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If your business wants to to be sponsor for the Raleigh Roughriders….

March 31, 2012 By

If your business wants to to be sponsor for the Raleigh Roughriders (semi-pro basketball)- http://​www.raleighroughriders.com/ – and partner with Food-Aid International at the same time, then please read on.

One idea is this: There would be promotion announced at each home game. The idea would be if the Roughriders scored more than 100 points, then your business would donate $ 1.00 per point scored that night.

i.e. If the Roughriders scored 110 points, then your business would donate $ 10.00 to Food-Aid International. If the Roughriders didn’t score 100 or more points, then you wouldn’t donate anything to Food-Aid International.

Mark

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“Insiders Only” – Article Marketing Online Training

March 31, 2012 By

We’re going to be changing up some things around here starting May 1st.

I’ll share more via direct email as well as timely posts.

Right now I wanted to post this for those who attended the March Final Friday on the same topic presented by Alice Osborn and Bob Walton and received free access to the 1st “Insider Only” online Trainings.

If you attended you know what you were supposed to do to receive this and I’ll keep checking.

I’ve set each of you up for a Month of Access so please jump in and make the time.

Here is the 3 step process of joining…

1. Go to the “Article Marketing” page (under the “Insiders” menu tab)

2. Click on the “Join” Button.

NOTE: If you did not receive the Free Invite (for those who attended Final Friday and followed the simply request) you will be greeted with a Payment page (Trainings will be 10 bucks for Non-Insiders).

3.You’re IN. The Training Modules are to the right.

ANOTHER NOTE:Don’t worry about getting access to this training (which I feel is pretty darn good and worth at least 10x the cost) I’ll be adding more ways for others to gain access during the month as I ramp up for some changes.

Hope it helps…

 

[Free free to come back to this post and let me know what you thought of the training]

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New 984 area code arrives today in central NC

March 31, 2012 By

New 984 area code arrives today in central NC

RALEIGH, N.C. – Residents of central North Carolina who use the 919 area code will have to dial 10-digit telephone numbers when placing local calls beginning March 31.

The N.C. Utilities Commission will add the 984 area code to the region that is now only covered by the 919 area code. The commission is making the change because of the explosive growth in the market and the diminishing amount of phone numbers available.

All existing 919 area code numbers will remain the same, but customers requesting new numbers in the region may be assigned the 984 area code beginning as early as April.

Customers will have to dial the 10-digit number that includes either 919 or 984 followed by the seven-digit local phone number when making calls in what is currently the 919 area code.

Long distance calls will still be dialed as they are now, with the number 1 and then the 10-digit phone number. Dialing three-digit numbers, such as 911 and 211, will not be impacted by the 10-digit requirement.

Mark
www.food-aid.org

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Lett’s Blog

March 31, 2012 By

Enzymes improve digestion and enhance health

(NOTE: This is the sixth in a series about the writer’s experiences with promoting health.)

It’s spring and the bunnies are happily hopping around the yard devouring fresh sprouts and eating plenty of nutrient-filled greens. Meanwhile most humans are stuffing down too many foods void of vitamins and minerals yet rich in carbohydrates and calories.

Like the bunnies I believe in eating raw vegetables and fruits everyday. After discovering probiotics, a beneficial bacteria that curtails the growth of yeast and bad bacteria in the body, I continued to learn about supplements. Realizing that it is hard to get all our nutrients from food and wanting to enhance my diet I researched and experimented with what types of foods and supplements I needed to improve my health and to prevent illness.

Eventually I discovered that the assimilation of vitamins and minerals and other nutrients is enhanced by a group of substances crucial to health. These are called enzymes, which are any of the numerous complex organic substances mostly proteins or similar to proteins that are produced by living cells. Most are available only in raw, uncooked foods because their effectiveness is destroyed by heat.

The action of enzymes originates in four areas of the body: the salivary glands, the stomach, the pancreas, and the wall of the small intestine. They govern all chemical reactions and transformations in the body and are necessary for the breakdown to the digestion, assimilation, and utilization of all nutrients. Enzymes act as catalysts so food can be broken down and digested and absorbed by the blood. Their functions affect individual metabolism and aid all body processes.

These enzymes are like worker bees in the body; they tear down the genes of old cells and rebuild genes for new cells. Various enzymes serve different functions. Some help to break down large nutrient molecules, such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates, into smaller molecules; and others guide the small molecules through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. Enzymes are involved in the storage and release of energy, reproduction, respiration, vision, and heredity.

