Blueberry season is here and for those wishing to improve their memories it is time for action. The North America blueberry season begins in Florida in mid-May, and concludes in many areas in Canada by September.
Blueberries pack a powerful nutritional punch, providing calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, as well as vitamins A, B, and C. They are exceptionally high in the trace mineral manganese that plays an important role in bone formation and helps the body metabolize protein, carbohydrates and antioxidants - the body’s army that assist in neutralizing free radicals.
If a good “on special sale” is not available or money is short, head out to the wild blueberry patch, smaller in size, but higher in disease-fighting antioxidants. Remember to take your bear-bells along because the bears may be nearby feeding in their favourite blueberry patch also and one would not want to startle them into a negative reaction.
Research conducted at the University of Cincinnati showed that drinking two cups of blueberry juice each day for 12 weeks improved memory scores in the elderly who averaged 78 years of age with no weight gain over the course of study. Blueberries high content of a special anthocyanin is associated with neuronal signaling in the brain. This confirms previous research done at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.
The deep purple-blue colour contains a pigment at the cellular level that protects against degenerative age-related diseases including cancer, heart disease and mental decline. For more information visit Simone Gabbay RNCP at her website simonegabbay.com and learn more about the blueberry and other most intensely researched medicinally valued foods of our time.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
SOUL FOOD FOR SAFETY AND PLEASURE
With the long weekend coming this August 2011, it is time to formulate our plans. It is always interesting to tune in to the wisdom of the students we have all helped to educate. We can start by looking into a study published in a 2008 in the Journal of Economic Psychology; faith and prayer, regardless of religion satisfies a basic need to feel part of something larger than ourselves – and it turns out that volunteering can have a similar effect, reports Sonja Lyubomirsky , PhD.
People derive a lot of pleasure from helping others,” she continues,. “If prayer and volunteering aren’t for you, one could try meditation, improving the mind through yoga, or other spiritual practices’’. New research shows that spiritual practices such as regular mindfulness, changes brain structure in a way that promotes a sense of well-being. So as part of this weekend set aside some time for prayer or meditation, or volunteer to spend an hour or two at your local animal shelter. It will literally lift your spirit.
Feeling connected and loved are among the biggest predictors of happiness,” says Cassie Mogilner, Ph.D, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School who specializes in happiness research. Socializing encourages us to spend our time and money on experiences which research has shown makes us happier than material objects. In “The How of Happiness,” Dr. Lyubomirsky, further explains how to enjoy these advantages for weeks and months to come.
Thirty years ago, Lloyda Bulford, now one of our residents here at Carrington, started the Downtown Mission where the homeless can come for sustenance and inspiration. Once a month volunteers help prepare sandwiches and decorate bag lunches. They are delivered to the mission along with other gifts.
“The memories we’ll most treasure may not be those of leisure,
But of those we’ve helped along and given their lives a song.” In Touch by Sue Davis
People derive a lot of pleasure from helping others,” she continues,. “If prayer and volunteering aren’t for you, one could try meditation, improving the mind through yoga, or other spiritual practices’’. New research shows that spiritual practices such as regular mindfulness, changes brain structure in a way that promotes a sense of well-being. So as part of this weekend set aside some time for prayer or meditation, or volunteer to spend an hour or two at your local animal shelter. It will literally lift your spirit.
Feeling connected and loved are among the biggest predictors of happiness,” says Cassie Mogilner, Ph.D, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School who specializes in happiness research. Socializing encourages us to spend our time and money on experiences which research has shown makes us happier than material objects. In “The How of Happiness,” Dr. Lyubomirsky, further explains how to enjoy these advantages for weeks and months to come.
Thirty years ago, Lloyda Bulford, now one of our residents here at Carrington, started the Downtown Mission where the homeless can come for sustenance and inspiration. Once a month volunteers help prepare sandwiches and decorate bag lunches. They are delivered to the mission along with other gifts.
“The memories we’ll most treasure may not be those of leisure,
But of those we’ve helped along and given their lives a song.” In Touch by Sue Davis
Saturday, July 23, 2011
OUR COMMON HUMANITY
A new book is coming out soon called “A new Body, A New Mind.” It will tell about the work of Orland Bishop working with ShadeTree. Bishop coaches young men in the art of listening deeply from the heart, without being critical or judgmental, to the deepest truth of who they are and what they dream of. During this deep sharing the pull of wholeness builds trust and loosens their attachments to entrenched positions, establishing new alliances and a larger vision for the future. “Sharing meaning,” says Bishop, “allows for different perceptions – or realities to exist together.”
