Good fats bad fats

Olive oil wins hands down as the healthiest oil to use, whether raw, as in dressings, or for sautéing. Avocado oil has essentially the same fat profile and an even better smoke point, with some other nutritional benefits. Both are excellent choices for good health.

Unraveling the omega-6 to omega-3 fats issue

Boo fat, fat go away. I’ve been putting off writing about fats, because they have a complex biochemistry. But fats are vital to our good health. On the other hand, too much fat or the wrong kinds can do serious damage.

For best health, follow these three rules:

• Choose fats and oils with the lowest possible unsaturated omega-6 fats.
• Eat foods that contain lots of unsaturated omega-3 fats.
• Limit foods that contain large amounts of saturated fats.

French tea cake flavored with anise seed

This egg-rich cake, dotted with anise seed, is easy and quick to make. A friend served it to me recently, and it is loaded with flavor. I discovered when buying the seed for this cake that fennel and anise seeds are different. Although both have a similar, licoricy kind of flavor, the fennel seeds are much larger and prettier. I tried both, and didn’t notice much difference in the flavor. The fennel seeds may be a bit more attractive is all I can say. Your preference.

Beautiful beets boost brain power – More tips

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  Gramma, eat beets!

Versatile beets, as well as their leaves with stems, make delicious treats at any meal. Experiment with them to find ways to include them often in your meal plan. Your brain will thank you for it. Don’t forget. Eat beets.

As further encouragement for adding beets and beet leaves to your diet, here are three helpful tips for preparing and serving them deliciously and easily. This post follows on my previous two posts about beets’ bounty. Be sure to read them:

Battling Alzheimer’s disease – Part 3: Drink water

Fend off those “senior moments”

Vinny’s grandparents have told him that living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is one of the scarier prospects of growing older. So he has decided to do a series of posts about some lifestyle choices that could make a positive difference to our mental health in later years. He’s all for starting these habits early, for a longer and more active life. Read on for his third installment. Featured recipe: Smoothies.

Part 3 – Drink Water

The elixir of life

Humans can last days, even weeks, without food. But without water, we’re in trouble. Just 4 hours without water can lead to mild dehydration, with effects like fatigue and headaches. Going as little as 24 hours without water can have dire results. Brains lacking water lose the ability to retain short-term memories and to recall memories from the past. Lack of water over longer periods makes your little gray cells shrink. A thirsty brain ages before its time, resulting in brain fog, confusion, and worse.

Recipe for home-made liquid stevia sweetener

Stevia has become my go-to sweetener, these days, for so many reasons. It replaces sugar in coffee and tea as well as in yogurt, mixed drinks, puddings and custards, and even baked goods, with a little practice.

Vinny’s recipe for a home-made stevia sweetener results in a liquid that you can measure out by the teaspoon or with a dropper. One teaspoon is equivalent to one teaspoon of sugar in sweetening power. It works reliably well.