Superfood #3 - Walnuts

If you like nuts, walnuts are a great choice. They are packed with essential fatty acids, trace minerals, vitamins, protein, and phytonutrients. They have a nice mild flavor and are great raw. Add them to your salad, stir fry, yogurt, fruit salad, or any other dish of your choosing.

Some Asian cultures refer to walnuts as "brain food." Studies involving walnuts have shown an increase in memory and cognitive function. This most likely stems from the nutrient content in the walnuts. Nutrients like omega-3s and magnesium found in walnuts can have a very positive effect on the brain. They have been shown to relax nerves and improve mood.

Walnuts are also high in vitamin E and ellagic acid. These nutrients, combined with the omega-3s and magnesium, have proven to support heart health, lower inflammation, and prevent disease. Several studies have been published showing walnuts can help blood vessels relax. There are also studies suggesting that walnuts can play a role in fighting breast and prostate cancer.

Superfood #2 - Cruciferous Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, horseradish, watercress. These vegetables have potent anti-cancer nutrients in them. When incorporated weekly into the diet, they can play a key role in the prevention of many types of cancers, especially breast and prostate cancers.

Specifically, the anti-cancer phytonutrients (plant nutrients) I am talking about are the glucosinolates. Glucosinolates act as natural protection for the plant from insects, animals, pollution, or anything else that could hurt the plant. When we eat these foods, our digestive system breaks down the glucosinolates and converts them into protective compounds that our bodies can use. The most powerful glucosinolate compounds include Indole-3-carbinol, diindolylmethane, and sulforaphane.

Besides aiding in the prevention and treatment of cancer, cruciferous veggies have also been shown to lower inflammation throughout the body, and help the liver clear toxins from the body. I highly recommend eating cruciferous veggies every week. My favorite way to eat them is steamed, but any way you eat them will benefit your health!

Superfood #1 - Berries (especially blueberries)

Berries are antioxidant powerhouses. The dark blue and red pigments you see are packed full of powerful plant nutrients called phytonutrients. There are many different kinds of phytonutrients in plant foods. Specifically to berries are anthocyanidins. Anthocyanidins are the key factor in berries that protect your body from free radicals - those oxidative chemicals that wear away on your cells. This means that your body will be internally protected from that damage. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cranberries are all phenomenal choices.

There is a vast amount of research that is coming out, specifically on blueberries. Blueberries contain the highest amounts of anthocyanidins, as well as another nutrient called pterostilbene. Pterostilbene has been proven in research to aid the body in burning fat for energy, and in reducing colon cancer in animals. Other notable research on blueberries has found that they help increase circulation, protect the blood vessels, protect the brain, and prevent bone loss. Fresh blueberries are always best, with fresh-frozen (picked and then immediately frozen) being your next best choice.



Kara B. Duffy, Edward L. Spangler, Bryan D. Devan, Zhihong Guo, Jonna L. Bowker, Anne M. Janas, Adrienne Hagepanos, Robin K. Minor, Rafael DeCabo, Peter R. Mouton, Barbara Shukitt-Hale, James A. Joseph, Donald K. Ingram A blueberry-enriched diet provides cellular protection against oxidative stress and reduces a kainate-induced learning impairment in rats. NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING 2008 November Volume 29, Issue 11, Pages 1680-1689
Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 5600 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.

Joseph JA, Fisher DR, Cheng V, Rimando AM, Shukitt-Hale B. Cellular and Behavioral Effects of Stilbene Resveratrol Analogues: Implications for Reducing the Deleterious Effects of Aging. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 October Epub ahead of print.
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Devareddy L, Hooshmand S, Collins JK, Lucas EA, Chai SC, Arjmandi BH. Blueberry prevents bone loss in ovariectomized rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis. J Nutr Biochem. 2008 March E pub ahead of print.
Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.

Fresh, Natural, Whole Foods

To achieve a quality level of health, it is important to try to tip the scales in favor of fresh, natural, whole foods. Fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, and dairy foods that are fresh, natural, and whole, are also the best for our health. They taste better and contain more nutrients to aid our body in feeling good and working properly.

* FRESH * Fresh food is food that is at a perfect stage to eat. It is vine-ripe, hasn't been stored for a long time, has a healthy texture and a beautiful color, is free of aging/bruising/mold, and tastes great. An apple picked off your backyard apple tree is a fresh food. A dozen eggs gathered in the pasture yesterday by a local farmer is a fresh food. A bag of corn chips sitting on the grocery store shelf is not a fresh food. In fact, there is a good chance those corn chips were made from corn that is years old.

* Natural * A natural food is simply anything found in nature that is edible. If we could have hunted or gathered it 1000 years ago, it is a natural food. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, berries, and meats would all be considered natural. They are at their best when they are kept in their original form. Don't be fooled by processed foods that claim their products are "all natural." Check the ingredients list. If you see numerous ingredients that you can't pronounce or have never heard of, it is not a natural food.

* Whole * A whole food is one that is not altered or changed. For example, a real fresh orange is a whole food. A glass of orange juice is not a whole food. It is the sugar and liquid from the orange, minus the fiber, enzymes, and a good portion of the vitamins and nutrients. Go for the real deal more often than not. Whole fruits and vegetables are two of the most powerful foods for improving health!

The more you can consume fresh, natural, whole foods, the better off you will be. These are the foods that your body recognizes. These are the foods that contain the most nutrition. These are the foods that turn on gene switches in our body that promote health and well-being!

The Broad Jump

The Broad Jump is a Rocket Fitness test that is a very good indicator of lower body power and core strength in the body. Students must jump as far as they can from a stand still position.

Muscular Anatomy

During this 4th quarter, students are being taught some of the major muscles in the body that allow us to move and perform challenges throughout the day. We are starting in the legs and working our way up. This week we identified our quadriceps, hamstring, and calf muscles.

Quadriceps - front of the thigh


Hamstring - back of the thigh


Calf - back of leg between knee and ankle