Do not buy into IOM's new advice on vitamin D.

I can hardly find words to describe just how crazy the Institute of Medicines new guidelines on vitamin D make me.
Ignore them please. Or should I say follow them at your own peril.
They are saying that if we just reduce the definition of adequacy regarding our level of vitamin D from 30 ng/ml to 20 ng/ml that 80% of Americans will not need supplements.
In other words, 80% of Americans are at or above 20 ng/ml so lets just call that OK.
But it isn't ok. Being at 30 ng/ml ( compared to being deficient) is linked to dramatically reduced incidence of heart attack, stroke, major cardiovascular events, respiratory infections and rates of major cancers. 
DO NOT accept a reduced standard. It is the equivalent of austerity measures for your health. It is nutritional foolishness. old school thinking. All of the noted vitamin D experts challenge this mindset. And I agree with them.
Keep your target level of vitamin D ( measured as 25OH D) at or above 30 ng/ml. Normal range is 30-100 ng/ml. Anything less is a call to action.

High Carb Diet Bad For Elderly Cognitive Function

Just say no!

Seniors who follow a high-carbohydrate diet are nearly four times as likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, especially if their food intake is high in sugar, researchers from the Mayo Clinic report in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. They also found that seniors whose diets are high in protein and fat are less likely to develop cognitive impairment.

The researchers found that:

      

    The highest carbohydrate eaters had a 1.9 times higher risk of mild cognitive impairment than the participants who ate the fewest carbs.

             

   The highest sugar consumers had a 1.5 times higher risk of cognitive impairment compared to the lowest consumers.           

    

   The participants with the highest fat intake had a 42% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment compared to the lowest fat eaters.

            

   The highest protein consumers had a 21% lower chance of developing dementia compared to the lowest consumers of protein.

      

   When taking into account fat and protein intake, the highest carb eaters had a 3.6 times higher chance of developing mild cognitive impairment.

"Relative Intake of Macronutrients Impacts Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia"
Rosebud O. Roberts et al
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, October 2012. 10.3233/JAD-2012-120862

Fruits and Vegetables: Seven-A-Day for Happiness and Mental Health

Yes that's right...in this study done in the UK, happiness and mental health were highest among people who ate seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Now heres the problem.  Only one in ten people actually ate that many servings of fruits and vegetables and 25% ate less than one serving daily. Clearly we can do better.

–University of Warwick (2012, October 9). Fruits and vegetables: Seven-a-day for happiness and mental health. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­