You might know that pumpkins are a great source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that plays a significant role in cancer prevention, and pumpkin seeds can fight bad cholesterol. However, did you know that a pumpkin is also good for your age-esteem?

Imagine yourself letting go of worries and concerns by allowing yourself to get into the mood of witches and goblins. Take part in a costume party. Wear something playful and out of the ordinary. Spend time carving a pumpkin and creating a work of art while enjoying the health benefits that pumpkin has to offer.

Grab some dark chocolate, benefit from those antioxidants and allow your age-esteem to shine this Halloween.

Sweet Potatoes For Healthy Aging

Sweet potatoes, with their rich orange color, are a wonderful source of fiber and vitamins.  Loaded with beta-carotene, which aids night vision, they are helpful as an anti-inflammatory food, and they seem to protect the immune system.

A Harvard University study shows that large amounts of beta-carotene may prevent some cancers, especially lung and breast cancer.

Grandma Nature

I associate sweet potatoes with Africa. When I attended a conference in Kenya in the 1990’s, one evening our hosts built a bonfire and threw sweet potatoes into the fire. While the potatoes cooked a local raconteur wove us into his storytelling with threads of tales from our various cultures. At the end of the evening we reveled in the savors of the sweet potatoes.

Bonnie Fatio

Pumpkins And Squash For Healthy Aging

Pumpkins and squash come in various deep orange and yellow colors, and these colors are the secret to their very nutritional value.

Rich in vitamins B and C, pumpkins and squash also contain manganese, which is an antioxidant mineral rich in beta-carotene.  Beta-carotene is the ultimate component of nutrition, and the deeper the color, the more beta-carotene the vegetable contains.  It is important to eye health and also an aid to fighting cancer.  As it regulates insulin in the body, it is helpful for diabetes as well.

The omega-3 fatty acids contained in these vegetables provide anti-inflammatory effects adding to their other virtues.

This autumn take advantage of a wide selection of pumpkins and squash to adorn your dinner plate as well as to decorate the table.

Grandma Nature

Carrots For Healthy Aging

 The orange substance in carrots is beta-carotene.  Beta-carotene contains lutein and lycopene. Both substances are very important for general good eyesight and night vision.  Beta-carotene is also thought to reduce some cancers.

Some nutrients disappear and the color becomes less bright as soon as the carrots are picked. This indicates the loss of some of the healthy nutrients in the vegetable.

To get the greatest benefit:

• Eat carrots soon after they are picked;
• Purchase carrots in small quantities; and
• Replace carrots often so they will be fresher.

Carrots provide an easy snack. Eat them often to benefit from the beta-carotene they provide.

Grandma Nature

The sweet potato, this wonderful elongated orange vegetable, is such a treat to eat.  It is not necessary, as the custom dictates, to add even more sweet ingredients like marshmallows, maple syrup and brown sugar.

Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse of healthy eating just consumed on their own.  The orange color, of course, indicates that the sweet potato is full of beta-carotene.  This nutrient with its antioxidant properties is converted into vitamin A, so important in linking it to a lower risk of cancer, especially lung cancer.

Cardio-vascular disease is also improved when eating this food. The sweet potato is also beneficial for the eyes, helping to improve eye disease such as macular degeneration because of the lutin that it contains.  In addition, it is loaded with cholesterol-lowering fiber and has a lot of potassium as well, so necessary in lowering blood pressure.

Sweet potatoes are only distantly related to the white potato but they are just as easy to prepare and bring so much more to the body.

Add sweet potatoes around a roast to add taste and nutrition to your meal.  Use your imagination and prepare them in the same way as you would white potatoes. – Remembering that the health benefits are much greater.

Grandma Nature

We have been hearing much about beta-carotene these days.  What is it exactly?  No, it is not a carrot!  It is an antioxidant found in foods which seem to reduce cancer development and heart disease.  Carrots do contain a large quantity of beta-carotene as do other yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables.  One thinks of orange when seeing the word carotene, and yet the antioxidant is found in great quantities in dark green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and Swiss Chard as well.

Studies have shown that for the beta-carotene to be most effective it must be cooked or cut into small pieces.  Some fat should be added when preparing the food in order for the beta-carotene to be assimilated in the body.  Other foods with high amounts are carrot juice, pumpkin, sweet potato, kale, beet greens, cantaloupe and red peppers.

Beta-carotene is converted in the body into vitamin A, which is necessary for good vision and the immune system.  It has an important function in helping to prevent lung cancer.    Enjoying these vegetables and fruits will not only provide a delicious meal but will keep you fit and healthy.

Grandma Nature

Mother Nature entices us to try all of her fruits and vegetables with their bright and various colors when we see them displayed at outdoor markets and food shops. Their beautiful colors mingled together remind us of a secret garden, all in bloom.

Today it is known that these colors, phytonutrients, are beneficial in preventing heart disease and cancer, among other illnesses.  The darker the color the more important they are to the body. Yellow and orange vegetables are full of vitamin A and beta-carotene, a wonder drug in preventing cataracts and retina problems. Vitamin A is known to help control lung cancer.

What is even more important is to combine them together and eat various colors at the same time.  This is easily done, for example, with a mixed salad of dark red tomatoes, bright orange carrots and bell peppers, dark green lettuce and white onions and garlic which enhance the immune system and increase memory capacity.

Dark blueberries and blackberries are full of a nutrient effective in helping to offset the anti-aging process as well as circulatory problems.  And these precious little berries can be mixed with other fruits of a different color.

A couple of dishes consisting of several different colored vegetables are ratatouille and a tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. Just use your imagination when shopping and pick up whatever you find in season. Your body will then be filled with valuable nutrients to keep you fit.

Grandma Nature

Many of us remember Popeye and his advice to eat spinach in order to become big and strong!  Well, unfortunately, this is not exactly true.

Yes, spinach does have some iron but it also has oxalate, which prevent much of the iron from being absorbed by the body.  To counteract this, simply drink or eat something with the spinach that has a lot of vitamin C.  Red and green bell peppers, strawberries, cantaloupe, and Brussels sprouts are some sources. This is essential in helping the iron to be absorbed in the body.

There is still good news regarding spinach. Its dark green leaves are full of antioxidants which aid in preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.  In addition, the vegetable is full of beta-carotene which will help in preventing eye diseases such as macular degeneration.

As some antioxidants are lost in cooking, it is very important to eat spinach raw or very slightly cooked.

Spinach Salad
Fresh spinach, washed
Add chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped red pepper, and garlic roasted croûtons.
Serve with a salad dressing of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and a bit of mustard.

Yum.  So healthy.

Grandma Nature