Scientists estimate that there are about 600 different enzymes essential for human health, but each enzyme is capable of breaking down only one specific substance. Each has one job to do: for example, an enzyme that breaks down fat cannot affect proteins or carbohydrates. Enzymes are complex catalysts; they are capable of inducing chemical changes on other substances without being altered themselves.

The activities of the enzymes are interdependent with those of proteins, vitamins and minerals. Many are available only in raw, uncooked foods. Most enzymes are killed in cooking processes. The best sources of enzymes are raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts, and fermented foods. Vegetables should be steamed or cooked briefly in small amounts of water to protect the essence of enzymes and other nutrients.

In order to get sufficient enzymes in the diet, as well as vitamins and minerals, it is important to eat nutritious foods, and especially whole foods. In refined and processed foods like white sugar and white flour, many of these enzymes are removed and therefore they are hard to assimilate and digest. An excess of junk foods and lack of enzyme-rich foods prevent the body from getting enough nutrients, and this can lead to deficiencies and eventually disease.

Every day I eat raw vegetables as snacks and relish fresh salads, however I believe it is difficult to get sufficient enzymes from foods so I take enzymes three times a day prior to meals. Like the bunnies in my yard I want to keep jumping with joy and exuding energy and enthusiasm.

Copyright © 2012, AlexSandra Lett

AlexSandra Lett is writing a book “Going Crazy…Getting Sane.” She is a professional speaker and the author of “Natural Living, From Stress to Rest;” “A Timeless Place, Lett’s Set a Spell at the Country Store;” “Timeless Moons, Seasons of the Fields and Matters of the Heart;” “Timeless Recipes and Remedies, Country Cooking, Customs, and Cures;” and “Coming Home to my Country Heart, Timeless Reflections about Work, Family, Health, and Spirit.” Lett can be reached at 919-258-9299 or LettsSetaSpell@aol.com.

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Lett’s Blog

March 31, 2012 By

Eating enzyme-rich foods boosts health

(NOTE: This is the seventh in a series about the writer’s experiences with promoting health.)

As Spring bursts forth blooms and Mother Nature parades her colors no one can deny the exquisiteness of vibrant plants and blossoming flowers. As we appreciate the warm weather and widespread beauty we grasp that every seed and sprout have a purpose on this planet.

Nature is a captivating pulse of power…a reflection of the radiant aliveness in every person and thing. Spring usually inspires us to have more energy as we move from the short dark and dull days to long light and bright hours.

Choosing to live more vigorously I am vowing to eat more nutritiously. While writing an article about how enzymes improve digestion and enhance health last week I am reminding myself about all nutrients that encourage wellness. Enzymes are among the necessary building blocks for a healthy life.

Having studied nutrition for 40 years and practiced various forms of natural healing I believe that every dietary expert will agree that people need to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and some fruits every day. Fortunately, we live in an area that produces lots of newly-picked foods that we can get from neighbors, local growers, produce stands, and farmers’ markets, as well as grocery stores. More importantly, it is easy to carve out small sections in our backyards for growing our own vegetables and fruits.

In reviewing research through the decades, it is interesting to note scientists first discovered the value of carbohydrates, protein, and fats as the basics of nutrition. Soon after, they added vitamins and minerals as key substances in a healthy diet. Later researchers emphasized the importance of fiber in diets and eventually noted that enzymes are crucial to digestion of food and enhancement of health.

Today most people in the medical and health fields believe that good nutrition and proper digestion are key components to assure quality of life as well as regular exercise. The digestion of food is crucial for the creation of energy and balancing of the body.

Natural enzymes are essential to digestion and assimilation of nutrients in the body. Many studies indicate that enzymes are needed to accelerate necessary chemical reactions in the digestive process and furthermore help protect the body from ailments and can even repair damage from disease in the body.

Enzymes are available in pill form that can provide crucial components for digesting food and utilizing it more effectively in the body. However, it is better to obtain enzymes from the foods we eat. There are several main sources:

* raw foods like fruits and vegetables and raw fish such as sushi;

* nuts and seeds, including almonds, pecans, brazil nuts, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, and pistachios;

* fermented or cultured foods such as yogurt, kefir, sour cream, buttermilk, sauerkraut, pickles, olives, sourdough bread (leavened), and miso (a fermented soybean paste).

