YOU: on a Diet ( 03/01/08 - 05/31/08 )

[jezzie]

Gauge Your Appetite

Sometimes, we eat for physical reasons -- we're genuinely hungry -- and sometimes, we eat for emotional reasons -- we're steamed at a coworker. But it's not always easy to figure out the difference.

To help, start using the YOU Diet Hunger Test. Throughout the day, judge your level of hunger using the scale below, and record it in a notebook. Try to focus on staying tuned to what your stomach is telling you, not what's happening with stress (kids going crazy), emotions (spouse is working late again), or habits
(Leno equals a bag of chips).

This process will help you really feel your hunger, so you can let your stomach, not your emotions, dictate what you do.

Tank = Hungry

1/2 Tank = Edge is off
3/4 Tank = Satisfied and not hungry
Full Tank = Full and comfortable
Overflow Level S = Stuffed
Overflow Level OS = Overstuffed
Overflow Level BP = Button Pop/Exploding

Grabbing a fiber-filled fruit can help keep your hunger at bay. Find out what fruits work best.

More: Every time you find yourself reaching for the cheese sauce or cookie box, use the test to rate your hunger. Then, think about whether you're reaching for the leftover lasagna because you're truly hungry or you're eating for a reason that has absolutely nothing to do with hunger.

Aim to stay in the 3/4 to Full Tank range -- satisfied at all times. You'll get there by eating regularly throughout the day.

After applying the gauge for two weeks, you'll start to instinctively know why you're eating and, better yet, you'll train yourself to eat simply to keep your stomach -- not your emotions -- satisfied.

Reference: YOU: On a Diet. Roizen, M. F., Oz, M. C., New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

[jezzie]

A Good Reason to Get 4 Whole Grains

Want to keep your blood pressure below the 140/90 danger point? Get at least four servings of whole-grain foods a day.

Hypertension risk starts to drop with just one to two servings of whole grains daily, but getting four makes the greatest impact.

Whole-Grain Heroes

For maximum RealAge benefits -- younger arteries, better bowel function, lower cancer risk, etc. -- you'll need six servings of whole grains daily. Not consistently reaching that goal yet?

Use four as a stepping stone and research shows you'll enjoy better blood pressure on your way to six.

4 in a Flash

It's easy to get four -- or more! -- whole grains into your day. Start early with a whole-grain cereal like shredded wheat.

Then, use two slices of a whole-grain bread in your sandwich at lunch, air pop some popcorn for an afternoon snack, and have a scoop of brown rice with dinner.

RealAge Benefit: Choosing whole grains rather than processed grains can make your RealAge 1.2 years younger if you are a man and 2.3 years younger if you are a woman.

[jezzie]

A Good Reason to Get 4 Whole Grains

Want to keep your blood pressure below the 140/90 danger point? Get at least four servings of whole-grain foods a day.

Hypertension risk starts to drop with just one to two servings of whole grains daily, but getting four makes the greatest impact.

Whole-Grain Heroes

For maximum RealAge benefits -- younger arteries, better bowel function, lower cancer risk, etc. -- you'll need six servings of whole grains daily.

Not consistently reaching that goal yet?

Use four as a stepping stone and research shows you'll enjoy better blood pressure on your way to six.

4 in a Flash

It's easy to get four -- or more! -- whole grains into your day. Start early with a whole-grain cereal like shredded wheat. Then, use two slices of a whole-grain bread in your sandwich at lunch, air pop some popcorn for an afternoon snack, and have a scoop of brown rice with dinner.

RealAge Benefit: Choosing whole grains rather than processed grains can make your RealAge 1.2 years younger if you are a man and 2.3 years younger if you are a woman.

[jezzie]

Know Your Fats

Like bosses, fat in food comes from two broad categories -- one is good to you and the other makes you suffer.

The best way to avoid suffering damage to your cholesterol levels and your waist size: Watch which fats you're eating, and banish certain ones from your life and your gut. Above all, avoid saturated and trans fats; they're the aging fats associated with long-term weight gain and clogging of your arteries.

A serving size should have no more than 4 grams of those two villains combined.

More:
Essentially, bad fats -- saturated and trans fats -- are the ones that are solid at room temperature: animal fat, butter, stick margarine, lard.

