I have been a little amiss in adding to my blog lately.  I'm afraid after I posted the one regarding my Garden Retreat event on June 27th I have been focused on the event.  I am going to add a nutrition note today with a few RealAge tips and hopefully get back on track for my regular Monday submissions.

A Brew That Prevents Parkinson’s?
Tea time. What better way to give your body and mind a little breather? But if you choose a certain color of tea, you may really do your brain a favor.

A large study in Singapore showed that black tea might have the power to slash Parkinson’s disease risk by almost a third.

Hormone Helper?
In the study, people who drank the most black tea were 29 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease (PD), compared with the least enthusiastic black-tea drinkers. Although the researchers were poised to credit the caffeine in black tea for the benefit, it turned out not to be so. Instead, it may be that black tea somehow affects estrogen levels in a favorable anti-Parkinson’s way (the disease is less common in women than in men). Interestingly, green tea showed no protective effects against PD. 

More Tea-Time Extras
There’s no shortage of other reasons to drink tea, including:

• A healthier heart. The brew is bursting with cardioprotective polyphenols. 
• Lower odds of female cancers. Drinking tea may cut the risk of ovarian cancer by almost half. 
• Less stress. In a study, men who drank a black-tea-like beverage recovered more quickly from a stressful event.

I know I've written about tea before but it bears repeating - black tea is good for you too!  It is something I am going to share at the Garden Retreat event - a time out for a tea break.  Couldn't we all use a tea break more often then not!


A Creamy Treat for "Lungevity"

Step one for preventing lung cancer: Say no to tobacco. Step two: Have a tablespoon of vitamin-E-rich peanut butter.

Although many studies have suggested that taking high-dose vitamin E supplements may cause lung cancer, one new study bucks the trend. It revealed a possible lung benefit from dietary E -- the kind you get from peanut butter, nuts, and seeds.

Foods You Can Use
It's another argument for getting the nutrients you need from foods, not pills. In the study, people who had the highest intake of vitamin E from foods had a 55 percent lower risk of lung cancer compared with the people who got the least amount of vitamin E in their diets. Dietary alpha-tocopherol, the type of E found in peanut butter and oil-based salad dressings, was particularly protective.

More E for the Road
Why the difference between vitamin E supplements and dietary vitamin E? Clinical trials involving vitamin E supplements tend to use the synthetic form of alpha-tocopherol. So it may be that there is something unique to natural alpha-tocopherol that produces a health benefit. Or something else in alpha-tocopherol-rich food may be helpful for lungs. Here are some other benefits of getting extra E:

• A reduced risk of Alzheimer's. 
• A stronger body.
• Younger eyes.

So many reasons to love your nuts for a snack and to use that oil dressing on your salad!  Perfect!!

If you are interested in registering for the Garden Retreat on Saturday, June 27th please remember the deadline is Tuesday, June 23rd.  Since I will be sharing some great, healthy snacks I need to know how many people to prepare for!  The blog posting so you read up on the event is located at http://support.mylifeblossoms.com/2009/06/02/dragonflies-and-daisies--the-garden-retreat.aspx.

Now for a few great quotes:
Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself.  Before you can move their tears, your own must flow.  To convince them, you must yourself believe.  Winston Churchill    This one I can so relate too - I definitely have emotion when I talk about the garden retreat!

Do not worry.  I once heard that worry is the wrong use of the imagination.  That is perhaps the best definition I have ever heard.  Worry is just thinking about all of the bad possibilities, isn't it?  Well, courage is just thinking about all the great possibilities and then acting upon them!  Jim Rohn

The truth is that you can spend your life any way you want, but you can spend it only once.   John C Maxwell