Team Wellness+ Whole Food Plant-based Community

05/25/2025

Mmmm ... berries ...

BERRY BENEFITS
Berries are packed with polyphenols, which have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Anthocyanidins, the natural blue-purple pigments in plants, are a type of polyphenol that can cross the blood-brain barrier and may provide neuroprotective effects.⁠
⁠
The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study followed 16,000 women for years and found that those eating more berries over the long term had significantly slower cognitive decline. In the study, higher consumption of blueberries and strawberries was associated with "delayed cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years"—thought due to the anthocyanins in the fruits.⁠

⁠When older adults added the equivalent of one cup of blueberries to their daily diet, researchers found improvements in their long-term memory and other aspects of cognition. In terms of the number of errors on the test, the placebo group did worse, while the blueberry group did better.⁠

Eating just a handful of berries every day, an easy and delicious dietary tweak, may slow your brain’s aging by years.⁠

GREENS BENEFITS:
Dark green leafy vegetables, including kale, collards, and arugula, are packed with the antioxidant lutein.

Levels of lutein in the retina of our eyes correspond to levels in the rest of our brain, so our eyes can be a window into our mind. Significant correlations exist between cognitive test scores and the amount of macular pigment in our eyes—plant pigments like lutein.

Increasing our intake of greens like kale can be a beneficial way to improve and maintain the health of our brain and our eyes.

More than 100,000 people were followed for decades in the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Greater intake of lutein and zeaxanthin, macular pigments and antioxidants found in greens, was associated with about a 40 percent lower chance of developing late-stage macular degeneration. To prevent macular degeneration, a diet high in green leafy vegetables is recommended.

To learn more, see the videos “Brain-Healthy Foods to Fight Aging” at https://see.nf/brainlutein and “How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years” at https://see.nf/3StIvt5

PMID: 22658645, 22535616, 2535616, 28283823, 25109868, 25752849, 26566524, 26447482, 26081455

05/04/2025

Fiber is what our good gut bacteria thrive on. It’s their fuel source. When we eat whole plant foods, like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, we are telling our gut flora to be fruitful and multiply.

When the fiber is fermented in the digestion process, our gut flora produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). "These SCFAs are then absorbed into our bloodstream from our colon, circulate throughout our body, and even make their way to our brain. These far-reaching fiber-sourced SCFAs may have wide-ranging effects on everything from inflammation and immune function to mental health." We feed our gut flora with fiber, and they turn around and feed us right back with these health-promoting SCFAs.

When we don’t eat enough whole plant foods, we are, in effect, starving our microbial selves. A typical Western diet, one lacking in whole plant-based foods, results in dysbiosis, an imbalance where bad bacteria can take over and may increase our susceptibility to inflammatory diseases, colon cancer, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, or cardiovascular disease.

See the video "Gut Dysbiosis: Starving Our Microbial Self" https://buff.ly/2BJoE0P to learn more.
PMID: 7359576, 24060277, 25198138, 25156449, 24388214, 24230488, 27862824, 28075383, 28925886

02/21/2025

More good news ...

01/06/2025

Current weight loss drugs ... no thanks.

What is the hormone GLP-1, what separates GLP-1 mimics from previous weight-loss drugs, and how much weight may be lost before weight loss plateaus?

09/09/2024

Once and for all ...

The myth that plant proteins are incomplete, necessitating protein combining, was debunked by the scientific nutrition community decades ago.

09/02/2024

NEW: An Affiliate Marketing program has just been released featuring the advanced Aeroponic Tower Garden! Check out the Tower Garden here ... https://us.towergarden.com/

I have been fortunate to use these advanced growing systems for 17 years now. The Tower Garden allows any of us to control the source, quality and availability of the produce that we want to eat each day. The savings versus buying organic produce at the store is staggering. We know food quality is on the decline. Soil has been depleted and hundreds of pesticides are in use. All of these issues are avoided when using the Tower Garden at home or on a larger scale commercially. The average return on your investment is within 12 months, not to mention, simple peace of mind for the family.

If you would like to join the mission to inspire healthier living with the Tower Garden ... join affiliate marketing today!
https://towergarden.postaffiliatepro.com/affiliates/signup.php?a_aid=davelivesitup

Tower Garden

07/08/2024

I have posted this on other platforms. I thought I might add some perspective from our gardening experiences based on the questions I have been getting from followers. I am happy to help anyone interested in exploring this advanced growing platform. Please PM me.

We have three Towers ... two outdoors and one in the kitchen. We have had Towers growing in a cool basement; outdoors in 95+ degree weather; in the garage; and in the kitchen. Kitchen to Table is pretty convenient.

So, what's the big deal? Well, the plants are better than organic (no pesticides); are picked at their peak of ripeness; we know where they come from; are handled only by us; and are less than 5% of the cost of good organic produce in the store ... if you can find it. If one is committed to better health by adding more plants to their diet ... all year round ... then Tower Gardens are valuable.

