Three Stupidly Simple Ways to
Improve Your Health (Part I)

I’m busy—really busy. I’m also quite lazy. So although I want to live a long, healthy life, I’m secretly hoping I can pull it off without having to make any drastic changes to my diet or lifestyle. That’s why I’m always on the look-out for “cheats”—simple health tricks with massive health payoffs. I’m assuming you’re as lazy as me (at least I hope you are—I’d hate to think I’m the only flawed human online), so I’ll be passing these nuggets along as I find them. Here are the first three:

*Give your mushrooms some sun

Bizarre, but true: According to a Scandinavian research team, if you leave store-bought mushrooms on a sunny windowsill for two days, their vitamin D levels shoot up as much as four-fold.

Mushrooms—like human skin—have the freakish ability to manufacture this nutrient if they’re exposed to UV light. And turning these edible fungi into vitamin D bombs could save your life. Dozens of Boston University studies show that vitamin D is a powerful anticancer hormone—so powerful, in fact, that just keeping your blood levels high cuts your cancer risk in half.

*Pretend dark chocolate is a vitamin

Seriously! Stock up on the bars that say “70% cocoa”—or higher, if your taste buds are already dead—and eat two ounces daily.

Harvard University researchers have been studying dark chocolate for years (I keep sending them my resume, but they haven’t called). Turns out eating the stuff daily can knock six points off your blood pressure, plus dial down your liver’s production of LDL cholesterol (the type that really clogs up arteries)—all-told, cutting your risk of heart disease by as much as 35%.

*Notice your own good deeds

At least 12 different studies suggest just paying attention to your own acts of kindness can add up to eight years to your life. The key: The good buzz that comes from helping others cuts your production of tissue-aging stress hormones in half.

You don’t need to turn into Mother Teresa to benefit, either. Holding the door for a stranger, sending a supportive e-mail to a frazzled friend, smiling at someone who looks weary—even speaking calmly to a person you’d secretly love to smack—all count.

So, that’s it. Eat dark chocolate, sun your mushrooms, and pat yourself on the back when you’re kind to others. You’ll live longer, plus lower your risk of heart disease and cancer—without choking down a single Brussels sprout.

Next week’s post: The Dead Cat Incident

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2 thoughts on “Three Stupidly Simple Ways to
Improve Your Health (Part I)

  1. Derek Bryant

    Interesting … so l leave my mushrooms lying around in the paper dehydrator that l buy them in until l play a little game called “l think it’s still good” . l am pretty good at the game because l have not poisoned myself yet. From now on l will put them on my window sill that will remind me to use them and when l play my little game they really will be good!

    l’m not sure about the chocolate thing though l don’t like sweets … Now if only there was something that was as good as chocolate , for men 😉

    And l also hesitate to pat myself on the back too much … once l got a button / pin for being the most humble employee where l work … as soon as l pinned it on my lapel they ripped it right back off again 🙁

    Thank you Brenda I can’t wait for your next installment

    Reply
    1. Brenda Post author

      You’re hilarious! HOW can you not like chocolate, though? Chocolate and wine…aren’t those the two basic food groups?

      Reply

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