An example is going on with a number of young men in rival gangs who are now working together. Nelsa Cora, a peace worker in Guayaquil, Ecuador, teaches young people in street gangs to transform this need for connection into “the power of service, life and love” for a struggling community. Gang members have learned to channel their impulses for creativity and need for recognition away from violence and into small businesses: printers, music studios, pizzerias as Barrio de Paz, Peace Town. Even the most ruthless of gang members have laid down their guns. There can be pure and immediate resonance with the other.
After traveling extensively through western and southern Africa, Bishop chose a Zulu greeting, Sawubona as a new expression that translates as “I see you” made famous in the film Avatar. The literal translation means “we see you” and the correct response is Yabo sawubona, “Yes, we see you too.” The plural is important says Bishop because “seeing is a dialogue, an act of bearing witness and an obligation to participate. You bear witness to something that includes your own presence and that of the other. Shared meaning allows for different perceptions – or realities – to exist together.”
The essence of this bond relates to an act of bearing witness and an obligation to participate with another, baring witness and an obligation to participate. In a sense it is a contract to enter the space in between, the space of pure connection – regardless of any superficial differences. The crises we face today have occurred precisely because the lives we've chosen to lead are not consistent with our truest nature as givers and sharers. New discoveries in physics and biology demonstrate that all living things succeed and prosper only when they see themselves as part of a greater whole. The essential impulse of all of life is a will to connect.This Zulu greeting, Sawubona can help lead to peace among many peoples and nations. More information can be obtained at l-888-273-0020.
An example is going on with a number of young men in rival gangs who are now working together. Nelsa Cora, a peace worker in Guayaquil, Ecuador, teaches young people in street gangs to transform this need for connection into “the power of service, life and love” for a struggling community. Gang members have learned to channel their impulses for creativity and need for recognition away from violence and into small businesses: printers, music studios, pizzerias as Barrio de Paz, Peace Town. Even the most ruthless of gang members have laid down their guns. There can be pure and immediate resonance with the other.
After traveling extensively through western and southern Africa, Bishop chose a Zulu greeting, Sawubona as a new expression that translates as “I see you” made famous in the film Avatar. The literal translation means “we see you” and the correct response is Yabo sawubona, “Yes, we see you too.” The plural is important says Bishop because “seeing is a dialogue, an act of bearing witness and an obligation to participate. You bear witness to something that includes your own presence and that of the other. Shared meaning allows for different perceptions – or realities – to exist together.”
The essence of this bond relates to an act of bearing witness and an obligation to participate with another, baring witness and an obligation to participate. In a sense it is a contract to enter the space in between, the space of pure connection – regardless of any superficial differences. The crises we face today have occurred precisely because the lives we've chosen to lead are not consistent with our truest nature as givers and sharers. New discoveries in physics and biology demonstrate that all living things succeed and prosper only when they see themselves as part of a greater whole. The essential impulse of all of life is a will to connect.This Zulu greeting, Sawubona can help lead to peace among many peoples and nations. More information can be obtained at l-888-273-0020.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
HEART DISEASE AND MEMORY PROBLEMS MAY BE LINKED
Threats to your heart health may also maim your memory, new research hints. In a recent study, 7,087 people aged 65 and older underwent a battery of blood work and memory tests; the memory testing was then repeated two and four years later. The participants with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of at least three heart disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and excess belly fat) were 20 per cent more likely to see a decline in their memory test scores than people without the condition. Source: Neurology
Sunday, July 17, 2011
TOPS FOR ANTIOXIDANTS
According to research conducted by scientists at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and reported in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, there are three vegetables that bring the largest amount of phenols – plant chemicals that bring blood vessel health and prevent cell damage that might cause cancer and Alzheimer’s – broccoli, beets and red peppers. Broccoli and red peppers are loaded with vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, beets are tops with blood- pressure- lowering potassium and red peppers announce their antioxidant power by inviting shoppers to stop at the colourful vegetable aisle and load up with more antioxidants.
Green peppers have not been able to complete their life cycle and for many people are more difficult to digest which negates their healing power. Consequently all those wonderful antioxidant benefits of the entire salad dish are often left untouched.
When shopping at the store’s beet bin, remember that the green tops are a bonus and filled with the antioxidant vitamin C. Beets are not hard to grow so slip a few beet seeds among your flowers beds for cozy colourful viewing and healthy eating.
Last Friday we were served with an especially great tasting soup here at Carrington for the small meal of the day and the following day I asked the chief chef if she ever shared a recipe with clients. “How about that lentil soup we had last evening, it was the best soup yet and so satisfying, as agreed by the foursome at our table,” I asked. She smiled and replied, “That recipe isn’t written in any of my books – one of those ‘off the top of my head’ recipes - but I added some chopped yams to give it a little more body and flavour.” Yams (sometimes called sweet potatoes) are also a very colourful and beneficial vegetable that could be added to top off the day for restful sleep and pleasant dreams.
