Walking is one of the healthiest and most easily accessible exercises to keep yourself healthy as you age. And, except for the purchase of a good pair of walking shoes, it is free!

Walking, and doing other outside exercise, is healthier for you than exercising indoors with the treadmill, for example. Studies have shown that your brain functions better when you are not in an enclosed place. Your body is away from places that give it stress in the first place, like going to a spa in a building where you work. You feel happier and boosts your age-esteem.

Physical activity such as walking is very necessary in fortifying your bones and preventing osteoporosis. Walk for healthy aging.

Grandma Nature

Celeriac, the round bulb of the celery family, is rich in vitamin K, important for blood coagulation. Also found in the vegetable are minerals important for good functioning of the body. The calcium and phosphorous that it contains aid in strengthening bone structure.

Grandma Nature

Spinach is considered erroneously to be full of iron. It has less than the quantity needed to fulfill daily requirements. However, it contains calcium, necessary for good bone structure, and magnesium, which helps muscular contractions.

Two antioxidants, vitamins C and E, are also found in valuable quantities in spinach.

Grandma Nature

Our hair is an important part of our image. As we age, we raise many questions about how to care for our hair, since many begin to lose hair. There is also the question of how do I keep my hair healthy if am coloring it regularly.

Here are some tips from Grandma Nature suggesting things to do and not to do in order to maintain healthy hair.

• Do not wash hair daily.
• Cut hair regularly.
• Do not use the same shampoo year round.
• Do not use a hair dryer all the time. It dries the hair and can make it brittle.
• Dandruff is not a sign of unhealthy hair. Discover what the problem is so you can treat it accordingly.
• A bit of sun is good for the hair.

Healthy hair is one sign of healthy aging.

Grandma Nature

The good news is that you can eat everything! The consensus among most dieticians and nutritionists is that all kinds of food should be eaten in order to maintain a healthy body. The only drawback is not to eat too much, except for fruits and vegetables, and not to eat too much of any one food.

Advice from a dietician

• Eat 3 main meals a day.
• Have starch with every meal. Dark is better: bread, rice, pasta. Starch has the vitamin B complexes and is important for a strong nervous system.
• Eat meat, fish, eggs, or another source of protein once a day to strengthen the organism. 15% of protein is needed each day.
• Three portions of calcium are needed each day in order to regenerate strong bones and teeth. Low fat calcium products are found everywhere.
  Enjoy fruits and vegetables as much as you like. They are rich in vitamins and low in calories. However, fruits do have a lot of sugar, so if you are controlling sugar intake, three fruits a day are enough.
• Get up and move at least a half hour each day. Go outdoors if possible, to oxygenate the body, to use up calories and to exercise the heart.

When watching weight, all of the above may be eaten in smaller quantities.

Do not deprive yourself of anything except when illnesses like diabetes or allergies are present.

Enjoy! They also say it is healthy to eat slowly and savor each bite.

Grandma Nature

The little black currant fruit is full of remedies.

• It protects the heart from free radical damage.
• One study showed that the juice improved night vision.
• Similar to cranberries the black currant contains anti-bacterial properties that help to alleviate urinary infections.
• Black currant tea is efficient in treating coughs and sore throats.

The little black currant is also very tasty and easy to use in juices, salads, jellies and desserts.

Grandma Nature

Wine For Healthy Aging

Although I would not encourage non-drinkers to drink, those of you who do drink alcohol will be interested in these health reasons for sipping some wine daily.

More and more studies show that a glass or two of wine per day is good for you as you age. It benefits your cardio-vascular health.  It was thought that it is red wine that protects the heart because of a substance in the red skin of the grapes, but it is now proven that red or white wine is beneficial.

Every wine has an element that is good for some ailment. This depends on the region where the grapes grow and the minerals in that particular soil.

Wine has a relaxing effect as well and can add just the right touch to a meal.  After all it was the monk Dom Pérignon who created the epitome of wine, champagne!

However, too much alcohol can lead to high blood pressure so wine consumption should be moderate.  Limit yourself to one or two glasses a day for health as you age.

Grandma Nature

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

Dill For Healthy Aging

When the word dill is mentioned, you might think of pickles.  Yet it is a delightful fresh herb which can benefit your health.

As an aid to digestion, dill is thought to have muscle-relaxing effects on the stomach and to relieve cramps.  A strong diuretic, it provides anti-bacterial compounds as well which can alleviate bladder infections.

Grandma Nature

Honey For Healthy Aging

Honey is rich in antioxidants particular to aiding skin conditions.  It is known to relieve or cure ailments such as psoriasis, eczema and even wounds.  When applied to your skin it enriches it and makes you skin smooth.

Use honey as a healthy replacement for refined sugar. It is healthier for you, too. Use honey in sauces, drinks, and simply as topping on your toast.

Grandma Nature