Better Life News

What Would You Change?
Did you ever think about how you would change your life if you could go back and live it over again?
What would you do different?

Sociologist Dr. Anthony Campolo conducted a study in which 50 people over the age of 90 were
asked to reflect upon their lives. Each study participant was asked a simple question:
"If you had it to do over again, what would you do differently?"
There were many answers, but there were two that dominated the study.

"I would reflect more" and "I would risk more". In fact, there were very few regrets for what they
had done. Most regrets were for what they hadn't done. What have you always said you wanted
to do and never did it?

Have you ever felt like you are too busy doing things and you are not spending enough time
thinking about the things you are doing and why you do them? Have you ever thought about
the opportunities you may have lost because you were afraid of taking risks? Perhaps these
elders have a lesson for all of us. This seemed to hit me because we have been talking about
how to celebrate the upcoming 90th birthday of my wife's aunt. The amazing thing is, she looks
and feels better now than she did when she turned 80. She still works as a volunteer at the
hospital and is not ready to slow down yet.

Reflect more,and take more risks. Make it a habit to cherish every moment in your life, make
it a habit to do more of the things that you always wanted to do but never did. Life is short,
don't be afraid to "go for it," take action and go for your dream. Don't be like the elderly people
in the study who wished they had taken the risk. It is better to grow old and know that you tried
and failed than to know that you never tried.

Don't Let The Pressure Get You Down
Today I stopped at the local Wal Mart store and I noticed a blood pressure machine. You may
have seen those in some other stores as well. I took a seat and waited as this machine tried
to choke the life out of my arm. When it was finished, I noticed that one of the readings on my
blood pressure was a little high. I know those machines are not always accurate, but it reminded
of something Dr. Mehmet Oz (co-author of You - The Owners Manual) once said. The most important
number is not your weight, it is your blood pressure. Be sure to keep track of your numbers.

If you want to know more about blood pressure, grab this free ebook on how to recognize and lower your
blood pressure. Click Here.

How Safe Is Your Food?
Every year, an estimated 7 million Americans suffer from cases of food borne illness. Some cases
are violent and even result in death. Of course this is commonly known as "food poisoning." The
culprit is food that has dangerously high levels of bacteria due to improper cooking or handling.

Food safety is usually taken for granted by the buying public but everyone's attention was recently
directed to food poisoning involving some meat that was undercooked. It was determined that the
problem never would have happened if the meat had been cooked properly. E.Coli 0157.H7 is a
potent virus, but it can be completely destroyed when the meat is fully cooked.

It is important for consumers to take an all-around safety approach to purchasing, storing and
preparing both traditional and new meat and poultry products. Ultimately, consumers and food
handlers bear the responsibility for keeping food safe once it leaves the store.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 85 percent of foodborne illness cases
could be avoided each year if consumers would handle food properly. The most common food
borne illnesses are caused by a combination of bacteria, naturally present in the environment,
and food handling mistakes. Ironically, these are also the easiest types of food borne illnesses
to prevent. Proper cooking or processing of raw meat and poultry kills bacteria that can cause
food borne illness.

When you're out, grocery shop last, take food straight home to the refrigerator. And never leave
food in a hot car! Don't buy anything you won't use before the use-by date. Don't buy food in poor
condition. Make sure refrigerated food is cold to the touch. Frozen food should be rock-solid.
Canned goods should be free of dents, cracks or bulging lids which can indicate a serious food
poisoning threat.

The performance and maintenance of your refrigerator is of the utmost importance. Check the
temperature of your refrigerator with an appliance thermometer. To keep bacteria in check, the
refrigerator should run at 40 degrees F; the freezer unit at 0 degrees F. Generally, keep your
refrigerator as cold as possible without freezing your milk or lettuce.

When you prepare food, keep everything clean and thaw out any frozen food you plan to prepare
in your refrigerator. Take it out of the freezer in advance and place it in the refrigerated section
of your refrigerator. Always wash your hands in hot soapy water be fore preparing and handling
any food as well as after you use the bathroom, change diapers, handle pets, etc. Remember,
too, that bacteria can live in your kitchen towels, sponges and dish cloths. Wash them often
and replace the dish cloths and sponges you use regularly every few weeks.

Be absolutely sure that you keep all raw meats, poultry and fish and their juices away from other
food. For instance, wash your hands, your cutting board and knife in hot soapy water after cutting
up the chicken and before dicing salad ingredients. It is best to use plastic cutting boards rather
than wooden ones where bacteria can hide in grooves. Don't take your food out of the freezer and
leave it on the kitchen counter to thaw. This is extremely dangerous since the bacteria can grow
in the outer layers of the food before the inside thaws. It is wise to do your marinating in the
refrigerator too.

This is Too Good To Be True!
Eating chocolate may help repair aging blood vessels, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found
adults who drank a specially processed cocoa beverage rich in flavonols for four to six days improved
their blood vessel function with older adults benefiting the most.

Flavonols naturally occur in plants and possess antioxidant characteristics.

In the study, 15 healthy adults under the age of 50 and 19 healthy adults over the age of 50 drank a
specially made flavonol-rich cocoa every day for four to six days. Blood pressure and peripheral arterial
responses were recorded. The cocoa beverage was made with Mars Cocoapro marked cocoa beans
assuring the preservation of the flavonols. Mars Inc. provided the cocoa beverage and partial funded
the study.

The results showed blood vessel function improved among both younger and older adults after the
cocoa phase. Improvements were more significant in the older group. The study concluded that
flavonol-rich cocoa enhanced several measures of endothelial (blood vessel) function to a greater
degree among older than younger healthy subjects.

Of course, there is a catch. Flavonol-rich cocoa should not be confused with commercially available
chocolate snacks that are frequently low in natural cocoa and flavonols.

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