admin | February 3, 2010 in Healthy Living | Comments (0)
Tags: Calorie, Food, Memory, Sharpen, Snack
For a razor-sharp memory, give your mouth this 6-calorie snack to munch on: a stalk of celery.
Celery is a top source of a high-powered flavonoid known as luteolin, and these compounds may help cool off destructive inflammation in the brain’s memory center (otherwise known as the hippocampus). Not a bad trade for 6 calories.
Sending a Signal
Over time, brain inflammation can interfere with memory, magnify depressed feelings, accelerate dementia, and perhaps even play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other aging-brain conditions. Enter luteolin. New cell studies suggest that it may mute the nerve signals that tell immune cells in the brain to release inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. (Are you keeping your gray cells young?)
Munch, Sip, Sprinkle
You can eat celery stalks as a snack, blend celery into smoothies, or sprinkle chopped celery onto salads for extra crunch. No celery lurking about in the back of your fridge? No problem. Respectable levels of luteolin can also be found in green peppers, chili peppers, spinach, lettuce, chamomile tea, and thyme. Put these four other brain-building habits into play as well:
-Set aside time for a snooze.
-Give your mind a workout.
-Build more buddies.
-Work those feet.
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admin | January 19, 2010 in Healthy Living | Comments (0)
Tags: Food, Skin
Moisturizing, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, regenerating… the list of beauty creams and skin products can go on and on, all promising to give you healthy glowing skin.
While these high-tech and high-priced products might help you get that flawless complexion, all they do is an outside job that does not maximize your skin’s beauty potential.
There’s a lower-priced yet healthier alternative that does just as well, maybe even better. Nutrient–rich foods work from the inside to tap into your body’s natural moisturizing, anti-aging, regenerating and beautifying power. Now that’s literally beauty that comes from within.
Here are some foods to help you get that beautiful blooming skin.
 Low-fat yogurt |
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Low-fat yogurt.
This creamy snack packs a lot of vitamin A that takes care of your skin’s health. On top of promoting good vision, vitamin A promotes cell growth and repairs skin damage. It is also said to reduce the production of sebum, one of the main triggers of acne. Other good sources of vitamin A are green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli – toss them up in a salad or mix them with your favorite entrée. Your skin will stay smooth, soft and flawless with a daily dose of vitamin A. |
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 Oranges |
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Oranges.
We’ve been told that foods rich in vitamin C help keep the sniffles and coughs away. But one other beautifying benefit you get from eating vitamin–rich fruits is to keep sagging skin, fine lines, and wrinkles at bay. Vitamin C is the key to the production of collagen, a type of protein that keeps the skin strong and flexible. Grapefruits, guavas, lychees and kiwis are better and cheaper alternatives to collagen injections. Add these juicy fruits to your daily meals to keep your skin looking young and firm. |
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 Berries |
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Berries.
The black, blue and red variety ranks as the highest source of anti-oxidants, a group of vitamins and minerals that eat up free radicals. Caused by pollution, cigarette smoke, sun exposure and a bad diet, free radicals damage the healthy cells in your body. What this means for your skin is dryness and wrinkling. Aim for a daily serving of healthy berries to keep your skin smooth and supple. Not fond of berries? You can still get your antioxidant fix from sweet potatoes and tomatoes. |
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 Whole-wheat cereal |
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Whole-wheat cereal.
Eating whole-wheat cereals for breakfast is a good way to get your supply of selenium, a mineral that works with vitamins C and A to fight free radicals. Another benefit of going whole-wheat? You’ll be too full to eat refined carbs such as white bread, rice and cake — the worst foods for your skin. These “white foods” cause a spike in your insulin levels that contribute to inflammation and skin breakouts. So the next time you’re in the bread or pasta aisle, look for the whole wheat variety so you can keep your skin blemish-free. |
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 Green tea |
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Green tea.
This variety has the highest amount of skin-loving EGCG. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate is a compound that prevents inflammation, which is related to acne and skin aging. Applying green tea topically can help protect the skin from sun damage. Another reason to love green tea is L-theanine, an amino acid that has a calming and soothing effect on the body. Since it causes breakouts and makes your skin age faster, stress is one of your skin’s greatest enemies so the less stress you have, the younger your skin will be. |
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