During the chilly season, warmed fruit dishes make cozy treats. So here’s a delicious breakfast idea that you may wish to share with your senior fitness clients and try out yourself at home. Simply drizzle a little honey onto fresh grapefruit halves. Microwave on high for about one minute if the grapefruit started out at room temperature, or for about two minutes if it came straight out of the refrigerator.
SFA author Jim Evans is a 40-year veteran of the health and fitness industry and an internationally recognized senior fitness consultant. Today Jim provides practical solutions for mature adults who have concerns regarding holiday weight gain.
DEAR JIM: It seems the older I get, the more weight I gain — especially during the holidays. I seem to be able to hold my own during the rest of the year, but I probably gain at least five pounds every year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. At this rate I’ll be a blimp by 2011, and I’ll only be 69. What can I do to control my weight this holiday season?
HEFTY IN HELENA
DEAR HEFTY: The holidays are here again, and the average American can expect to gain from one to 12 pounds during the holiday season depending on what statistics you want to believe. It’s the same old story every year. Most Americans will make the same New Year’s resolution every year too: to lose weight! How to break the cycle of failure? Try these healthy hints to help you control your weight while still enjoying the holidays:
These simple suggestions can help you to have a healthier holiday season this year and every year hereafter. And, maybe you can convince Santa to join you.
The Humane Society of the United States produces a lively DVD series called the "Latest in Clinical Nutrition" 
that reviews cutting edge research published in peer reviewed scientific nutrition journals and provides practical tips on eating to prevent, treat and even reverse disease. This series provides strong support for the belief held by many that a humane diet is also the healthiest.
Hosting the series is Michael Greger, MD, the director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture in the farm animal welfare division of the Human Society. A physician specializing in clinical nutrition, Dr. Greger focuses his work on the human health implications of intensive animal agriculture, including the routine use of non-therapeutic antibiotics and growth hormones in animals raised for food, and the public health threats of industrial factory farms. He is a founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, a respected author and an invited lecturer at universities, medical schools and conferences worldwide. To view an invigorating 68-minute video of Dr. Greger conducting a highly informative nutritional presentation, click here.
There are four fascinating volumes in the "Latest in Clinical Nutrition" DVD series. A new volume is added each year. They range in length from 90 minutes to approximately three hours, and cover numerous topics of contemporary interest. 
For example, volume 4 alone features 99 chapters, including the following examples:
The three preceding volumes address hundreds of intriguing topics, such as:
The Humane Society Press (HSP) points out that the world’s longest life expectancy is found in California Adventist vegetarians. According to the HSP, they live 10 years longer than the general population and enjoy lower rates of many of the chronic diseases that plague Americans, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and certain cancers. For additional details and ordering information on the "Latest in Clinical Nutrition" DVD series, click on HumaneSociety.org/nutrition.
Nut consumption has been linked to improved cholesterol levels by an analysis of studies published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine. 
Results indicated that enjoying approximately 2.3 ounces of nuts daily decreased total cholesterol levels by 5.1 percent and LDL cholesterol (the "undesirable" type) by 7.4 percent. It improved the ratio of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (the "desirable" type) by 8.3 percent and reduced triglyceride levels by 10.2 percent in persons with high triglycerides.
Although the strongest evidence for nuts’ helpful effects has come from research involving walnuts and almonds, other types of nuts have also been found beneficial. They include pecans, peanuts, macadamias, hazelnuts and pistachios.
Due to their high caloric content, nuts can contribute to unhealthy weight gain if eaten in excess. However, moderate nut-eating can add useful dietary fiber, vegetable proteins, vitamins, antioxidants and cholesterol-lowering unsaturated fat to the diet.
Luteolin, a compound found in plants such as peppers, carrots and celery may help reduce memory deficits. The results of a study conducted at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, indicated that luteolin can help protect the brain against inflammation, “a key contributor to age-related memory problems.” Study leader Rodney Johnson added that “these data suggest that consuming a healthy diet has the potential to reduce age-associated inflammation in the brain, which can result in better cognitive health.” For a report from ScienceDaily, please click below.
Compound in Celery, Peppers Reduces Age-Related Memory Deficits
www.sciencedaily.com
For tasty heart-healthy eating, check out Keep the Beat Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Dinners from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of NIH (the National Institutes of Health). To sample one satisfying main dish featured in the cookbook, Chicken and Mushroom Fricassee, click here . For ordering information, click below.
Order the “Keep the Beat” recipe book
http://emall.nhlbihin.net
Even a small amount of belly fat can be harmful. During a study at the Mayo Clinic, participants who were asked to gain just nine pounds showed a greater tendency of reduced endothelial function, most notably when the weight gain appeared around their middle. Researcher Dr. Virend K. Somers noted that “There is something about fat deposited in the belly that makes it potentially hazardous to health, because impaired endothelial function has been linked to increased risk of high blood pressure and blood vessel disease.” Please click below for a report from HealthDay.
Just a Little Belly Fat Can Damage Blood Vessels: MedlinePlus
www.nlm.nih.gov
Among other beneficial foods, the "Mediterranean diet" features virgin olive oil, which researchers believe may support heart health by repressing genes that promote inflammation. 
Scientists at the University of Cordoba, Spain, recently studied a small group of patients with metabolic syndrome — which increases one’s risks for both heart disease and type 2 diabetes — and published their findings in BMC Genomics (11:253), a journal of BioMed Central.
Specifically, the researchers sought to learn more about how a diet abundant in "phenol compounds" (found in olive oil, especially the extra-virgin types) influenced the workings of genes. While acknowledging that other lifestyle factors may also contribute to the lower risk for cardiovascular disease in the Mediterranean region, the study’s authors wrote: "These results provide at least a partial molecular basis for reduced risk of cardiovascular disease observed in Mediterranean countries, where virgin olive oil represents a main source of dietary fat." To view this research article, click here.
As reported by HealthDay, a recent Norwegian study found that physical exercise and weight control may help ward off fibromyalgia. Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology followed 16,000 Norwegian women for 11 years, during which time 380 developed fibromyalgia. Below are several important findings from the study:
Since this investigation did not prove a direct cause and effect between exercise or body weight and fibromyalgia, more research is being called for. Patrick Wood, MD, of the National Fibromyalgia Association told HealthDay that exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight may be helpful in avoiding the condition, and that doing both are especially prudent for people with a family history of fibromyalgia.
This research was published in the American College of Rheumatology’s journal Arthritis Care & Research (62:12). To read the abstract, click on http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123268508/abstract.
To lower one's risk for type 2 diabetes, choose brown rice over white. That's the word from a large-scale study recently presented during the American Heart Association's Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Conference.
The analysis involved data on the long-term dietary consumption of more than 39,000 men and more than 157,000 women. Results:
Those who had five or more servings of white rice a week were found to be 17 percent more likely to develop the condition, compared to those who had less than one serving of white rice a month.
Those who had two or more servings of brown rice a week were 11 percent less likely to develop the condition, compared to those who had less than one serving of brown rice a month.
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