“When old age descends upon you, slowness of movement appears; The eyes become dim; the ears hard of hearing; Muscles become weak, every movement is difficult; And the spirit is forgetful and cannot even remember yesterday” ~Ptahhotep

Give me a break…  Our Egyptian friend Ptahhotep was a physician to the Pharaoh Izezi around 4,600 years ago.  During that time the average life expectancy was about 25 years old.  Ptahhotep, himself was older than 100 when he wrote the above description.

The sad thing is, we still believe these words 4,600 years later.  The largest growing population is the oldest old, those living to be 100 and beyond.  The majority of this population is healthy and many living independently.  What are the factors contributing to their longevity?

Ernestine Shepherd is in her 80s.

As we learned in the last posting on nutrition, the bulk of our diet should be vegetables and fruits, healthy fats, limited meats, and few grains.  Eat mindful.  Eat when you are hungry.

Here are some tips to control calories and how you eat.

1. Slow down – Americans tend to eat fast and as a result, we eat more food than we should.  By eating slower, it gives our brain time to catch up with our mouth.  It can take up to 20 minutes for our stomach to tell our brain it’s full.  By slowing down with eating, we can save as much as 100 calories.  Sometimes, this can mean 100 calories per meal.  That is 300 calories per day saved.
2. Use a small plate and trick the mind into thinking the plate is full.  When we use a large plate, we feel we have to fill it, meaning we are eating more calories than we need.  Fill the plate only once.  This can be another couple of hundred calories a day saved.
3. Eat only at the table.  We can eat several hundred calories a day grazing in the pantry on cookies, chips and other junk foods.
4. Eat only from a plate.  Eating from a bag or a shared container like a bowl of chips makes it easier to eat more calories than intended since it is harder to regulate portion control eating from a bag or shared container.
5. Move the serving dishes.  Eating from the stove instead of having all the food on the table helps to regulate our intake.  It is easier to reach over for the serving plate in front of you than it is to get up from the table to go to the stove for another helping.
6. Eat better desserts.   Become a dessert snob.  Eat fruits for dessert instead of desserts of cakes and pies.  Avoid the sugary desserts with ingredients higher in fats.
7. Eat when you are truly hungry.  As a society, we have set aside certain times for meals and we eat at mealtime instead of when we are hungry.  When we eat at a set time instead of when we are hungry, we become unaccustomed to listening to our bodies and we don’t recognize true hunger sensations.  We may not be hungry, we may be thirsty instead.
8. Eat when you eat.  In other words, mindful eating is necessary.  Don’t eat in front of the TV or while reading or talking on the phone.  You will eat more calories by mindless eating.
9. Pay attention to the liquid calories.  Sodas, juices and speciality coffees are high in empty calories.  Drink water, teas, coffee (preferably decaffeinated) without all the added ingredients that add calories. Use natural sweeteners such as stevia.
10. Manage cravings.  If you have waited 5 to 10 minutes after a craving has started and it’s still there, put a small amount of the food on a plate, sit at the table and eat it slowly.  Try to eat a healthy snack instead of the plate of cookies.                                                                                                                                                                                

Recipe:  wash and slice one organic apple, place the apple slices in a pan and steam until softened, plate the apple slices and sprinkle with cinnamon and ginger.  This dessert taste similar to a piece of apple pie without all the calories.