15 Ways to live longer

According to Forbes, here are 15 Ways to Live Longer:
1. Don't oversleep
2. Be optimistic
3. Have more sex
4. Get a pet
5. Get a VAP(Vertical Auto Profile, a medical test)
6. Be rich
7. Stop smoking
8. Chill out
9. Eat your antioxidants
10. Marry well
11. Exercise
12. Laugh a little
13. Lose weight
14. Manage stress
15. Meditate

Yes, eat more antioxidants !
From warding off heart disease to slowing degeneration diseases, including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's and cancer, talk of the health benefits of antioxidants are quite common today. Antioxidants work by neutralizing highly reactive, destructive compounds called free radicals. Research shows that certain types of beans (kidney, pinto, black) are among the best sources of antioxidants, while blueberries and other berries follow close behind

Lemonade could prevent kidney stones

In 2006 American Urological Association annual meeting in Atlanta, two research groups reported that drinking lemonade could help prevent kidney stones.
Kidney stones is one of the most painful of the urologic disorders. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, 1 person in 10 develops kidney stones during their lifetime and renal stone disease accounts for 7-10 of every 1000 hospital admissions.
Kidney stones form when there is a high level of calcium, oxalate, or uric acid in the urine; a lack of citrate in the urine; or insufficient water in the kidneys to dissolve waste products. The kidneys must maintain an adequate amount of water in the body to remove waste products. If dehydration occurs, high levels of substances that do not dissolve completely (e.g., calcium, oxalate, uric acid) may form crystals that slowly build up into kidney stones.
Urine normally contains chemicals-citrate, magnesium, pyrophosphate-that prevent the formation of crystals. Low levels of these inhibitors can contribute to the formation of kidney stones. Of these, citrate is thought to be the most important. Lemons are rich in citrate. Clinical research demonstrated that the regular consumption of the refreshing drink- or even lemon juice mixed with water increased the production of urinary citrate. That is why drinking lemonade could help prevent kidney stones.
Simple idea, easy logic. Why didn't I have this idea before ?

Hospital foods that NOT heal

Do you remember what typical hospital foods taste like in United States? I visited my mother in-law last weekend. The hospital foods she ate, looked like to me, were identical with that of 30-40 years ago. Years ago, those food may be considered as tasty and nutritious; but according to today's standard, they are lousy and bad for patients whom were already staffed with pizza, burger and trans-fat laden cookies.

What was on my mother-in-law's dinner tray in the hospital ?

White bread and margarine - white bread are not as healthy as whole grain; margarine is laden with trans fats.

Canned peaches - can't hospital bring fresh fruit? they are more nutritious. Canned fruit may contain pesticide residues.

Whole milk - which is fat filled and taken from cows injected with hormones.

Gelatin - which is low-nutrient, high-calorie, artificially colored jellied sugar water; they are for kid only, NOT for patients.

Juice - Juice from hospital are processed from concentrate rather than whole fruits.

Meat - those meat were from animals raised on antibiotics and hormones; which served with refined starches and pesticide-laced veggies.

People in US have paid so much in their health care cost; they deserve to eat some thing healthier when they are in hospitals.

Eggs, cholesterol and heart attacks

Maybe this is from my mom, I love to eat very freshly boiled eggs. Eggs are an affordable major dietary source of cholesterol and high-quality protein. Being bombarded with media about how eating eggs which rich in cholesterol can elevate the concentration of LDL (bad cholesterol), and therefore individual's risks of atherosclerosis and heart attacks, my wife set limit of one egg per week for me.
However, I noticed there are stream of scientific studies suggesting that we may exaggerated the heart risks posed by eggs' cholesterol.
A 1999 study of 38,000 participants from Harvard School of Public Health reported no increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke in men or women who ate more than one egg per day.
A 2000 study of 27,000 people from Michigan State University found that cholesterol was lower in people who ate more than four eggs per week than among people who eschewed eggs.
The latest study reported earlier this year showed that when people ate three or more eggs per day their bodies made bigger LDL (bad cholesterol) - and HDL-lipoprotein (the good cholesterol) particles than when they ate no eggs. That's important because larger LDLs are less likely than small ones to enter artery walls and contribute their cholesterol load to artery-clogging plaque. (Not all bad cholesterol are bad, that is). Similarly, larger HDLs are more robust than smaller ones at hauling cholesterol out of the bloodstream and, ultimately, out of the body. This finding may help explaining above mentioned 1999 and 2000 experiments.
The authors of the same study also confirmed that lutein and zeaxanthin, which are responsible for much of an egg yolk's color, appear to diminish an individual's risk of macular degeneration (a disease which is the leading cause of blindness in people over age 65). Moreover, lutein appears to inhibit processes that jumpstart the development of atherosclerosis.
For me, I have convinced my wife that I can consume 2 eggs per week, top.

Coffee delivers more health benefits than fruit and veg

After measuring the antioxidant content of more than 100 items, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices, oils and beverages, scientists found that coffee is the biggest source of antioxidants, taking account of the amount per serving and level of consumption. Black tea came second, followed by bananas, dry beans and corn. According to the researcher, "Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source - nothing else comes close".

Studies have associated moderate coffee consumption with a reduced risk of liver and colon cancer, type two diabetes and Parkinson's disease.