Eating trans fat decreases good HDL cholesterol and increases bad LDL cholesterol, and it increases inflammation and damages your arteries, which makes your blood more prone to clotting.

The good fats, in contrast, are the ones that are liquid at room temperature but get thick when cold, like olive oil. They help raise your HDL levels, which helps clear away any artery-clogging guck.

Reference: YOU: On a Diet. Roizen, M. F., Oz, M. C., New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

[jezzie]

Berries for Your Blood Pressure

Don't think of them as a treat. Berries should get daily play in your diet -- especially if you’re at all concerned about your blood pressure.

People with high BP who ate berries daily as part of a study saw a 7-point dip in their systolic blood pressure -- after just 8 weeks of berry love!

Bursting with Goodness

Berries have a lot going for them: They're jam-packed with polyphenols, like flavonols and anthocyanins. Plus, they're loaded with vitamin C, folate, potassium, and fiber. With so much in such a tiny package, it's hardly a surprise that it took just 4 ounces of a berry medley each day to boost the health of the study participants.

Not only did their blood pressure go down, but their HDL ("good" cholesterol) went up, too.

Berry Many Possibilities

The berry medley in the study contained everything from bilberries and lingonberries to strawberries and raspberries, so the juicy possibilities for getting your daily dose are infinite. Given that you can eat berries one by one, they're the perfect alternative to chips when stress calls for some hand-to-mouth action.

* Add them to salads. Sprinkle raspberries on dark, leafy greens.
* Drink 'em.
* Use them on barbecued meats.

RealAge Benefit: Getting 31 milligrams of flavonoids a day can make your RealAge 3.2 years younger.

[jezzie]

Why You Should Snap Up In-Season Asparagus

Go ahead, celebrate this season's delicate asparagus spears by digging into a big pile. Why? Your pancreas will thank you.

Seems that getting lots of folate -- specifically from food, not so much from supplements -- may help protect you from pancreatic cancer. And just half a cup of asparagus delivers 190 micrograms of the stuff, more than 25 percent of what you need.

Your Pancreas, and More

Folate is a member of the B-vitamin group, and it has long been touted as a heart helper. Some early research also links high folate intake to a lower risk of colon, breast, ovarian, and lung cancers. Pancreatic cancer prevention is just the newest member of the why-we-love-folate list.

Food Is a Factor

Folate from both food and the stuff found in supplements (folic acid) helps your heart. But in a study, when it came to defending against pancreatic cancer, only food sources seemed to have an effect.

Folate-rich foods aren’t hard to come by if you go for the green -- as in artichokes, brussels sprouts, lima beans, avocados, soybeans, and broccoli. And of course, asparagus -- which is in season in many U.S. markets. Trim away the woody ends of succulent stalks, and serve them up in one of these three ways:

* Steam them, and then garnish with fresh tomato for a salad alternative.
* Snip them into 1-inch pieces to make creamy-yet-creamless Asparagus Soup.
* Chop and boil them briefly, and then use the chunks to fill an omelet

RealAge Benefit: Getting 700 micrograms of folate (folic acid) a day from your diet or a supplement can make your RealAge 0.8 years younger.

[jezzie]

Asparagus Soup
This creamless but still creamy soup is a great lunch or summer-night dinner on its own - but you can also spoon it over lump crabmeat, cooked shrimp or cubed tofu for a heftier meal. Serves 2.

Ingredients

* 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 yellow-fleshed potato, such as Yukon Gold (6 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
* 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon dried savory, or marjoram leaves
* 12 ounces asparagus, woody ends removed, sliced into 1-inch pieces
* 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
* Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Place broth, water, potato, shallot, garlic, thyme, savory (or marjoram) and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potato is tender, about 8 minutes. Add asparagus, return to a simmer, and cook, covered, until the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, cook prosciutto in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until crisp, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the soup into a large blender or food processor (see Tip); puree until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary. Season with pepper. Serve topped with the crisped prosciutto.


RECIPE TIPS:
Hot liquids can splatter out of a blender when it's turned on. To avoid this, remove the center piece of the lid. Loosely cover the hole with a folded kitchen towel and turn the blender on. Better airflow will keep the contents from spewing all over the kitchen.

[jezzie]

•Super News About Soup

If you choose soup when hunger strikes, you could be placing yourself on the path to weight loss.

