Feel & Look Younger This Year

Resolve to Step Up Your Anti-aging Efforts in 2013

If 2013 is your year to look better, feel younger, and be healthier, overhauling your diet might be in order. A healthy diet is the closest thing we have to a ticket to longevity – not to mention a better life right now. We simply are what we eat, and today’s scientific research supports that our diet holds sway over our ability to prevent age-related issues, including illness, disease, and overall wellness.

Is health and longevity on your plate this year? It should be. Now is the perfect time to reset the clock on your health. Resolve to make your diet work for you, not against you, in the coming year.

Is Your Diet Aging You?

It could be. The health of your brain, the vitality of your skin, and your chances of experiencing chronic illness are directly influenced by what you put on your plate. When your intake of sugars, fats, and processed foods begins to overtake your intake fruits and vegetables, it means your diet has deteriorated. As a result, you may be putting yourself at risk for what you most want to avoid as you age.

Your Diet Affects Your Brain

Without a healthy brain, let’s face it, the rest just doesn’t matter. But having a diet of prevention now can help keep your brain healthy and nimble later. Eating for brain health is part of a fundamental strategy to help reverse the aging process. Here’s why: a diet rich in anthocyanin-rich foods has been shown to reverse memory loss and slow cognitive decline. In fact, new research into cognitive health such as the Nurse’s Study shows that eating anthocyanin-rich foods can affect intellectual performance, memory, and brain performance related to aging. And, dietary antioxidants have been shown to protect against inflammation, and inflammation is thought to be a leading factor in brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

Your Diet Affects Your Skin

What we show the world on the outside reflects our inside – that couldn’t be truer when it comes to our skin. Our cells are engaged in a battle against free radicals everyday. Oxidative stress is associated with cancer, heart disease and other diseases of aging. It’s also evident on our outermost layers of cells – free radical damage is the reason the sun and our environment leads to wrinkles and a dull complexion. High antioxidant foods help us in the fight against free radicals and act as anti-aging agents. Dietary antioxidants such as anthocyanins, flavonoids found in the skin pigments of some foods like the deeply-colored wild blueberry, have the ability to neutralize free radicals and help prevent cell damage, and that includes our aging epidermis, an external hallmark of our maturity.

Your Diet Affects Your Risk of Chronic Illness

Can we avoid the chronic illness that plagues us as we age? Some nutrition experts believe we can, and scientists continue to make efforts to isolate the compounds that act on our bodies to prevent aging and disease. What we already know, however, is that natural compounds found in fruits and vegetables can help us prevent chronic illness and promote healthy aging. Aging is often characterized by diseases that are the result of low grade chronic inflammation that occurs inside the body and causes heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and even arthritis. Eating antioxidant-rich foods daily has been shown to minimize oxidative strain inside the body, which is connected to chronic illnesses and aging.

 

Resolve to Age Better in 2013

Here are three simple steps you can take to make 2013 your best year yet in health and anti-aging efforts.

1. Get Your 5 Cups 

Reaching (or even closing in on) your recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables will get you closer to your goal of healthy aging. This year, resolve to start eating a diet that combats age-related health risks by eating at a variety of colorful fruits and veggies and filling half your plate with them at every meal. According to the USDA dietary guidelines, that’s 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables, on average, for a total of 5 cups every day. By getting your recommended cups per day, you’ll also get the added benefit of edging out less-than-healthy foods that are aging you too quickly. (That’s two resolutions for the price on one!)

2. Load Up on Berries

Look to berries if you are aiming to make the most of your anti-aging efforts. Why berries? Berries are notorious for their powerful antioxidant benefits thanks to phytonutrients, which aid the process of neutralizing free radicals and are found in high concentrations in berries’ colorful skin. Berries have also been shown to have “synergy” with other foods and to help ameliorate the adverse effects of a meal that occurs with absorption. Wild blueberries in particular top the list of high-phyto berries. (They are also high in fiber and contribute to glycemic control.) If slowing the aging process is your resolution, “bathe your meal in berries” says superfood guru Steven Pratt – whether it’s breakfast, salads, entrees or desserts – you’ll be arming yourself against inflammation and the diseases of aging.

3. Be Antioxidant Savvy

In the quest to age well, make sure you know what foods provide the most powerful source of antioxidants. Deep pigments and colorful skin is often nature’s tip-off that a food has beneficial compounds. By knowing the amount of antioxidants in certain foods, you can get the biggest antioxidant bang from your dietary buck.

You can determine the antioxidant capacity of different fruits and vegetables by knowing their ORAC score. Find a list on the United States Department of Agriculture or by checking OracValues.com, and use your knowledge to start buying foods that promote disease prevention. Shop the produce section or the freezer section for fruits and vegetables – that’s where you’ll find the healthiest foods. And those are the ones you’ll want on your plate every day. Then, even while the calendar keeps moving forward, you’ll know you’re making efforts to turn back the clock.

