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Healthy cooking that tastes great

There’s fruit, and then there’s superfruit. What’s the difference? A superfruit has unique phytochemicals not found in other fruits – and that translates to unique health benefits.
As more and more information emerges about the power of superfruits – from açai to goji berries – an American favorite that’s been here all along is stepping into the spotlight: California Dried Plums.
Dried plums are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. And they’re loaded with surprises. Today’s dried plums are sweet, moist and tasty. Compared with other fruits, they’re surprisingly affordable, conveniently portable and always available.
California Dried Plums are the easy way to enjoy superfruit nutrition every day in cooking, baking, salads or as a quick snack anytime. Find delicious recipes at www.californiadriedplums.org.

Dried plums. What’s in ‘em for you?
-Improved digestion: A single serving (four to five dried plums) has three grams of fiber, to help you maintain good digestive health.
-Tasty nutrition: Dried plums are a nutrition powerhouse that includes B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and boron.
-Antioxidants: Dried plums have phenolics that promote good health.
-Blood sugar control: Dried plums can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
-Cholesterol management: Fiber and other compounds in dried plums can help maintain healthy cholesterol.
-Beauty: A study among elderly people suggests dried plums may help reduce skin wrinkles.
-A perfect fit for healthful diets: Dried plums promote satiety and have only 100 calories per serving.

“Dried plums are bite-size nuggets of superfruit goodness … and they’re super-affordable and easy to fit into your busy life.”
- David Grotto, RD, LDN, author, “101 Foods That Could Save Your Life”

Walking can add minutes to your life.
This enables you at 85 years old
to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing
home at $7000 per month.

My grandpa started walking
five miles a day when he was 60.
Now he’s 97 years old
and we don’t know where he is.

I like long walks,
especially when they are taken
by people who annoy me.

David H. Murdock is Chairman and owner of Dole Food Company, Inc., the world’s largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, packaged and frozen foods.

Is it possible to live to 125 or maybe 150? It’s certainly a possibility, as discussed on Oprah Winfrey’s recent show on longevity. She visited me at my farm to learn how, at 86, I am enjoying the robust health, energy, and mental creativity of someone many decades younger. My secret: large quantities of fruit and vegetables, plus an hour of daily exercise.

No pills, not even aspirin, and certainly no supplements ever enter my mouth — everything I need comes from my fish-vegetarian diet, which incorporates 30-40 different kinds of fruit and vegetables every week. Even though I am Chairman and Owner of Dole Food Company, I do most of my own grocery shopping, and even took Oprah on an impromptu trip to Costco, in a day that included bike riding, exercise in the gym, and juicing vegetables in the kitchen. Oprah marveled at how much I eat, and yet never gain a pound. In fact, I expend a lot of energy in my 50-60 minutes of cardio and strength training every day. Plus there’s the fact that fruit and vegetables tend to be lower in calories, but higher in filling fiber and other nutrients that help you feel satisfied.

By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity. Obesity accelerates aging even faster than smoking, according to scientific research.

We created the North Carolina Research Campus to study the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. It is the only campus in the world encompassing eight universities all working together for the benefit of health and longevity. These include Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina Central University, NC A&T State University, UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State University. We’ve gathered a comprehensive array of famous scientists and scientific equipment under one roof, including a two-story, 950 megahertz, 8-ton superconducting magnet. It is the largest and most powerful magnet in the world and will help us look at both plant and human cells at the most minute level. We are constantly doing research on all fruit and vegetables, including the ones listed below, which are the mainstay of my diet.

Q: How many women with MENOPAUSE does it take to change a light bulb?

Woman’sAnswer:
One! ONLY ONE!!!! And do you know WHY? because  no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don’t even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out.
And, once they figured it out, they wouldn’t be able to find the #&%!* lightbulbs despite the fact that they’ve been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them …

Surviving Spring Allergies

Sneezing; itchy ears, nose and throat; runny or stuffy nose; coughing; watery and itchy eyes – these symptoms blossom each spring for some 35 million Americans.

Seasonal allergic rhinitis, more commonly known as “hay fever,” can make beautiful spring days miserable.  In order to treat allergies effectively, it’s best to have a qualified allergist/immunologist examine you and determine your allergen triggers and an appropriate treatment.

The most common spring allergens include:
* Pollen, a fine powder released by trees, weeds and grasses. Ash, cottonwood, poplar, elm and maple are some common spring pollinating trees.
* Johnson, Bermuda, Kentucky bluegrass and rye are possible grass allergens.
* Molds are microscopic fungi with spores that float in the air like pollen. Molds don’t have a specific season, but are more affected by weather conditions.
* Dust and pet dander are common allergy triggers found inside the home.

“Symptoms can be minimized by staying inside air-conditioned environments,” says Gretta Bogaard, a Sam’s Club Pharmacy Manager. “If people have an activity they love, which requires time outdoors, check the weather/pollen reports to determine which day of the week has lower ragweed/pollen counts. Pre-medication with oral or ophthalmic antihistamines might also help to reduce symptoms when going outside.”

Other tips for managing spring allergies include:
* Keep home and car windows closed to prevent pollens or mold spores from drifting in. To keep air cool and fresh, turn on the air conditioning (set on “recirculation”), which also cleans and dries the air.
* Maintain a clean environment at your home and, if you’re able, your office.
* Minimize early morning outside activity between 5 and 10 a.m., when the greatest amount of pollen is usually released.
* Try to stay inside when the pollen count or humidity is reported to be high, and on windy days when dust and pollen are likely to be more of a problem.
* Take medications prescribed by your allergist/immunologist regularly, in the recommended dosage.
* Flush your nasal cavities regularly with an over-the-counter saline spray which provides relief of congestion.

Pharmacists, like those at Sam’s Club, are easily accessible and can offer a wide variety of over-the-counter treatment options for non-life-threatening allergy responses. If these options are unsuccessful, though, it would be advisable to consult with a physician.

Spring allergies don’t have to keep you from enjoying the season. For more tips and information, visit www.samsclub.com/health.

Caught in the Middle
Help for the Sandwich Generation

Twenty million American adults are caring for aging parents at the same time they’re raising young children. Known as the Sandwich Generation, they are feeling the stress.

A recent study of “sandwichers” reports that:

* 53 percent feel forced to choose between caring for their children or caring for their parents at least once a week
* 20 percent feel they must choose to care for one or the other every day of the week

The American Psychological Association’s 2007 Stress in America survey found that mothers in the sandwich generation, ages 35 – 54, feel more stress than any other age group as they try to manage caring for growing children and aging parents.

The pressures of taking care of family members, as well as the worry over parents’ health, putting children through college and saving for retirement takes a big toll. So what’s a sandwicher to do?