Live Long, Live Healthy

Meditate on Your Telomere Length

From the Isagenix newsletter.  I have been taking Product B since Isagenix introduced it.   I love it and have people tell me all the time I don't look like I'm turning 65.  

April 20, 2012

Twelve minutes of meditation daily could help protect telomeres against effects of chronic stress, a new study suggests.

Want to manage stress, clear your mind, and enhance your mood? A few minutes of meditation a day could help and, new research finds, might help increase activity of an enzyme that keeps your body younger at the level of your DNA.

Anti Aging Video
As anyone taking Isagenix Product B is aware, boosting expression of the enzyme telomerase in the body is critical for maintaining the length and integrity of telomeres. Telomeres, the length of which are considered a biomarker of biological aging, are special complexes that cap chromosomes to protect DNA.
Psychological stress not only affects our minds, but can have an impact on telomerase activity in the body leading to possible faster telomere shortening. Now, researchers from University of California, Los Angeles, have found that just 12 minutes a day of a particular style of yogic meditation, Kirtan Kriya, daily could help buffer against effects of psychological stress and support activity of the enzyme.

The study compared the effects of short practice of Kirtan Kriya-style meditation to quiet relaxation on individuals working as family caregivers of patients with dementia. The researchers then evaluated the psychological health and telomere length of the chronically stressed population.

The study randomized 39 family dementia caregivers, age 45 to 91, to two groups. Every day for eight weeks, the meditation group underwent a 12-minute Kirtan Kriya meditation, a practice following the philosophies of Kundalini yoga. The control group took a 12-minute relaxation period in a quiet place with instrumental music. The purpose, the authors explain, was to single out the benefits of a meditation practice from the benefits of relaxation alone.

The study found that about 65 percent of the meditation group had at least a 50 percent improvement in depressive symptoms. In addition, the meditation group also had a 43 percent increase in telomerase activity—a significant boost compared to the nearly 4 percent increase seen in the quiet relaxation group. When it came to mental health and cellular age, the groups were not different at baseline.
“
Brief daily meditation practices by family dementia caregivers can lead to improved mental and cognitive functioning and lower levels of depressive symptoms,” the researchers wrote. “This improvement was accompanied by an increase in telomerase activity suggesting improvement in stress-induced cellular aging.”
More than just elevating mood, this current research may support quality of life and help reduce the burden of caregiving on health. The authors studied caregivers because these individuals are known to suffer from highly stressed, and highly distressed, lives. Nearly 50 percent of caregivers have been found to battle depression, and new research shows that these people have prematurely shortened telomeres. The link between emotional stress and physical health is poorly defined, but telomere length may represent a biomarker to study stress.

The authors report that they “found an improvement across measures of mental health and cognitive functioning, psychological distress, and telomerase activity in caregivers performing daily Kirtan Kriya compared with the relaxation group.”

They explain, “Because Kirtan Kriya had several elements of using chanting, mudras [hand alignments], and visualization, there was a ‘brain fitness’ effect in addition to stress-reduction that contributed to the overall effect of meditation.”

This study’s results add reason to consider meditation as part of a complete lifestyle for supporting telomere health, which should also include supplementation with Ageless Essentials Daily Pack with Product B, regular exercise, healthy sleep habits, limiting exposure to environmental toxins, and eating a diet rich in nutrient-dense foods.


Reference: Lavretsky H et al. A pilot study of yogic meditation for family dementia caregivers with depressive symptoms: effects on mental health, cognition, and telomerase activity. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2012. DOI: 10.1002/gps.3790
Related Posts:

• Nature’s Answer to Stress
• Shorter Telomeres May Suggest Cardiovascular Risk
• Exercise and Physical Ability are Associated with Longer Telomeres
• How Oxidative Stress Shortens Telomeres
• 12 Ways to Enhance Telomere Protection

This entry was posted in Aging, Nutrition News and tagged aging, meditation, stress, telomerase, telomere, Telomere length, telomeres by Isagenix Nutritional Sciences. Bookmark the permalink.     

Here's to Healthy Living!

To order Isagenix Products please email

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Serves 12  

We received this sumptuous flourless chocolate cake recipe from one of our gluten-free readers who said, "My gluten-eating friends now all use this recipe because of its taste and simplicity." We made it natural with the addition of real butter in place of margarine and unbleached cane sugar. We replaced the light corn syrup with honey. Enjoy this luscious cake — a little goes a long way!


This is a very rich desert that resembles the flourless brownie desert served at the Outback Restaurants.  I love this recipe!! and so does my family!!!

Ingredients

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray, too, then set the pan aside.