Healthy Aging Research 

Scientists around the world are studying the ways in which natural compounds found in the foods we eat can help combat disease and promote health aging. For an in-depth look at hundreds of health-related blueberry studies, visit the Wild Blueberry Association Research Library™.

Purple Potatoes, “The Newsroom” & Plenty of Wild, Healthy Blues: Our Top Ten Posts of 2012

What posts had the biggest impact on our readers this year? The top ten posts of 2012 included everything from purple potatoes to HBO’s “The Newsroom”. We’re pleased to have been a part of sharing health and nutrition research, news, information, fun stories and recipes with you during the past twelve months. We’re looking forward to much more to come in 2013. Here’s to a healthy, wild, well new year!

1. Dig In: Purple Potatoes Have Vibrant Health Benefits
Health benefits from a colorful vegetable caught our readers’ attention this year – so much so, it was the top viewed post of 2012. Hat’s off to the unique power of purple!

2. Five Very Unexpected Benefits of Eating Fruits & Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are healthy, sure – but they also help with depression, provide benefits for smokers who want to quit, and improve your love life.

3. Wild Blueberry Favorites – Your Top 5 Recipes
What are wild blues best at? Here’s the definitive list straight from those who know – our readers!

4. Pterostilbene: Big Promise for an Amazing Antioxidant
As research into the benefits of blueberries continues, one compound is showing a unique anti-cancer potential.

5. Fresh Maine Blueberries: A Summer Tradition
Those berries on your plate are more than just delicious – they are also a wild summer tradition.

6. Wild Blueberry Research You Should Know About
This new research into cancer, bowel health, heart health and weight made waves this year.

7. LATEST NEWS: Victory for the Frozen Message
When Dr. Oz spoke out about frozen, the message spanned the globe – and the cover of TIME.

8. Blueberries May Preserve Brain Health: How A New Study Affects You
You wanted to know more about good news for an important part of preserving the brain as we age.

9. Want a Little Belly? Try a Little Blueberry
Resolving to battle belly bulge? Arm yourself with phyto-rich foods.

10. Diabetes, Wild & “The Newsroom”
Your love for all three inched this post into the top 10 this year, and helped get this diabetes story the press it deserves.

Enjoying these top posts from 2012? Subscribe to have weekly headlines from Wild About Health sent right to your inbox all year long, or send us a story you’d like to see on Wild About Health on 2013!

Time to Eat Healthy? Our 5 Best Resolutions for 2012

According to a Consumer Reports survey, of those of us who are trying to lose weight – and there are many – 74% eat more fruits and vegetables. Eating more fruit and veggie servings is effective for weight maintenance and it’s the very best way to tackle poor health as well. No wonder it’s catching on for those with weight concerns. Other strategies from the survey included portion control (71%) cutting back on sugar (69%) and replacing a snack with an activity (45%).

Fruits and vegetables don’t just provide vital nutrients, they are full of satisfying fiber and provide more food volume for fewer calories. They also take up space on your plate where less nutritious, more caloric food would be. Eating fruits and vegetables doesn’t just help weight: it contributes to disease prevention and longevity. If you are taking a hard look at your health in the coming year, scrutinizing your fruit and veggie intake is the way to begin.

Are you resolving to be healthier in 2012? Here are our five all-time best strategies for achieving your goals once and for all. It’s no surprise that fruit and vegetable servings are at the heart of each one.

Our 5 Best Healthy Eating Resolutions for 2012

1) Cook. Bad eating habits can be tied directly back to the food we don’t cook ourselves. Less than 60% of us make our meals in our kitchens even though we know it’s the key to healthy eating. This year, resolve to learn the basics and put them into practice. Fruits & Veggies More Matters has 10 healthy ways to cook with fruits and veggies to get you started.

2) Take advantage of frozen. For those relying on the availability of fresh, nutritious food to keep their diet healthy, frozen is the savior of modern culture. Why? It’s whole, nutritious food that’s there any time of year. Keep your freezer stocked along with your pantry so good food is always at the ready.

3) Add color. Healthy eating means putting a rainbow on your plate. Eating across the color spectrum means you are naturally getting the variety of nutrients your body needs. And, foods with concentrated color are foods with high amounts of powerful phytonutrients. Eat dark leafy greens, red tomatoes, purple cabbage, blue blueberries, orange carrots, and yellow squashes, and you’ve conquered the color spectrum.

4) Add one. This year, add one serving of a fruit or vegetable to every meal. Here’s a post from 2010 that will help you add a serving every day for an entire month. F&V has a similar pledge you can take to promise yourself just one extra fruit or veggie a day: one small step that delivers a giant step for the health of humankind.

