Longevity Lifestyle Menu

I dislike the word “diet” as even subconsciously the word itself can trigger thought of deprivation, unpleasant tasting food, and restriction from enjoyment. There are solid general principles for creating and maintaining a healthier style of eating for the rest of one’s life. Recipes that a person loves often can still be enjoyed periodically through substitution of healthier ingredients. Taylor’s “Longevity Lifestyle Living” program contains simple strategies for creating a lifestyle to help you stay healthier and younger for longer. It’s doable for the rest of your life and lowers your risk many health-related illnesses and diseases. It is a 12-week program that you can follow on your own computer or tablet at your convenience. The cost is $1.00 per week payable at the start of the program, and you have unlimited access thereafter. Dump SAD and WS-diet. Minimize your risk for a variety of unpleasant illnesses. You and those who love you will be glad you did.

https://www.arlenetaylor.org/llm-online

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SAD/WS-diet) in Humans

Richard J. Stevenson and colleagues (Australia) demonstrated in studies performed on humans in 2020 that a WS-diet can rapidly impair control of appetite in humans—an effect that could promote overeating in consumers of a WS-diet. The study also suggests a functional role for the hippocampus in one’s ability to control appetite. It provides new evidence for adverse neurocognitive effects of a WS-diet in the human brain, showing that the type of foods eaten by animals (rats/mice) and by humans compromise their health. Not only did they gain considerable amounts of weight due to loss of appetite control, but also showed a measurable decrease in memory functions. Neither of these conditions involving increased weight and decreased memory contribute to a long, healthy life. They an contribute to increasing one’s risk for a dementi
a such as Alzheimer’s. 

SAD/WS-diet and Memory

Think of food either as a healthy medicine or as a slow poison for both animals and humans. Multiple studies have shown that animals fed a Western-style diet (WS-diet) demonstrate rapid impairments in hippocampal function and demonstrate poorer appetitive control. In other words, they overeat. The hippocampi functions (and there are two of them in the human brain) an ability to control appetite, along with moving information from short- into long-term memory. There is also a decreased ability by the hipocampus to search for filed information and retrieve it to aid recall.

 

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SAD/WS-diet and Sadness

These common diets contain unhealthy carbs such as commercial breads and desserts, sweets of every kind, sweetened drinks, and processed meat products. Water is typically not the beverage of choice, the intake of fresh vegetables and fruits are low, while consumption of fast-foods including snacks such as chips, is high. This style of eating has been tied both to increased levels of inflammation and depression—a SAD diet is very “sad,” as some have put it. This way of eating can lead to obesity (linked with more than 50 chronic diseases), an increased craving for simple carbs (sugar especially) and to an increased risk for the development of type 2 or type 3 diabetes. There are studies linking this style of eating with both appetite regulation and memory disfunctions.

SAD Diet

“The other day a friend of mine asked if I followed the SAD diet, and I had no idea what she was talking about. She said her family tries to follow food recommendations from your Longevity Lifestyle program. I don’t know anything about either one of those diets!”

 SAD is an acronym that stands for Standard American Diet. This type of food selection is also referred to as a Western Style Diet (WS-Diet). In my brain’s opinion, both are dreadfully “sad” because they tend to result in lowered levels of health for those who follow them. In a nutshell they both involve a typical menu of highly-processed foods that contain added sodium, fats that typically include saturated fats, and added sugar often in the form of high fructose corn syrup. They are low in if not lacking in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean protein.

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Fun with the English Language

1.  Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?

2.     "I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence?

3.      If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, dog trainers debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

 4.      What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?

 5.     Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do,  write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the

                                         postage stamps so the postmen  can look for them while they deliver the mail?

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NIH Sleep Studies

Estimates by National Institutes of Health estimate that 50 to 70 million Americans chronically suffer from a disorder of sleep and wakefulness, hindering daily functioning and adversely affecting health and longevity. There around 90 distinct sleep disorders; most are marked by one of these symptoms: excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, and abnormal events occurring during sleep. The cumulative long-term effects of sleep loss and sleep disorders have been associated with a wide range of deleterious health consequences including an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. After decades of research, the case can be confidently made that sleep loss and sleep disorders have profound and widespread effects on human health. Insufficient quantity or quality of sleep can adversely impact mental health including: an increase in anxiety, depression, irritability, and a decrease ability to manage emotions appropriately. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/)

Sleep Loss & Hurt

“Does lack of sufficient sleep “hurt” the brain?”

 Sleep loss and sleep disorders are among the most common yet frequently overlooked and readily treatable health problems. There are statistics that loss of needed sleep can increase the risk of hypertension, diabetes, depression, heart attack, and stroke—all of which can negatively impact brain function. So, yes. Sleep loss can “hurt” the brain. It can lead to depression, dementia, psychosis, a plethora of dysfunctional behaviors—and may be irreversible. The hippocampus, the brain’s search engine and key in the process of storing new memories, can be severely impacted by just one night of sleep deprivation, significantly lowering the brain’s ability to memorize and store new information. Sleep is independently linked with longevity. Just a one-hour nightly loss of sleep over time can shorten a person’s life.