Place two-thirds (8 ounces) of the chocolate and 1 cup (2 sticks) of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stirring often, melt chocolate with butter until completely blended. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. (Alternatively, you may use your microwave to melt the butter with the chocolate, if desired). Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sift cocoa into bowl and stir until just blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake has risen and top has formed a thin crust. The cake should be just firm in the center when done. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate, removing sides of springform pan. Remove and discard parchment paper and set cake aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze. Melt remaining 4 ounces chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, then stir in milk, honey and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

When cake has cooled, pour glaze onto the center. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, very gently smooth glaze along the top and sides of the cake. Chill cake, uncovered, for 30 to 60 minutes before serving to set the glaze and make the cake easier to slice.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 slice): 440 calories (300 from fat), 34g total fat, 19g saturated fat, 155mg cholesterol, 40mg sodium, 40g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 32g sugar), 7g protein

The link to the recipe is found on the: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/753

Here's to Healthy Eating!

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Magic Muffins - Basic Muffin Mix

THIS RECIPE WAS HEAVY WITHOUT MUCH FLAVOR. I AM GOING TO TRY ADDING MORE EGGS, CUTTING BACK ON THE FLOURS ELIMINATING THE POTATO STARCH AND FLAX SEED MEAL, ADDING LEMON ZEST AND USING LUNDBERG'S SHORT BROWN RICE FOR THE FLOUR.  The banana nut was good but I liked My Blueberry Muffin recipe better!


This recipe comes to us from Cams Mom in the Gluten-Free Forum.
Just start with basic mix then add fruit of choice. Basic mix recipe and variations below:


Basic Mix
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup white rice flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
¼ cup potato starch flour
¼ cup Flax seed meal
2/3 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Shortening


To this you need to add:
1 cup of something wet (sour cream, banana, yogurt, apple sauce)
2 eggs

Variations:
Banana Chocolate Chip
Use 1 Cup mashed banana for the wet ingredient (plus 2T milk, soy or almond milk)
add choc. chips. or nuts if desired


Apple Cinnamon with Crumble Topping
Use 1 cup plain yogurt for the wet ingredient
1 apple cut into small chunks
add in cinnamon with dry ingredients


For crumble topping use:
1 tablespoon butter (or sub)
brown sugar
cinnamon
almond meal
a little gluten-free flour
mix it together and sprinkle on each muffin

The basic procedure for all muffins is mix dry ingredients then cut in shortening until texture of coarse meal. Add wet ingredients to dry and beat on med. with electric mixer for 3 minutes. Should be thick batter (not dough but thicker than cake batter). Mix in fruit by hand. Scoop into lined muffin tins generously (like fill them up for a good professional looking muffin!). I use an ice cream scoop to get uniform size and shape.
Then bake at 350F for about 25 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean).


 UNTIL THEN....OR IF ANY SUGGESTIONS COME IN...

Here's to Healthy Eating!

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

The Best Blueberry Muffin Recipe

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

I made up this blueberry muffin recipe and it is so yummy.  I combined 3 different recipes and I LOVE THIS RECIPE!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour (I ground Lundberg's short brown grain rice in my grinder)
½ cup tapioca starch
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon GF xanthum gum
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup milk (or other liquid such as applesauce, sour cream, rice/soy milk)
1 teaspoon GF vanilla
½ teaspoon lemon flavoring
1 cup blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir to mix. Add rest of the ingredients. Mix well. If the mixture seems dry add more liquid.  The moisture in rice flour varies.  Spoon into lightly oiled muffin cups or cup cake liners. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until brown.   (Makes 12 muffins.

Here's to Healthy Eating!

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Banana Pecan Muffins-What about Blueberry????

I have been looking for a GF blueberry muffin recipe.  Does anyone have a good recipe?  I like the blueberry muffins you can buy from UDI's but they are expensive and you only get 4 of them.   I have been eating gluten free for almost 31 years now and muffins have been one food that has been hard for me to get to be light and fluffy. I found this recipe on the Gluten Free Club's Blog and was hoping someone could help me change the ingredients to Blueberry Muffins. Banana Pecan Muffins Sweet banana muffins loaded with nutty pecans. Ingredients: 1-1/4 cups rice flour 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 tsp gluten free baking powder 1/4 cup chopped nuts 2 eggs 1/4 cup oil 1 tsp gluten free vanilla 1 cup mashed bananas (make sure the banana is fully ripe) Directions: Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine in a bowl all the dry indgredients, including the nuts and mix together. In a separate bowl add the eggsand beat until frothy. Add the oil, vanilla and mashed bananas and stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until combined. Lightly grease muffin tins or line with paper cups. Fill muffin cups to 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Tip: Make sure to use bananas that have started to form brown spots (like the ones in the photo below). You will find that it improves on the taste and the texture of your muffin as compared to if you used yellow bananas.

Please share your ideas too!!! Healthy Eating Everyone! brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

National Celiac Awareness Month - May

By Zach

As most of you may know, May is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month. In honor of this close-to-home celebration, we’d like to share a few tidbits about what’s going on in America regarding this exciting movement and also some great ways you can show your support for this cause. Also, to pay tribute to our faithful followers, we are dishing out some great offers and giveaways throughout this month, so make sure you stay tuned.

To start, we thought you’d find it interesting to know that some studies are tracing Celiac Disease back to prehistoric time periods and more concretely in the 1st century CE. Additionally, May hasn’t been the only month to promote the gluten-intolerant ailment. October was also a month to pay homage as National. Celiac Disease Awareness Month, but, in more recent years, both Europe and North America have recognized May as the predominant month, which is probably good because it seems like Halloween would overshadow October and steal all of Celiac Awareness’ thunder.
When we take a big-picture look at the status of this gluten-sensitive salutation, there have been a number of states that have commemorated the month of May as National Celiac Awareness Month by passing resolutions. Oregon, New York, North Carolina and Ohio are just a few states that have rallied together to ratify this act at the legislative level. California and Minnesota’s congresspersons have also risen to the call and declared May as National Celiac Disease Awareness Month.
With this kind of backing from such bigwig institutions, the impetus and fervor for National Celiac Disease Awareness Month should be on an upswing. To keep the momentum and inspiration strong, we’ve garnered a list of ways you can show your patriotism and promotion. Remember, every little bit goes a long way. Just because it’s a small gesture doesn’t mean it’s a wasted one that goes unnoticed.
Check out all the fun and creative ideas below and get started tomorrow:

• Volunteer at a Celiac Awareness Expo/Walk/Run
• Listen to a Radio Show/Podcast about gluten-free lifestyles
• Bake some gluten-free meals or treats for your non-gluten-free friends
• Sign up for Lectures or Conferences within your community
• Offer your Services or Creative Talents to a Celiac cause
• Donate to a Celiac Disease Charity
• Write a persuasive letter to your governor/congressperson
• Introduce people to the Gluten-Free Challenge (a gluten-free weekend)
• Support your local gluten-free bakery or restaurant
• Buy Celiac Awareness Merchandise online or in-store

This article comes from triumpdining.com - A great blog for Celiac Sprue or Gluten Free Information

To Your Health....

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Preventing Moldy Berries

The key to preventing moldy berries.

This tip was sent to me from Pat Corle Chairman of the Celiac Support Group Magic Valley.  If you are interested in attending the monthly meetings, please let me know and I will get you the information.

 Berries are delicious, but they're also kind of delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market. There's nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides.

Well, with fresh berries just starting to hit farmers markets, we can tell you how to keep them fresh! Here’s a tip I’m sharing on how to prevent them from getting mold in the first place: Wash them with vinegar.

When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can't taste the vinegar,) dry, and pop in the fridge. The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they'll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.

you're so berry welcome!  

Pat Corle

Celiac Support Group Magic Valley

Healthy Living,

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Whey Protein and Aging Muscles

Why IsaLean Pro is Best for Aging Muscles

April 25, 2012

More whey protein is better for aging muscles, research suggests.

You may have heard, Isagenix has just launched new IsaLean Pro. The complete meal replacement featuring 35 grams of protein per serving serves as a solution to power greater muscle growth in athletes, weekend warriors, or teens in sports. Research also suggests the extra whey could help people shed stubborn pounds including those from deadly visceral fat.
Now scientists report that these high doses of whey protein are ideal for helping older people to stave off muscle loss with age.

Maastricht University Medical Center scientists randomly assigned 33 elderly men (ages 71 to 75) to consume a single dose of 10, 20, or 35 grams of whey protein. They found that the individuals who consumed 35 grams of protein per meal significantly increased the rate of muscle protein synthesis compared to individuals consuming lower doses.
The study, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism, reported that 35 grams of whey protein led to higher circulating levels of amino acids in the bloodstream compared to lower doses, which may explain the increased muscle protein synthesis from baseline.
Sarcopenia, or the degenerative loss of muscle, is thought to occur with age because of a blunted anabolic response and lower basal rate of muscle synthesis. The study suggests a diet higher in protein, especially from quality sources such as whey, may represent a viable way to stimulate muscle growth for slowing or preventing muscle loss in older adults. Eating more protein at breakfast and lunch may be especially beneficial since these meals are usually lower in protein as part of a typical American diet.
“Increasing the amount of protein at breakfast and/or lunch may represent an effective dietary strategy to…improve muscle mass preservation in older adults,” the researchers suggest.
The researchers were among only a few who have looked at the effects that different doses of whey have on the internal workings of muscle building—from the digestion and absorption of the protein to the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis.
Previously, the same research group found that whey protein stimulated more muscle protein synthesis in older men as compared to other protein sources because of its preferential ratio of amino acids for protein retention in muscles.
Reference: Pennings B et al. Amino acid absorption and subsequent muscle protein accretion following graded intakes of whey protein in elderly men. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2012;302:E992-E999. DOI: 10.​1152/​ajpendo.​00517.​2011
Related Posts

• Whey’s Amino Acid Profile Best for Building Muscle in Older Men
• You Can Prevent Sarcopenia Lifelong
• IsaLean Shake: The Power of Protein for Staying Lean, Battling Aging
• Are You Losing Muscle As You Age?
• Green Tea May Help Elderly Age More Gracefully