In a year long study of overweight people on a reduced-calorie diet, snacking on soup each day led to more weight loss than noshing on a calorie-equivalent amount of energy-dense snack foods.

The key difference: even though the soup and the high-energy snack had the same number of calories, the soup took up more space in people's bellies. Thus, the soup eaters felt less hungry later and ate less over the course of the day.

Snacking on foods that have a low ratio of calories to mass -- such as air-popped popcorn, vegetable broth-based soups, and fresh produce -- may help you eat fewer calories overall and aid weight loss efforts.

When incorporating soup into your weight-reduction plan, steer clear of cream-based varieties, which are high in fat and calories.

Instead, choose soups with a base of chicken broth or vegetable broth and those loaded with vegetables, kidney beans, lentils, or brown rice to keep you satisfied and help you trim down.

In a study of overweight and obese people, those who ate two servings of low-energy dense soup per day as part of a reduced-calorie diet lost an average of almost 16 pounds over the yearlong study period.

The people who ate two servings of high-energy dense snack foods per day lost an average of just over 10.5 pounds -- 35 percent less than the soup-snacking group.

RealAge Benefit: Maintaining your weight and body mass index at a desirable level can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

[jezzie]

The Vitamin That Could Add Years to Your Life

If there were an Olympics for antiaging nutrients, vitamin D would have a good shot at the gold medal.

Here's why: Scientists recently examined how blood levels of vitamin D affect aging on a cellular level. High intake was associated with as much as 5 fewer years of chromosome aging!

New Wonder Vitamin

D seems to be particularly relevant to a cellular yardstick of aging called a telomere. These "end caps" on your chromosomes get shorter and shorter with age, but having high blood levels of vitamin D seems to help ensure longer telomeres.

That's a good thing, because when telomeres get really short and disappear, cells stop dividing and start to die. Translation: You age and become more vulnerable to disease.

More D Delights

For years, D -- a vitamin found in food but also synthesized by your skin with a bit of sun exposure -- has been a nutritionist's delight because of its impact on bone health.

Now, evidence is growing that the vitamin not only helps build bone and thwart aging but also defends against multiple sclerosis, several cancers (including these), and inflammation in the gums and . . . (whew) . . . lungs. D is definitely moving into bona fide supernutrient territory.

Better Get Yours

Milk remains an excellent source of vitamin D, with 100–125 international units (IU) per cupful. Not into milk? Here are a few other sun-free ways to get your fill of D:

* Choose fortified foods. Food manufacturers are catching on: We want more D! Check the labels of everything -- from orange juice and bread to yogurt and pudding -- to see if they're fortified.
* Eat fish. The richest source of D is salmon (360 IU of vitamin D in 3.5 ounces), but tuna and sardines canned in oil are good sources, too.
* Have an egg. D is in the yolk, and although 26 IU doesn't sound like much, it all adds up.
* Take a supplement. Just stay below 2000 IU per day from food and supplements combined.

RealAge Benefit: Getting 400 international units of vitamin D and 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day can make your RealAge as much as 1.3 years younger.

[jezzie]

Powered Up Produce

Pairing veggies with avocado may help you get the full power of your produce.

Healthy fats in avocados aid carotenoid absorption, a recent study reveals. Carotenoids are the bright red, orange, and yellow pigments of colorful fruits and vegetables. These carotenoids have antioxidant properties that may help decrease the risk of heart disease and certain kinds of cancer.

In addition to protecting against heart disease and cancer, carotenoids also may promote eye health and guard against eye diseases, such as macular degeneration.

Examples of carotenoid-rich produce include tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, and carrots. Lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and alpha- and beta-carotene are all carotenoids. Lutein and zeaxanthin concentrate in your retinas, where they absorb blue light that can damage your eyes and lead to age-related macular degeneration.

In a recent study, pairing avocados or avocado oil with carotenoid-containing produce boosted carotenoid absorption in the study participants. In the study, tomato salsa was the source of lycopene, and a salad of spinach, carrots, and lettuce served as the source of lutein, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene.

When study participants consumed carotenoid-containing foods with approximately three-quarters of a medium avocado or a couple tablespoons of avocado oil, they absorbed more carotenoids than when they consumed the vegetables without avocado fats. Although avocados are high in fat, they contain largely heart-healthy unsaturated fats.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that includes 5 servings of vegetables per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

[jezzie]

12 Foods Where Organic Makes Sense

Avoiding the "dirty dozen" could dramatically cut your exposure to pesticides.

