The findings tracked the eating habits of 1,393 people with no cognitive problems and 482 patients with mild cognitive impairment, a preliminary state of mental decline that can sometimes signal the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Patients were grouped based on whether they were low, moderate or consistent followers of a Mediterranean diet which includes eating large amounts of fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes and monounsaturated fats like olive oil, while at the same time consuming moderate amounts of alcohol and only small quantities of meat and dairy products.

People who closely followed a Mediterranean diet had a 28 percent lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, compared to those whose eating habits were the least like a Mediterranean diet. Moderate followers of a Mediterranean diet showed a trend toward a 17 percent lower risk than the lowest-scoring group. Research has shown that eating a Mediterranean diet is good for heart health, and now there is no risk in improving eating habits in the hope of improving brain health as well.

The new year always brings new experiences, and 2009 has already brought several that we'd like to share with you.

In December, we participated in our first Menu for Hope raffle, which raised $62,206.86 in support of the UN World Food Program. Many thanks to everyone who participated, and congratulations to Ms. Deborah Bower, the lucky winner of our Family Favorites menu! A full round up of prize winners is now available at Chez Pim.

Santa delivered some digital goodies for us, so look for more photos and videos coming soon! We'd love to hear from you on what you'd like to see, so feel free to comment with suggestions and ideas for new features.

One of our newest customers (and latest reviewers) was revealed to be mail order food maven Laura McManus, President of Mackenzie Limited. We're delighted to help Laura achieve her resolution for healthier lunches in 2009. We are also pleased that we can provide her additional time to spend at her core business. As a long standing leader in at-home gourmet food provisions we wish her many happy tastings!

I hope your holidays are filled with laughter, love and great food!

We'll be back in after the holiday to prepare the Saturday, January 03, 2009 meal deliveries!

A recent study published in the latest Journal of the American Medical Association has found that people with Type 2 diabetes kept their blood glucose levels under better control when they ate foods like beans, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, flax seed and quinoa — a low-glycemic diet — than blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes eating a high-fiber diet.

The new study, which lasted six months, is one of the largest and longest to assess the impact of foods with a low-glycemic index.

Participants on the low-glycemic diet also saw significant improvements in cholesterol after six months, with increases in HDL, the so-called “good” cholesterol associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.

Participants on the low-glycemic diet saw their hemoglobin A1C levels — a measure of blood glucose levels over recent months — reduced slightly, by 0.5 percent on average, but experienced significant improvements in HDL, which increased by 1.7 milligrams per deciliter of blood on average. Those on the high-cereal diet saw smaller reductions in hemoglobin A1C and slight drops in HDL.

Dietitians who work with people who have Type 2 diabetes said earlier studies had not demonstrated the benefits of low-glycemic index foods as clearly as this report.

All of our meals are created with low-glycemic index carbohydrates for sustained energy so you don't have to sacrifice flavor and freshness in your quest for healthy eating.

1. The deadline for placing orders for our Holiday Meal Deliveries is tomorrow, December 19th at midnight. All orders placed by then are guaranteed to arrive by Christmas eve!
2. There is still time to bid on all of the delicious Menu for Hope V prizes, including delivery of our of Family Favorites menu; have you entered yet? The last day to give is December 24.
3. We've updated our menus for our next delivery date, which is Saturday, January 03, 2009
4. Finally, have a wonderful, safe, and joyous holiday!

Anyone – and that means you too - can buy raffle tickets to bid on these prizes. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of your choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.

This year, we're joining in the fun!

One lucky winner will receive our Family Favorites menu, sure to please all but the most finicky of eaters. Each week our chefs create a delicious, four entree menu complete with side dishes to compliment the main course. From tender and moist grilled chicken to savory seafood pastas, we're sure to be a family favorite any night of the week! Each weekly menu is delivered to your door and because it is always fresh and never frozen, it is ready to eat in minutes. Prize package includes two servings of each meal (eight dinners in all).

How to donate and enter to win:

1. Go to First Giving , the site that manages this campaign, and make your donation. For every $10 donation, you are eligible to win one raffle prize.
2. If you’re interested in winning the delicious meal package we're giving away, when you are prompted to enter a “personal message” enter code — the codes associated with this prize. If you are eligible for more than one prize — for example, if you gave $50 — you could apply two tickets to one prize and three to another. Simply write 2xUE28 + 3xUE28, or whichever combination of prizes you’re hoping for.
3. Not the prize you wanted? Check out the master list of prizes to see what else is being offered.
4. Finally, check the box that follows which says that you are “happy for the page owner to see my email address” — very necessary so we can contact you if you won!
5. The winners of each raffle prize will be announced in early January. The last day to give is December 24.

Chris Brogan tried the family menu, and said:

I’m munching the dinner roll, which came out crispy on the outside and doughy inside, with just a taste of brown sugar maybe? (Don’t know, but it’s delicious.) The pasta dish was delightful. It’s clearly family-friendly as the spices aren’t over-stated, and the chicken is just perfect. The broccoli was fresh. NOTHING about this meal felt like eating a frozen dinner. It’s delicious, fresh, and wonderful.

Julie Roads also tried the family menu and had this to say:

The food ships with ice packs and insulation to your door - and you can freeze it or stick in the microwave (something I detest and don’t own) or oven. And it’s really good - the chefs are real, live Professional Chefs - the kind that have cheffed for the Emmy’s and the Tony’s.

