Food Chart

Looks like the potato crop in Toyland isn’t what it used to be.

At the 2011 International Toy Fair last week, it was revealed that the upcoming Mr. Potato Head and his starchy spouse have dropped a few pounds and are now being marketed as Active Adventures of Mr. Potato Head. Sure, we know there’s an obesity epidemic, but a) they are potatoes, b) they are potatoes, and c) they are potatoes! This is really about getting used to paying the same price for smaller portions, isn’t it?

On a lighter note, though, children need no longer be scandalized by the toy’s naughty bits now that the toy will also be sporting pants for the first time.

Full story at Time via Food Beast.

Good Diets Fight Bad Alzheimer Genes
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

TAU says diets high in fish oil have a beneficial effect in patients at risk

Scientists today agree that there are five molecules that are known to affect or cause Alzheimer’s disease, which plagues an estimated five million Americans. The potency of these molecules is linked to environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle.

Prof. Daniel Michaelson of Tel Aviv University‘s Department of Neurobiology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences has illuminating news about one of these five molecules — APOE, created by the apolipoprotein E. gene found in all of our bodies.

Prof. Michaelson says APOE comes in two forms, a “good” APOE gene and a “bad” APOE gene, called APOE4. He has developed animal models to investigate the effects of diet and environment on carriers of APOE4, the presence of which is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s. It appears in 50% of all Alzheimer’s patients, and in 15% of the general population which due to APOE4 is the population which is at risk of getting the disease.

The good news? In preliminary results, the researchers are exhilarated to find that a diet high in Omega 3 oils and low in cholesterol appears to significantly reduce the negative effects of the APOE4 gene in mouse models.

Go here for the full story on the ground breaking research from Tel Aviv

Oatmeal

Put two packets of instant oatmeal into the carafe. Add an individual packet of honey, an individual packet of fruit jam, and a pinch of salt. Put an herbal tea bag (e.g. orange flavored) into the filter basket. Pour 8-10 ounces of water into the coffee maker, turn on the machine, and the oatmeal will be ready in about 5 minutes.

Soft Boiled Eggs

Place the eggs in the coffee pot. Drip hot water over them. Let them cook for a few more minutes.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Place chicken breast in coffee maker. Add enough water to cover about 1/4 of chicken. Sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Turn on maker and cook about 15 min per side. Add milk and butter to remaining liquid, allow to heat for about a minute, and add potato flakes for a quick side of mashed potatoes.

Fish Steaks

Steaks should be approximately 3/4 inches thick to ensure even cooking. Place steak in filter and run 10 cups of water through the coffeemaker. Flip steak, and run another 10 cups of water through machine.

Full list at Geekosystem.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham say research shows eating vegetables makes you more attractive.

Dr Ian Stephen who led the research believes eating carrots and tomatoes made you look better than a tan wouldDr Stephen explained: “Eating five more portions [of fruit and veg] ups your carotenoid levels giving your skin golden tones.” Carotenoids are antioxidants which soak up damaging compounds that the skin encounters in daily life.Students at the University’s Malaysian campus, where Dr Stephen is based, ate five extra portions of fruit and vegetables a day for two months. Afterwards students examined a variety of pictures where their skin had different pigmentations and deemed themselves more attractive when they had increased their vegetable intake.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A steady stream of customers filled baskets and shopping bags with vegetables, cranberries, cheese, fresh-baked breads and pies while chatting with the dozen or so farmers selling goods in the visitor’s center of a local museum.

It was a bitterly cold, gray December day, but for many, it felt just right for the farmers market as live music and a warm fireplace helped set a holiday mood.

A growing number of farmers markets are extending their operation into and through the winter months – even in cold-weather states like Massachusetts. The expansion comes as more farmers are prolonging their growing seasons with greenhouses and other methods. It’s also fueled by an increased number of people who aim to eat locally produced food year-round.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 2 cloves garlic; 1 smashed, 1 minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound (about 2 cups) frozen diced butternut squash, thawed
• 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed
• 1 15-ounce can black beans
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno peppers, plus 2 tablespoons pickling liquid
• 4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Plain low-fat yogurt or sour cream, for serving (optional)

Now you know what to put in the meal go here to find out how to prepare it! Directions

Ingredients:

Now to find out how to put the whole thing together go here: Directions:

Adopt the Anti-Aging Lifestyle

Of all the healthy lifestyle strategies I know of that can have a significant impact on your longevity, normalizing your insulin and leptin levels is probably the most important. And that means modifying your diet to avoid excessive amounts of fructose, grains and other pro-inflammatory ingredients like trans fats.

