10 Healthy Foods for Less #4

Berries of any type are good healthy foods. Look for those in season and locally grown. If they are in season, often time stores will have a big sale on them and you can buy extras and freeze them for later use.

Berries are rich in antioxidants and can be added to things like salads or be made a dessert in and of themselves. You can use them in smoothies which just adds to the nutrient value of the smoothie.

Berries contain lutein, and a substance which can help decrease the risk of bladder infections. They make a great dessert and are very healthy for you.Heal

Keep Your Brain Healthy

Want to know how to keep your brain functioning at it's highest and best level? I think we all want to go here. If you have had a relative or known someone who suffered from Alzheimer's Disease, then you have probably already wondered how you can keep your brain functioning at it's best.

I believe there are 5 things you can do to keep you brain functioning at it's very best. The first thing is to eat well. I have written a few things about brain foods. If you look in the key word list on this blog under Brain Food, you will find them. One of the things that I have found to be most helpful in clearing my thinking is to actually cleanse the body which in turn cleans out the bad chemicals from the brain as well. I just recently did a series on cleansing, but if you are interested in cleansing the mind, respond to this post and I will send you more information.

Just some simple basics that clog up your brain are things like sugar and flour. Better to look to foods with natural sugars and whole grains or nuts. Researchers describe brain food diets as those that include fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, fish and poultry.

There are some specific foods which help the brain. Berries, especially blueberries improve short term memory, help clear arteries and improve blood flow to the brain.

More on brain foods tomorrow.

More on Blueberries

There is a lot of research out there supporting eating blueberries in terms of cancer. Because it is a strong antioxidant, it helps in the prevention of cancer cells. They also help if taken in the months prior to chemo to eliminate the nausea that comes with the therapy.

There is some research out of the University of Mississippi that demonstrates that blueberries have lipid lowering properties. The compound that has been identified by Dr. Rimando is pterostilbene which is similar to resveratrol. Resveratrol is the substance in grapes and red wine thought to help in lowering cholesterol.

More importantly as far as I'm concerned are blueberries anti-inflammatory effects. They have been shown to decrease inflammation and may be of help in people with arthritis.

Blueberry Brain Turn On

I've known for a long time that blueberries are rich in antioxidants and help boost the immune system. They are also a super food that can energize and turn on brain cells.

Blueberries actually help neuron signals be stronger, this is part of the problem in Alheimer's (the signals are weak). The chemical that is required to have strong neuron signals is potentiated by blueberries.

Blueberries can actually help your brain think more clearly.