Spice Up Your Diet and Your Memory

This month marks the first anniversary of my father’s passing, and I miss him terribly. One of the contributing factors to his death was Alzheimer’s disease, so I take note of anything I read relating to memory and health. I recently came upon an article in the Arizona Republic (October 13, 2010) about four spices and their potential to improve memory.

The first is turmeric, widely used in India which has one of the lowest incidents of Alzheimer’s in the world. Turmeric is found in curry and is an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It gets stronger when cooked, so don’t overdo it.

Another promising spice is one of my favorites, rosemary. Also an antioxidant, rosemary protects neurotransmitters in the brain and may not only help prevent Alzheimer’s but also enhance memory. Try adding it to lamb, pork, veal, and chicken. I like to add it to tomato sauce.

Sage is another spice highlighted in the article. Commonly used in stuffing, you can also place whole sage leaves under the skin of poultry before roasting. It is believed to support cognitive function in healthy people as well as those suffering from serious memory loss. Another benefit to note is that studies suggest it helps the mind stay alert and calm – sounds great for those taking exams!

Finally, we have cumin, another strong spice used in Indian cooking. Commonly used in chilis and curries, it helps speed recovery from amnesia and improve memory. Try toasting the whole seeds to enhance the flavor and then adding them to kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to use as a coating for pork tenderloin before baking.

New Weight Watchers Program Launched

Did you hear that Weight Watchers introduced a new program last week? As a lifetime member and former leader, this caught my attention. Weight Watchers is the most successful weight loss company in the world and has been at it for over 40 years. When the experts there feel that there is enough new information in the weight management field to introduce a major new program after 13 years, I wanted to know more. So rather just stop by for my monthly weigh-in, I stayed for the meeting.

I learned that the patented Points have been revised. Rather than just incorporating calories, fat, and fiber, the Points Plus program now looks at protein and carbohydrates as well. Basically, rather than grouping all calories together and treating them as equal, the new Points Plus calculation incorporates all forms of calories (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) individually. This makes sense to me, because they don’t all have the same number of calories per gram. Fat has nine calories per gram where protein and carbohydrates have four calories per gram each. I also know my body processes these differently. Fat can sometimes upset my stomach, especially saturated fat, because it’s hard to digest. Protein makes me feel full longer, and carbs are very satisfying to me. So now to calculate the Points with Points Plus, we need to know the grams of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and fiber in the food.

After hearing about the new program, I decided to try out it out. This means I have to re-learn the Points value of everything. Foods heavy in carbohydrates have a lot more Points than they did under the old program, but fruit is now Points-free – all fruit. Why would I do this now, during the holidays? Because it forces me to be conscious of my eating, and that’s really important with so many treats around. I’ll let you know how it goes, but in the meantime, be good to yourself as you celebrate this season, and remember – all things in moderation!