Antioxidants for you Brain

In case you did not have enough reasons to feed more fruits and vegetables to your kids, here’s one more. Fruits and vegetables have vitamins A, C, and E, all of which are antioxidants. In her article “Memory Loss and the Brain,” Catherine E. Myers, a Professor of Psychology at Rutger University-Newark, defines antioxidants as substances which help protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, by breaking them down into harmless components or by preventing them from attacking cells.” Your brain requires an ample supply antioxidants. Specifically, antioxidants promote and preserve memory in children and adults alike. As well, antioxidants can save your children later in life from susceptibility to genetic diseases and disorders such as Parkinson’s, ALS, and Alzheimer’s. All fruits and vegetables have antioxidants, so offer your kids a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially their favorites.

10 Best Fruits and Veggies for Antioxidants:
1. Apples
2. Artichokes
3. Berries
4. Broccoli
5. Carrots
6. Grapefruit
7. Red grapes
8. Russet potatoes
9. Spinach
10. Tomatoes

"Hide and See" Diet

As much as we hate to admit it, our environment has more control over us than we realize. For example, eating with chopsticks can be challenging with slow and small bites. Brian Wansink, Ph. D. observed 200 customers at a Chinese buffet; half were normal weight, and half were overweight. Out of the 33 chopstick users, 26 were normal weight and only 7 were overweight. What can you do to gain control? Make eating inconvenient...Out of site out of mind. Notice what foods you pick up today without much thought, and think of a way to make it inconvenient. If its a candy jar on your desk at work, you may want to get an opaque container instead of a clear one, move it farther away or into a drawer, or if you're feeling really keen get rid of it. Replace cookie jar with a fruit basket. Keep your cookies or other treats in the cupboard. Leave serving dishes in the kitchen instead of on the table. There's many more ways to change your environment; what have you changed or can change? Bottom Line: Realize your environment has a significant effect on our diet (even if we know), so take away temptions. Make eating inconvient.