Still have lots of names left on your holiday list? These tasteful gift suggestions from VIV Advisory Board member, diet doc Melina B. Jampolis, M.D., are sure to please.
Healthy Eating Archive
According to legend, the pomegranate has been a symbol of eternal life and a key to immortality. While we can’t promise those effects, pomegranates have some pretty fantastic health benefits — Greek philosopher Hippocrates and ancient Egyptians are among those who have used the fruit for medicinal purposes. Modern researchers say that antioxidant-rich pomegranates are good for the heart.
Happily, European studies often seem to prove that delicious things are good for you. Case in point: A recent study from the National Cancer Institute of Milan and the Catholic University in Campobasso, Italy, shows that eating dark chocolate can reduce systemic inflammation by about 17 percent. This in turn decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease — including strokes and myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) — by one-third for women.
A freshly brewed cup of tea is such a relaxing experience that we always knew it was good for our health, even before recent studies began suggesting that tea’s abundance of antioxidants may help guard against heart disease, certain types of cancer, bone-density loss and even failing memory.
It doesn’t get much more posh than dining on butter-poached lobster, braised veal cheeks and heirloom-tomato tartar in the intimate wine cellar at the St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach in Dana Point, CA. (Former President Bill Clinton, Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand and John Travolta have all been guests here.) Each course was paired with a wine from Emiliana, a sustainable winery with vineyards throughout Chile’s winegrowing regions.
The Fairmont Kea Lani (from $525 per night) is a place of great optimism. And not just because the sprawling resort sits on Wailea Beach, Maui, sharing some of the world’s most expensive and gorgeous oceanfront property with other luxe hotels such as the Four Seasons and the Grand Wailea Resort. Nearly every restaurant at the Fairmont is completely outdoors, taking advantage of those spectacular vistas and salty breezes.
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