Studies about ancient societies and timeless traditions reveal that throughout history communities of people have eaten lots of raw foods and included fermented foods are part of their diet. They were aware of the importance of eating fermented or cultured foods every day. Our ancestors lived in tune with their environments so they realized that they had more energy when they ate foods that encouraged a happy stomach. Today scientists believe that this diets rich in fermented foods improve the digestion process and decrease the load on our pancreas and liver.

Researchers and people like me have realized that enzymes promote healthy intestinal flora and restore the proper balance of bacteria in the gut. They even help us deal with constipation, allergies, asthma, lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, and yeast infections.

Many fast foods from drive-through restaurants and micro-wave ready convenient meals are processed to the point of having few nutrients and no enzymes. Many food products are pasteurized or sterilized during the manufacturing process, therefore destroying beneficial bacteria needed to promote intestinal health.

Most health food advocates believe that if we ate and lived like our ancestors who focused on growing their own food we would not need to worry about replenishing the bacteria that allows us to digest our food. There are theories that taking too many antibiotic drugs and drinking chlorinated water damage beneficial bacteria in the body.

Some researchers are concerned about the overuse of antibacterial soaps that destroy good bacteria as well as bad bacteria and lead to more imbalances in the nature, But that’s a different story for another day…

Copyright © 2012, AlexSandra Lett

AlexSandra Lett is writing a book “Going Crazy…Getting Sane.” She is a professional speaker and the author of “Natural Living, From Stress to Rest;” “A Timeless Place, Lett’s Set a Spell at the Country Store;” “Timeless Moons, Seasons of the Fields and Matters of the Heart;” “Timeless Recipes and Remedies, Country Cooking, Customs, and Cures;” and “Coming Home to my Country Heart, Timeless Reflections about Work, Family, Health, and Spirit.” Lett can be reached at 919-258-9299 or LettsSetaSpell@aol.com.

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Plant and Seed Diversity is Key To Survival of the Planet

March 31, 2012 By

Plant and Seed Diversity is Key To Survival of the Planet


Dr Vandana Shiva will blow you away with her message and eloquence.  A prominent environmental, social justice and anti-GM activist, she received the Sydney Peace Prize in 2010 and was named by Guardian UK in March 2011 as one of the top 100 women in the world.

Dr Vandana Shiva founded the Navdanya Biodiversity Conservation Farm and Bija Vidyapeeth in 1987 and explains in simple terms that ecological farming is pro-peace, pro- biodiversity, pro-culture and pro-livelihood for the poor. All good things and profitable for the earth and business. 


How can we get her message out to an even wider audience? We must shift thinking about mass production, change the old saw of better living through chemistry and realize the negative impacts of insecticides and pesticides. 

  • The studies keep piling up to implicate the mass use of chemicals and genetically modified plants





Vandana Shiva Granmother’s University in Dehradun, India

She calls her institute “Nine Seeds” and “The New Gift” which began in 1987. Vandana has saved at least 1500 varieties of seeds so far and grows them in-situ so they adapt to the changing environment. She developed her community village among the eucalyptus desert to make it bloom, now a biodiverse sanctuary.

You might say part of her watch word consists of training and research. The facts back up her statement that, “Ecological systems can produce 2-5 times more produce than industrial monocultures.” Even in her anger and desperation, Vandana speaks calmly and with statistics to back up her belief system.

Death and Sterility
GMO and genetic engineering will cause only sterility and death. Pooling together the resources of Grandmother’s University, the elders link the past to the future. Every grandmothers generation transmits to the next generation their motherly wisdom.

The Invasion of Her Country

Her heart has been broken by the cultural invasion of industrialized, mechanized society of our fast food nation.

She demonstrates how training can change how people think about farming, sustainability, diversity and the world. Her main project of saving seeds comes from the hazard of GM and the wake of seed destruction. She talks about India, the land of cotton, where Gandhi spun these fibers from variety and diversity. Whereas, now the cotton is all BT Monsanto cotton, a great loss of culture.

The Seed Holds The Memory

Just as the acorn holds the memory how to grow into a mighty oak tree, so too, the ancient forms that developed over millennium hold DNA story to live in harmony within the land. With the loss of the seed’s memory, the cultural memory and the farmer’s livelihood, they have lost all hope and have been committing suicides at alarming rates. The BT crop devastates nature and her message to defend life, to defend the future, to defend the cultural heritage that lies dormant in the seed, but which has been destroyed through genetic engineering.