What's the dirty dozen, you ask? It's a watch list of the 12 most pesticide-polluted fruits and veggies. Solution: Grab the organic versions.

Good Reason to Go Organic

According to John La Puma, MD -- RealAge expert and author of the new book ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine -- going organic with these 12 fruits and veggies could cut your exposure to pesticides as much as 90 percent!

* Fruits
o Peaches and nectarines
o Strawberries and cherries
o Apples and pears
o Imported grapes
* Veggies
o Spinach and lettuce
o Potatoes and celery
o Sweet bell peppers

Beyond Pesticides

Cutting your exposure to pesticides is only one reason to go organic. La Puma says you'll be healthier, too, because some organic foods are more nutritious than their conventionally grown counterparts.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that includes 4 servings of fruit per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

[jezzie]

Tuesdays Menu

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups two thirds decaf with vanilla soy milk
walnuts

Breakfast:
one fried egg
Old Fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon, buckwheat honey
Mineola orange

Pre-Lunch:
snflower seeds
banana
4 oz. Concord grape/cranberry 100% juice

Lunch:
Veggie Sub on toasted Honey Oat (Subway)

Pre-Dinner:
organic plain yogurt with pineapple added
5.5 oz. V-8

Dinner:
Healthy Harvest rotini in Classico hot pepper sauce
zucchini

[jezzie]

Low-Carb Diets and Your Blood Sugar

Do low-carb diets help reduce your risk of diabetes?

Not if the carbs are upstaged by meat, cheese, and other unhealthful sources of fat. A better way: Get your protein and fat from vegetable sources. It could whittle your risk of diabetes along with your waist.

Low-Carb Lingo

When women in a study took a smart approach to low-carb eating -- sticking to plant sources of fat and protein instead of loading up on cheese, bacon, and the like -- their risk of diabetes actually dipped a bit on the low-carb plan.

More studies are needed to determine what impact low-carb eating has on other health factors, like heart health, cancer risk, and long-term weight management.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a low-fat diet -- and eating healthful unsaturated fats when you do eat fat -- can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

[jezzie]

The New Wine Alternative

You don't have to pour red wine on your Cheerios to get the heart-healthy goodness of resveratrol in the morning.

Bring blueberries to your breakfast table instead. Blueberries are rich in the same potent anticancer and heart-protective resveratrol compound found in abundance in red wine. Just how healthful are blueberries?

Blueberries and other berries of the same species are known for their antioxidant prowess, thanks to the fact that they're brimming with phenols.

Some of the phenol compounds recently identified in different blueberry species include not only resveratrol but also piceatannol, a cancer-fighting phenol, and pterostilbene, a phenol credited with helping control blood sugar. Blueberries are loaded with fiber as well.

The latest research on blueberries suggests that the combination of health-promoting substances found in blueberries may work synergistically to dramatically slash disease risk. That's probably why studies link the berries to better brain function, lower cancer risk, and possibly even improved stroke outcomes.

So start your day with a berry healthy breakfast. If you can't find fresh berries, frozen are fine. Add them to cereal, pancakes, waffles, low-fat yogurts, or smoothies.

RealAge Benefit: Eating 5 servings of fruit a day can make your RealAge 1.4 years younger.

[jezzie]

All About YOU: Body Weight Bonus

Whether you're a gym newbie or simply free-weight phobic, get this: Your own body is all you need to build muscle and strengthen bones.

Squats and lunges shape up your legs and butt as you lift your torso, arms, and head with every move.

Push-ups, sit-ups, arm lifts, and arm circles strengthen and stabilize the rest of you. Here's a thought to keep you motivated: If you don't do strength-building exercises, you'll lose 5 percent of your muscle every 10 years. And with a no-gym workout, there are no excuses.

After age 35, men and women slowly lose muscle mass -- the average woman loses 2 pounds of muscle every 10 years and the average man loses 3 pounds. To stay slim, healthy, and strong, you need to counter that loss.

Maintaining muscle mass at any age takes only 10 minutes, three times a week. About the slim part: A pound of muscle uses 75 to 150 calories a day to do its work; a pound of fat needs only 3 calories a day -- it does little to help your body, so it doesn't need much energy to survive.

