YOU: On a Diet ( June 5th - Sept. 25th )

[jezzie]

Are You Drowning in Corn Oil?
2005

Find out why too much of this kind of unsaturated fat can put you at risk.

Have you pushed aside the butter dish and switched to the tubs of trans fat-free margarine? Have you kicked lard to the curb and now brown, sauté, and bake with corn or vegetable oil?

Many of us are resting easy in the knowledge that as long as we eat mostly the good kinds of fat—meaning unsaturated fats—our hearts are probably in the clear, right?

Not so. Merely switching to unsaturated fats is not the only key to healthful fat consumption.

If you're not paying attention to the kinds of unsaturated fats you choose, or how much you get of certain kinds of unsaturated fats in comparison to others, you may be leaving the door wide open to health hazards on par with killers like heart disease.

The old facts on fats

Some things haven't changed. As with other foods, if you are eating too much fat, regardless of kind, and are not expending a similar number of calories, you're risking weight problems and all of the related health complications.

However, there are many good things fat can do for you. Dietary fat is a necessary part of maintaining energy levels and it provides the body with essential fatty acids that it cannot produce on its own.

Dietary fats aid in nutrient absorption, make foods more palatable, and help you feel sated. They also assist the body in the production of substances that are essential for immune function, tissue repair, and prostaglandin production.

Fat is still part of a healthful diet, so it's important to know what kind of fat you are eating and stick to mostly unsaturated fats.

[jezzie]

6 Ways to Take the Guilt out of Eating Pancakes

If you've been denying yourself pancakes for health and waist reasons, get out the griddle -- they're back.

Play Fast and Loose with the Batter

"Pancake batters are like cookie mixtures: They aren't an exact science. You can throw all kinds of stuff into them and they'll still come out just fine!" says nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of The Food and Mood Cookbook. Here's how to rehab your favorite flapjack recipe:

1. Cut Down the Calories
· Use half the oil, margarine, shortening, or butter called for in the recipe.
· Use nonfat milk or nonfat condensed milk -- or low-fat buttermilk or soymilk -- instead of whole milk.
· Use cooking spray to prepare the griddle.
· Keep servings to two 4" pancakes.

2. Pump Up the Fiber
· Replace some of the white or unbleached flour with whole-wheat pastry flour. (It's lighter than regular whole-wheat flour). Start with 3/4 cup white and 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour for every cup of flour called for. Increase the whole-wheat flour every time you cook until you find the proportion you like best.
· Toss in a handful of oatmeal to up the protein and fiber. (You may need to add a little extra milk, too.)
· To make gluten-free pancakes, use buckwheat flour.

3. Skim Off the Cholesterol
· Replace the eggs with egg substitute, or use two whites per yolk.
· For fluffier pancakes, whip the whites separately, and then fold them into the batter.

4. Skinny Down the Sugar
· Replace half the sugar with Splenda.
· Try adding sweet-tasting flavorings: vanilla, nutmeg, and/or cinnamon, and leave out some of the sugar.

5. Rev Up the Antioxidants
· Mix a spoonful of canned pumpkin, grated apple, or whole blueberries into the batter.
· Add some toasted wheat germ or ground flaxseeds, too.

6. Swap Out the Syrup
· Heap on fresh or thawed berries -- any kind.
· Top with a tablespoon of all-fruit apricot jam and a sliced banana.
· Spoon on fat-free sour cream, yogurt, or ricotta cheese mixed with mango chunks or mandarin oranges.

If you still crave syrup, drizzle any of the above with a little agave nectar (sold in health-food stores). It tastes as sweet as syrup, but it's far easier on your blood sugar levels.

Now, Reap the Rewards

Trading pale, wimpy pancakes soaked in butter and syrup for hearty, healthy ones rich in flavor, fruit, fiber, and nutrients will do more than rehab an A.M. favorite and boost your energy for the day.

Training your taste buds to love foods that thwart aging can make your RealAge at least 3 years younger.

[jezzie]

Get Smarter by Noon

Stir some blueberries into your breakfast cereal or low-fat yogurt, and don’t be surprised if you get a genius idea for the Smith account or whip through your inbox faster than urban legends spread.