  • Peepli Live was shown at our local Galaxy theater in 2010 which tells the story of subsistence farmers in India and how they have no way out of debt but suicide. Faced with crops failing because of a lack of rain, farmers in India have been committing suicide because they’re unable to pay back the loans to local money lenders. Indian farmers are still living in abject poverty, despite the progress the country is making in areas such as outsourcing, technology, infrastructure and biotechnology.



Talk of War

The work of this village is not a war, says Vandana, but farmer friendly. Ecological organic farming working with the laws of nature to recycle and uphold biodiversity means working with nature.

The attack and war on the people comes from Monsanto selling GM seeds to these migrant workers and farmers from which they cannot sustain their livelihoods. Instead, they become slaves to the manufacturing industry. An ecological farm means working WITH the earth, which provides new seeds year after year.

Taste the Difference

The produce harvested on the bio-diverse farm benefits the consumer. You can taste the real live produce. Asked about the food crisis, Vandana explains that GM changes the gene to produce toxins. They cannot yield the natural benefits of drought resistance that weathers the change in seasons year after year.  The researchers cannot relocate the complexity of the genetic complex of seeds.

The Big Lie

The promise to produce more food is a lie. Natural varieties out compete the GM variety and they live within the diversity of the land. She continues to describe these CRUDE mechanisms that mankind calls, “scientific advances” with promises to the people. Unfortunately, the actual result of these technologies shows profit for the manufacturers by enslaving the farmers forever. In the same way as Americans have become enslaved by the banks with credit card debt.


The Suicide Belt
Genetic engineering has produced two applications, 1) herbicide resistant and 2) BT to produce pesticides within he plant, which has resulted in super weeds. In the same way we find MRSA antibiotic resistance within the bacterial and viral world. Nature has the upper hand in producing and mutating its own diversity. Our meager attempts at engineering broad spectrum antibiotics, pesticides, insecticides and sprays cannot win this war. We must learn to live in harmony with nature using natural immunity and natural biodiversity. Our ancestors had the wisdom.  Millions of acres in the US have been destroyed and now we live in a cycle of dependency. In India, the boll worm has become resistant and new pests and diseases have cropped up.

Ecological Farming
The interviewer wants to learn about progress of third world countries. How much you sell and buy determines the economy. How can a country contribute to feeding the poverty stricken? During this period in India’s history of high growth, we also see mass hunger, land and home displacement, loss of culture, poverty and misery. All the concentration of wealth has risen to a small percentage of people at the top. She calls them “robbers of the public wealth” making profits off the people. Does this sound like a familiar story? She explains this economy of theft and privatization of public growth.



Biodiversity Makes A Healthy Economy
This is her message. How to feed the people? Everyone talks about #OWS Occupy Wall Street both in America and in India. Who takes the land? The bankers. The industry. We need more people on the land. Return to an agricultural society. Become a small local village, just like Pat’s vision of InSide919, where Vindana says an economic resurgence will become the source.

You can tell when listening to her speak that she has a vision in her head. You can imagine the land development and agricultural design. Cities supplies should comes from localized food systems. Urban gardens are the solution.

Climate Change
How does climate change come into the picture. With a smile, Vandana says every time we have a crisis that becomes the reason for the development of GM crops and seeds. Whether industry says it will save the hungry, protect from pests or disease, or some other reason, they keep changing with the times to rationalize and make the people believe what their story. GMO is the reason and excuse. Stealing seeds off the farmers. She tells everyone to, “Get a climate resilient seed” and she means a natural culturally diverse seed.

What About Biofuel?

They took the harvest of the farmers and redirected it toward bio-fuel, which caused more hunger in the world. We messed up the climate and now start artificial volcanoes and make a problem with the sun reflecting back energy to the earth. Irresponsible actions of greedy humans.

The Three Pillars of Society
She states the three pillars of society include: government and the state, business and industry, and the citizens. What has happened? Corporations and the state have merged to become a corporate/state. Civil society now has to deal with corporation and the state. Democracy no longer acts in the interest of the people, but has merged and now people are indebted or indentured to the corporations as well as government. Only vigilant, active, civil society can retain and their freedoms.



Heat In The Middle East
No subject is off limits to ask this wise woman. She touches upon the Libyan rebellion, the nuclear meltdown in Japan, and world events which show we live in highly destructive times. This shaman and intuitive believes in the will of people and the power of their desire to fight for freedom and happiness.


BBC News | The world wakes up to the need for another way to produce enough food to feed the populations around the world. To quote from this article, “Farming must intensify sustainably, cut waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farms . . .”  The evidence and final report delivered at the Planet Under Pressure conference concludes that production must increase. Farmers and consumers must scrutinize the most sustainable methods locally and regionally in all countries, that will not cause detriment to land, soil, air quality and to human health. We must also look at the humane treatment of those animals that give their lives sacrificially to become food. 