5) Less processed, more whole. Populations with diets based on whole foods tend to see lower rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. The more we stay away from processed food and eat food with no labels, no claims, and under three ingredients on their ingredients list (or better yet, with no list at all) the healthier we’ll be, and the longer we’ll live.

Resolve to be Healthy in 2012! Fruits and Veggies More Matters has more Realistic Resolutions for healthy eating.

Don’t Resolve. Rethink.

This week, most of the chatter about New Year’s resolutions is about how terrible we are at keeping them. But there’s another side to the failed resolution story.

While some eschew joining the resolution bandwagon altogether, still others are motivated by the promise of a new year and the change it can offer. And, while many resolutions do get broken, according to the American Psychological Association, people are 10 times more likely to succeed with their goal if they make a New Year’s resolution.

So, while experts maintain nearly 60% will quit their resolutions after six months, that means 40% succeed in achieving long term change.

Even if you are ardently anti-resolution, the new year begs for a review of what has passed and what is to come. Rather than run off to the gym and buy five pounds of leafy greens first thing, start off the year with a little reflection first. Begin with pen and paper: 

What is working?
It’s easy to forget about healthful changes we’ve made and ignore positive habits we maintain. What have you been successful with in 2010? What efforts have proven fruitful over the past several months, regardless if those efforts were consistent? The new year is also an excellent time to review what invigorates and motivates us. Do you take particular joy in your noonday walk with co-workers? Feel nourished by the Sunday meals with family? What activities make you feel your best? Most productive? Most stress-free? Those are building blocks for future wellness. 

What must change?
Often, we know we fall into behavior traps that erode our health and wellness, but it’s easier to enter into a state of bad habit denial. Articulating the behaviors, habits and outside stressors that wreak havoc on our life is the first step. Consider what part of your life is ripe for change, and where change can be most beneficial. 

What’s doable?
Evaluate your resolution style and get real about what’s just lip service and what you are willing to achieve. Will you really turn into a body building maven this year? Will you make dinner for your family every night regardless of the challenges of your work day? Decide what changes you feel truly committed to and what changes will just lead down the road to disappointment.

Making Change in 2011: Our 5 Favorite Resolution Tips

1. Be Led By Your Left Brain.

To jump start a new healthy habit, leave your emotional self behind and follow the plan. Make a nightly salad or drive to the gym because that’s your new schedule—don’t get bogged down about whether it’s working. Try letting your intellect take over for the first few weeks, then evaluate your progress after those weeks are over to decide if your new habits are fruitful, rather than letting your emotions sabotage you. 

2. Prove You Can.

Lose ten pounds by March! Run a marathon by February! If you have a track record of failure, remember it’s human nature to get excited about lofty goals and then fall into the trap of “I knew I couldn’t do this.” Instead, prove to yourself that you are not goal averse. Set them small and achievable, just for that reason. Eat one piece of fruit a day (not 10), workout two days a week (not 7) and you’ll be invigorated when you find you can be successful. 

3. Think Zebra, Not Horse.

Sometimes tackling a problem straight on doesn’t get to the heart of the matter as well as coming at it sideways. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, don’t focus your resolution on what goes into your mouth. Instead, resolve to make January seed purchases for your vegetable garden, or resolve to buy more local foods. Did you know that each year, Americans waste an estimated 160 billion pounds of food? In your efforts to improve your diet, you might resolve to reduce the waste that comes out of your kitchen by eating more widely, meal planning, or buying frozen. 

4. Use the 10% Rule.

Resolutions are always about going whole hog—that’s why they are notorious victims of early burn out. Confronted with daily workouts your body fails; you can’t meet your oversized goals. Instead, resolve to commit to incremental change. Increase your workload no more than 10% each week. Eat just 10% less this week, change what you eat just 10%. Then do it 10% the next week. This year, embrace a little change and piecemeal your way to success instead.

5. Eat Your Servings.

If you are going to make a single change this year, resolve to get your servings of fruits and vegetables. You can start with wild blueberries, not just because they are our favorite fruit, but because they cover the best of healthful eating: they provide color, potent antioxidants, low calorie fiber, and health benefits for your blood vessels, eyes, brain and skin, just for starters. And because they are sweet and delicious on so many foods, they serve as a perfect example of big change in a small package.

Learning to Cook in 2011? All You Need Are These Three Foods

According to the New York Times, those who cook spend only 6.8 minutes more preparing food than those who don’t. Author Mark Bittman contends that with three basics — chopped salad, rice and lentils, and stir fries — you can cook and eat healthy for a lifetime. They represent meals that are super fast, super easy, and inexpensive, and they can be made with accessible food (especially when you take advantage of frozen).