More proof that the Mediterrean Diet is good for you!

From Health Central:

"Older folks who follow a modified Mediterranean diet high in fish, fruit and vegetables tend to live longer.

That's the conclusion of a major study involving almost 75,000 seniors in nine countries. The findings, published online in the British Medical Journal, lend more support to a diet many experts consider one of the healthiest around."

Garlic may improve respiration---Larry King must be so proud!

HealthTalk CA reports that Garlic Does It Again: "Consuming garlic or even supplements, has long been asssociated with medicinal properties, such as reducing blood pressure and cholesterol to treating different types of cancer. The new study, by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers suggests small daily doses of allicin, the active chemical ingredient in garlic, appears to improve blood circulation in the lungs of rats and assist breathing."

"Study co-author David Ku said garlic isn't toxic, so adding it to one's daily diet is a reasonable approach, especially for people with respiratory and pulmonary ailments. Humans would have to eat two cloves of raw garlic a day to obtain the equivalent amount of allicin given to rats in the study."

Want a good way to get garlic? Toast Monk's bread and then rub the garlic on the hard toast. Instant Garlic bread with virtually none of the fat!

Cranberries may be good for arteries

Forbes.com:: "In a study in pigs, cranberry juice helped relax blood vessels clogged with high blood cholesterol and narrowed by atherosclerosis, according to a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine."

In an interview with MedicalNewsToday, co-author JEss Reed commented that while teh amount of cranberries needed to replicate the study would be high, the more important way to understand teh study is to look at total daily intake of polyphenols from all sources and that this level was more easily achievable.

"the equivalent consumption of dried cranberries would be 4-8 servings, or 10-20 servings of cranberry juice, in order to achieve the levels in the current study. However, the point to be emphasized is that total polyphenol intake is very low in western diets and a diet rich in polyphenols would in fact give a daily intake that is equivalent to the levels in our cranberry feeding experiments."

FWIW: I really do not like cranberry juice, but may have to start working it into my diet. I do like cranberry sauce (especially mixed with apple sauce).

Health Benefits Help Peanuts Shed Stigma

Yahoo! News - Health Benefits Help Peanuts Shed Stigma: "Peanuts, a dietary outcast during the fat-phobic 1990s, have made a comeback, with consumption soaring to its highest level in nearly two decades and more doctors recommending nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet"

A few quotes:
*"Mothers gave us peanuts and peanut butter. Now, we've figured out that Mom was right. But it took a lot of researchers and universities to figure that out," said Don Koehler, executive director of Georgia's Peanut Commission"
*""Now we know that the type of fat found in peanuts is actually good for us," said Lona Sandon with the American Dietetic Association. "It doesn't clog our arteries like saturated fat. It helps keep the arteries clean.""

The article points out that while peanuts are heart healthy, they are high in calories, so be careful! (Of course that could help explain why I am having some trouble getting back to racing weight, as I eat probably 2 peanut butter sandwiches a day--Smucker's Low Fat Natural peanut butter in case you are wondering! No transfat, a few fewer calories, and GREAT taste!).