Good News Bad News

I have been posting very infrequently as of late.  I'm always encouraged when I speak with someone who mentions reading my posts and then feel bad that I haven't been posting every day or even every week.  That's the bad news.  The good news is that since starting my fitness business and my blog in May of last year my business and client list has grown tremendously.  That means I'm spending more time with clients and less time at my computer.  But I love researching and posting about health and fitness topics so I am not giving up my blog! Just slowing down.

Here are 4 simple diet tips to stay healthy and keep Father Time from gaining a foothold.



Eat Healthy Fats!


They help prevent memory loss (among other things - like youthful, dewy skin). It's the Omega-3 fatty acids that are the brain's building blocks.  Without them your brain becomes weak, and brain function (memory) suffers. Here's the recipe for getting enough Omega-3's:

• Eat 3 1/2 ounces of wild salmon plus 3 1/2 ouces halibut, herring or sardines each week
• Add 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed to cereal,  or shakes daily
• Garnish your salad with 1 tablespoon of walnuts
• Have 9 to 12 almonds 4 times a week
• Cook with olive oil
• Reduce your consumption of refined and processed foods 

Eat Whole Foods!

The opposite of whole foods is processed food (food that comes in a bag, box or obtained from a drive thru window).  Packaged foods are high in sodium which increases blood pressure while fresh fruits and vegetables lower blood pressure.  In addition to packaged, high sodium foods increasing blood pressure they also lower your body's potassium (potassium also lowers blood pressure).  The combination of a high sodium diet and too little potassium in your diet increases the toxic effects of excessive salt intake. This double whammy is worsened when the kidneys try to flush out the salt causing you to lose even more potassium. All this imbalance damages blood vessels and drives up blood pressure.

The fix:

• Limit sodium consumption to 1,500 mg per day and eat seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily. 

Eat Animal Protein!

It's full of B-12, which is essential for energy, helps regulate your metabolism, energy production and helps maintain a healthy brain and nervous system. 

The recipe:

• Have two servings of fat free milk or nonfat yogurt or other nonfat dairy products
• Have 3 or 4 ounces of lean protein daily. Fish, clams, oysters, beef, pork, chicken are all good sources of B12

Take a "Bio-available" Multi Vitamin!

You won't be able to get enough of certain vitamin and minerals from food alone.  Examples are manganese and copper. These help prevent joint pain by maintaining joint cartilage and flexibility.  Beef, nuts and spinach are good sources but again you'd have a hard time eating enough of these foods to get all you need.