Eating sunflower seeds may keep seniors walking.

A 2008 study showed seniors over 65yrs with low blood levels of vitamin E experienced a decline in ability to rise from a chair, balance and walk quickly. The three year study looked at nearly 700 people and presented compelling evidence that vitamin E deficiency has dire consequences.

To keep vitamin E blood levels normal, Better Living recommends eating foods rich in the nutrient rather than taking a dietary supplement. A 2005 study showed high-dose supplementing with vitamin E actually increases health problems. So once again, the story is about balance. You can get your 8-10mg recommended intake of vitamin E from simply eating:

• Eat ¼ cup sunflower seeds or almonds 3 times a week (9mg)
• Make a tuna salad using a small can of white tuna canned in oil, drained. Serve it with some fresh mango or papaya slices. (6mg)
• Sprinkle 2T wheat germ into your oatmeal, and top it with ½ oz toasted pecans. (3mg)
• Add 1T olive oil to your salads to boost vitamin E by 2mg.

Hands, Elizabeth; Nutrients in Food. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.
Bartali, B. et. al, Serum Micronutrient Concentrations and Decline in Physical Function Among Older Persons, JAMA, Jun 23, 2008
Miller III, E., et. al, Meta Analysis: High Dosage Vitamin E Supplementation May Increase All-Cause Mortality, Annals if Internal Medicine, 4 Jan 2005, 37-46 USDA Food Database

Swimsuit season is here - eat your calories when you need them!

How did we ever get to the point where we skip breakfast or work through lunch? We then settle down to a nice BIG evening meal where we reward ourselves with excess food after a long day of work and stress. Maybe an anthropologist could explain how dinner became such a cultural phenomenon – the only time spouses and families eat together. Dinner may be the most relaxed meal of the day, but it can do the most damage to weight loss efforts. So pardon the rare, Better Living radical moment. If you must ship one meal tomorrow, skip dinner!

Okay, so we don’t really want you to skip any meals, but calorically-speaking, dinner is the least important. It should be the smallest meal of the day especially if it is eaten within 4 hours of bedtime. Food is our fuel. You will not need much to power you through the last few evening hours of unwinding whether it be reading, watching television or doing light housework.

Here are some good waist-trimming dinner choices:

• Soup and salad: whether the soup is homemade or canned, a broth-based bowl is a perfect compliment to a fresh green salad.
• A serving of Chinese stir-fry: hold the rice! Order it with light oil and lots of vegetables and you’ve got a low-calorie tasty hot meal.
• 4-oz chicken breast with honey mustard and 2 cups steamed vegetables makes a meal you can savor with your family without adding a notch to your belt.
• Microwave a veggie burger and serve it on 2 slices whole-grain toast with a dollop of salsa or hummus.
• Make it a salad night. Load it up with thawed frozen vegetables, baby carrots, hearts of palm or artichoke hearts. Top it with some smoked mackerel or a baked fillet of fish and your favorite light salad dressing.

Give your skin a healthy glow.

Vitamin A promotes the growth of healthy skin, bones and teeth. It’s also essential for vision and a strong immune system. The best food sources for vitamin A include carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, mango and cooked spinach.

Here are some tips for eating more vitamin A:

• Bake a few sweet potatoes (400 degrees for 45 min.) and pack them for lunch.
• Enjoy baby carrots dipped in low-fat hummus or sliced mango for a quick snack.
• Wilt baby spinach leaves into a pan of sautéed garlic and lemon juice for a palate-cleansing appetizer.

Hands, Elizabeth; Nutrients in Food. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1537621

Want to control your cholesterol? Start with soluble fiber.

Soluble fiber literally drags cholesterol out of your body. Fiber binds with bile acids (which are largely composed of cholesterol) in the intestines. This fiber-bile combo is excreted and your liver must use cholesterol to make more bile. Research suggests that the more soluble fiber you eat, the lower your cholesterol will go.

The richest sources of soluble fiber are psillium seed husk, oat bran, dried beans, barley and apples. Lower your cholesterol by employing 2 or more of these strategies daily:

• Eat a cold cereal with at least 2g soluble fiber per serving (Kellogg’s Bran Buds, Fiber One Carmel Delight).
• Mix ½ cup oatmeal with ½ cup cooked barley. Add some frozen berries and (soy)milk for a delicious breakfast treat.
• Wrap ½ cup black beans, ¼ cup brown rice and salsa in a whole wheat tortilla.
• Try a bowl of lentil or bean soup and an apple for a satisfying lunch.
• Make a batch of Apple Oat Muffins and enjoy them all week. Find the recipe at http://www.betterliving.biz/.

Insel, Paul, Turner, R. Elaine, Ross, Don; Discovering Nutrition. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2003

Hands, Elizabeth; Nutrients in Food. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.

The more you exercise, the more riboflavin you need!

Vitamin B-2 or riboflavin is necessary for building and maintaining body tissue. Active people, especially those who strength train, need more riboflavin.

Here are tips for increasing your riboflavin intake:

• Snack on raw, unsalted almonds.
• Purchase smoked mackerel and serve over whole-wheat crackers for an easy snack.
• For nearly twice the riboflavin, substitute fresh pasta for regular dry pasta on your next spaghetti night.

Other good riboflavin sources include soynuts, yogurt and milk. But, don’t buy milk in clear containers. Sunlight destroys half the riboflavin in a gallon of milk in just two hours.

Hands, Elizabeth. Nutrients in Food. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.