Volunteer For Sun, Fun, And An Apple A Day To Keep The Doctor Away

It’s apple picking time at Gilcrease Orchard! This family-owned orchard is located at 7800 N. Tenaya Way in Centennial Hills. That's in northwest Las Vegas; 89131 zip code. They need volunteers to help them harvest Gala apples for the upcoming cider season. Sure, it’s hot out there. However, you know the old saying: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

I remember when my Mom moved our family to Vermont from New York City when I was 15. That first summer, we met a nearby family who ran a strawberry farm. We were city kids. Didn’t know a thing about picking fruit or farming. We just went to the grocery store, and there it was. All packaged nice and neat.

Well, my Mom dropped us off at the farm in the morning and we spent the day picking strawberries. At any rate, it was educational. It became a challenge between myself and my three sisters to see who would pick more by the end of the day. The folks who owned the farm taught us a lot about farming and picking fruit. I have forgotten it all by now, but it was educational for me. It also got me to get off my butt and do some real work for a change.

First of all, you’re a volunteer, so you will not be paid. I know, time is money, but not in this case. Secondly, it’s darn hot out there, even in the early morning hours. With that in mind, you will need to dress appropriately. Wear long sleeves, full length pants, a hat, and sunscreen. In addition, you’ll need to provide your own water or other drinks to stay hydrated. However, Gilcrease Orchard will provide gloves and safety glasses for you.

All things considered, I hope you like waking up early. Apple picking starts at 5:30am, Monday through Saturday. According to an article by Stephanie Overton on 8NewsNow.com, volunteers should park on Whispering Sands Drive. There’s a lot across the street from the orchard. Once you’re parked, enter Gilcrease Orchard through the “Sunflower mural gate where they will be directed to the office area to check in.”

If you’d like to know more about Gilcrease Orchard, click here. “You like apples? How do you like ‘dem apples!” Have fun!

It's no secret that we're supposed to avoid foods that are overly sugary, fatty or deep fried. And for most of us, we see weight gain as a direct result of not eating healthy. But there are a lot more health issues that happen under the surface when we're being careless with our diet.

Parts of our brain actually shrink as we get older. That's why old age is often associated with things like memory loss or trouble learning new skills. So avoiding foods that cause damage to our brain is even more vital in our later years.

In fact, some foods are so bad for you that they actually accelerate this aging process. That increases the risk for brain associated diseases like Alzheimer's or dementia. Other issues like sleep apnea have also been associated with an unhealthy diet.

You'll see in our list below a few surprises that you may have thought were healthy. Like the fish or the margarine. Remember when margarine was commercialized as a healthier substitute to butter? According to huffpost.com, it's actually worse for us. Or how about fish? We know fish is a great source for vital Omega-3 vitamins, but not all fish are created equal. And some are pretty bad for our brains.

And don't get me started on diet sodas! Sure they may keep sugar out of the system and fat off the waistline, but what they're doing to the brain is in no way worth it.

Here are other foods that you should consume very rarely or avoid altogether if you want to keep your brain (and body) healthier. - Wendy Rush

You know that challenge that went around several years back where people had to eat spoonfuls of cinnamon? Well you definitely won't want to do that with nutmeg. Just two teaspoons of the stuff can cause a fever, hallucinations and loss of consciousness. It's still okay in small quantities.

Not to kill your buzz, but yeah. French Fries are literally one of the worst things you can eat. Fatty foods damage the blood vessels that go to the brain. This leads to damage of the hippocampus, which is where we do all of our learning and memory functions.

When potatoes over ripen, they turn green and form their own version of pesticide. Eating these cause nausea, headaches, and neurological problems. Also, just one can make even an adult ill. Consuming green potatoes in high quantities can actually be fatal. And cooking the potatoes does not make it safe to eat. Throw them away.

Surprise! This one sucks because so many foods that we eat use vegetable oils. These oils include canola and safflower oil. And if you're buying olive oil from the store, it's not guaranteed you're being healthy. Olive oil that is processed is just as bad as vegetable oil. So check your labels. And note that fast foods are made with a lot of these oils.

These oils cause inflammation in the brain and increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.

According to the Huffington Post, margarine is one of the foods you should completely avoid. Margarine contains trans fats that make your brain's blood vessels constrict, which has been linked to higher risks for dementia.

I know. Another surprising bummer. A lot of foods, especially grains, are packaged with the label that reads "iron fortified", like it's healthy. But the iron used is the kind that's actually toxic for the brain. Too much iron fortified food is another risk factor for Alzheimer's and dementia.

And avoid giving it to your child as it's linked to brain development issues in kids. So check the label next time you're buying the kids cereal or bread.

Just like the iron-fortified grains, cheap iron supplements are usually pumping the wrong kind of iron into your brain. If you're buying supplements, check the label and invest in the healthier brands.

While this one has always been known as something we should avoid, maybe it's not so clear why. It's not just the sugar in sodas that we need to avoid. Both regular and diet soda have a chemical put in them that helps them avoid molding. That same chemical jacks up our brain and causes things like sleep loss, memory problems and brain fog.

When it comes to the sweeteners, both the regular soda's fructose and the diet soda's aspartame can damage the brain. Fructose causes insulin resistance and aspartame blocks neurotransmitters, which has been linked to depression, dementia and strokes.

I know, right?!? We thought fish was good for us. Many are. But the ones high in mercury can kill brain cells and cause nerve damage. So avoid breeds like catfish, bluefish, grouper, ahi tuna, orange roughy, mackerel and swordfish.

Larry Martino is the long-time afternoon drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.

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