Stay Sharp with Phytonutrients

I always paid attention to what my Great-Grandmother ate, selected, and did with her life because she lived to the ripe old age of 94.  Perhaps that is not record breaking, but if I add the fact that she didn't retire from the bowling league until the age of 90, you may find her pluck and gumption a bit more impressive.   If it had not been for that darn hip replacement, she may have been on "Bowling for Dollars" right before she passed away.  

Many people point out that their ancestors ate lard and butter all day, therefore why are we getting so fat and sick on it.   I would argue that they actually didn't eat that for every meal. More so, their food was just a bit fresher if they farmed a bit.  Even though there were some things that were worse off because one didn't know it was bad for them, the vegetables weren't completely leached of nutrients.

I have recently read up a lot on phytonutrients.   They seemed to be why my great-grandmother enjoyed so many years of a sharp mind.   I recall that in college, I started eating what my brother would call "grass clippings."  These were packages of salad with endive, escarole and other lettuces that were deemed really exotic in my little midwestern suburb.  Now I know that my body was just craving the variety of nutrients, such as alpha-carotene, luteins and more.

Back then, I just satisfied my craving by "popping pills" (in other words, lots and lots of vitamins), and eating like a rabbit.   I was pleased to find many, many ideas and recipes on Phytolife.com, where I can find meals to make that fit the bill. I don't always like to look like I walked behind the lawnmower and raked up my lunch.