That’s because people who eat a lot of fruit and have a high intake of flavonoids perform better on tests of verbal fluency, logical reasoning, and visual memory -- three skills that translate into doing your job better, faster, and smarter. (We’re hoping that someday we can claim flavonoids as a business expense.)

Flavonoids are antioxidants that are packed into fruit, and they’re widely thought to fight disease and mental decline. They’re in plenty of different fruits, but blueberries are little superheroes when it comes to antioxidant power and your brain. The compounds in this tiny fruit may help protect you from two processes linked to brain-cell aging: inflammation and oxidation (both are also linked to Alzheimer’s).

Back up blueberries with this breakfast chaser: an omega-3 supplement -- either 2 grams of fish oil or 600 milligrams of DHA. You’ll likely gain even more smarts.

Missed your chance for extra brainpower at breakfast? Pile some kidney beans onto your lunch plate -- they also excel at turning on your antioxidant power. Or at least add some onions, broccoli, and tea to your meal. They may be second-tier to red beans and blueberries, but they’re still awfully good.

And far better for you than that hunk of white bread you were mindlessly eyeing. Oh, right, think!

[jezzie]

Eat Up to Slim Down

If you're trying to lose weight, for heaven's sake don't starve.

Instead, change what -- not how much -- you eat, so you walk away from a meal feeling full, not frustrated. Instead of a big bowl of spicy chili, have an equally big bowl of zesty gazpacho; instead of a wedge of berry pie, have a whole pint of juicy strawberries.

In other words, cut calories and fat, not portions. It works, say scientists.

Recent research shows that eating fresher, lighter foods while leaving portion size unchanged is a good way to lose weight.

This means eating foods that have a lot of water: melon, tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, carrots, grapes, oranges, jicama, radishes -- almost any veggies you eat raw, and most fruits, as well as nonfat milk and broth-based soups.

In the study, participants reported feeling satisfied after eating large portions of low-cal foods. On the other hand, when portions of high-calorie foods were reduced in an effort to lose weight, participants noted feelings of deprivation and hunger.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that is low in calories and high in nutrients can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

[jezzie]

•3 Reasons to Eat More Squash

Besides being a colorful side on your turkey plate, squash also comes loaded with good-for-you nutrients. Here are three good reasons to lap up that leftover squash:

1. Better blood pressure: Squash is rich in potassium, a mineral known for helping keep BP under control.

2. Healthier knees: Winter squash is high in beta cryptoxanthin and vitamin C, two nutrients credited with helping save joints.

3. Better appetite control: Squash is low in calories (as long as you don't douse it in butter and brown sugar) and high in fiber -- and together that can mean you eat fewer calories and feel fuller longer. The extra fiber can also be super helpful for sluggish bowels.

Versatile Veggie

Not sure how to use up that extra acorn or butternut squash? Start with these delicious dishes:

* Use it in a hearty, healthy soup along with your turkey leftovers.
* Substitute squash for spinach in your lasagna.
* Stew never tasted (or smelled) so good!

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]

Don’t Diet! Here’s Why . . .

If you've tried every calorie-restricting diet out there but still can't keep the weight off, there's a reason: Diets don't work.

Over time, the majority of dieters regain any weight they may have lost, according to researchers who pored over a slew of diet studies recently. So instead of counting calories . . .

Eat for Good Health

The concept that you can permanently shrink yourself by temporarily eating less is mostly bunk -- for most of us. In fact, the health benefits of short-term weight loss still need to be closely examined.

Instead, your goal should be to eat nutritious foods that make you younger -- and make that a lifelong habit. The good news? Your waist may shrink as a fringe benefit.

Getting Started

Kick-start your lifelong healthy-eating habits with these tips:

* Focus on your waist, not your weight.
* Eat three main meals, plus snacks, so you're never hungry.
* Don't buy anything with more than 4 grams of saturated fat or 4 grams of any sugar (especially high-fructose corn syrup) per serving.
* Strive for a rainbow of colors in your meals. Here's how to do that.
* Eat a little healthy fat -- like a handful of walnuts -- about 20 minutes before a meal. It will take the edge off, so you won't be tempted to overeat.
* Eat a fiber-rich breakfast every day.
* Walk every day for 30 minutes.

