Encouraging Health

Taking more exercise and eating the right foods may help increase levels of an enzyme vital for guarding against age-related cell damage, work suggests.

Among 24 men asked to adopt healthy lifestyle changes for a US study in The Lancet Oncology, levels of telomerase increased by 29% on average.

Telomerase repairs and lengthens telomeres, which cap and protect the ends of chromosomes housing DNA.

As people age, telomeres shorten and cells become more susceptible to dying.

It is the damage and death of cells that causes ageing and disease in people.

Several factors such as smoking, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are associated with shorter-than-average telomeres.

Professor Dean Ornish, from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in California, and his team wanted to find out if improvements in diet and lifestyle might have the opposite effect.

They asked 30 men, all with low-risk prostate cancers, to take part in a three-month trial of comprehensive lifestyle changes.

These consisted of a diet high in fruit and vegetables, supplements of vitamins and fish oils, an exercise regimen and classes in stress management, relaxation techniques and breathing exercises.

Telomerase activity was measured at the beginning of the trial and again at the end.

Among the 24 men who had sufficient data for analysis, blood levels of telomerase increased by 29% on average.

Increases in telomerase activity were linked with decreases in “bad” LDL cholesterol and decreases in one measure of stress - intrusive thoughts.

The researchers say it is too early to tell if the boost in telomerase levels will translate to a change in telomere length.

But there is evidence to suggest that telomere shortness and low telomerase activity might be important risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

“This might be a powerful motivator for many people to beneficially change their diet and lifestyle,” they told The Lancet Oncology.

Professor Tim Spector, from King’s College London, who has been researching ageing and telomeres, said: “This work builds on what we already know.

The button mushrooms you bought at the store aren’t just a pretty kabob filler. Those beauties may have talent, too.

Now, I absolutely love mushrooms! They are the first vegetable I tried. The earthy, meaty taste still lingers from that first taste, from decades ago. Mushrooms aren’t just delicious, they are multi-taskers like the rest of us. Like the ability to rev up the body’s self-defenses against things like cancer and viral infections.

Tumor Terminators
Western medicine has only recently begun to study the concept, but early animal research suggests fungi may have some pretty serious health-promoting powers. For example, powdered white button mushrooms recently boosted production of natural killer cells in mice. If the same thing happens in humans, that’s great news, because killer cells help defend against tumors and virus-infected cells.

Mention “Mushrooms” and What Comes to Mind? Most likely, their fabulous taste and texture. But there’s more to mushrooms than the pleasure of sitting down to a meaty Portabella sandwich, a mixed-mushroom omelet or a steak topped with sautéed white mushrooms. These oh-so-edible fungi also deserve attention for their unique contributions to a healthful diet.

Often grouped with vegetables, mushrooms provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains. Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium, yet they provide several nutrients, including riboflavin, niacin and selenium, which are typically found in animal foods or grains. And Mushrooms are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth.

Check out The Quote of the Day.

Sweet corn on the cob, tomatoes from the garden, steak seared on the grill.

Could there be a more perfect late summer meal? Yes, but only if you know the healthiest ways to indulge your barbecue habit. Good bet you’ve heard murmurs about grilled meat causing — yes — cancer, and you’ve either tried not to listen or guiltily thought, well, what doesn’t? But here’s the good news: There are a bunch of ways to virtually wipe out the risk. In fact, we’ve found eight of them!

The problem, by the way, is that grilling meat, chicken, and fish — especially if it’s charred or well-done — produces cancer-linked chemicals known as HCAs or HAAs. Animal fat dripping onto hot coals creates another worry: stuff called PAHs. But you don’t have to go flame-free. Just do one or more of the following, which actually tend to make grilled food taste even better.

Is it worth it? You bet: Besides eliminating the guilt, making healthful substitutions when cooking can make you healthier.