  • “The Planet Under Pressure conference is a four-day gathering of academics, campaigners and business people in London designed to inform policy-making in the run-up to the Rio+20 summit in Brazil in June.”


Not surprisingly, after a year of investigation the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change tells us that farming practices like clear cutting contribute to about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions leading to global warming. Farmers need to be educated about no-till techniques, diversity, inter-planting, companion planting and local irrigation.


A major issue of hunger in the world has reached heights as the population increases and in 2009 a record one billion suffered malnutrition. With the number of people out of work in America, hunger has touched our continent.

  • North Carolina listed ranks 15.7% ~ One of the 9 states exhibiting statistically significant higher household food insecurity rates than the U.S. national average 2008-2010, while food insecurity exists in every US county.

  • Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC | Food Banks have greater need than ever. Established in 1980, the Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties for 30 years. You can find local branches, volunteer efforts and event listings on the website.

 

The Bees Are The Canaries In The Coal Mine | Insecticides may be cause for Bee Colony Collapse. If you have not been keeping up with the plight of the bees, then I hope this news will alert you to the necessity of paying attention to their fragile existence. Organic farmers have known the risks of pesticide and insecticide use for decades. Finally, heads now nod in agreement that harmful chemicals may be the root cause of bee collapse. These mighty insects help provide the food for our world as pollinators. North Carolina, as a honey-producing state and with the NCSU agriculture and entomology departments lead the country in research.

  • We must save the bees. What bees do to their hives to preserve their species. What pesticide do to reduce mosquito population. How West Nile Virus affect bee populations.


Want to know another major way to feed the world? Don’t waste food. I would love to hear your stories of how you save food and don’t waste. The same environmental friendly principle you use for “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle” for energy consumption may be used for our food supplies.



Maybe we don’t feel the crisis at home in Cary or the Triangle, but we must be cognizant of the world crisis.

  • AFOP | The Association of Farm-worker Opportunity Programs | North Carolina state has representation in this national nonprofit organization consisting of public agencies that serve eligible migrant and seasonal farm workers under the National Farm-worker Jobs Program, a national job-training program authorized at Section 167 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Did you know that migrant farm workers in NC make around $ 6,500, on average, each year?

    As climate changes, low crop yield, loss of crops from natural disasters, pests, floods, drought, etc. can cause a decrease in their annual income, leading to a food crisis for migrant farm workers and their families.



Homeopathy for Farm and Garden

If you are serious about organic gardening and wish to use agro-homeopathic energy remedies to deal with pests and disease in your home garden, a complete guide by Kaviraj, U.K. homeopathy expert has recently been published.


Last year, I did a series of BlogTalkRadio shows with Kaviraj and learned a great deal about using homepathic remedies to boost the health of plants from seeds to fruiting










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How Can Pinterest Make Money

March 30, 2012 By
How Can Pinterest Make Money


Everybody’s been talking about Social Media, and how if you want to succeed as a business, then you need to create fresh content with a blog on your optimized website, build Facebook Fan Page with tons of “likes”, have a respectably professional LinkedIn account, and then Twitter like a bird to build a following. Sound familiar?

Usher in Pinterest. I only stumbled upon it a couple of months ago, and initially dismissed it, but found out there are lots of folks, particularly ladies, “pinning” to their hearts’ delight there. When I started playing around with it, I was surprised to suddenly find two of my adult daughters “following” me. My youngest daughter, Laura, chided me with, “What are you doing on Pinterest? Pinterest is for girls.”

That got my attention, and started the wheels turning in my head. Then Stephen Peacock, an active web developer & fellow Inside919 member, blogged about it; so I joined. Can Pinterest make money for businesses? What kind of use statistics are we talking about?

How Can Pinterest Make Money – The Stats Speak Loudly


According to SEOmoz blog post, Going Viral on Pinterest, “It was during that month of January that Pinterest exploded from a casual social network to an absolute powerhouse of over 10 million users. By this point, it was driving more referral traffic than Google+, Youtube, and LinkedIn. For a social network remaining under the radar for the marketing industry, these are numbers that can’t be ignored.”

OK, so if the demographics mainly point to the female population, who of my clients should I be steering towards this Social Media platform? Well, duh, how about my MedSpa client who is all about helping mostly women maintain, or regain, their youthful attractive appearance with Botox, hot waxing & SmartLipo. It’s a perfect marriage of personal attractiveness, visible branding, education and local exposure.