Get more tried-and-true waist-management strategies from RealAge experts Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD.
RealAge Benefit: Developing a RealAge Plan can make your RealAge as much as 29 years younger.

References Published on 04/01/2008.
Medicare's search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer. Mann, T., Tomiyama, A. J., Westling, E., Lew, A. M., Samuels, B., Chatman, J., American Psychologist 2007 Apr;62(3):220-233.

[jezzie]

For a Long and Sexy Life, Play by These Numbers

If hitting healthy cholesterol numbers seems trickier to you than picking a winning Powerball ticket, you’re not alone. Once, the mantra was simply “lower is better.” That was easy to grasp. But recent headlines warn that super-low levels of some types of cholesterol can actually be risky.

How low should YOU go? The short answer is, far enough to really reduce your personal risk for a heart attack or stroke -- the top killers of men and women. Inside your blood vessels, particles of LDL cholesterol attempt to spackle over any spot in your arteries where there’s a nick or hole (often brought on by high blood pressure), but the spackle kick-starts the growth of heart-threatening plaque.

The first step in protecting your body and brain against heart attacks and strokes is simply knowing your cholesterol numbers. So get your LDL and HDL cholesterol tested every year (and if your doc says you just need total cholesterol, get a new doc). Do just that and you’ll be more likely to live a more vigorous life than the 1 in 4 Americans who haven’t had an LDL and HDL cholesterol check lately, if ever.

Your second step? Don’t be complacent about so-so numbers: In one large study, people who had more than one even slightly off-base number tripled their risk of heart disease. So, if you want to get the gold in your golden years (and enjoy the current ones more), know your numbers and get them where they should be. Where’s that?

Your New Cholesterol Targets

Once, having total cholesterol below 200 was considered healthy. Today, it’s more important to custom-tweak three blood fats -- LDL, HDL, and triglycerides -- than to focus on that single number. In fact, knowing your total cholesterol without the other numbers is useless.

The new heart math: Dropping levels of lousy LDL to 70 to 100 mg/dL is optimal -- especially if you have diabetes or heart disease already -- and we’d like to see you at the low end of that range. Near optimal is 100 to 129; borderline is 130 to 159; and 160 or more is high.

You should also raise your healthy HDL cholesterol (it keeps LDL in line) to 55 or higher for women and 50 or above for men, especially if you’re over 60 years of age. There has never been a study of women where lowering LDL did any good if the women didn’t also raise their HDL.

So get it up, gals and guys. An LDL of 70 with an HDL over 60 stops plaque from growing in blood vessels and actually seems to pull it out of there if your blood pressure is a healthy 115/76. That not only helps keep your heart young but also makes for better sex and even keeps your memory intact.

Even little changes make a big difference: Your risk of heart attack falls 1% every time you lower lousy LDL by just 1 point. It drops 2% every time you raise your healthy HDL by 1 point. Doing both gives you an exponentially bigger bang for your cardiovascular buck. Finally, keep levels of heart-damaging blood fats called triglycerides below 100.

The best ways to rebalance all three blood fats?

The usual do-gooders: Lose weight, exercise, go easy on alcohol, replace white bread and other refined grains with whole grains, and slash any trans fat and saturated fat in your diet (it’s in full-fat ice cream, milk, cream, cheese, and fatty meats). Then, add one of these cholesterol-balancing supplements: niacin (check with your doctor first) or pantothenic acid (300 milligrams a day) or DHA omega-3 fat (600 milligrams of DHA or 2 grams of fish oil).

Sure, some statin drugs, such as Crestor, do this, too. But eating healthy foods, keeping physically active, staying connected with your buddies, and taking fish oil or DHA supplements do it with no risks that we can find. So that’s what we YOU docs do. It’s how we live. And, by the way, we eat deliciously.

