The Smartest Dinner?
 

I'm not gonna give up beer, junk food, cigars or wings but maybe if I eat/drink a little less of those things and compensate with someting smart prehaps I can offset the ravages of time and demenia?

So, here is what may be the smartest meal:
1) Raw Spinach with Chopped Fresh Garlic in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Vinegar with Almonds and Walnuts
2) Salmon, Sardines, or Herring
3) Lightly Steamed Dark Leafy Greens like Collard Greens and Swiss Chard
4) Brown Rice
5) Red Wine or Concord Grape Juice
6) Dessert - Blueberries or Hot Cocoa.

If it is true - I could/would eat it every night!

Here is why (something I snagged from someplace):

Some edibles are especially good at protecting the brain’s delicate nerve cells and blood vessels from the damage that accompanies aging. Most of them squelch free radicals, the renegade oxygen molecules spun off as the brain goes about the business of the mind. Most of the foods that are smartest for the brain are also good for the heart because both rely on a steady oxygen supply. The risks for cardiovascular disease correlate with risks for cognitive decline.

1. Blueberries; Sweet wild blueberries are bursting with antioxidants, which mop up nasty free radicals. Studies of rats show that a blueberry-rich diet improves memory and motor skills and reverses age-related declines in balance and coordination. Chemicals in blueberries affect the contractile machinery of arteries, and therefore have a good affect on blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure can damage delicate blood vessels in the brain and can lead to strokes.

2. Dark Leafy Greens: Chemicals called homocysteines are a normal part of protein metabolism, but high levels are linked with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease (as well as heart disease), which accounts for most cases of dementia in the U.S. According to Katherine Tucker, director of the dietary assessment research program at the Human Nutrition Research Center of Aging, “homocysteine has a toxic effect on arterial walls, and oxidation corrodes the arterial walls too, which makes them a bad combination.” In order to break themselves down, homocysteines require folate and B12 or B6, vitamins found in vegetables like collard greens and swiss chard.

3. Salmon, Sardines, and Herring: Fatty fish are full of neuroprotective omega-3 fatty acids. Higher levels of omega-3 in the blood go hand-in-hand with higher levels of serotonin, a mood-enhancing brain chemical. A study from the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago found that people who eat at least one fish meal a week are significantly less likely to end up with Alzheimer’s disease than those who regularly eschew fish. Because a fish diet aids communication between nerve cells, studies have shown its positive effect on learning acquisition and memory performance.

4. Spinach: Spinach research has finally caught up with mom’s advice: Spinach turns out to be full of antioxidant power. James Joseph, chief of the Neurosciences Laboratory of the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, finds spinach beneficial in slowing down age-related problems in the central nervous system and cognitive deficits. A salad with spinach has more than three times the amount of folate than one with iceberg lettuce.

5. Red Wine, or, better yet, Grape Juice: Drinking red wine in moderation increases longevity. But since alcohol slows down the brain’s ability to function properly, grape juice may be a smarter beverage choice. New research from James Joseph shows that concord grape juice significantly improves short-term memory and motor skills. It’s not just the heavy dose of antioxidants. Joseph believes that grape juice increases production of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Concord grape juice has the highest total antioxidant level of any fruit, vegetable or juice tested.

6. Whole Grains and Brown Rice: One of the best things you can do to improve intake of nutrients is to switch to brown rice. It’s filled with vitamins and magnesium, which seems to be important to cognitive health. Whole grains contain vitamin B6, which aids in reducing homocysteine levels. Americans often don’t get enough vitamin B6, because they mostly eat processed foods.

7. Hot Cocoa: Warm up with hot cocoa to help your brain as well as your frostbitten fingers. Chang Young Lee, professor of food chemistry at Cornell University, found that the antioxidant content of two tablespoons of pure cocoa powder is “almost two times stronger than red wine, two to three times stronger than green tea and four to five times stronger than that of black tea.” The antioxidants in hot cocoa protect brain cells from oxidative stress that can lead to Alzheimer’s and other disorders.