Here are the rest of my top “anti-aging” recommendations:

1.Learn how to effectively cope with stress. As discussed earlier, stress has a direct impact on inflammation, which in turn underlies many of the chronic diseases that kill people prematurely every day. Therefore, developing effective coping mechanisms is a great strategy for increasing your longevity.

Meditation, prayer, physical activity and exercise are all viable options that can help you maintain emotional and mental equilibrium. I also strongly believe in using energy psychology tools such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to address deeper, oftentimes hidden emotional scars.

2.Eat a healthful diet based on your nutritional type. My nutrition plan should be your first step. This is so important that I now offer the full nutritional typing program for FREE (12).

3. Optimize your vitamin D levels (13) . This is another very powerful and inexpensive intervention that can have profound benefits to your health. You can either optimize your levels by carefully managed direct sun exposure, or use an oral supplement (typically 5-10,000 units of vitamin D3 for most adults).

4.Eat plenty of animal-based omega-3 fat (14) . Correcting the ratio of omega-3 to healthful omega-6 fats is a strong factor in helping people live longer. This typically means increasing your intake of animal based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil, while decreasing your intake of damaged omega-6 fats (think trans fats).

I do not, however, recommend the new prescription-strength fish oil medication, sold under the name Lovaza (15) . Don’t be fooled by their “all natural” PR campaign. This is actually a drug to treat very high triglyceride levels.

As with most other drugs, Lovaza comes with potentially dangerous side effects that you would not experience with a natural fish oil or krill oil supplement. Side effects include flu-like symptoms, infections, back pain, skin rashes, upset stomach, taste changes, digestive issues, chest pain, migraines and respiratory problems.

Additionally, new research strongly suggests that 500 mg of krill oil is more potent and far less expensive.

5. Get your antioxidants from real foods. Good sources include blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries and most intensely pigmented vegetables.

6. Use coconut oil(15) . Another excellent anti-aging food is coconut oil, known to reduce your risk of heart disease and lower your cholesterol, among other things. In fact, it’s doubly beneficial because it can be both eaten and applied directly to your skin. Coconut oil can be used in place of other oils for most of your cooking needs.

7. Get your resveratrol naturally. Resveratrol is one of the forerunners in the anti-aging pill race, but more than likely, by the time they’ve manipulated it into a synthetic pill (like the fish oil discussed above), it won’t be healthy for you.

Although resveratrol is found in red wine, I can’t recommend drinking wine regularly, in the hope of extending your life because alcohol is a neurotoxin that can poison your brain and harm your body’s delicate hormonal balance. Instead, get your resveratrol from natural sources, such as whole grape skins and seeds, raspberries, and mulberries.

8. Exercise regularly, and correctly. Studies repeatedly show that regular, moderate-to-vigorous exercise can help prevent or delay the onset of hypertension, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis and the falls that lead to hip fractures.

Although a lifetime of regular exercise is ideal, it’s never too late to start. It’s been shown that even individuals in their 70s can substantially increase both strength and endurance with exercise.

I’m very excited about the research showing how high-intensity interval training can increase longevity as this specific style of training (Peak 8) promotes human growth hormone production–yet another aspect of the longevity puzzle.

9. Avoid as many chemicals, toxins, and pollutants as possible (17). This includes tossing out your toxic household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives.

10. Avoid pharmaceutical drugs. Pharmaceutical drugs kill thousands of people prematurely every year–they are now the largest cause of fatal drug overdoses (18). If you adhere to a healthful lifestyle, you are less likely to “need” drugs since a healthy immune system will protect you from chronic disease.

Incorporating these simple guidelines will help set you squarely on the path to optimal health and give you the best shot at living a long, happy life.

Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder and director of Mercola.com. Become a fan of Dr. Mercola on Facebook, on Twitter, and check out Dr. Mercola’s report on sun exposure!

As hundreds of millions of eggs get recalled over salmonella fears, The Daily Beast talks to farmers and food activists about what went wrong—and finds 9 reasons to remain concerned from here on.

It’s one of the country’s worst food-safety recalls, with more than 380 million eggs stripped from supermarket shelves in the last week over fears of salmonella poisoning. Yesterday the recall spread wider as a second Iowa farm announced it is calling back its products. The eggs are sold under such well-known brands as Farm Fresh, Hillandale, Lucerne, and Ralph’s, and over a thousand people have been sickened in California, Minnesota, Colorado, and elsewhere.