Green peppers have not been able to complete their life cycle and for many people are more difficult to digest which negates their healing power. Consequently all those wonderful antioxidant benefits of the entire salad dish are often left untouched.
When shopping at the store’s beet bin, remember that the green tops are a bonus and filled with the antioxidant vitamin C. Beets are not hard to grow so slip a few beet seeds among your flowers beds for cozy colourful viewing and healthy eating.
Last Friday we were served with an especially great tasting soup here at Carrington for the small meal of the day and the following day I asked the chief chef if she ever shared a recipe with clients. “How about that lentil soup we had last evening, it was the best soup yet and so satisfying, as agreed by the foursome at our table,” I asked. She smiled and replied, “That recipe isn’t written in any of my books – one of those ‘off the top of my head’ recipes - but I added some chopped yams to give it a little more body and flavour.” Yams (sometimes called sweet potatoes) are also a very colourful and beneficial vegetable that could be added to top off the day for restful sleep and pleasant dreams.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
THE POTENT POWER OF PLANTS
For the power of fruits and vegetables we require, we add the power of oxygen to the mix to fight infections, repair damage and keep our minds working well. Calling on the power house of the heart, lungs and brain is required to keep our bodies fit and to even think. We also need oxygen for oxidation to extract energy from food and power other reactions needed when called upon to join the body’s army for protective power. Oxidation also oxidizes other substances like rust and burning fuels like gasoline.
A by-product of our normal oxygen-fuelled system is a group of unstable molecules called free radicals. They are also called oxidants because they can oxidize other substances. Free radicals have outside sources such as cigarette smoke and air pollution, UV light, X-rays, chemo-therapy, and toxins, natural and synthetic. Free radicals are tools needed as messengers in regulating immune responses, wound repair, cell growth and other functions. Being unstable, when free radicals encounter the good molecules to get the stability they crave, they battle the victim into a free radical, and oxidize the cells components. Our bodies have enlisted powerful weapons known as anti-oxidants that work together.
Leading the charge are anti-oxidant enzymes, proteins to destroy free radicals before they attack the good molecules. The enzymes they need come from outside sources and are considered as essential nutrients known as copper, selenium, manganese and zinc. The next line of defense is to break the chain of these free radicals and turn them back into law abiding citizens. They recruit vitamins from the food that is supplied; vitamin A to protect cell membranes, mostly supplied by fats and lipoproteins an umbrella term for all those garden foods supplied only by plants. They are abundant in fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and herbs, spices, teas, even moderate amounts of coffee. All these foods aren’t strictly necessary for survival but they help prevent cancer and other diseases like the effects of aging. Here is where we can get help from those wonderful fruits and vegetables that affect memory, mobility and so many other aspects of aging. Thankfully, our chefs here at Carrington supply two or three vegetables at the noon meal and a handy fruit bowl that includes citrus and yogurt at the Continental Breakfast. For example: the nourishing part of the white potato is right next to its skin coat, and one can request a baked potato instead (best with its skin still intact) or ask for a sweet potato or yams.
A by-product of our normal oxygen-fuelled system is a group of unstable molecules called free radicals. They are also called oxidants because they can oxidize other substances. Free radicals have outside sources such as cigarette smoke and air pollution, UV light, X-rays, chemo-therapy, and toxins, natural and synthetic. Free radicals are tools needed as messengers in regulating immune responses, wound repair, cell growth and other functions. Being unstable, when free radicals encounter the good molecules to get the stability they crave, they battle the victim into a free radical, and oxidize the cells components. Our bodies have enlisted powerful weapons known as anti-oxidants that work together.
Leading the charge are anti-oxidant enzymes, proteins to destroy free radicals before they attack the good molecules. The enzymes they need come from outside sources and are considered as essential nutrients known as copper, selenium, manganese and zinc. The next line of defense is to break the chain of these free radicals and turn them back into law abiding citizens. They recruit vitamins from the food that is supplied; vitamin A to protect cell membranes, mostly supplied by fats and lipoproteins an umbrella term for all those garden foods supplied only by plants. They are abundant in fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and herbs, spices, teas, even moderate amounts of coffee. All these foods aren’t strictly necessary for survival but they help prevent cancer and other diseases like the effects of aging. Here is where we can get help from those wonderful fruits and vegetables that affect memory, mobility and so many other aspects of aging. Thankfully, our chefs here at Carrington supply two or three vegetables at the noon meal and a handy fruit bowl that includes citrus and yogurt at the Continental Breakfast. For example: the nourishing part of the white potato is right next to its skin coat, and one can request a baked potato instead (best with its skin still intact) or ask for a sweet potato or yams.
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