8. Nuts, Notably Almonds and Walnuts: Adding to their party-mix appeal, nuts are rich in antioxidants and have been found to lower blood cholesterol levels. A Harvard study showed that women who ate more than five ounces of nuts per week had a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease than those who ate an ounce or less. And, they don’t contribute to weight gain as much as other kinds of fatty foods. Walnuts are rich in omega-3s.

9. Olive Oil: A staple of the highly touted “Mediterranean Diet,” olive oil contains the potent antioxidants called polyphenols, Olive oil has been shown to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The extra-virgin variety is best.

10. Garlic: This pungent herb fends off aging via its antioxidant properties. It also contains strong antibacterial and antiviral compounds that help shake off stress-induced colds and infections. Raw, crushed garlic is best; cooked garlic is less powerful but still benefits the cardiovascular system.

Garlic - eat this in abundance and you'll sleep well. You'll also sleep alone.

which is why you will sleep well...

nothing better than roasted garlic spread on fresh Italian bread...Lawd haf Mercy!

Well I'll say this, my cholesterol level is great as well as my resting pulse and blood pressure even though I'm a heavy smoker with a high stress job and difficult hobby (machining). My secret? All of the above! I eat at least 3 fatty fish meals a week, lots of fresh garlic, love spinach salads, olive oil is the only oil I cook with and use it in place of butter on bread, whole grain bread and pastas, lot's of fresh fruits including blueberries. I also lift weights and get plenty of cardio. At my last physical my doctor was SHOCKED to learn that I was a smoker.

I attribute some of the blood pressure and pulse to having panic disorder and my ability to mediate and do breathing exercises when I start to feel tense. I also get full body massages on a regular basis which helps reduce stress and force toxins out of the tissue. You forgot one thing though, drink lots of water, I drink about a gallon or more per day.

Lube I like to roast whole garlic drizzled with olive oil and wrapped in tin foil, make it just right and it's nice and sweet. Sleep alone? nah the wife eats as much garlic as I do. ;)

I actually love garlic but garlic dosn't love me. Acid reflux something awful that even Nexium won't work.

WHERE ARE THE BBQ RIBS ON THE LIST.....that and..... ahhh I forget what else....

Yeah, but good wine isn't made from Concord gapes....

Really really bad wine is!

I can just hear the exchange:

"DAD! You're drinking all my grape juice!"

"I'm just trying to save my brain."

"MOM! Dad's trying to save his brain again!"

"Don't worry, it won't help. He's never had one."

:D

A lot of this is found in a Japanese diet. No wonder they live so long...

Don't forget the oysters...

Er wait, that makes you think with your "other" brain. :D

cooked spinach is better for you.

http://www.innvista.com/HEALTH/foods/vegetables/spinach.htm

salmon sardines and herring are the 1,2, and 3 punch as far as the fish with the most mercury laced flesh. so along with all the wonderful omega 3 fatty acids, you are becoming a thermometer.

true - but if you increase your Dorito and Ruffles intake it will offset the mercury. EDTA is used as a preservative in these and will bind onto the heavy metals forming a salt that can then be disposed of. If you ever get heavy metal poisoning they give you EDTA. Of course that just pop-chem, not even sure if really would do it or not....

Re: The Smartest Dinner?
 

That sounds great, but then what's for dinner?

Sardines and herring are not as noted for heavy metal as salmon, tuna and shark. Larger animals are better able to bioaccumulate toxins.

I happen to have recipe for the best damn ribs you ever had. I could tell you how to make them, but then I would have to kill you.

Interestingly, groups with good diets and health, such as the Japanese or Native Americans, have the same stats with respect to heart disease and other maladies associated with western cultures when they start with the western diet. You are what you eat, to a certain point.

A lot of this is linked to genetics. For example, in the days of my youth, I had a physical to clear me for football or baseball, that revealed I was in excellent health, low cholesterol, good BP and heart rate. My Father, who at the time was a fat, sedentary smoker who ate a dozen eggs and a pound of bacon a week, had all the same statistics as me. I figure with my good habits, I am good to go up into triple digits.

This is not true; esp. w/r to salmon:

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/seamehg2.html

The newest data on salmon in that table is older than 10 years. Methyl mercury is quite a bit more toxic than elemental Hg

Takes 'em a long time to pass around the book up there....

I give you all a month and you will be eating pizza again.