To stay sharp, learn something new and difficult

For Baby Boomers approaching old age, there is all sorts of advice available how to stay physically and mentally fit. Fear of decline is particularly common in this generation that has long been used to so many advantages their forbears could never fathom. Yet, health...

Have you tried the “Slow” Diet, yet?

The Mediterranean diet is praised by its proponents as one of the healthiest eating styles around. Dominated by fruits and vegetables, it is considered well suited for the prevention of heart disease, stroke, cancer and even mental decline. What gets rarely mentioned,...

How Dietary Needs Change with Age

Healthy aging entails multiple aspects, among them eating right, exercising regularly and preventing mental decline. Achieving some of these may be easier than others. No matter how well we do our part, nature has a say in all of them, too. While the outward signs of...

What Fear Can Do to You

By Timi Gustafson, R.D. The human species could not have survived for long without the experience of fear. The ability to identify certain events and situations as dangerous and respond appropriately is essential for our existence. But these responses are meant to be...

What Gives ‘Health Food’ A Bad Name?

By Timi Gustafson, R.D. Even when detrimental outcomes are in plain sight – like the ever-worsening obesity crisis – change is hard to come by and will likely be resisted. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the government’s intention to...

Exercising the Body Benefits the Mind, Too

By Timi Gustafson, R.D. While regular physical activity has long been regarded as an important component of healthy aging, its impact on mental health has remained less explored — until now. For these studies, researchers from the United States, Canada and Japan...