Great-Grandmother's Shopping List

Unusual Diet Tips from the World's Oldest Person

2008-10-23T07:58:00.001-04:00

Here's a real Great-Grandmother:From Dr. Weil.comJust over 11 years ago, on Aug. 4, 1997, Jeanne Calment died at age 122. Born Feb. 21, 1875, the lifelong resident of Arles, France, was the oldest person who ever lived whose birth date was reliably confirmed.Her quick wit, lifetime of exercise (she rode a bicycle until she was 100), and cheerful disposition - “I will die laughing,” she once said

Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Pyramid

2008-09-18T08:59:00.003-04:00

Dr. Andrew Weil has been, and continues to be, a strong advocate of a great-grandmother-approved lifestyle. He has created an anti-inflammatory food pyramid. Eating according to the principles outlined in the pyramid should help you reduce inappropriate inflammation, which is a major contributor to many chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. Check

Buy in Glass Whenever You Can

2008-09-17T08:25:00.004-04:00

Common Chemical Linked to Metabolic and Cardiovascular DisordersExposure to a chemical commonly used in food packaging materials may be putting millions at an increased risk for cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and liver abnormalities, researchers here said. Urinary levels of bisphenol A (BPA) were significantly higher in people with diagnoses of angina, coronary heart disease, and diabetes,

Ah, the Beautiful Mediterranean -- Diet, That is

2008-09-15T08:13:00.005-04:00

People who kept to a full Mediterranean diet had lower overall mortality as well as lower mortality from several major chronic diseases, a meta-analysis found. Greater adherence to the diet was associated with a 9% lower overall mortality, a 9% lower cardiovascular mortality, a 6% lower incidence of or mortality from cancer, and a 13% lower incidence of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease

Yay for Yoghurt

2008-09-01T14:32:00.004-04:00

Health Benefits Of Probiotic Could Extend To The Entire Body According To New StudyProbiotics: Data from a recent study demonstrate the anti-inflammatory and pathogen protection benefits of Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 -- a probiotic bacterial strain of human origin. Gastrointestinal benefits of probiotics have been well-documented, but more and more research is revealing that probiotic

Eat Your Way to Good Vision

2008-08-26T12:08:00.003-04:00

Study Reveals How Diet, Antioxidants Prevent Blindness In Aging PopulationA new study reveals part of the magic behind a diet rich in antioxidants, showing how artichokes, blueberries and pecans can hold at bay the leading cause of age-related blindness in developed countries.Researchers discovered a link between two processes in the retina that, in combination, contribute to a disease called

Gold standard

2008-08-20T15:20:00.006-04:00

Microwaves. Air-conditioning. A computer. Must-haves, now, luxuries, then. An article in MSN Finance tells how to be a great-grandmother with your finances and save big with the flashback budget.The only part of the article I found silly was the idea of cutting back to one car per family. Maybe that was OK back when women didn't work outside the home. These days, with the exception of a few

Your Brain on Chocolate

2008-08-20T08:38:00.003-04:00

Good news chocolate lovers! And that includes everyone except for maybe five people on the planet. A new study shows that cocoa flavanols may help to keep our brains in good shape. Here's some info from the study:Cocoa flavanols, the unique compounds found naturally in cocoa, may increase blood flow to the brain, according to new research published in the Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment

Ashwagandha Can Boost Immunity

2008-08-15T07:55:00.003-04:00

If your great-grandmother is from India, she probably knows this:Oriental medicine practitioners have long known that Ashwagandha, an herb used in the 5,000-year old practice of Ayurvedic medicine, helps fight disease when used with anupana. Anupana may be derived from many different substances, from olive oil, to beer, to ghee. Researchers examined whether consuming whole cows’ milk with the

Some Fruits and Vegetables Absorb More Pesticides Than Others

2008-08-15T07:35:00.004-04:00

We all want to eat organic when we can, to minimize the amounts of pesticides we ingest. But did you know that some fruits and vegetables absorb more pesticides than others? Here’s an alphabetical list of items that are consistently highest and lowest.High Pesticide Produce:ApplesBell peppers (sweet)CeleryCherriesGrapes (imported)LettuceNectarinesPeachesPotatoesSpinachStrawberriesLow Pesticide

Sesame Seed Extract And Konjac Gum May Help Ward Off Salmonella And E. Coli

2008-08-13T11:02:00.003-04:00

Greatgrandma Nature is so clever.A new study in the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture shows that konjac gum and sesame seed extract may offer protection against different strains of E. coli and Salmonella bacteria.The study by Dr Petra Becker et al from

Don't Eat Tilapia

2008-08-07T07:53:00.003-04:00

The following is from Dr.Weil.com, which I highly recommend:A Popular, Unhealthy Fish?Farm-raised tilapia is one of the most highly consumed fish in America. Yet it has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and very high levels of potentially detrimental omega-6 fatty acids.That’s according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Tilapia has higher levels of

