Anti Aging Drinks

Anti aging is on my mind, just as it is with so many of my fellow baby boomers. My birth year is 1943, the year of the steel penny. According to Strauss and Howe, in The 4th Turning, that's the leading edge of baby boomerdom.

So much being said on this topic. Just this morning I was reading that the best kind of exercise for restoring testosterone levels is manic, full out for as long as you can take it.

I tried a few jumping jacks for the first time since Jr high school. Hey, the article is right. I believe I even had a lustful thought!

My focus has been on using tonics for anti aging. I got rid of a deep muscle train with one tonic. Then, I eliminated a nagging feeling of depression with another.

That link goes to my web site to spread the word about the efficacy of tonics for anti aging.

Bee Pollen Helps with Allergies

Bee Pollen as a Superfood

At the Spring time of year in Palm Harbor, the oak trees are in full battle cry. People speak of pollen and sinus, signified by sigh-ness.

I saw a micro photo of oak pollen. The working end of the medieval weapon called the morning star had nothing on the dangerous look of this little beast.

You can well imagine how this spiky marvel of the oak tree can irritate sensitive membranes. And yet, many people are oblivious to this pollen. And, yes, I am among their number.

Two people told me recently of the sinus challenge presented by this oak pollen. I told them the story of my student Jeannie Horrell. She is Gary Horrell’s mom.

Gary did the video for The Money Tunes, and some other productions. Included is his cut of the Orange Blossom Special on YouTube that I did with the Green Grass Boys. There are links to these on his YouTube site where he documents Florida Folk on video.

When Jeannie talked about her sinus problems from oak pollen, I simply recounted what I’ve heard. “Taking bee pollen acts as an inoculation against tree pollen.”

Bee pollen is one of my favorite superfoods. It’s easy to take. I like the taste of it.

Not all health food nuts like bee pollen. We who do are a minority of a minority.

I was drawn to it because of all the superfoods that I knew of at the time, it was tasty and easy to find. I was informed when I started that bee pollen is a good source of minerals, including trace minerals.

Bee pollen also has analogs of hormones that help balance the endocrine system, or so I have read.

It’s been a regular part of my diet for decades. Nowadays, several times a week, not every day.

And, finally, it’s inexpensive. This would not be so if bee pollen was popular. If the 4% of the population who shop at health food stores all got bee pollen, the price would take off like a rocket.

Recommending bee pollen to Jeannie was natural for me. She took the effort to get some at a health food store.

At the next fiddle lesson she told me that it really made a difference with her sinuses. It was a big improvement.

Now I’m waiting for my new people to say how it went for them.

OK, Define "Superfoods"

Define "Superfoods"

I've always thought of superfoods as those whole foods that are very high in bioavailable nutrients.

Another way to say it is, you can live on superfoods.

Here's what Wikipedia says:

Superfood is a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that some may believe confers health benefits as a result. For example, blueberries are often considered a superfood (or superfruit) because they contain significant amounts of antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber. [1] However, the term is not in common currency amongst dieticians and nutritional scientists, many of whom dispute the claims made that consuming particular foodstuffs can have a health benefit[2] There is no legal definition of the term and it has been alleged that this has led to it being over-used as a marketing tool.[3]

That's what I call faint praise indeed. I suspect that the definition was shaped by Big Ag and the Pharmaceutical Industry.

The purpose of their definition is to invalidate or cast doubt. I don't know if that is really a fair approach.

Here is what Graci and Diamond, authors of The Power of Superfoods say:

Superfood the most nutrient-rich and completely absorbable food in any classification of protein, carbohydrates, fat or fiber;

contains powerful antioxidants, disease-preventing phytochemicals, and a wide range of colors;

allows the body a supply of balanced energy and supports accellerated healing;

examples are ...spirulina, phosphatidyl choline, alfalfa, barley, and wheat grasses, milk thistle, and ...green tea.

I don't know about phosphatidyl choline, but I've eaten all the other items.