[jezzie]

A Little Extra Veggie Works Wonders

Would you be willing to eat just a few extra string beans to reduce your risk of cancer? Heck, yeah!

And that could be all you have to do. A recent study revealed that eating just one extra serving of veggies a day could cut your risk of head and neck cancers.

More Is Better

Although one extra serving of veggies (or fruit) a day will help protect you, more is definitely better. In fact, the more fruit and veggies people ate in a recent study, the lower their risk of head and neck cancers.

And it's no surprise, really, when you think of all the cancer-squelching nutrients packed into produce -- like flavonoids, carotenoids, plant sterols, phenols, and vitamin C, to name a few. (Read the latest news on the causes of head and neck cancers and who's most at risk.)

The Perfect Product Picks for Protection

Not all the fruits and veggies in the study had a major impact on head and neck cancer risk. The most significant protection was linked to these 9 overachievers:
beans, peas, apples, peaches, strawberries, nectarines, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots.
How's that for lots of options?

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]

Healthy-Up Your Burger

A tart cherry pie may be an Independence Day cookout favorite, but save a few of those sour red beauties for your burgers, too.

It may sound strange, but adding chopped tart cherries to your ground-meat mixture will make the hamburgers healthier and tastier. They'll be juicier and lower in fat, and they'll form far fewer carcinogens during high-heat grilling.

The Heat Is On

When meat is cooked at high temperatures or for too long, nasty compounds called heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) can form, and they're linked to all sorts of cancers, including colon, breast, stomach, pancreatic, and prostate.

But adding about one-third cup of chopped tart cherries to every pound of ground beef can slash HAA production by as much as 90 percent!

Cutting Carcinogens

Your best bet for reducing HAAs is to use lower-temp cooking methods like stewing, boiling, or baking. (Learn more smart and healthy ways to prepare food.) If you do grill, here are some other ways to healthy-up your barbecue:

• Turn down the temp. Set your grill's temperature to 320-356 degrees Fahrenheit (160-180 degrees Celsius). Higher temps don't save much cooking time, but they do increase the formation of HAAs. Invest in a meat thermometer to make sure you cook meats to the proper internal temperature -- undercooked meat can cause a nasty bout of this.
• Keep flipping. Flip your burgers every minute or so while grilling. They'll cook faster and form fewer HAAs than if you flip 'em just once halfway through cooking.
• Microwave first. Microwave meats for 1 1/2-2 minutes before grilling, and toss the drippings, which contain the building blocks for HAAs.
• Marinate. Marinate meats for at least 10 minutes before cooking to reduce the formation of HAAs. Great marinade choices include olive oil, red wine vinegar, teriyaki sauce, or citrus juices loaded with garlic, onion, herbs, and spices.

RealAge Benefit: Making healthful substitutions when cooking can make your RealAge 3 to 12 years younger.

[jezzie]

How Young Is Your Brain?

Want to know if your brain is younger or older than the number of birthday candles you tried to blow out last year? Stand on one leg and close your eyes. Do this close to a steadying wall or a friend to grab onto. (The grab is for safety -- but we suppose you’d get some interesting reactions if you tried this in a singles bar.)

The longer you can stand without losing your balance, the younger your brain is. If you’re 45 or over, 15 seconds is very good; if you’re 30 or so, 30 seconds is fine.

If your mental age needs some rejuvenating, don’t worry -- you can get a do-over. Get started by being passionate about life instead of living on autopilot. The classic approach is to try something new -- whether it's learning to speak Spanish or play Sousa marches on the harmonica. Newness keeps brain function high, and it even helps regrow brain cells.

Another way to keep your brain young is by doing what we YOU Docs call "testing at the threshold." Let's say you can always do Wednesday's crossword puzzle, but you barely finish half of Sunday's. Keep taking a whack at the tougher Sunday puzzle (even if your ego likes the easier Wednesday one better).

Just as athletes train their bodies by setting ever-harder goals, mental challenges train your brain to outmaneuver your nephew’s.

