Tag Archives: Diet
Black mind health matters
Secrets & plain English answers to Black mental health concerns
People of the Lie – A book whose time has come
Finding your voice in the Age of the Big Lie
What determines sanity
Taking psychiatric meds? How to protect yourself from side effects.
How to feed your brain to make it last
Coconut oil for alcoholism
Psychosis – Is Early Childhood Bullying a Cause?
Kids Are Being Prescribed Antidepressants and ADHD Meds at Increasingly High Rates
Fight dementia & Alzheimer’s: Dump the bread
No Amount of Alcohol is Safe
Just Get Over It! And Other Insensitive Things That People Say……..
Crucial Factors in Mother Driving her Children into the Ocean
Start forming your Alzheimer’s prevention strategies now
Pre-Senior Strategies
For seniors and their children – preparation is the key to a healthy future
New research indicates that African Americans and other people of color have twice the risk of getting Alzheimer’s due primarily to diet
and lack of proper medical care. With the expected number of folks
estimated to swell just when our health care system may have to
shrink it’s offerings and accessibility, it’s action time, people.
Here are the steps that will get you started:
- Get moving! The number 1 way to combat cognitive decline is to keep the blood flow going and keep the brain busy. After the initial resistance, your muscles, joints and nervous system will wake up with the right level workout. Run it by your health provider. Start small and work your way
up. Check out YouTube, phone apps, the local Y or community center. They may all have online offerings to get you started. - Use it or lose it, when it comes to the brain. So crossword puzzles aren’t
your thing, but haven’t you always wanted to learn to draw, bead or do
woodworking? There are plenty of online classes to get you started or just start experimenting with your computer paint program or different pens, pencils and paper. Practice makes the eye perfect
in figuring out how to draw. The more you draw, the better you get.
Also, online brain games, like Lumosity, are fun, challenging and stimu-
lating. They guide you towards strengthening your weak spots and you
will actually see changes in how you handle things in everyday life.
You’re never too old! - Getting older is like being a car that goes from automatic to manual.
You gotta do things intentionally that your body used to do without thinking. Stretch! Want to remember things. Write them down. Put
up a calendar that you can write on. Set the timer on your stove
before you walk away from that pot. Learn how to use some of
the new technology. It will help you organize everything. - Get the tools you need to know what your body is doing. Every
senior needs a blood pressure cuff, thermometer and even an
oximeter at home. Know what foods affect your blood sugar so
that you can avoid them. You shouldn’t wait until your next
scheduled medical appointment to find that a new menu
item is driving your blood pressure sky high. Check out
the Apple watches along with other less expensive devices
you can wear on your body to know and track those
life saving numbers! - Put the brakes on eating everything you want all the time. There
is no other part of your life where you can do whatever you want-
no holds barred! Your body won’t tolerate it when it comes to
food either. The ingredients corn syrup (also in sodas) and
hydrogenated fats (like in baked goods) in processed foods
are said to be the two top foods that contribute to Alzheimer’s.
Most folks pay more attention to what they put in
their cars than what they put in their bodies. Oh, and the Food
Pyramid was obviously designed by food manufacturers. It’s
led us to an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
We have some ideas on this site about how to get and stay healthy
at any age. - With all due respect for the many physicians out there who have
sacrificed their whole lives to help you, you still have to be a
smart consumer of medical care. Your doctor cannot know and
tell you everything. Living is a participation sport. You have to
take responsibility for tracking symptoms, your daily behaviors
and all the stuff you try to forget as soon as you eat it or do it.
People are quick to defend their health with, “Well my doctor
said I am fine!” Uh-huh, but your doctor doesn’t know that you
work 60 hours a week, skip breakfast, don’t sleep well and can’t
walk a city block without looking for somewhere to sit down.
You can change your physical and mental health now. It may
take time, because you have to be aware of your inner misguider,
but YOU CAN DO IT! Here are the facts you need to get
started…….. - Last, (for the moment) but not least, eliminate the sure
enough unnecessary stress in your life. Give others a
little grace when they don’t perform as hoped for.
Give yourself the time and understanding that you
deserve. Let things get done “in due time”, as you
keep moving forward at a comfortable pace. Let go
of people and things that cause you anxiety.
Start your new year of a new you
If the last year or two has left you
with a little more weight than what
you had planned for this point in
your life – here’s the remedy and
the plan
Our favorite nutrition expert and a woman with a
plan, ChicagoanTracye McQuirter, has a new book
and one of the most thorough and appetizing
plans to improve your dinner table status than
we can remember. We’ve featured her on our
home page for years because we feel like you
would be in good hands with the food info that
she has so smartly put together.
Now we know that some of you are not
interested in giving up meat but there is little
reason to not learn how to make vegetables
equal partners on your plate. If we seasoned
and approached cooking veggies the way we
do meat and seafood, it wouldn’t take long
for them to become healthy preferences.
Tracye’s got an even better deal for this
year we are stepping into. Check out her
site and try out her plan. There is a wonderful
guide to download for free. It will get you
started on putting some soul in your food,
the lite, right way.
Can Black people hide from covid? – part I
Oh, where to start? Despite all the political wind blowing
around this unique and devastating virus, there are some
facts and there are questions. Determining which “facts”
are actually true and getting straight answers to the
questions is the subject of another post which will follow
this one.
First things first. How do you deal with fear and/or risk?
With facts and action. What do we know?
Prevention works best.
COVID Vaccine is considered the best bet to
reduce the presence of the virus in the most
vulnerable in our population. Contact your
doctor or county health dept. for info.
Don’t get it to begin with. Stay home. Keep
your home clean and safe. Keep “messy” (you know what
we mean!) people away from your space. There will
always be that “friend” who wants to “share” their
misery with you. Don’t do it. COVID is not a team
sport.
Wash your hands! For a full twenty seconds with soap
and water. 60%+ alcohol spray is not enough.
Wear a mask. It won’t hurt you and it saves on makeup
and shaving (for men). Wear one outdoors, indoors if
there’s others around, but keep your washable masks
washed and change your paper masks regularly. (Re-
member you sneezed in that other one yesterday.)
Do carry out or delivery rather than eating in a restaurant.
Sooooo many people got infected at restaurants.
We’ve heard over and over again from researchers,
holistic practitioners, nurses, etc. about natural
remedies, etc. Many of us know those time tested
remedies our parents have sworn by from Caribbean,
African and southern American cultures. Many of
them are rooted in the same natural substances that
prescription and over-the-counter remedies are modeled
after. Whether your abuela, grandma or mum managed
to always pull you out of the sick bed with her special
blend, be careful with this one. Just remember, that you
may only have one chance to get this wrong.
Get strong and stay strong
Here are some inexpensive vitamins and minerals that may
strengthen your immune system. Along with sleep
and exercise, they might help. These are some we’ve
heard recommended:
- Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)
- Vitamin C (You can find it buffered and in crystalline
form at Whole Foods & nutrition shops) - Quercetin (antioxidants)
- Zinc unsweetened lozenges or pills
- Fish oil capsules or liquid (Look for Omega-3
wild salmon or Alaskan cold water fish oil) - Oil of oregano capsules (Take only as directed)
and alternate it with - Black Elderberry extract capsules
Consult your doctor or pharmacist for dosages.
Or take a look at the recommendations in guides
like Smart Medicine for Healthier Living. Remem-_
ber, accuracy in supplement names, dosages and
good quality natural brands makes a difference.