Antioxidants

Keep your health in check this year by boosting your immune system naturally with antioxidants. Antioxidants are found in fruits and vegetables and work together with other nutrients to improve health, reduce signs of aging, improve blood circulation and prevent diseases. Stress, cigarette smoking, alcohol, sunlight, pollution and other factors decrease the body’s ability to fight disease and increase “free radicals” which are damaging. Antioxidants can help neautralize free-radicals. The best source is food because they are more effective than vitamins and minerals.

Juices are a good way to get a daily dose of these disease-fighting nutrients. 

Apples- Work well to prevent heart-related problems.

Tart Cherries have  antioxidants which work together to help people who have arthritis, gout and fibromyalgia. The benefits of vitamins B, C, E and certain minerals as antioxidants are well studied and widely known

Blueberries are relatively low in sugar but are packed with antioxidants that prevent viral infections and slow aging and aging related conditions like strokes, heart conditions and Alzheimer’s.

Tomatoes as you may have heard before, have Lycopenes which can prevent testicular cancer and heart disease.

Watermelon has a very high content of antioxidants that can prevent asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.

Lemons and other citrus fruits have very useful phytochemicals in addition to immune strenthening vitamin C.  

Here is a list of the 20 best food sources of antioxidants from About.com’s article: Best Food Sources of Antioxidants.

A USDA study analyzed the antioxidant content of commonly consumed foods. Researchers tested over 100 foods. Here is a ranked list of the top 20 fruits, vegetables and nuts:

1. Small red bean (dried), 1/2 cup
2. Wild blueberry, 1 cup
3. Red kidney bean (dried), 1/2 cup[br[
4. Pinto bean, 1/2 cup
5. Blueberry (cultivated), 1 cup
6. Cranberry, 1 cup (whole)
7. Artichoke (cooked hearts), 1 cup
8. Blackberry, 1 cup
9. Prune, 1/2 cup
10. Raspberry, 1 cup
11. Strawberry, 1 cup
12. Red delicious apple, 1
13. Granny Smith apple, 1
14. Pecan, 1 ounce
15. Sweet cherry, 1 cup
16. Black plum, 1
17. Russet potato, 1 cooked
18. Black bean (dried), 1/2 cup
19. Plum, 1
20. Gala apple, 1

Keep Your Brain Young

 

 Having trouble finding your car keys, remembering where you parked and confusing your kids names? These may be signs that your memory has slowed down a little.

Aging is one of the most common reasons for memory loss but it’s not the only one. Many of us suffer from boredom and routine, doing the same things at roughly the same time or sequence every day.

The fact is we just don’t challenge our brain. We keep it low-key, preferring to keep a schedule of our lives. To jump start your brain and creativity why not mix things up a bit every now and then?

  

Other Memory Joggers

 

· Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Sleeping solidifies new ideas and stores them in your brain.

· Eat healthy fats.

The brain is about 50-60% fat and needs this nutrient to keep working. Nuts, fish and leafy green vegetables are very good for your brain.  

 

 

· Explain it. By explaining to others things that you’re learning/are trying to learn, you help engrave it into your own memory as well as think about it in a new way.

· Get Pumped. Exercise can increase long term memory  by supplying oxygen to the body and can even help you think faster!

 By Jessica Lynne Gardner

· Try memorizing your grocery list instead of looking at a piece of paper. Memorize your favorite poems and quotes. Try reciting the 50 states in order.

 

Start with your alarm clock. Wake up with music from your radio or cell phone (if it has a timer) or an alarm clock with different sound selections rather than a single tone.

At work, clean and rearrange your desk to defeat mid-day blahs. This will wake you up a little to focus on the tasks for the rest of the day. 

Next, take a different route home from work, preferably a more scenic way if possible.

When you return home, don’t turn on the TV. Play a game that challenges your mind like scrabble, card games, puzzles or computer games (try Pogo.com).

You can get everyone in the house to join you and double as a family fun night!

 

Wellness and Time Management

 

Prioritizing your life isn’t as hard as it seems– With a few simple steps you’ll be more efficient and less-stressed.  

1. Make a list. I know, you’ve heard it a million times. Whether on a calendar, PDA, computer or napkin, jotting down your schedule can really keep you on track. It can be a great visual aid, making it easier to plan ahead and more difficult to forget.

2.Tackle difficult tasks first. It may be the opposite of what you heard before but putting the tough assignments on the back-burner causes your stress to skyrocket and wastes energy. By first accomplishing these, you’ll have the rest of the day to take it easy without deadlines looming over your shoulder.

3. Get some Z’s! One of the most preventable stressors is lack of sleep. If you have to get up at 8am, don’t stay up until 3 am! Not only does it throw off your entire body clock, but lack of sleep prevents oxygen and blood from circulating to your organs– including your brain (that’s why we yawn, it’s our body’s way of trying to get oxygen)! 

For total wellness eat right, exercise and find time to relax!

 By Jessica Lynne Gardner