But, how else can Pinterest make money? Has anyone heard of Etsy? Etsy is a social commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items as well as art and craft supplies. If you have an Etsy shop or sell products elsewhere, you can pin them to your board and tag them that they’re for sale just by putting the dollar amount somewhere in the description of the pin. Combining Pinterest with Etsy is a “no brainer” to me of a winning combination.

Who else? How about Amazon Affiliate Marketing & Google Adsense? These two powerhouses cannot be ignored. In the interest of keeping this article manageable, check out the following post, Earning Money With Pinterest.

Lastly, we brush up against “the dark side” with Spammers. Yes, I hate to say it, and strongly advise against the practice, but there are Spammers out there making a lot of money. For a good read on the topic in Yahoo news, One Guy Makes Over $ 1,000 a Day by Spamming People on Pinterest.

How Can Pinterest Make Money – Summary


And the potential money making winners are:

  • Businesses that primarily sell or service to the female population
  • Online marketers that use services like Etsy to sell products
  • Amazon Affiliate Marketers & those using Adsense
  • Spammers (the dreaded, deserving of jailtime lot)


I’ve no doubt that Pinterest will continue to gain traction for users who enjoy creating collections of things to share with others. And, from the looks of it, businesses are drawing traffic to their sites from Pinterest users as well. For those in, or related to, web marketing consider this as another “arrow” for your Social Media quiver, which is another avenue to generate sales.

 

Did I miss a way to make money using Pinterest? Please comment!

Article Source: How Can Pinterest Make Money

Author: Bob Walton is a Raleigh SEO search engine & web service provider for local businesses. If you need a new website, need extra online visitors, or have questions on improving your existing website, please contact Bob @ 919-523-4185.

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Premarital Counseling

March 30, 2012 By

I’ve noticed lately that more couples are asking about pre-marital counseling. It’s always a good idea to get everything out in the open and sometimes we need a little help looking inside to see what is there.

The first question I ask couples when they come to me for counseling is, “Why do you want to get married?” And believe me, “Because we’re in love” is not a good enough answer. There are many couples who love each other dearly and at the same time simply can not manage to live together.

Most parents love their children deeply but really would prefer not to live with them their whole entire lives. You may be sad when a child leaves home but it’s often best for all concerned when they do.

So, why do you want to get married? To allow you to live together legally or to have legal control over another person is an answer but do you want that kind of life? Really?

To read the rest of this post, please see my blog.

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Eating After 50: 10 Sneaky Ways to Get More Calcium

March 30, 2012 By

Try these smart and clever ways to boost calcium in your diet.
By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com senior editor

Keeping your bones strong is key to preventing osteoporosis, the bone loss that leads to poor posture, back pain, hip fracture, and many of the other problems that can sideline us as we age. Here, some sneaky tricks for working calcium into your diet and routine.

1. Don’t skimp on dairy.
As we get older, many of us forego milk. That’s a big mistake, experts say. Unless you’re lactose intolerant or vegan, including dairy in your diet is still the best way to maintain your calcium intake. The good news: The fat phobia many people associate with dairy products is misplaced. Nonfat and 2 percent milk actually contain more calcium than full-fat milk. And milk haters, don’t despair — yogurt, cheese, butter, and ice cream are all good calcium sources, too.

2. Cheat with treats.

Want a big surprise? Check the calcium content of that tasty frozen yogurt at your local shop. Typically, even commercially processed frozen yogurt contains 200 to 300 milligrams per cup — less than regular yogurt (300 to 400 milligrams) but still impressive. An even more unexpected way to cheat: Make a cake, pudding, fudge, or other dessert using evaporated milk; one cup contains a whopping 660 milligrams of calcium.

3. Make some cheesy main dishes.

Don’t limit your thinking to standard deli cheeses like jack, cheddar, and Swiss. Mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan — all of which are easy add to casseroles, pasta, and other main dishes — are excellent sources of calcium. Start your day by slipping some cheese into an omelet or scramble; end it right by sprinkling some on a frozen pizza just before taking it out of the oven.

4. Focus on fortification.

Calcium is such a key nutrient that many foods are now fortified to help boost calcium intake. Orange juice, breakfast cereals, soy milk, and any food labeled “calcium fortified” provide great ways to sneak calcium into your diet unnoticed.

