by Kim Campbell 
​Kim-Campbell.com 

On Wednesday July 13, 2016, I had the privilege of speaking at the Ideagen UN Empowering Women and Girls 2030 Summit.

We started our day by attending the Ideagen U Cross-Sector Innovation Fellows Program at the EU Delegation to the UN.  I was in a large conference room with some of the most brilliant and influential people on the planet!  Robert Moran, a well know futurist, helped open our minds to new ways of looking at the future.  He said, “The future only exists in our minds.  There is only the present.”

This reminded me of what I’ve learned from living with Alzheimer’s. In planning for the future you must not forget to embrace and appreciate the present.  Glen lives in the moment and is teaching me to do the same.
​
He recorded a song by Jerry Reed called “Today Is Mine” that inspires me and sums it up pretty well!  I hope it inspires you as well!

When the sun came up this morning
I took the time to watch it rise
And as its beauty struck the darkness from the sky
I thought how small and unimportant
all my troubles seem to be
And how lucky another day belongs to me
And as the sleepy world around me
woke up to greet the day
All its silent beauties seemed to say
So what, my friend, if all your dreams you haven’t realized
Just look around you
you got a whole new day to try
Today is mine today is mine
to do with what I will
Today is mine
my own special cup to fill
To die a little that I might learn to live
to take from life that I might learn to give
Today is mine
Like most men I cursed the present
So void of peace of mind
And race my thoughts beyond tomorrow
envision there a sweeter time
But as I view this day around me
I can see the fool I’ve been
For today’s the only garden we can tend
Today is mine…

Blue, Purple & Deep Red
Blue, purple and deep-red fruits and vegetables are full of anthocyanins and proanthocyanins, antioxidants associated with keeping the heart healthy and the brain functioning optimally, reducing inflammation and preventing cancer. 

• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Eggplant
• Plums
• Cranberries
• Grapes
• Radishes (red)
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

 
Green, part 1 (cruciferous)
Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and kale, provide compounds called indoles and isothiocyanates, which may help prevent cancer by amping up the production of enzymes that clear toxins from the body. In addition, sulforaphane, a phytochemical present in cruciferous vegetables, was found to detoxify cancer-causing chemicals before they do damage to the body. 

• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Green cabbage
• Kale

 
Yellow & Green, part 2 (leafy greens)
Many yellow and green vegetables are good sources of Lutein and Zeaxanthin, phytochemicals that accumulate in the eyes and help prevent age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in older people. Leafy greens are also rich in beta carotene.
 
CHLOROPHYLL colors green fruits and vegetables. In our system, the green foods represented those foods rich in isothiocyanates, which induce enzymes in the liver that assist the body in removing potentially carcinogenic compounds.
 
Cruciferous veggies such as broccoli and cabbage contain the phytochemicals indoles and isothiocyanates, which may have anticancer properties.
 
Green vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin K, folic acid, potassium, as well as carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids.
 
Folic acid is needed to prevent neural tube defects during pregnancy, and vitamin K is essential in blood clot formation. Diets high in potassium are associated with lowering blood pressure, and there is an inverse relationship between cruciferous vegetables and cancer, especially colon and bladder cancers.

• Artichoke
• Corn
• Lettuce
• Summer squash
• Wax beans
• Arugula
• Chard
• Collards
• Mustard greens
• Turnip greens

 
Orange
Alpha and beta carotene make foods like carrots and sweet potatoes so brilliantly orange. The body converts these compounds into the active form of vitamin A, which helps keep your eyes, bones and immune system healthy. These phytochemicals also operate as antioxidants, sweeping up disease-promoting free radicals.
 
Orange fruits and vegetables may also play a part in preventing cancer, particularly of the lung, esophagus, and stomach. 

• Apricots
• Cantaloupe
• Carrots
• Mango
• Oranges
• Papaya
• Pumpkin
• Sweet potatoes
• Tangerines
• Winter squash

 
Red
Red foods, such as tomatoes and watermelon, contain Lycopene, a phytochemical that may help protect against prostate and breast cancers.
 
Vitamin C and Folic Acid, red fruits and vegetables are also sources of flavonoids, which reduce inflammation and have antioxidant properties. Cranberries, another red fruit [whose color is due to anthocyanins, not lycopene], are also a good source of tannins, which prevent bacteria from attaching to cells. 

• Guava
• Pink grapefruit
• Red peppers
• Tomatoes
• Watermelon

BrightFocus is one of America's leading supporters of basic scientific investigations to better understand and find cures for Alzheimer's disease, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma. 

Since 1973, we have awarded more than $163 million1 to scientists seeking new approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of our target diseases. These grants have supported more than 1,300 innovative projects and an estimated 4,000 scientists who have dedicated their careers to groundbreaking research.

Our funding has enabled promising researchers—talented scientists at universities, hospitals, and medical centers worldwide—to make significant discoveries about these diseases. To date, two have gone on to win Nobel prizes.

​Current Research
We are currently supporting a total of 156 research grants:

• 85 projects through the Alzheimer's Disease Research program
• 40 through the Macular Degeneration Research program
• 31 through the National Glaucoma Research program

For more information about the work BrightFocus is doing to find cures for Alzheimer's, Macular Degeneration and Glaucoma, go to BrightFocus Foundation.