Chef Gene Castelluccio and Chef Blair Grossman use all natural ingredients, make everything from scratch and add no preservatives. Personal Chef To Go also provides automatic delivery - so you don’t even have to think about this - your food just shows up. And, if I can come home to a good, already made meal, then I can spend more time with my family - and that is invaluable.

Christine @But You Don't Look Sick tried food from the Busy Singles menu, and here are her thoughts:

They offer new entrees each week, and provide meal plans and packages designed for families, busy singles, and couples on the go. Each meal is well balanced, and includes key nutritional information (calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, sodium, etc) as well as a Weight Watchers Points equivalent – all right on the package. Cooking instructions are also included for both microwave and conventional ovens, so there is no guesswork involved.

In my experience with Personal Chef To Go, the company and the meals themselves were wonderful. My order was delivered on time, and arrived fresh as promised. I was impressed with how carefully it was packed for delivery. Meals were individually packaged and clearly labeled, and portion sizes were very reasonable I immediately noticed that each meal was nutritionally balanced, high in dietary fiber, and low in fat. Each entree was also unique, creative, and flavorful, without being overbearing or over-seasoned - which is often the case with lesser quality prepared meals.

Dani Gurrie @ Tots2Tweens tried food from the Busy Singles menu, and here are her thoughts:

Recently, I discovered Personal Chef To Go. They can actually help with a few meals or the entire week. And with family friendly menus that include things like: Texas BBQ Pork Chops, Grilled Veggie Pasta Bake and Southwest Chicken Chili their menus offer the diversity, flavor and nutrients that I just don't have time for!

...Chefs Blair and Gene have taken their love for food and skills in preparing it and are able to share it with everyone...thanks in part to their ingenious shipping containers which are delivered each week. (I received mine on a Friday.) The food is absolutely fresh when it arrives...(I ate my green salad first!) But the other items can be frozen for later use (which is much healthier than the store bought frozen foods).

Tara @Well Spiced Life took some time to write about our food and her visit to our kitchen here in Richmond:

In Richmond, Va., visiting friends, I had the opportunity to meet the folks who are behind the scenes of this operation. Personal Chef To Go is made up of a team of restaurant and culinary professionals who have passion about placing their food in anyone’s home in the country. To make this vision happen, they have created a proprietary method of preparing and packaging and shipping their food directly to you.

The facility for the Personal Chef To Go outfit was immaculate and the chefs/staff were extremely dedicated. That matters to me. I believe people have very high expectations of what they bring into their home, already prepared, to eat. When you go out to eat, people often give themselves license to experiment. When you eat at home, you want what you want. If you have high expectations, you should feel just fine about trying this out. Yes, I also tasted the food, which is why I can say all of this with such confidence.

Last but not least, fellow foodieJustin Levy @ PrimeCuts took some time to write about our service:

Personal Chef to Go is a gourmet food service which ships freshly made meals directly to your home. The concept was created by two award winning chefs, Chef Gene Castelluccio and Chef Blair Grossman. Now I’m sure you’re thinking that this is probably just a glorified microwave dinner. Wrong. Every meal is delivered fresh, yes fresh not frozen, directly from their kitchen to your home or office. There is a weekly menu which is made by the chefs from scratch.

Thanks for all the great feedback and support, we really appreciate it!

On yesterday's show and this month's O Magazine, Oprah reveled that over the past two years she's gained back forty pounds due to a thyroid condition that limited her activity and mis-use of food. Like many people trying to lose or maintain weight loss, she stopped monitoring what she ate and the pounds came back.

Successful weight loss begins with changing your relationship to food. Our meals aid that process by packing in the nutrition while leaving out the trans fats, additives and preservatives commonly found in commercially prepared food. Our meals are prepared from the freshest all natural ingredients and rushed fresh to your door, with each entree clearly listing its total calories, protein content, grams of fat, percentage of saturated fat, net carbohydrates, fiber, sodium and Weight Watcher points per serving. That it is also delicious and packed with low-glycemic index carbohydrates means you can eat well while enjoying all of the taste and flavor of restaurant quality food.

In January, Winfrey returns with her “Best Life Week” special, where she'll concentrating on health, strength, and fitness rather than just being thin. If you or someone you love would like to begin living your best life in 2009, take a look at our upcoming menus and give yourself the gift of health.

Oprah image courtsey of Flickr member Alan Light. Used under a Creative Commons license.

Personal Chef to Go makes eating fresh and healthy food simple. Each menu item is always trans-fat free, made with whole grain goodness so it's full of fiber and low-glycemic index carbs for sustained energy, has NO preservatives or additives and created using all natural meats and seafood.

The next busy singles menu is up, and here is what you could be eating the week of December 20th:

• Fresh Catch with Tomato-Chive and Fresh Herb Relish served with wild rice and whole grain pilaf with broccoli florets
• Fresh Salmon stuffed with Spinach, Sundried Tomatoes and Toasted Pinenuts served with roasted cauliflower parmesan
• Roasted Chicken Breast stuffed with Fresh Virginia Crab Meat served with sautéed green beans
• Chicken Piccata with Fresh Herb and Lemon Jus Lie served with garlic-sizzled mushrooms and roasted red peppers
• Bistecca Barcelona Strip Steak with a light Burgundy Wine Sauce served with wild rice and whole grain pilaf
• Citrus Salmon Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
• Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad in our House-Made Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Roasted Chicken Salad with Walnuts and Assorted Reduced-Fat Cheeses in our Low-Fat Vinaigrette