Health Front
News that's good for you
June 2007
Reprinted with permission from Taste For Life

• Plant a Garden
• Snack to Manage Weight?
• What's the Buzz?
• Beautiful to Bees
• Walk to Brain Power

Plant a Garden
Preschool children—and their parents—eat more fruits and veggies when they take part in growing them. Kids who are almost always served homegrown fruits and veggies are more than twice as likely to eat five servings a day than those who rarely or never eat homegrown produce, researchers find. Youngsters who grow up eating fresh-picked produce actually prefer the taste of fruits and vegetables to other foods, according to the parents of the 1,600 youngsters studied.

“Garden produce creates what we call a ‘positive food environment,’” says Debra Haire-Joshu, PhD, director of Saint Louis University’s Obesity Prevention Center and study coauthor. “When children are involved with growing and cooking food, it improves their diet,” she explains. Planting a garden—either at home or at school—is “a winning and low-cost strategy to improve the nutrition of our children at a time when pediatric obesity is an epidemic problem,” she adds.

source

• “Frequency of Eating Homegrown Produce Is Associated with Higher Intake among Parents and Their Preschool-Aged Children in Rural Missouri” by M. S. Nanney et al., Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 4/07

Snack to Manage Weight?
Almonds have been studied for heart health, diabetes, and weight management, and the news is good. These nuts are a rich source of vitamin E and magnesium. They offer protein, fiber, heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, calcium, and iron as well. And almonds can help control weight because they offer satiety—that feeling of fullness and satisfaction.

Two studies presented at the Obesity Society’s 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting found that eating a handful or two of almonds a day can take the place of higher fat, less nutrient dense, and less filling snacks like chips.

sources

• “The Effects of Almond Consumption on Energy Balance in Adult Females” by James Hollis, PhD, and Richard D. Mattes, PhD, RD
• “The Effects of BMI, Appetitive State, and the Physical Properties of Almonds on Chewing and Particle Size” by J. Frecks et al.; presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity: The Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting 2006, Boston, MA

What’s the Buzz?
Americans owe one in every three bites we consume to the honeybee. Now beekeepers in more than 20 states report these busy insects are dying off at alarming rates, following two decades of attacks from a predatory beetle and two different mites. Because the varroa mite compromises bees’ immune system, a new virus, fungus, and/or pesticides may be to blame for this year’s dramatic number of deaths.

Only a few crops (like corn and wheat) are pollinated by wind, so the loss of honeybees is potentially devastating to world food supplies. Consumers can help protect remaining bees by using nontoxic insect repellents in their gardens and choosing organic foods, since these crops are produced without synthetic and persistent pesticides.

selected sources

• “Across the U.S., Keepers Say Their Bees Are AWOL,” 3/9/07
• “Dying Honeybees Threaten Agriculture Industry” by Ira Flatow and Alex Chadwick, 3/31/05, NPR
• “Mystery Ailment Strikes Honeybees” by Genaro C. Armas, Washington Post, 2/11/07
• “Why Are Bees Dying?” by Sandy Bauers, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/18/07

Beautiful to Bees
Many plants that attract bees are also alluring to butterflies and hummingbirds. Attract them to your garden by planting bee balm, coreopsis, cosmos, dusty miller, lamb’s ear, lavender, rosemary, and sunflower.

Walk for Brain Power
f you think the brain shrinks with age and that loss of cognitive function like memory is inevitable, recent research offers good news. The brains of 59 healthy adults, ages 60 to 79, responded to as few as three hours a week of brisk walking with a significant increase in brain volume, shown in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Aerobic exercise and cardiovascular fitness can reverse deterioration and improve cognitive functioning. Other studies indicate that a healthy diet and social stimulation also benefit older brains.

Feeling foggy? Put on your walking shoes.

selected sources

• “Aerobic Exercise Training Increases Brain Volume in Aging Humans,” 2006; “Aerobic Fitness Reduces Brain Tissue Loss in Aging Humans,” 2003, by Stanley J. Colcombe et al., Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological and Medical Sciences
• “Brisk Walking Can Rebuild Your Brain,” Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, 3/07