5. Soak up the soy.

Here’s a secret: Calcium-fortified soy milk actually has more calcium in it than milk — up to 400 milligrams a cup. And recent studies show that the calcium in soy milk is as easily absorbed as that in regular milk. Sneak in more calcium by snacking on fresh or dried soybeans, too. Tofu is also calcium-rich: One half-cup serving contains 250 milligrams, which is 25 percent of your daily needs. For still more calcium, choose tofu that’s preserved with calcium sulfate, making it an even better bone-builder.

6. Green your diet.

Kale, broccoli, lettuce, bok choy, cabbage, and other leafy greens are great sources of calcium. The problem is, the calcium in greens is not as easily absorbed as that in dairy if the greens contain naturally occurring substances called oxalates. Spinach, chard, and beet greens are higher in oxalates. It’s not a big issue unless you’re getting most of your calcium from nondairy sources. If so, try creating calcium-rich combinations, such as a spinach or lettuce salad topped with sesame seeds or beans (also good calcium sources) and cheese.

7. Make your calcium supplement a combo pill.

Having adequate magnesium stores is crucial for calcium absorption. In fact, research shows that high levels of calcium and low levels of magnesium can actually contribute to bone loss. Balance is key, too: Experts recommend a 2-to-1 ratio of calcium to magnesium. If you’re taking 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, you need 500 milligrams of magnesium. One more thing: Your body can only absorb about 500 milligrams of calcium at a time; it excretes the rest. So you’re better off taking a calcium supplement in smaller doses twice a day, morning and evening. Calcium carbonate must be taken with meals, and you can take calcium citrate with or without food.

8. Accompany calcium with vitamin D.

Vitamin D is crucial to bone health, and it has a synergistic relationship with calcium. Research shows we lose 2 to 4 percent of our bone density during the winter due to vitamin D deficiency. To combat that, most experts now recommend getting 15 minutes a day of sunlight to help your body build vitamin D naturally, and taking at least 1,000 IUs (International Units) of vitamin D — usually you’ll need a separate supplement to get enough.

9. Cut down on coffee (or drink lattes).

Too much caffeine can weaken bones by increasing the rate of calcium excretion. Avoid this risk by limiting yourself to two cups a day. If you have trouble giving up extra cups of joe, you can mitigate the calcium loss by choosing a latte or café au lait or adding a few tablespoons of milk or cream (not nondairy creamer) to your coffee.

10. Beware of high-protein diets.

With all due respect to Mr. Atkins, diets high in animal protein can actually leach calcium from your bones. That’s because protein is broken down into components that are acidic, and your body uses calcium to buffer them. If you eat a lot of red meat and eggs (in one to two meals per day), you’re even more likely to need to boost your calcium intake.

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5 Most Surprising Reasons to Drink Coffee

March 30, 2012 By

By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor
Last updated: January 12, 2012

Feeling jittery about whether to drink coffee? Percolate on this: Coffee’s benefits considerably outweigh its negatives, researchers now believe. Although caffeine can cause anxiety and insomnia in some people, the beverage’s unique properties — such as more powerful antioxidants than from any other source in the American diet, including fruits and vegetables — can do a lot of good. Just be sure to spring for organic coffee, says Beth Reardon, director of nutrition for Duke Integrative Medicine, since coffee beans are among the most heavily sprayed crops (all those chemicals can undo the benefits).

Here are the five surprising reasons to sip coffee:

1. Coffee slashes your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The health benefit: The more coffee you drink, the less likely it is you’ll develop type 2 diabetes, numerous studies have shown. For example, postmenopausal women who drink at least four cups of coffee a day are less than half as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as those who don’t drink coffee, according to a 2011 study of more than 700 women by the UCLA Schools of Public Health and Medicine.

In fact, every additional cup is thought to reduce the excess risk of type 2 diabetes by 7 percent, according to Australian researchers in a 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine meta-analysis of 18 different studies, which linked coffee drinking and diabetes prevention.

How it works: Coffee is thought to improve the body’s tolerance to glucose by speeding metabolism and improving insulin tolerance.

The UCLA researchers discovered one possible molecular mechanism for this. Coffee consumption increases blood levels of a protein called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which seems to offer protection against type 2 diabetes in those who have a certain type of genetic mutation. (Decaf coffee didn’t show this effect, however.)
If you’re already showing signs of prediabetes, of course, you’ll want to refrain from dunking doughnuts in that joe.

