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Healthy Habits for Seniors, part 1

Two Natural Foods That Can Help Improve Memory for Seniors



My goal whenever I write something is to offer information to the adult children of seniors so that you may help encourage your parents' independence through healthy habits.  I had been reading a lot about these two foods and hearing about their benefits on memory, cognitive function and wanted to explore whether it was true.  
 

Why

I have been hearing about turmeric since 2018 and its health benefits, particularly for seniors.  It is a common spice in Indian food and a member of the ginger family, but it is not as fragrantly strong as you may think. Turmeric contains something called curcumin, which is the yellow pigment (kind of looks orange) seen above on the right.  This has been a dietary staple for people in India for a long time.   India has the lowest rate of Alzheimer's disease in the world (4.4 times less than the U.S.).  You may be asking how turmeric that contains curcumin makes this possible, it is because curcumin prevents an over accumulation of beta-amyloid, which is believed to be responsible for Alzheimer's.  A study done at UCLA showed that turmeric can improve mood. 


I recently made a post on our Facebook page about honey and how it can help memory and reduce cognitive ageing.  Both turmeric and honey have been closely studied by major universities, the NIH and others. Since we are discussing healthy habits for seniors in this article, I combined them.

One way to consume both

I tried this personally at night before going to bed and it almost tastes like warm chocolate milk, it is called Golden Milk.   I made it with milk, ground up turmeric, honey and little black pepper, warmed up.  I know that is hard to believe considering the ingredients but it is something I liked the flavor of and strong spices are not my thing.  Do not overdue the turmeric, in larger doses it can upset the stomach, so go easy to start.

Conclusion

The popularity of turmeric and honey and their natural ability to help combat cognitive decline something that commonly affects the older adult community is growing.  I want you to be aware and show you that it is something that can be easily incorporated to help promote healthy habits for seniors.  Combine healthy habits for seniors with frequent check-ins that I mentioned in a previous post and you are making a huge positive impact for the independence of your parents.


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