So if you have lots of muscle, you not only stay strong but also burn more calories -- which can mean staying slim, too.

RealAge Benefit: Strength training can make your RealAge 1 year younger.

[jezzie]

Be a Better Memory Maker

Think you're a multitasking wiz? That may be why your memory's "slipping."

The more things you do at once, the less likely you are to remember any of them. Sometimes that's no biggie -- if you're flipping through a catalog and watching a sitcom, who cares?

But if you're hunting for flights on the Internet while talking on the phone and listening to the radio, well, good luck -- both the flight info and the conversation will probably be a blur.

The solution's obvious: When something is important, be single-minded.

To sharpen your recall of new information -- whether it's health instructions, vital dates, or learning how to work your new cell phone -- make it easy for your mind to absorb it.

Limit distractions and focus on the matter at hand, not three other things as well. If other tasks keep popping into your head, stop and jot them down on a notepad.

Then go back to what's really important. It's a good bet that this time it will stick with you.

RealAge Benefit: Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.

*************************************************
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
- Redd Foxx

[jezzie]

A Cherry of a Deal


Grab a handful of ripe sweet cherries for a healthy dose of a natural inflammation fighter.

Sweet cherries are rich in anthocyanins, compounds that occur naturally in the fruit and appear to inhibit enzymes involved in inflammation. Sweet cherries also are rich in vitamin C, a nutrient linked to reduced blood levels of inflammatory markers.

More and more studies link inflammatory processes to a host of diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis.

In addition to cherries, other fruits that provide inflammation-fighting anthocyanins include strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and grapes.

Other nutrients that may possess anti-inflammatory properties include flavonols in dark chocolate, apples,
and tea; and omega-3 fatty acids in wild salmon, fish oil, flaxseed, and walnuts.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that includes 4 servings of fruit per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

[jezzie]

There’s Something Funny Going On (And It’s Making You Healthy)

Laugh, and you may keep your arteries healthy. Why? Cracking up relaxes blood vessels and increases blood flow -- the exact opposite of what happens when you’re tense. When people with normal blood pressure watch a funny movie, their blood flow increases by about 20%.

But when they watch an intense, violent film, they get stressed out, their blood vessels constrict, and their blood flow decreases by about 35%. (So much for last year’s grim Oscar winner!)

Another reason to laugh all you can: Bum moods increase cortisol levels, the bad-boy stress hormone that increases fat accumulation in your belly and makes your kidneys retain salt and water, which boosts your blood pressure. So whether you’re renting a comedy or TiVo-ing an old episode of The Lucy Show, pay zero attention to anyone who says, “Get serious.”

If you’ve seen all the humor flicks you can handle for the moment, a funny friend is at least as good -- and may even help keep you slim: A good chortle increases the number of calories you burn, according to one study.

The researchers estimated that if you spend 10 to 15 minutes a day laughing, you can burn up to 40 extra calories. Not a ton. But, hey, every little waist-shrinking bit adds up.

All of which explains one of our favorite health factors: Frequent laughter can make your RealAge (that’s your biological -- not your calendar -- age) up to 8 years younger. So TiVo Leno, Stewart, or Letterman with wild abandon.

[jezzie]

Pick Up a Book, Bulk Up Your Brain

Don’t deny yourself the luxury of curling up with that murder mystery, tragic tale, or sci-fi thriller this weekend. Consider it self-defense class for your brain.

Being a bookworm doesn’t just make you smart. It makes you mentally tough. It builds so much cognitive reserve that bookworms’ brains may be bolstered against bad things like pollution and toxins.

Calling All Reserves

On cognitive tests, book lovers outperform people with lower reading levels. No surprise there. But the big news is that people who read regularly may develop a "cognitive reserve." What’s that mean?

That they’ve got extra brainpower to keep the mind rolling when brain cells are under attack. In a study of factory workers, the brains of the big readers functioned just fine on cognitive tasks, despite on-the-job exposure to toxic substances, like lead.

Brain Boosters

In addition to making a trip to your local bookstore, here are other steps you can take to stay sharp:

* Ditch the tobacco. Smoking (and secondhand smoke) kills brain cells.
* Give your mind a mental workout.
* Compensate for age-related memory changes.
* Get more B vitamins in your diet.
* Take a walk!