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Sleep & Housekeeping

Sleep is critically important for the neuroglial cells (the personal assistants to the thinking cells or neurons) to be able to complete the many household brain tasks that apparently are done only while the brain is sleeping. Studies are showing the importance of getting these tasks completed. The protein beta amyloid falls during sleep, when the brain's immune system (glymphatic system) gets ride of these waste products. Loss of sleep and accumulations of these proteins are being linked with Alzheimer's Disease. Parts of the brain are more active while you are asleep than while you are awake. There are also the statistics that loss of needed sleep can increase the risk of hypertension, diabetes, depression, heart attack, and stroke. Sleep loss can lead to depression, dementia, psychosis, a plethora of dysfunctional behaviors—and may be irreversible. Sleep is independently linked with longevity. Just a one-hour nightly loss of sleep over time can shorten a person’s life. You might find it interesting to do an Internet search about Peter Tripp and find out how sleep deprivation reportedly drove him “out of his mind”—in Time’s Square. 

Sleep Recommendations

“I don’t understand the reason the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents to keep all electronics out of bedrooms—theirs as well as the bedrooms of their children.”

The AAP does encourage parents to role-model healthy sleep patterns and make sure their children actually get the sleep their developing brains need. Keep all electronics out of bedrooms: yours as well as the children’s—the electromagnetic waves released by electronics appear to interfere with sleep. Make obtaining sufficient sleep a family priority, sticking with regular sleep routines, encouraging physical activity during the day, limiting screen time, and eliminating screens completely an hour before bed. If your children need to get up at 6:00 am, that means going to sleep at 9:00 pm. In my brain’s opinion, the role of healthy parenting includes setting boundary limits that have been shown to enhance brain development during childhood, thus giving your children a good start toward being successful and healthier throughout life. Adequate sleep is one of those boundaries.

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Sleep Deprivation

Brain imaging has shown sleep loss disconnects the emotional control hub of the brain, the amygdala, from the prefrontal cortex, the portion of the brain that regulates the amygdala. Without oversight from the prefrontal cortex, amygdala activity levels in response to perceived negative images were as much as 60 percent higher than levels in a rested brain. As they grow older, sleep is even more critical. By 20 hours without sleep, the brain’s reaction time is similar to that of a person with a blood alcohol level of 0.08. Sleep deprivation for 24 hours results in significant brain changes in areas responsible for judgment, impulse control, attention, and visual association, and yet the human beings--who are sleep deprived--still think they are functioning just fine.

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Sleep Needs for Children, 3

Because early adolescence is a crucial period for neurocognitive development, Dr. Wang and colleagues at the University of Maryland investigated how insufficient sleep affects the mental health, cognition, brain function, and brain structure in children ages 9-10 years old over a period of two years. Research showed that the brains of children who sleep less than nine hours per night had significant differences in specific brain areas compared with peers who slept nine or more hours per night. At the beginning of the study, brain imaging showed that children who sept less than nine hours per night had less grey matter or smaller volume in areas of the brain responsible for attention, memory, wellbeing, and inhibition controls. This finding persisted at the two-year-follow-up visit when participants were 11-12 years of age. Less than nine hours per night was also associated with increased risks of depression, anxiety, and impulsive behaviors. 

Sleep Needs for Children, 2

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises  that children aged six to twelve years of age need to obtain nine to twelve hours of sleep per night on a regular basis to provide optimal health. This means removing all TVs, mobile phones, iPads, electronic games or equipment from their bedroom(s), with a recommended non-use of all screen time an hour before bedtime. Average eleven-year-olds will find it quite difficult, if not impossible, to turn off electronics on their own. Electronics can be addicting. At age eleven, their brains need another nine or ten years before myelination of their corpus callosum—the largest of several bridges that connect the two brain hemispheres—is completed. Likely six to eight more years after that before their prefrontal cortex is developed enough for them to make healthy decisions on their own.

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Sleep Needs for Children

 

Our 11-year-old twins are falling behind in their school work. One of them fell asleep last night at dinner. it is a real struggle to get them awake and ready for school by 6:00 am. The doctor says they are healthy but thinks they need more sleep. We told them to go to bed at 10:00 pm and have all electronics turned off by 11:00 pm. They claim that this when they connect with their friends so they can’t turn them off then. What do we do now?”

 What do you do now? How about stepping up to the plate and be wise parents, setting appropriate boundaries for your children, and role modeling good sleep patterns and habits. This includes removing all TVs, computers, iPads, telephones, and other electronics from the bedroom. When they use them, they must do so in another room in the house. Their bedroom is for sleeping. Period. Good grief, who is running the show at your house: the parents or two pre-teens?

Sleep & Video Games

“My kids like to stay up late and play video games (so does their fathe!). Yes, it’s hard for them to wake up in the morning, but they are only kids once. So why should I make them go to bed earlier?”