Your brain benefits hugely from healthy-body moves, too. So walk every day, and eat wisely: Choose healthy fats (not trans or saturated fats), avoid simple sugars and syrups, eat only grains that are 100% whole, and go crazy with fruits and veggies -- at 9 servings a day, it’s hard to overdo ’em.

[jezzie]

Does Sweeping the Floor Make You Smile?

Next time you feel a little overwhelmed, grab your Swiffer and give the kitchen floor a quick sweep.

Truth is, you shouldn't dread housework. It actually -- studies bafflingly show -- has the power to cheer you up!

Dusting with a Smile

Chores and other forms of medium- to high-intensity activity may lift our emotions in a big way. And it doesn't take much of a time commitment to do the trick.

A recent study found that just 20 minutes once a week of any kind of activity -- not just traditional things like walking, but also doing laundry, gardening, or washing windows -- can keep people from feeling anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed.

Give Us Our Daily Exercise

For extra feel-good measure, try 20 minutes daily, not just weekly. That amount of physical activity improves well-being even more -- in both men and women.

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

[jezzie]

Soothing Dry, Scratchy Eyes

Your ancestors roamed the Great Plains with their sight set on the horizon. Or at least they didn’t have cubicle walls or big buildings blocking their views. You probably spend your days staring at a computer screen, which can leave eyes red, fatigued, and scratchy hours before it’s time to pack up.

Fortunately, it’s easy to keep your peepers as fresh as just-picked corn.

On your way to work: Do the movie-star thing. Put on a big pair of knockout shades -- they’ll heighten your wow factor and prevent tears from evaporating. You need those tears even on the happiest days: Any decrease in their presence ups dryness.

At lunch: Eat more omega-3 fats (from salmon, walnuts, avocados, DHA supplements, and omega-3 eggs) than omega-6 or saturated fats (from beef, white bread, and standard eggs). This shift in balance may decrease inflammation in the tear ducts and other parts of the eye -- a likely driver of dryness. And omega-3s fight dry macular degeneration, the forerunner to the leading cause of blindness.

At your desk: Adjust your computer screen so your eyes look slightly down at it. That way, the opening between your lids stays small, which reduces your dry-eye odds. And be aware that your eyes widen and you blink less frequently when you’re absorbed in your work, so make a conscious effort to blink.

Also, check out what the rest of the staff is gossiping about every 2 hours. Walking around for a 10-minute break from your computer can be enough to stave off uncomfortable eyes (and might get you some valuable info).

[jezzie]

Fish Helps You Keep the Beat

In this ever more polluted world, sometimes you just can't avoid a little bit of particulate matter in your lungs.

So go fish! Eating finny food not only reduces your risk for heart disease but also may protect your heart from air-pollution-induced arrhythmias.

Taking Heart Against Pollution

Short-term exposure to small airborne particles spewed from cars, power plants, and other industrial sources may cause an irregular heart rate. Serious stuff, because it could open the door to heart arrhythmias and even heart attacks in people who are over 60 or have heart or lung diseases.

Airing Things Out

But fish could help thwart that unhealthy chain of events. A study found that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil may help alleviate those irregular beats. That's just what happened when people over 60 who were exposed to particulate matter took a daily fish oil supplement.


Fish oil supplements aren't for everyone, though, and should be discussed with a doctor first.

RealAge Benefit: Eating nonfried fish three times a week can make your RealAge up to 3 years younger.

[jezzie]

Fruit of the month:

Pluots© and Apriums©

*Pluot© and Aprium© are registered trademarks of Zaiger Genetics, Modesto, California



Pluots are complex hybrid fruits that are part plum and part apricot in heritage. These fruits were originally invented in the late 20th century by Floyd Zaiger and are now grown in parts of Washington and California. Pluots have a majority of plum parentage and therefore, have smooth skin like plums. Some varieties of pluots are sometimes called interspecific plums, or dinosaur eggs.

The pluot is often confused with the aprium which is another plum and apricot hybrid with mostly apricot heritage. Like apricots, apriums have slightly fuzzy skin. Pluots and apriums are known for their sweetness and flavor; the sugar content of these fruits is much higher than that of a plum or apricot alone.