Our indoor Tower is used to stage seedlings to go outside (think early spring and mid-summer for a second annual harvest) ... and to grow strawberries; kale; lettuces during the hot summer months; and various herbs for cooking like oregano ... all year round.

Here in North Carolina the outdoor Towers go out the second week of March and come in the second week of December. We typically grow several kale varieties; cukes; 3-4 varieties of tomatoes; chives; celery; eggplant; Swiss Chard; basil; peppers; mint and edible flowers to draw in the good bugs and repel the bad.

Our record harvest outdoors was 2043 tomatoes off of four plants and 58 cukes off one plant. These are serious growing machines. If you want to see how professional commercial growers use the Tower Gardens ... check out https://www.youtube.com/

Many folks have asked about return on investment. We spent $2,250.00 on the three Towers and over 17 years that works out to about one third of one cent per day to grow our own plants. Tower Gardens are built to last. I have only replaced one pump.
Average costs amount to $28 per month for the three Towers. This includes electricity, seedlings, mineral solutions and occasional rock wool and net pot supplies. By far the most amount of time spent with the Towers is harvesting. Maintenance is insignificant compared to soil-based gardening.

Based on the cost of organic produce in the store we conservatively estimate saving $170+ per month previously given to Costco and farmers markets. Over 17 years that amounts to $34,000+ in savings or roughly 10x original cost and 5x if you include monthly operating costs. The bottom line is that we are making money while growing and consuming the highest quality produce available.

Have you noticed that produce in the store seems to be going up? If you take one example ... here in NC an organic cuke is $2.00 believe it or not. So far, we have taken 48 cukes off of one plant; almost $100 worth year to date. Our cukes are crisp and green ... and do not bend. 🙂

I am often asked which plants grow the best. The Towers can make anyone successful. You do need to pay attention to the plants; the water levels; and the pH levels to ensure consistent success. This is not magic although at times it may seem so. I tell my clients to hug their Towers every day. There are many bugs out there that despite having no brains do know fresh, high quality produce when they see and smell it. You want to send them off to the happy hunting grounds.

I do not grow cauliflower; watermelon; cabbage; zucchini; or broccoli on our Towers as they take a long time and a lot of space needed to run. You can grow them but, for example, you can grow 3-4 lettuces in the same growing port, and over the same amount of time; as one head of broccoli. You can grow determinate tomatoes (small bushes) indoors but I grow all tomatoes outdoors now. A typical indeterminate tomato plant will grow 8 feet away from the Tower. You need room for vines; and to be fearless when it comes to pruning. Diligent pruning means greater yield.

The staples we grow, for salads, stir-fries and JP+ Complete smoothies at lunch; are the multiple kales and tomatoes; Swiss Chard; parsley; mint; various lettuces; and celery ... all of which grow very well and fast on the Towers. After getting Towers if you order a salad in a restaurant you are in for a big disappointment.

Here are some pictures. As a side note: the photo of tomatoes and cukes on the plate is what our neighbor gave us from her garden versus those on the right grown on the Towers. Which of the two would you prefer?

I'm happy to answer any questions in the comments.

02/04/2024

Great adds to your diet a couple times a week ...

Lentils and chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are put to the test.

01/18/2024

More benefits to kale ...

The risk of glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, appears to be dramatically reduced by kale or collard greens consumption, thanks to the phytonutrient pigments lutein and zeaxanthin.

01/06/2024

This year of 2024 brings my 31st year of helping others move closer to a whole food plant-based lifestyle. Critical to this process is providing tools to help clients migrate toward more optimal health. Tools that are convenient; inexpensive compared to organic produce at the store; and are the most thoroughly clinically researched. I'm referring to JUICE PLUS+ whole foods, of course. Two major initiatives provide roadmaps for clients. The Shred 10 process and the Healthy Starts for Families, where children get their fruits and veggies at no charge. In this post I have included some links to explain the Shred 10 program. I am happy to speak with anyone further on how to get started on your road to more optimal health. Message me anytime.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/234677211 and https://vimeo.com/895982294

This is "Jumpstart Your Health with Dr. Jan Roberto, M.D." by Juice Plus+ on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

11/25/2023

Steel oats ... oatmeal ... sign me up ... and tell Type II Diabetics about it! https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-oatmeal-good-for-people-with-diabetes/?fbclid=IwAR2gDxfB45im6smQB2cZ8Tk-nUpTBlKaYCVGxJt8ubogBGzR74tP9QFVcjM

Before there was insulin, there was the “oatmeal cure.”

11/03/2023

Sign me up! https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-diet-for-healthy-aging/?fbclid=IwAR2O13gDlcqKkyn9sBh5vbF2XqYgoArzvcK7XKeYz7ya4kfTNhgXALLq5wI

Swapping just 1 percent of plant protein in place of animal protein was associated with significantly less age-related deficit accumulation.