AAHH: updates and questions answered

  How do you keep your mind sharp?       Hello again!  In the last newsletter, I began to outline some ways to keep the mind sharp as we grow older.  I assume you are all a little older now than when the last letter came along (no wizards in this group right?), and now that your minds are all just a bit sharper than last time, here are some more tidbits to help you stay that way! Berry good! Dark berries, such as blueberries, contain a wonderful set of compounds called anthocyanins, that actually give them their beautiful dark hue.  These anthocyanins are among the plant based nutrients small enough in structure to pass directly across the blood-brain barrier. Once in the brain (think of how cool your brain will feel when it is blue!), they also protect the memory.  Research has shown that older people who eat plenty of blueberries preserve memory function.  Among vegetables, green leafy veggies have been shown to be especial...

  How do you keep your mind sharp?   All of us from time to time forget things.  Wait… where did I put my keys?  Ooohh, I know you but I’m embarrassed to say your name has escaped me.  Or even, Why did I just walk in this room??  Sometimes it’s not really about being “forgetful” or memory loss so much as it is having too much to think about at any given time, juggling too many plates at the same time, competing with the possibility of being mindful and attentive in the moment.   And we also know that some age-related memory decline is very common.  But have you noticed that even among the very old, there is quite a bit of variance from person to person in mental sharpness and memory?  And while all the reasons for that variance are not yet elucidated, there are some known strategies to keep the mind sharp and the memory strong.  Here are a few. Go Nuts!  At the Nutrition and Health Conference in Phoenix in May, one...