Availability

Pluot and aprium season stretches from May to September. Pluots can be found mostly in milder climates.

Pluots and apriums should be plump and firm. Avoid pluots that are green, blemished, or have broken skin.

Storage

Pluots and apriums should be ripened at room temperature and then refrigerated. Pluots can be ripened in a brown paper bag at room temperature.

[jezzie]

Preparation

Fruit should be washed well and dried before consumption. To remove pit, cut the fruit in half. Pluots and apriums can be eaten fresh or cooked.

Varieties

Approximately 20 varieties of pluots have been developed and bred by Zaiger Genetics. Each variety contains a different percentage of plum and apricot parentage. These varieties vary in size, skin color, and flesh color. The skin can be solid, striped, or speckled and skin colors range from yellow-green to black. Pluot flesh ranges from white to red in color.

There is only one variety of aprium currently on the market. The Honey Rich interspecific is bright orange and has bright orange flesh.

Pluot varieties include:

* Candy Stripe: medium, pink-yellow striped, with very sweet and juicy flesh.
* Cherry: small, bright red skin with white flesh.
* Dapple Dandy: large sweet with pale green to yellow, red-spotted skin, red or pink juicy flesh.
* Flavorella: round, medium-sized, golden-yellow, with sweet and juicy flesh.
* Flavor Heart: very large, black with a heart shape, and yellow flesh.
* Flavor King: very sweet, medium or large, with red-purple skin and red flesh.
* Flavorosa: very sweet or tart, medium-sized, flat round dark-purple fruit with red flesh.
* Flavor Prince: large round and purple, with red flesh.
* Flavor Rich: medium-sweet, large black round fruit with orange flesh.
* Flavor Supreme: medium or large, greenish purple skin, juicy red flesh.
* Flavor Queen: large light-green to yellow, very juicy.
* Red Ray: medium, bright red with dense, sweet orange flesh.

[jezzie]

Nature’s Happy Herb -- It’s in Your Kitchen

Can a spice lift you out of the doldrums? If it’s saffron -- the world’s most expensive seasoning -- maybe. There’s evidence that it soothes the snarky symptoms of PMS -- you know: anxiety, irritability, depression, food cravings, and feeling like you want to clobber the person who stole “your” parking space.

In fact, 75% of the women who took saffron daily in one small study cut their PMS symptoms in half, while not even 10% of the placebo takers saw their symptoms wane.

The people who got happy on saffron took specially made large capsules of it -- neither available nor economical. No worries. Until the researchers totally prove their findings -- and control the costs -- there’s no reason not to use saffron to punch up meals around that time of the month.

For one thing, it kicks up the taste of chicken, rice, and vegetables, so you can skip salt. And since it’s a strong spice (use a light hand), you don’t have to take out a loan just to get great flavor. And perhaps a happy meal.

While what you eat may improve your mood, what you do definitely will: Physical activity has major mood-boosting benefits -- and they can start after just one little 30-minute workout a day (even for people with major depression). When we say “workout,” we don’t mean sweating and grunting.

We mean moderate-intensity walking. YOU can do that! Grab your shoes, and go for a half-hour walk. Why wait to feel great?

[jezzie]

Chew This to Turn Off the Munchies

You could crush that 3 p.m. cookie craving just by chewing a little of this: gum.

That's right. A study found that chewing gum can really put the kibosh on your afternoon appetite in a big way.

Countering the Snack Attack

People who chew either sweetened or sugar-free gum after lunch feel full longer, have fewer hunger pangs, have fewer cravings for sweets, and eat fewer afternoon snacks -- compared with people who don't chew gum.

Tickled Taste Buds Signal "Full"

How does chomping gum suppress hunger? It's simple. When you eat, your taste buds are stimulated by the food.

But the cool thing is that exposure to the tastes and smells of food also lessens how good it tastes. That, in turn, is one of the cues that signal your brain that you're full, so cravings go away. Chewing gum may have this same effect -- but without all the calories!