RealAge Benefit: Learning a new game that requires brainpower can make your RealAge 1.3 years younger.

[jezzie]

Mother’s Day Gifts with a Healthy Twist

Hey, she nurtured you. Made sure you ate your veggies, washed your face, and brushed your pearly whites. So this Mother's Day -- May 11th – say "Thanks, Mom!" with one of these mouthwatering treats. They're guaranteed to nourish her in return. And you'll be her favorite child for another year!

* Exotic Fruit-of-the-Month Club -- Filled with champagne mangoes and strawberry papayas, there's nothing ordinary about these fruit baskets. Tantalize Mom's taste buds, and boost her daily dose of nutrients with fantastical fruits like feijoas (pineapple guavas) and pluots (plum/apricot hybrids).

* Smoothie Maker -- Is your mom a wiz in the kitchen? Regardless of her culinary craft, smoothies are a deliciously simple way to make sure she gets lots of protective phytochemicals to help keep her heart, immune system, and memory healthy. The key: blending together a variety of brightly colored produce -- reds, purples, yellows, greens.

* Asian Bamboo Steamer -- For moms who don't have the time (or inclination) to count fat grams, steamers are a must-have for low-fat meals that practically cook themselves while retaining vitamins, nutrients, and flavor. Go for a two-tiered number: Throw veggies (carrots, leeks, bok choy) on one level, and fish (salmon, snapper, tilapia) on the other. Now, that's multitasking.

* Tabletop Farm -- You heard right! With this ingenious indoor aeroponic garden (just light and water, no dirt), Mom can harvest her own fresh lettuce, tomatoes, or peppers from her kitchen countertop. Or expand her culinary horizons with a Japanese herb garden that includes shiso and misuba. Both are full of calcium (for her bones), vitamin A (for healthy eyes), and vitamin C (for a strong heart and immune system).

* Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegars -- Great salad dressings encourage more salad eating, and few foods are healthier than fresh raw veggies -- all they need is a drizzle of heart-healthy extra-virgin olive oil.

* Gourmet Tea Kit -- Tea is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants, so start steeping! Set your mom up with a selection of green, white, black, and herbal teas. Complete the package with an electric kettle -- they bring water to a boil much faster than regular teapots, and they turn themselves off, a bonus for forgetful moms.

* Scrumptious Skin Care -- Outdoorsy moms will adore Korres' natural Watermelon Sunscreen, Yogurt Cooling Gel, or Pomegranate Moisturizer. Yum! Made with botanical extracts, Korres products help bolster Mom's skin defenses without harming the earth.

So, all you Last-Minute Lulus, grab your mouse and get your Mother's Day shopping done! If you’re really in a time bind, resort to the fruit-of-the-month club. The sweet, juicy fruit will arrive when it's just the ripe time.

Want to give the gift of health to other members of your family? Invite them to take the RealAge Test so they can start living younger.

[jezzie]

Which Vitamins?

Q: Whenever I start coming down with a cold, I double my vitamin C supplement to 1,000 milligrams a day and start taking zinc lozenges, echinacea, vitamins E, D, and B 50 -- the blend of B vitamins. Do you think this shortens the cold? Also, how much C is it safe to take?

-- Betsy, Hanover, MA

A: Lots of people develop their own cold remedies -- including us. Although we have no hard data proving that our so-long-cold formula works, we believe three things can speed your recovery. And good for you, you're already using two of them: vitamin C and zinc.

The amount of C that's safe is known. What's called the Tolerable Upper Intake Level -- the highest amount thought to pose no risk for most people -- is 2,000 milligrams (mg) a day.

So you can take as much as 500 mg of vitamin C four times a day for 2 or 3 days. Start taking it as soon as you feel a cold coming on, and wash the tablets down with plenty of water. At the same time, start sucking on zinc lozenges, one every 6 hours for a few days.

What's the third thing that helps send a cold packing? You got it: chicken soup. The minute you feel a little tickle in your nose or throat, start dosing yourself with a cupful four times a day.

Do zinc and vitamin C increase chicken soup's powers? That hasn't been proven. But there's a school of thought that says a belt and a pair of suspenders are better than either alone; if you're a member in good standing, go for it.