USA Today quoted Marisa Moore, a registered dietitian in Atlanta and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association as saying, “It’s absolutely possibly for adults to change their eating patterns.” And because adults are the best role models for children, it’s absolutely necessary for adults to make an effort to change. We have made children’s health a topic of several discussions here on Science & Health News but adult health is important too, so we decided to focus on the adults today.

Recent studies have found that your diet can affect both your memory and your vision. In The Telegraph, scientists at the University of Cincinnati have found that grapes can reduce or even reverse memory loss. This was a fairly small study but the “trends suggested improved short-term memory retention and spatial, non-verbal memory.” The study gives further weight to the suggestion that the consumption of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables may help slow or reverse memory decline.

The Sun Sentinel discusses the topic of vision. According to a national survey, Americans pay little attention to vision changes until it’s too advanced to treat. Obviously routine eye exams are necessary to catch problems before it’s too late but they also suggest looking at your diet. A diet rich in lutein – found in green leafy vegetable such as broccoli and Kale – and fatty acids can aid in vision health.

* Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Today, one in three American children are overweight. This puts them at a higher risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other illnesses that nobody should have to worry about until much later in life. According to the L.A. Times, Obama’s campaign is aimed at solving the childhood obesity problem  so that the children of today can reach adulthood at a healthy weight.

Michelle tells USA Today why this is so important to her. The First Lady is just like any other mom. She juggled school pick-ups, a busy husband, and a job. When it came to mealtime, she was too tired to cook and drive-thrus or takeout were a simple and attractive alternative. When her pediatrician told Michelle he was concerned with the fluctuations in her daughter’s weight, Michelle realized those ‘easy’ meals weren’t doing anybody any favors in the long run. So she decided it was time to do something about it. That something has become the Let’s Move campaign.

Let us know your thoughts on the the Let’s Move campaign and Michelle’s fights against childhood obesity.

Janet Roberto, M.D.

As a practicing family physician for over 20 years, I have had the privilege to share in the health care of many families – to celebrate their joys and successes as well as support and share struggles and losses. I have seen how lifestyle choices impact a person’s wellness, quality of life, and longevity.

Will the habits you have now really make a difference when you’re older? The majority of all age related illnesses are related directly to behaviors like poor diet, inactivity, stress, smoking, and inadequate sleep. Poor behaviors when you are young can increase the risk of developing serious diseases when you are older like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, which are responsible for over half of all deaths in adults. The good news? It’s never too late to begin a proactive approach to your health.

Start with the basics – eat right, be active , and maintain a healthy weight. According to the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association , a healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons for maintaining health.

Part of a healthy lifestyle includes a diet with an emphasis on plant foods. You should eat five or more servings or a variety of vegetables and fruits every day. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. The CDC created a web site to help you increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet. You can even join their Fruit and Vegetable of the Month Club. Now that is a new idea!

Remember that change happens a little bit at a time. Start by making small changes to your lifestyle and pretty soon you’ll be on your way to a healthier you.

Janet Roberto, M.D.
Family Medicine

Note: Dr. Janet Roberto is one of the many health professionals who share Juice Plus+^® with their patients and colleagues as a Juice Plus+^® distributor.

*Register to share your comments/questions with us. (The registration button is found in the upper left navigation bar.)

According to a study in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 71 % of packed lunches didn’t have enough fruits and vegetables and 25% of preschools kids didn’t get enough milk. Those are some frightening numbers but there is a solution. The BBC shares some great tips for a healthy lunchbox that your child will actually eat instead of ending up in the trash can.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Every year we start our resolution with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and the powerful thought that this is the year… But somehow after a few weeks we lose our momentum and slowly revert back to our old ways. Some of us don’t even make a New Year’s Resolution because we think it’s doomed to fail. Well the truth is you can succeed and turn that resolution into a long term goal and possibly a life changing decision. Journal & Courier wrote an article about Jennifer Bastian who did exactly that. In the article Jennifer shares how she achieved her goal and gives you an action plan to set your New Year’s Resolution in motion.

If you can’t decide on a New Year’s Resolution, check out this article from USA Today . They share what several top fitness and nutrition experts resolve to do in 2010.

