We are all busy, but we also realize that what we eat is often as important as how much we eat. Here are a few tips to change what you eat to help improve your health.
Snack on kiwifruit
One study found an improvement in sleep when study participants consumed two kiwis an hour before bed. Though it?s unclear why they might help, one theory holds that they are high in serotonin.
Sprinkle on cinnamon
Just a quarter teaspoon of the spice twice a day has been shown to reduce fasting blood sugar up to 29 percent in people with type 2 diabetes. This is important because type 2 diabetes can raise your risk for developing Alzheimer?s disease. The spice has also been found to reduce blood cholesterol and inflammation, both of which can further reduce your risk for Alzheimer?s. Cinnamon can help you to add some sweetness to foods without using sugar. Sprinkle it on oatmeal, fruit, pancakes, and coffee, and experiment by adding it to other main course dishes like chili. Here are other great uses for cinnamon that you didn’t know.
Air-pop your popcorn
Microwave popcorn contains many different potential health hazards. For one, most bags of microwave popcorn are lined with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical thought to raise risk for cancer (though the jury is still out). Many microwave varieties with a ‘buttery taste’ contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil, or trans fat. Research has linked a high consumption of trans fats to Alzheimer?s and heart disease, and the evidence is so strong that the FDA is considering banning the fat. In some brands of popcorn, the buttery flavoring also comes from diacetyl, a chemical that has been linked to lung disease. Instead, make your own popcorn. Place popcorn kernels inside a plain brown paper lunch bag. Fold the top down a few times. Then microwave for two to three minutes, until the popping starts to abate. Voil?. Microwave popcorn without the trans fats and chemicals.
Eat fruit for dessert
Fruit is naturally sweet. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of berries for a simple, low-calorie brain booster. Or puree berries, watermelon, and other fruits, and freeze them.
Trade in farmed salmon for wild
In a study of 815 people, people who consumed salmon and other fish at least once a week reduced their Alzheimer?s disease risk by 60 percent compared to people who rarely or never ate fish, But farmed salmon have tested eight times higher in PCBs, an industrial pollutant, carcinogen, and neurotoxin than wild salmon.
So try a few of these tips and see if they improve your health.
