Silver Planet™ The ultimate online resource for our generation

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

You don’t need eight hours of sleep a night! That’s according to a new report from the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care. The Institute analyzed a range of scientific studies on sleep and insomnia to come up with some new recommendations for the one of every five adults in industrial countries who has trouble sleeping at some point.

The Institute found a few surprises:

Sleep medication is used less nowadays. Sleeping pills, whether herbal or prescription, are being used less often than they used to be in countries like Germany. According to the Institute’s director, Peter Sawicki, this is a good thing.   Read more >>

Chili’s Still Offers the Guiltless Grill

It’s nice to know that some national restaurant chains are providing their patrons with healthful options. Some restaurants introduce healthy menu items only to discontinue them when they don’t do as well as expected. I suspect that healthful menu items can be a hard sell on restaurant menus because many people tend to want to splurge when they are eating out.

But for years, Chili’s has had a section of their menu called “Guiltless Grill,” with options that are lower in calories and fat. The great news? These options are still on the menu!   Read more >>

Is a Gluten-Free Diet Right for You?

“Gluten free” has fast become one of the nutrition buzzwords in the past few years. Inquiring minds want to know whom eliminating gluten might help. Some people must strictly adhere to a gluten-free diet owing to an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine called celiac disease. Others want to try it in the hope that it will improve the way they feel.

The grains that have the protein gluten—namely wheat, rye, and barley—are, to say the least, pervasive in our traditional diet and cuisine. The foods most often substituted for those that traditionally contain wheat flour are potato, rice, corn, and soy.

Although it is a huge challenge to follow a diet free of gluten, there has never been a better time to try given the ever-growing inventory of products and resources now available.   Read more >>

A Food That Protects Your Eyesight

The major cause of blindness and poor vision in adults in Western countries is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). According to a new study, a food you should eat at least once a week reduces your risk of AMD as you age—oily fish!

A team of researchers across seven European countries found that people who regularly eat oily fish at least once a week are 50% less likely to have the main type of AMD compared to people who eat fish less than once a week. This benefit seems to be related to the omega-3 fatty acids in fish, because people in the top 25% of fish omega-3 levels (300 mg per day and above) were 70% less likely to have the main type of AMD. Salmon, tuna or mackerel, and sardines are examples of oily fish.

  Read more >>

Labor Day Hot Dog Dilemma

We all know they aren’t good for us, but sometimes a hot dog just hits the spot. Can you say “barbecues” and “ballgames”? The frankfurter is right up there in the American Hall of Fame with apple pie.

Eating a hot dog at a BBQ or ballpark can cost you plenty, and I’m not talking about the green stuff. Some of the worst hot dogs you can choose are the big four-ounce franks sometimes called “colossal,” “quarter pounder,” or “dinner” franks.   Read more >>