Have a healthy and happy New Year!

One way to improve the eating habits of our country’s youth is to start when they are young – very young. According to an article in Time , studies show that children prefer the flavors they experience early on, including while they’re in the womb. Making a young child familiar with certain flavors is called food imprinting which can have a long-term effect on a person’s life. How a child eats is learned behavior and is one of the most important health issues in this country.

If your child is already too old for you to affect their food imprint, check out this article from the Baltimore Sun . They share some very helpful “do’s and don’ts” of healthy family eating.

Let us know what you think. Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Winter, spring, summer, and fall each offer their own unique fruits and vegetables for distinct seasonal flavor. Learn to choose and use each season’s best with a little help from an article at Cooking Light.com .

Also, for you Iphone users there’s an app locates fresh fruits and vegetables in your area. Locavore utilizes built-in GPS and location awareness to show the user what foods are currently in season locally and what is coming in season soon. This means you get the freshest, healthiest foods available in your area any time of the year. Pretty neat!

Let me know what you think about Locavore. Do you already use it? Are there any other articles or phone apps out there we should know about? Share your comments below.

Click here to read the full article on healthy holiday dining tips.

Let us know what you think and share some tips of your own.

*To post a comment, click on the ‘Comment’ link in upper right hand corner of this article.

Even when we "get it," it’s difficult to find restaurants that offer healthy choices. Can you imagine a "fast food" or even a "quick service" menu consisting of fruit and vegetable dishes with lean meats and non-fried foods? Yet, as it stands now, we can travel the globe and never be without the comforts of America’s favorite greasy fast food establishment. How tragic that two of the biggest health problems in the United States are heart disease and obesity – conditions whose incidence is rising across the world as we "share" our fast food craze. Are you contributing to the fast food movement or the health food movement?

One of the main reasons for the rise in fast food consumption is Food Marketers. These Food Marketers seem to turn a blind eye to the fact that their billions of advertising dollars are contributing to the poor health and obesity of our nation. Thirteen billion dollars annually is spent marketing food and drink to U.S. children and their parents¹. It has been shown that children view up to 40,000 commercials each year; 360,000 by high school graduation². How often do you talk to your kids about healthy food choices?

And, then there’s the overuse of isolated vitamins and other supplements that I mentioned earlier. This is the typical American solution to a problem – a quick and easy fix. But multivitamins give people a false sense of security that they can have an unhealthy diet and still be healthy. The rising rate of chronic adult conditions appearing in children underscores this reality. Even the American Heart Association no longer recommends synthetic vitamins as being protective for our heart, but that fruits and vegetables are. You see, we can’t possibly duplicate the thousands of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables that work together so beautifully to protect us from long-term health problems.

This is further supported by the lack of credible research to support the efficacy of specific vitamin supplements. It’s difficult to find scientific research to support most branded supplements. The research simply isn’t there. Yet there is a multitude of sound scientific research to support the profound health benefits of fruits and vegetables. But we just don’t pay enough attention to this evidence. We don’t consistently eat the variety and the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables our bodies need every day! Fortunately, there is peer-reviewed published research on the whole food based nutrition of Juice Plus+^® . Juice Plus+^® contains primarily fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrates. While Juice Plus+^® is not a substitute for fruits and vegetables in our daily diet, it is a support system for the fruit and vegetable food group. Juice Plus+^® enables children and adults to enhance their daily nutrition while eating as healthy as possible.

Do you need more nutrition from fruits and vegetables in your life? Don’t let anything stand between you, your family, and better health. There is overwhelming scientific evidence proving the incredible preventive health value of fruits and vegetables. Recommendations for daily intake of fruits and vegetables keep rising. Choose health. Choose to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. And if you, like most people, are having trouble getting the recommended volume and variety – remember that Juice Plus+^® is standing by to help. What are you waiting for?

Paul Stricker, M.D.
Youth Sports Medicine Specialist

Note: Dr. Paul Stricker is one of the many health professionals who share Juice Plus+^® with their patients and colleagues as a Juice Plus+^® distributor.

*Register to share your comments/questions with us. (The registration button is found in the upper left navigation bar.)