2. Coffee can counter cancerous cell damage.

The health benefit: Coffee was once believed to cause cancer — but that was before researchers factored in such related behaviors of frequent sippers as smoking and drinking alcohol. Today, there’s mounting evidence that coffee may be protective against certain cancers, possibly by enhancing DNA repair.

Some of the best evidence concerns liver damage and liver cancer, which strikes more than 18,000 Americans a year. Multiple studies have found an inverse relationship between coffee consumption and liver cancer risk, including a 2007 meta-analysis of nine different studies.

Cancer-prevention researchers are finding similar benefits of coffee drinking versus other forms of the disease. In 2011, for example, a Harvard team found that women who drink several cups of coffee a day (caffeinated or decaf) have a lower risk of endometrial cancer. Another 2011 Harvard study reported that for men who consumed six cups of coffee a day, their risk of lethal prostate cancer was fully 60 percent lower than lesser coffee drinkers, and their risk of any kind of prostate cancer was 20 percent lower.

Other studies have linked coffee drinking to a reduced risk of colon cancer, rectal cancer, oral cancer, and esophageal cancer.

How it works: Coffee contains hundreds of chemical compounds — among them antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that can decrease markers for the damaging process of inflammation. The highly active antioxidant compound methylpyridinium, for example, is found almost exclusively in coffee (both caffeinated and decaf types), due to the beans’ roasting process. Espresso has two to three times the amount of this anticancer compound as a medium-roast coffee, according to the German researchers who identified it in coffee.

3. Coffee may lower your risk of dementia.

The health benefit: Scientists still don’t fully understand what causes the brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but they’re learning more about risk factors for dementia — and a hearty coffee-drinking habit seems to lower the risk.

When researchers in Sweden and Denmark tracked coffee consumption in a group of more than 1,400 middle-aged subjects for an average of 21 years, they found a clear connection. Those who quaffed three to five cups a day were 65 percent less likely to have developed dementia than the two-cups-or-fewer crowd. (Drinking five or more cups a day also seems to reduce the risk, although this group was too small to allow researcher to draw statistically significant results.)

How it works: Researchers believe the antioxidant properties of coffee may work to reduce vascular forms of dementia. Drinking coffee is already known to be protective against type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease that raises the risk of dementia. (Having diabetes together with depression, for example, doubles dementia risk.)

Another theory: Animal studies indicate that the caffeine in coffee may improve the efficiency of the blood-brain barrier, thwarting the negative effects of high cholesterol on cognitive functioning. Caffeine added to rats’ water improves their cognitive functioning and reduces by half the amount of abnormal amyloid protein in their brains, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
It’s also possible that coffee drinkers simply have more energy and move more; researchers point out that exercise is protective against dementia, too.

4. Coffee protects (men, anyway) against Parkinson’s disease.

The health benefit: At least for men, it seems pretty clear that coffee helps lower the odds of developing Parkinson’s disease. Compared with abstainers, guys who down two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day have a 25-percent lower risk of Parkinson’s.

That’s the conclusion of a review of 26 published studies looking at coffee consumption and Parkinson’s. It echoes an earlier body of studies. The link hasn’t been shown to be as strong for women.

Why it works: Researchers aren’t sure what the protective mechanism at play is, or even whether it’s the caffeine or other protective compounds that are behind the benefit. Genetics may play a role: One 2011 study found that subjects who carried certain types of a gene called GRIN2A received more neuroprotective benefits against Parkinson’s from coffee (although coffee drinkers with all forms of the gene still had a lower risk of developing the disease).

5. Coffee may buffer depression.

The health benefit: Another large study links long-term coffee use with a reduced risk of depression. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health tracked 50,000 nurses in the Nurses’ Health Study for more than a quarter century. In 2011, they reported that those who drank four cups of coffee or more per day had a 20-percent lower risk of developing depression, compared with those who rarely or never drank it. Those who downed two to three cups a day had about a 15-percent lower risk.
A much smaller study in Finland linked coffee consumption to a decreased risk of suicide in men. There’s also some evidence that coffee protects against depression in men, too.

How it works: Nobody’s sure, but one theory is that coffee drinking causes a short-term boost to energy and mood. The caffeine in coffee is probably the substance causing this effect — the Harvard researchers saw a similar decrease in depression among those who drank caffeinated soft drinks and ate chocolate, both of which contain caffeine.

Brain receptors that respond to caffeine are found in the basal ganglia, the part of the brain where neurotransmitters critical to depression are concentrated. Repeated low-dose stimulation of these receptors may help protect against the development of depression.

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