Lack of enough sleep can damage brain function over time There are emerging concerns about increasing instances of violent behaviors—some of which may be attached to sleep deprivation. Staying up late to play with electronics and their blue light, makes it difficult to fall asleep when the kids finally do go to bed, negatively impacting both the quantity and quality of sleep. The hippocampus, the brain’s search engine and key in the process of storing new memories, can be severely impacted by just one night of sleep deprivation, significantly lowering the brain’s ability to memorize and store new information.

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ASD Interventions

Studies have shown that early intervention services can greatly improve a child’s development. Autism Spectrum Disorder can sometimes be detected at age 18 months or younger. By the age of 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable.  Unfortunately, many children do not receive a final diagnosis until much older. This delay in diagnosis means that children with ASD might not get the early help they need.

 If a parent is concerned about a child’s behavior, contact the child’s Pediatrician and ask for an evaluation,   Parents may also call the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) at 919-962-2001. Parents do not need to wait for a doctor’s referral or a medical diagnosis to call ECTA.

T   Parents may also call the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) at 919-962-2001. Parents do not need to wait for a doctor’s referral or a medical diagnosis to call ECTA.

 h  The Autism Society has a helpline number: 800-3-AUTISM (800-328-8476).

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ASD SYmptoms

Symptoms of ASD can include: 

 ·       Poor eye contact and lack of facial expressions

·       Flat affect

·       Delayed speech or does not speak

·       Does not understand questions and directions

·       Gets aggressive or disruptive

·       Fails to respond to his or her name

·       Repeats phrases or words

·       Resists cuddling and holding

·       Repetitive movements (hand shaking, spinning, rocking)

·       Difficulty in body movement coordination

·       Sensitive to light, sound, or touch

·       Self-harming activities such as head-banging

●       Very specific food preferences or food patterns

Remember that the earlier an ASD diagnosis and treatment begin the better life a child may have.

ASD Research

Researchers at the University of Rochester, Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, have identified that children with autism spectrum disorder may not process body movements effectively—especially if they are distracted by something else. When distracted, children with autism seem to process the movements of another person differently from their peers who are not on the spectrum. Researchers used electroencephalogram (EEG), to record the brain waves of children ages 6-16 with and without autism as they watched videos of moving dots that were arranged to resemble a person. The children were asked to either focus on the color of the dots or to focus on whether the dots moved like a person. They found that the brainwaves of children with autism did not process ‘body language’ when the dots moved like a person—if the children were distracted by focusing on the color of the dots.

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ASD Risk Factors

Estimates worldwide are that 1.0% of the population is on the Autism Spectrum. It is reported to occur in all racial and ethnic groups. Estimated prevalence in the United States is quite common with more than 3.5 million cases diagnosed. According to the Autism Society, prevalence in US children increased by 119% from 2000 to 2020. It appears to be 4.3 times more common in boys (3.0%) than in girls (0.7%). No one cause of autism spectrum disorder has been identified. Currently, there is no known cure. Several risk factors have been identified:     

1.     Heritability. About 15% of cases of autism spectrum disorder appear to be associated with a known genetic mutation. However, even when that mutation is present, it does not automatically follow that the person will be diagnosed with the condition. In other cases, risk appears to involve multiple genes or parts of genes.

2.     Advanced parental age at time of birth (especially mother's age)

3.     Low fetal birth weight

4.     Fetal exposure to valproate, a medication used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder and to prevent migraine headaches. 

ASD – Neurodevelopmental Brain Disorder

·       Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental brain disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts and patterns of behaviors. In addition, the diagnosis requires the presence of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. ASD occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. It is about four times more common among boys than among girls. Research reflects the scientific consensus that four previously separate disorders are actually a single condition with different levels of symptom severity in two core domains. Those four disorders with their previous names are: Autistic disorder or autism Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. 

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ASD & Body Language

“I have three boys on the spectrum. Why don’t they pick up on body language that could help them in their relationships?”

One of the distressing issues for children on the autism spectrum—and likely with the individuals living or working with them—involves that ability to ‘read’ body language. The success of relationships often involves the ability to pick up on another person’s emotions through their body language. For example, are they leaning into the relationship or conversation or backing away with arms crossed? Do they look at you when you talk to them or look away? Do they exhibit empathy when another child falls and hurts themself? Do they isolate from others and push against any encouragement to engage in social activities with others? There is some recent research about body language that I think you will like. First, a few things about Autism spectrum disorder for readers who may be unfamiliar with it.

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

“

"One of my kids was just diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. One of my friends said this is a Mental Illness. Is a Disorder the same as a Mental Illness?”

 

Good question. The terms have been used interchangeable, however, there also is a school of thought the identifies them as slightly different conditions based on the origin. The autistic brain tends to show differences in the corpus callosum, the amygdala, and the cerebellum, differences that are present at birth. The DSM-5 includes autism spectrum disorders under neurodevelopment disorders. Yes, it impacts an individual throughout a lifetime, however research shows that early diagnosis can lead to an improved quality of life. 

A new AUDIO podcast is posted every Saturday morning

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