Mindful Consumption
You can make the gum trick work even better by thinking about how many snacks you've eaten. Then, try these other tips for better snack management:

* Don't snack in front of the computer.
* Discover your emotional snacking triggers.
* Grab a tall drink of water before every snack.

RealAge Benefit: Maintaining a constant desirable weight can make your RealAge 6 years younger.

[jezzie]

3 Easy Ways to Eat Better

Batman and Robin. Will and Grace. iPods and treadmills. Alone, they’re not bad. But together, they’re amazing. Same with these eating moves. Pair them up and supercharge your health.

1. Avocados and tomatoes: The healthy fat in avocados help your body absorb carotenoids, important compounds in tomatoes and other bright red, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids cut your risk of heart disease, cancer, and even macular degeneration.

In one study, veggies got a nutritional boost when paired with three-quarters of a medium avocado. But because avocados are high in calories, we recommend eating only one-quarter at a time.

2. Calcium and vitamin D: Together, these nutrients help strengthen your bones and your immune system far better than they do separately (vitamin D increases your absorption of calcium).

And that’s not all: They help keep your arteries healthier, which protects your heart, reduces wrinkling, and aids sexual function in men. And they help ward off type 2 diabetes -- you’re a whopping 33% less likely to develop it if you get at least 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium and 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day than if you consume half that much.

We’d go further: We recommend getting 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 (the most potent form of D) and adding 400 mg of magnesium to the mix; it helps prevent constipation from calcium.

3. You and a slimmer friend: When people who are trying to lose weight buddy up with someone who has already slimmed down, the pounds melt away. In fact, it’s more effective to have one friend who’s actually lost weight than three who just think they know how to do it.

[jezzie]

4 Foods for Better Immunity

Your immune system is responsible for helping fight off everything from the common cold to cancer. A tall order!

Send in some reinforcements so it doesn't get battle fatigue. Here are four foods your immune system loves.

Sweet, Creamy, Steamy, Crunchy . . .

Oranges, yogurt, tea, and pumpkin seeds are the order of the day when it comes to giving your immune system a treat, according to RealAge experts Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, authors of the best-selling (and now newly expanded and updated) YOU: The Owner's Manual. Here's how these four superfoods help:

1. Oranges are chock-full of vitamin C, an antioxidant vitamin that helps your immune system fend off disease-causing invaders. Other good C options: bell peppers, strawberries, cantaloupe, and broccoli. Or take 400 milligrams of vitamin C three times daily.
2. Yogurt (unpasteurized) contains Lactobacillus acidophilus -- a healthy bacterium that helps thwart fungus-related infections. Or take a 20-milligram acidophilus supplement twice daily.
3. Tea is full of flavonoids, powerful vitamin-like substances that reduce immune-system aging. You'll also find them in oats, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, apples, and berries.
4. Pumpkin seeds are great year round, not just at Halloween, because they contain zinc -- a nutrient that's been shown to help reduce the average length of the common cold.

RealAge Benefit: Protecting your immune system can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

[jezzie]

A Mighty Mineral

If you run out of steam during regular workouts, you could be in need of an important mineral.

Fatigue during workouts could have many underlying causes. Recent research suggests a lack of zinc could be one factor. When 14 men were fed either a low-zinc or zinc-supplemented diet for 9 weeks, the men on the zinc diet performed much better on exercise tests compared to the men on the low-zinc diet.

Aim for at least 12 milligrams (mg) of zinc per day from food and supplements. However, zinc can be harmful in excessive amounts, so avoid getting more than 30 mg per day.

Zinc helps rid the body of excess carbon dioxide that builds up during a workout, so if you're low you may tire more quickly. It also facilitates oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, and other metabolic processes that help maintain stamina.

Zinc performs a variety of other functions in the body, as well, including aiding in the synthesis of genetic material, maintaining a healthy immune system, speeding wound healing, and helping enzymes perform their various functions.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that is low in calories and high in nutrients can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

[jezzie]

The World's Sexiest Fruit!

It gets its name from the word ahuacatl, Aztec for, well, testicle -- which it clearly resembles. And because of its shape, the Aztecs prized it as a powerful aphrodisiac. After several centuries an