet, which concentrates on colorful produce that’s full of carotenoids ( a serving of just 2/3 cup of this fruit has almost 1800mcg of beta carotene.

An easy way to prepare kabocha squash is to wash the outside with plain water (no soap), then cut the squash in half. Place the squash cut sides down and bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F, or until the flesh is soft enough to pierce with a fork, and serve with a little butter or olive oil.

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Acorn squash. Acorn squash is an excellent source of fiber, with 9gr per cup. While it can be eaten raw, most people prefer roasting it.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the halves on a pan, cut side up, and roast at high heat (400˚F) until the flesh is soft, about 45 minutes. Roasted acorn squash can be cut into chunks, pureed in soups, or even baked into desserts like pie or custard.

Butternut squash. Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamin A, fiber, and vitamin C.

To pick a good butternut squash, look for a creamy, pear-shaped squash that feels heavy for its size. It should have thick skin. Avoid butternut squash with blemishes or soft spots.

Spaghetti squash. This is a fun one for kids. It gets its name from its stringy flesh, which resembles spaghetti and is often used as a healthy pasta replacement.

If you’re trying to find a substitute for spaghetti, this fruit can do the job. To get those spaghetti-like strands, though, you’ll first have to steam or bake it.

Be super careful when cutting your spaghetti squash lengthwise. Its skin is pretty tough. Use a thick towel to protect your hands in case your knife slips.

Here are a few recipes to try:

Tomato Basil Spaghetti Squash

Simple But Elegant Curried Kabocha Squash Soup

Autumn Roasted Butternut Squash

Roasted Brussels sprouts and acorn squash with pecans

Sources:

This Delicious Superfood is a Blue Zones Longevity Staple — Blue Zones

23 Types of Squash — jessicagavin.com

Powerful Pumpkins, Super Squash — Science Daily

The post Winter squash: Time to eat this ‘Blue Zone’ food now appeared first on Easy Health Options®.