Tricky Triclosan - It's Everywhere and it's Nasty

2008-07-28T12:59:00.001-04:00

Best known as the active ingredient in antimicrobial hand soaps, triclosan is also used as an antibacterial agent in toothpaste, deodorants, laundry detergent, facial tissues, antiseptics for wounds, and medical devices.It is used as a material preservative to ward off bacteria, fungus, mildew, and odors in household items like toys, paints, mattresses, clothing, toilet bowls, and furniture

Cell me about it

2008-07-18T15:25:00.010-04:00

Do you have old cell phones sitting in drawers or cabinets? Maybe you mean to take them to the police station to use for that program for women who are victims of domestic violence or maybe you plan to take them to Best Buy or Office Depot for recycling, but forget each time to actually go to the store. Here's a trio of great-grandmotherly motivators to do the right thing -- store credit, cash or

Screen -- Save It

2008-07-08T15:15:00.001-04:00

Good news - screen savers are toast.Turns out those flying toasters were contributing to a worldwide problem -- global warming. On modern (LCD) monitors, they're not even necessary. They just drag on resources.So, turn off the flying toasters and select "blank" from your screen saver menu. (This will make a blank screen come up instead of your regular screen saver.)Factoids:A screensaver can use

Gar-lickin' good

2008-07-08T11:01:00.004-04:00

OK, so it may not be breath-freshening, but garlic can do some pretty important things. The herb lowers blood pressure and cholesterol and inhibits blood clotting. It's also a powerful germicide and may protect against some carcinogens.Garlic is better for you in its natural state - raw or lightly cooked - rather than dried as powder or in capsules. Simply chewing the stuff isn't practical,

Oregano is anti-swell? Do tell!

2008-07-01T13:48:00.003-04:00

Oregano doesn't only give a pizza its typical taste. Researchers at Bonn University and the ETH Zurich have discovered the spice also contains a substance that appears to help cure inflammations.The researchers administered the active ingredient - beta-caryophyllin (E-BCP) - to mice with inflamed paws. In seven out of ten cases, symptoms improved. That means E-BCP might possibly help disorders

Seeing the Light

2008-06-01T17:49:00.004-04:00

In honor of the first day of hurricane season, I give you: How to Make a Solar Power Generator for Less Than $300. The website gives some useful information. May the storm season be so quiet, you won't need to use any of it!

Health care

2008-05-29T08:23:00.006-04:00

The power of prayer to heal the sick is medically documented and a part of many religions. I can't -- and don't want to -- envision my great-grandmother seeing someone she loved hooked up to medical machinery. But I can easily envision her praying for someone's healing.But what about praying for someone's suffering to end?What about not praying for someone you know is in medical trouble because

Seasonings

2008-05-26T19:47:00.005-04:00

Our great-grandmothers knew the joy of fleeting foods.I'd give examples of foods that were only in season certain times of the year, but I'm embarrassingly out of touch - I haven't been shopping at farmer's markets long enough to know what is in or out of season over the course of a year.That goodness for http://www.eattheseasons.com/. The website gives seasonal food information, tips and recipe

Rosemary to the Rescue

2008-05-24T10:56:00.004-04:00

A Newswise press release says rosemary, a member of the mint family and a popular seasoning on its own, also has benefits as a cancer prevention agent.Apply it to hamburgers and its antioxidant content – rosmarinic acid, carnosol and carnosic acid – can break up potentially cancer-causing compounds called HCA that can form when meat is cooked.J. Scott Smith, a Kansas State University food science

Cleaning Safely, with Grandma's Ingredients

2008-05-22T13:22:00.002-04:00

From today's New York Times:The women in Laura Gosa’s kitchen in Jersey City fell to, blending the ingredients spread out on her counters like so many blasts from Grandma’s preindustrial past: baking soda, borax, Castile soap, lemon oil, vinegar, glycerin and other staples of the all-natural armamentarium. These women weren’t interested in buying green products; this was strictly a make-your-own

Waste Not

2008-05-22T09:26:00.006-04:00

I'm a security-minded person and waste irritates me. So, those credit card soliciations that already have my name and other information printed on them make me nuts -- they are a waste of paper and ink, not to mention a drag on the mail system and potential for identity thieves.While preparing to shred a half dozen of them today, I noticed an opt-out number to "no longer receive prescreened

Mixing green with green

2008-05-20T07:33:00.004-04:00

Like so many of us, I try to live green, but sometimes I'm afraid things touted as "green" are really no better than the energy-hogging alternatives. The recent kerfuffle over CFLs and mercury didn't help my jitters, even though CFLs were exonerated.Thank goodness MSN is helping sort out the hype with its "Which Green Upgrades Are Worth the Extra Expense?" article. A little annoying to read

A bit of a reach

2008-05-18T18:48:00.002-04:00

It's just not natural to be as desk-bound as some of us find ourselves during the day. Luckily, there are some great guides to stretches for computer users.Or, if you prefer something more interactive, Richard Simmons has a video guide to simple stretches that can help those of us who find outselves sitting more than we'd like to: