Veganism is trending these days, and while most people don’t choose a vegan lifestyle for its cool factor, that popularity has made it easier to opt for a solely plant-based diet.

Whether you’ve decided to switch to a vegan diet to help prevent the exploitation of animals, to improve your health, to promote a green planet, or all of the above, you’ll find many resources and products to smooth the way.

Tips for Starting a Vegan Diet

Here are some strategies to start you down a vegan path.

• Build on What You Know

  You likely already have some vegan meals in your repertoire, along with vegetarian meals that can be “veganized.” Think bean-based chili, pasta and veggies, lentil stew, and stir fry. Start with those so you don’t need to come up with something new for every meal.

• Try Jackfruit

  With a texture similar to meat, this fruit can replace pork, beef, and chicken in recipes and has 3 grams of protein per serving.

• Ease Into It

  • Start with One Meal

    Committing to one plant-based meal per day is a great start. You might try breakfast—hot or cold cereal with fruit, nuts, and nondairy milk will fuel your morning. For a weekend brunch, make an egg-substitute veggie omelet, “bacon” made from tempeh or soy, and plant-based yogurt on the side.

  • Think in Proportion

    Ease into vegan living by gradually upping the amount of plant-based foods on your plate and decreasing the amount of meat, eggs, and dairy.

• Do Your Homework

  Read about veganism, join online forums, talk with longtime vegans and newbies (new-vees?), and watch documentaries on living the plant-based life.

• Read Labels

  Find local shops and restaurants that offer vegan products and entrées. When you shop for groceries, examine the ingredients. Not all vegan products are labeled “vegan,” and some items you think will pass the test don’t—some pasta has egg in it, for instance, and some cornbread mixes contain animal fat.

• Make a Supplement Plan

  Vegans need to be sure to get enough of the following nutrients

  • vitamin B12
  • vitamin D
  • omega 3s
  • iodine
  • iron
  • calcium
  • zinc

  You can address each of these separately through diet, supplementation, exposure to sun, etc., but while you’re still feeling your way into a new way of eating, consider researching multivitamin-mineral supplements designed for vegans.

• Be Steadfast

  Finally, don’t be daunted! You can go as fast or slow as you want in arriving at “full veganhood.”

As the body ages, cells, tissues, and organs deteriorate. But it’s how we age that’s important.

Supplements for Aging Bodies and Minds

A variety of nutritional supplements can help us maintain vitality, boost the immune system, and fight cell damage.

• Vitamin E for Memory Loss

  A common concern in aging is loss of mental clarity. Free radicals damage neurotransmitters that move thought impulses from the brain throughout the body.

  A powerful antioxidant, vitamin E has been shown to attack free radicals and protect cells that make up nerve fibers in the brain. This vitamin may help maintain brain function and slow memory loss.

  Vitamin E also inhibits oxidation of bad cholesterol and lowers the risk of heart disease.

  Not all vitamin E is the same. Natural vitamin E is more potent than less-expensive, synthetic E. Look on the label for “d” to identify natural vitamin E (“dl” denotes synthetic).

  Gamma tocopherol may be a more effective form of E than the common alpha tocopherol.

• Acetyl-L-carnitine (Memory Loss)

  Another weapon against age-related memory loss is acetyl-L-carnitine, which in studies appears to prevent free-radical damage in vital neural tissues.

  Elderly patients taking a dose of 1,000 to 2,000 mg a day of this supplement for 90 days showed improvement in mild mental impairments such as slow memory.

  Acetyl-L-carnitine may also help restore short-term memory in Alzheimer’s disease, improve memory and cognition in stroke patients, improve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, and relieve some depression symptoms.

• Ginkgo biloba (Antioxidants)

  Ginkgo biloba, an herb with potent antioxidant flavones, improves blood flow to the brain, reduces blood platelet formation, and counteracts free radical activity. It may also help slow memory loss and prevent oxidative damage.

• Selenium (Cell Health)

  Cell activity slows and cells begin to break down as we age. The antioxidant trace mineral selenium keeps cells active, supple, and permeable so they can process vital nutrients.

  Selenium also destroys free radicals, helps the body produce thyroid hormones that regulate metabolism, promotes good cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol, and strengthens immune function.

  Some evidence suggests it may help prevent diabetes and heart disease.

• Coenzyme Q10 (Cell Health)

  As we age, our bodies produce less coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, aka ubiquinone), which is essential for producing energy in the cells and fighting damage from free radicals.

  CoQ10 supplementation regulates the oxidation of fats and sugars into energy, helps the body transport energy from enzyme to enzyme, boosts the immune system, and prevents cholesterol oxidation that leads to plaque buildup and cardiovascular disease.

• Vitamin C (Antioxidant)

  Tried-and-true vitamin C plays an important role in supplementing for healthy aging. Antioxidant C renders free radicals ineffective to healthy cells, giving the immune system time to battle more threatening infectious agents.

  Vitamin C also reduces inflammation in the arteries, improves good cholesterol, reduces joint stiffness and osteoarthritis, contributes to healthy skin and vision, and regulates white blood cells, which may help to prevent certain cancers.

• Green Tea (Cell Health)

  Green tea, high in polyphenols called catechins, helps in the fight against DNA damage and promotes the eradication of cancer cells. This unfermented tea protects against oxidation and free-radical damage and improves the integrity of cells. Green tea extract is associated with lower occurrences of bladder, breast, colon, liver, ovarian, prostate, and stomach cancers.

  As the antioxidant effect of one cup of green tea lasts only about two hours, experts suggest sipping green tea throughout the day. Or, find a high-quality supplement at your local natural products store.

• GliSODin (Antioxidant)

  GliSODin is a potent, proprietary form of the antioxidant SOD, which supports the body’s ability to eliminate superoxide radicals, a culprit of premature aging and cellular damage. This antioxidant supplement appears to enhance antioxidant status on the cellular level and to protect against cell death caused by free-radical damage.

  French scientists recently studied GliSODin’s affect on cardiovascular health, finding that supplementation helped control carotid artery thickness, or atherosclerosis. “We could demonstrate the preventive efficacy of GliSODin at a preclinical stage in subjects with risk factors of cardiovascular disease,” they wrote.

Scientific Challenges

A study conducted at University College London and published in the November 2008 issue of Genes and Development appears to cast some doubt on the relationship between popular antioxidant supplements and lifespan.

The study, which tested the ability of genetically altered worms to fight the dangerous free radical superoxide, found that changing the worms’ natural defense levels had no effect on their lifespans. More research will be required in higher life forms, especially mammals, to confirm these results.

And the question of lifespan versus quality of life arises. A variety of enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and herbs may improve general health, mental clarity, mobility, flexibility, vision, and the list goes on.

These supplements along with lifestyle factors—eating healthfully, exercising, socializing, having close family ties and spiritual practices, not smoking, and not drinking to excess—help many to enjoy an active life longer.

This year, more people than ever will hear their doctor say: “You have Type 2 diabetes.”

Prevalence of Diabetes

More than 30.3 million individuals currently live with a diabetes diagnosis—with about 95 percent of them having Type 2, says Lucille Hughes, director of diabetes education at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, NY.

Diabetes on The Rise

“Type 2 diabetes actually used to be extremely rare,” shares Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of the book Diabetes Is Optional (To Your Health Books, 2018).

The numbers started to skyrocket as a result of modern eating habits—culminating in the alarming fact that one-third of people will now develop Type 2 diabetes and its precursor, metabolic syndrome (which is the combination of high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and hypertension), in their lifetime, he adds.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Managing Diabetes Naturally

Diet and Lifestyle

Dietary changes and lifestyle adjustments can go far in managing and even reversing Type 2 diabetes.

“Proper meal planning along with physical activity has been proven to improve health and glucose control,” notes Hughes.

Even better? The combination of meals planned with diabetes in mind and incorporation of exercise leads to weight loss, which itself almost always allows for a decrease in reliance on diabetes medications.

That, of course, comes as “a welcome benefit, both financially and emotionally, for any person living with diabetes,” says Hughes.

Diabetes-Friendly Eating

Ready for some of the nitty-gritty details of a diabetes-friendly meal plan? Hughes offers three key tips to follow:

• Monitor Carbohydrates

  Carbohydrates boost blood glucose levels (which is not a good thing), so keep this number low.

• No Late-Night Snacking

  Limiting eating after dinner helps many people manage both their diabetes and their medication regime.

• Eat Frequently

  Don’t skip meals or go more than four hours without eating. Regular eating of small amounts helps maintain good glucose control.

Supplement Support

• Vitamin D for Glucose Tolerance

  Vitamin D should be on your radar.

  There’s a solid body of research showing vitamin D improves glucose tolerance. This is because the body makes more insulin and responds better to circulating insulin when there’s enough vitamin D.

  After two months of daily supplementation with 4,500 IU of vitamin D by people with Type 2 diabetes, researchers documented a significant drop in fasting blood glucose.

• Chromium to Regulate Blood Sugar

  The mineral chromium helps your body regulate blood sugar levels. It is part of glucose tolerance factor (GTF), which plays a role in helping insulin bring blood sugar into each body cell.

  People without diabetes generally show higher blood levels of chromium than those with this disease.

  Those who supplement with chromium (for example, by taking a multivitamin/mineral that includes chromium) are less likely to have diabetes.

  Even more heartening? Those who already have diabetes but who start taking 600 micrograms of chromium picolinate daily improve their blood sugar control.

• Hintonia latiflora

  Dr. Teitelbaum’s favorite herbal treatment for diabetes is an herb called Hintonia latiflora. This herb, which is sometimes found under the name Sucontral D, comes backed by a growing body of research.

  Blood Sugar Regulation

  The herb delays the release of sugar into the bloodstream and keeps glucose levels low instead of allowing them to spike—a main cause of excessive insulin release, he explains.

  Another benefit of Hintonia latiflora relates to reducing insulin resistance and inflammation.

  But the greatest benefit, Dr. Teitelbaum contends, is the herb’s ability to “help maintain steady blood glucose levels throughout the day and night, thus contributing to long-term improvements in glucose control.”

  Glycosylated Hemoglobin

  In addition, studies show that Hintonia latiflora decreases glycosylated hemoglobin, which is just a complicated way of describing red blood cells combined with glucose.

  When glycosylated hemoglobin goes up, it’s a sign that diabetes is poorly controlled. A lower glycosylated hemoglobin number means better diabetes control and better overall health.

  Supplementing with Hintonia latiflora could bring glycosylated hemoglobin down by nearly 1 percent, which Dr. Teitelbaum says, is “often enough to make the diabetes go away.”

Conclusion

“Our modern diet, high in sugar and low in fiber, is the fast lane to a diabetes epidemic,” says Dr. Teitelbaum.

What can you do to prevent Type 2 diabetes or work to make it go away if you have it?

• Lose Weight

  Research shows that with adequate weight loss, 86 percent of diabetes cases can be eliminated.

• Exercise

  Walk daily in the sunshine or find another exercise you love—preferably outdoors.

• Reduce Carbs

  Decrease sugar and white flour but increase fiber. A ketogenic diet may be helpful. Consult with your healthcare practitioner.

• Supplement

  Take a good multivitamin high in magnesium and vitamin D.

• Eat Nuts

  Eat a half-cup of nuts daily to lower blood glucose.

Our lungs came into sharp focus with COVID-19. Is there anything we can do to reinforce the health of our lungs?

Fortunately, many foods support lung health.

Foods That Support Your Lungs' Health

Here are 10 options to get you started.

• Beets

  Beets are rich in nitrates, magnesium, potassium, antioxidants, and vitamin C. Each of those components boost the health of human lung tissue. The nitrates relax blood vessels within the lungs and distribute oxygen more efficiently.

• Red Peppers

  Red peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, a nutrient especially important to the lung function of smokers.

• Apples

  Apples are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C. Eating five or more apples a week can help improve lung function and reduce the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

• Tomatoes

  Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a carotenoid antioxidant proven to improve lung health. Substances in tomatoes can also reduce airway inflammation to help people with lung challenges such as asthma and COPD.

• Green Tea

  Green tea has a high concentration of EGCG— epigallocatechin gallate. Because EGCG boosts the body’s antioxidants, it also boosts anti- inflammatory properties to help heal scarred lung tissue.

• Edamame

  Edamame beans are rich in isoflavones. Isoflavones help guard against lung disease, including COPD. Isoflavones can also reduce shortness of breath in those with impaired lung capacity.

• Oysters

  Oysters are rich in zinc, selenium, copper, and B vitamins. Those nutrients improve lung function. Smokers often deplete their B vitamin stores. Oysters help return the balance.

• Blueberries

  Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, pigments that help protect lungs from tissue damage. In one study, people who consumed two servings of blueberries a week slowed the progression of lung disease significantly.

• Coffee

  Coffee helps protect your lungs. Caffeine and antioxidants help protect against respiratory diseases including asthma and COPD by expanding blood vessels and improving the transfer of oxygen.

• Turmeric

  Turmeric is rich in antioxidants and anti- inflammatory agents. Its active ingredient curcumin is especially helpful for improving lung function.

What is Lion's Mane?

Both a delicious edible and incredible medicine, lion’s mane mushroom (Heiricium erinaceus), when mature, is a fleshy, semi-spherical whitish fruiting body.

It is composed of a mass of unbranched icicle-looking spines hanging from a cushiony base that attaches to recently fallen logs or injured tissue of living hardwoods.

Native to Europe, it is widely distributed throughout woodlands of North America.

When fresh, the spines are white and highly edible, though the base is too tough to be eaten.

As this mushroom ages, the color turns to yellowish to brown, at which time its delectability declines.

Lion's Mane for Brain Health

Medicinal mushrooms, such as reishi, shiitake, and lion’s mane, are among the most important supplements we can use for overall health. They share properties and chemistry that are similar, but each has its unique signature.

The unique signature of lion’s mane is its incredible potential for healing nerve tissue. Clinical and preclinical investigations show it to be uniquely beneficial in the prevention and treatment of cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer’s disease, due to its ability to both protect and regenerate nerve tissue.

Lion’s Mane Chemistry

• Beta Glucan-Type Polysaccharides

  Like most medicinal mushrooms, lion’s mane consists of an array of beta glucan-type polysaccharides, often touted as the active constituents of medicinal mushrooms.

• Diterpenoids: Erinacines and Hericenones

  Of special interest that gives lion’s mane its unique standing is a collection of diterpenoids know as erinacines and phenolic compounds known as hericenones. Both have the ability to promote the synthesis of nerve growth factor, a neuropeptide involved in the regulation of growth, maintenance, proliferation, and survival of neurons.

• Other Components

  Additionally, lion’s mane contains:

  • organic acids
  • nucleotides
  • amino acids
  • carbohydrates
  • flavonoids
  • unsaturated fatty acids
  • terpenoids
  • phenolic acids
  • phenylpropanoids
  • steroids

Lion's Mane for Neurodegenerative Diseases

In animals that received erinacine A in daily meals, improvements in neurodegenerative diseases such as ischemic stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease were seen. Also observed were decreases in amyloid plaque, a characteristic feature of AD.

The same compound increased the survival of newly formed neurons in the hippocampus, suggesting general benefit, not just benefit for those with diseased brains.

Subsequently, an erinacine A-enriched lion’s mane mycelium preparation was given to patients with mild AD. Improvements were recorded using a variety of dementia assessment ratings.

Other markers associated with cognitive decline showed marked improvement, including increases in neurotropic factor in the brain and reductions in amyloid plaque and apolipoprotein E4 levels, the latter being the primary known genetic risk factor for AD.

Part of this activity is associated with a direct effect on regenerating nerve tissue but also in reducing inflammatory cytokines, which are compounds that can wreak havoc on nerve tissue (think “cytokine storm,” as seen in severe cases of COVID-19).

Other Neurological Disorders

In addition to lion’s mane potential for reducing the incidence and severity of AD and dementia, it similarly shows benefit in other neurological disorders, including:

• protecting against age-related hearing loss
• decreasing brain lesions in Parkinson’s disease
• supporting healthy myelination of nerve tissue

Myelin is a fatty substance that serves as insulation around nerve tissues, thereby improving nerve transmission and factors in conditions such as:

• multiple sclerosis
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• peripheral nerve damage

Other Benefits of Lion's Mane

• Diabetes Control

  While the cognitive benefits of lion’s mane have been determined in human clinical and animal trials, a number of other benefits have been investigated in preclinical studies.

  When administered as a part of the diet, lion’s mane inhibited the wasting that occurs in advanced diabetes, improved fasting blood sugar levels, reduced glucose tolerance, improved liver function and lipid metabolism, and reduced oxidative stress, which is prevalent in diabetes.

  Polysaccharides were found to be at least partially responsible for these activities.

• Immunity

  A number of studies report a host of mechanisms by which lion’s mane supports health in general and healthy immunity specifically.

  In one study, compounds hericerin A and hericerin inhibited the growth of leukemia cells, while another showed that lion’s mane polysaccharides activate macrophage immune response, which suggests its potential as a preventive in respiratory infections.

• Gut Health

  Other studies show that lion’s mane improves the health of the intestinal microbiome with potential benefit in colitis, healing of the mucosal lining in the intestines, and even the potential to break down wheat.

There’s nothing wrong with a hearty bowl of spaghetti topped with your favorite marinara. But sometimes you want something a little bolder, a little more exciting.

That’s the great thing about pasta—the possibilities are endless!—and that’s where these dishes come in.

Pasta Pairings

Toss one of the following combinations with your favorite brand of cooked pasta, and you have a fast and healthy weeknight meal.

We’ve suggested different shapes of pasta to accompany each option, but feel free to use whatever style you like and make sure to cook your pasta the right way.

• Cajun Shrimp Penne

  • Chopped red and green bell peppers
  • Chopped tomato
  • Shrimp
  • Diced green onions
  • Hot sauce

• Goat Cheese and Arugula Rotini

  • Chopped garlic
  • Arugula
  • Crumbled goat cheese
  • Chopped sun-dried tomatoes
  • Toasted bread crumbs

• Salmon and Peas with Shells

  • Salmon, cut into chunks
  • Peas
  • Low-fat sour cream
  • Lemon juice
  • Dill

• Lentil Bolognese with Spaghetti

  • Roasted eggplant
  • Chopped red bell pepper
  • Brown lentils
  • Chopped tomato
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese

Chocolate is good for you...

Eating dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries and prevents white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels. Those two factors play key roles in the prevention of atherosclerosis—a buildup of plaque that limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood.

Middle-aged, overweight men participated in an eight-week study. They ate 70 grams of chocolate per day (about 2.5 ounces). Some of the men ate regular dark chocolate and some received a special chocolate with a higher level of flavonols. Both chocolates had similar amounts of cocoa, and both produced the same positive results.

...but it isn’t good for dogs

Chocolate can cause life-threatening health problems in dogs, so take care to keep it out of reach and off countertops.

“Dogs have no off button,” Tina Wismer, DVM, told the New York Times. “If you or I ate 10 percent of our body weight in chocolate, we’d have the same problems,” which can include vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, elevated heart rates, or seizures. “A 10-pound dog can easily eat a pound of chocolate,” said Dr. Wismer, who is the medical director of the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center.

Dark chocolate is more toxic to dogs than milk chocolate. Dogs will show signs of poisoning 6 to 12 hours after ingestion of a toxic dose. Contact your veterinarian or an emergency clinic if symptoms arise.