1. Soak it up. Marinating meat boosts flavor and tenderness while slashing production of cancer-causing HCAs by up to 90%, especially if the marinade has an olive oil base. Make your own, or use bottled Italian dressing zinged up with extra garlic.
2. Do kabobs. Small pieces of meat cook faster and produce fewer HCAs than caveman-size slabs do. Thread your protein of choice onto a skewer with lots of veggies (cherry tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini chunks, onions) and grill until just done.
3. Add a secret ingredient. Making burgers? Mix in 1 teaspoon of wheat bran per pound of ground meat. It keeps burgers juicy, stops HCAs in their tracks, and won’t even register on the carb meter.

4. Finish it fast. Precook meat on the stove or in the oven or microwave earlier in the day, and then finish on the grill for great flavor and those tempting stripes. Precooking also means people won’t have to wait around for ages while dinner cooks.

5. Foiled again. Cover the grate with punctured aluminum foil. No flames, no drips, no HCAs — and no grill clean up, either. Frequently flipping your meat of choice also helps curtail troublemakers.

6. Get skinny. To curtail dripping, trim fat from meat. Cook chicken with the skin on, and then toss the skin. You have nothing to lose but grease, calories, and carcinogens.

7. Have a glass of tea. How about some iced tea with your baby back ribs? Tea’s supercharged antioxidants help neutralize carcinogens.

8. Grill something besides the main course. Bored with broccoli? Sick of sliced fruit? Throw them on the grill. Fruits and veggies don’t produce carcinogens, and many, from pears to pineapple, take surprisingly well to the brazier.

Browse Living Rural

Found this healthy grocery list that helps you eat food that is better for you:

If we all spent as much time reading nutrition labels as experts tell us to, supermarkets would have to start installing more cushy chairs and coffee bars than Barnes & Noble. Which may be what inspired two gods of healthy eating — Harvard’s legendary nutrition guru, Walter Willett, MD, and Mollie Katzen, authors of the groundbreaking Moosewood Cookbook — to name names in their latest book, Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less.

The book lists brands for the foods that make grocery shoppers crazy: Either you choose from products where there are so many options (e.g., bread, cereal) that you just want to throw in the towel — especially if your shopping cart is loaded with kids as well as cartons — or you choose from products that sound healthy but often are sugar and calorie extravaganzas (e.g., many energy bars, tricked-up yogurts).

In the words of Willett and Katzen, “Bring your glasses when shopping for breads, crackers, bars, yogurt, smoothies, and even veggie burgers — the calorie counts and nutritional profiles of these items can vary wildly.” Or bring this handy list of the healthiest brands. Although they name more brands in the book, we’ve done the legwork for you and picked out the most widely available. If it’s on this list, consider it blessed.

Bread
Pepperidge Farm sliced bread
100% Whole Wheat Very Thin Sliced
Carb Style, Soft 100% Whole Wheat
100% Natural Nine Grain
Country Hearth Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat sliced bread
Thomas’ English Muffins Hearty Grain 100% Whole Wheat
Roman Meal Multi-Grain Hamburger Buns

Cereal
Wheaties
Total Whole Grain
Kashi GoLean
Old Fashioned Quaker Oats
Wheatena

Crackers
Wheat Thins, Multi-Grain
Triscuit Thin Crisps

Yogurt
Dannon Light & Fit (regular, Carb Control, and Creamy)
Stonyfield Farm MOOve Over Sugar
Yoplait Light

Smoothies
Stonyfield Farm Light Smoothie
Yoplait Smoothie Light
Dannon Light & Fit Smoothie

Protein Bars
PowerBar Pria Complete Nutrition bar
Luna bars
Kashi GoLean Crunchy! bar and Roll! bar

Veggie Burgers
Boca
Original
All American Flame Grilled
Grilled Vegetable
Roasted Onion
Roasted Garlic
Gardenburger
The Original
Sun-Dried Tomato Basil
Veggie Medley
Black Bean Chipotle
Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patties

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healthy foods, grocery list, groceries

healthy foods, grocery list, groceries