Month: April 2016

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Wellbeing

Healthy Tech: What Your Selfies Say About You

Do you post selfies? If so, you’re far from alone; the selfie trend seems to have reached a fever pitch in recent years. Back in 2014, Google revealed that Android users alone take 93 million selfies per day! And pretty much all celebrities on Instagram have up-close pictures of their faces that they’ve decided to blast out to their fans. Selfies come in all different forms: reflective, silly, sensual, and just downright vain.

Some of us in the mental health field have recently taken a deeper look at what’s behind this selfie-driven culture. What are the reasons some individuals manically post and “like” pictures of themselves and their friends online, and what are some of the possible drawbacks of this mindset and behavior? 

Studies have shown the connections between Facebook use and loneliness. Could an obsession with selfies show similar findings? Research experiments of two groups of 1,200 men and women found that those who frequently posted selfies often exhibited what psychologists refer to as the “Dark Triad,” which are the traits of narcissism, manipulation, and disregard for others’ feelings. Yikes! Not the prettiest picture (no pun intended) of selfie takers.

I don’t believe, however, that most people who snap selfies are arrogant narcissists. Not at all. Every person’s motivation is a little bit different, but there are some common deeper implications that may accompany the tendency to take pictures of yourself. One includes the human desire to capture memories. We like to have proof that we’ve lived, that we’ve had enjoyable and meaningful experiences with others. A picture may provide that piece of evidence that we’re looking for. It’s natural to want to be remembered and to have left our mark, and in some ways a selfie may be a sort of photographic legacy.

Is wanting to remember your life a good reason to take selfies? Sure. It’s fun to look back on younger times and see what we were up to. Even in our selfie-saturated culture, though, there are ways to leave your mark that don’t involve putting an iPhone camera in your face. Why not write in a journal or create something that will last? 

It may not be the most pleasant thing to hear, but the truth is that your social media friends probably don’t think about your selfies all that much. They may comment or like them in the moment, but then they move on and probably won’t think about them again. Selfies can be enjoyable for a time, but they may not have much lasting value.

Another thing your selfies might say about you is that you are looking for validation. The entire purpose of posting a picture, video, or status update on social media is for others to take notice of it. It’s not bad to want attention; everyone needs a healthy amount of it. However, posting selfie after selfie (duckface, at the beach, etc.) may be a sign that you’re desperate for others’ approval. 

Although interaction with the virtual world can be a part of a healthy social life, it shouldn’t make up the bulk of your relationships. So if you find yourself taking and posting a ton of selfies, make sure you’re nourishing your face-to-face friendships as well.

Some join in the selfie craze to be part of a social group or movement. For example, many women have hopped on the “no makeup selfie” bandwagon to portray themselves as more real and authentic. Many of these movements have hashtags that go along with them so that participating members can connect with each other. Using social media and images to promote a certain idea or statement is a creative way to express your social and political viewpoints, but taken too far these may be yet another way for us to obsess about our online presence.

Above all, I would encourage people to try to balance out their selfie posting with pictures of other people and other activities. People who post selfies too often may appear shallow or self-centered. Take them sometimes to make memories, to express your views, and to connect with others, but don’t let photographs of yourself be your main message to the online world.

Categories
Wellbeing

Try Almonds For A Good Night’s Sleep

Similar to about 30 percent of the world’s population, I live with insomnia. These days it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be, but it’s still not uncommon to find me reading at 1 a.m. or for me to wake up at exactly 2:04 a.m. Over the last several years I’ve tried any number of things to help me sleep better, and I have actually found a few things that really do help.

Although I can’t explain why I wake up at exactly 2:04 a.m. many nights, I have found that on the occasions when it happens and I can’t get back to sleep, it’s usually because I’m hungry. I’ve learned that grabbing a small snack just before bed can help me avoid waking up hungry and can even help me fall asleep a lot faster. Of course, snacking right before bed can have its own drawbacks. Snacking on foods that are high in carbs late at night can lead to weight gain, and some foods can even keep me awake as my stomach works to process the food. That’s where almonds come in.

Almonds are an amazing food. A single handful of almonds is packed with protein and can completely satiate my hunger. Better than just staving off hunger, almonds are packed with five specific nutrients that can actually improve sleep.

Tryptophan

Most of us are familiar with tryptophan as the excuse for why Thanksgiving dinner knocks us out. Tryptophan is an amino acid that produces two key neurotransmitters, melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin helps keep your body’s clock regulated so that you get tired at night and wake up in the morning, and serotonin helps regulate your mood, keeping you from being depressed (which can also keep you from sleeping well). Almonds beat out turkey in the tryptophan race by a mile. The truth is that although turkey is high in tryptophan, the real reason for that post-turkey nap has more to do with the massive amount of carbs we typically consume as part of the Thanksgiving meal.

Magnesium 

Studies have shown that even a small deficiency in magnesium can lead to disturbed sleep. Magnesium helps with muscle function, leading to a state of relaxation; a deficiency may even lead to restless leg syndrome, which can severely affect sleep. Magnesium specifically increases deep slow-wave sleep, enhancing both sleep duration and efficiency, allowing you to sleep better and wake feeling more refreshed.

Calcium

Increased calcium can increase the hormone melatonin, which helps you feel sleepier. Studies have even found that calcium levels are the highest in our bodies during our deepest sleep. This is one of the reasons why a warm glass of milk has long been a staple insomnia cure. Of course, calcium and magnesium work together, with a lack of either causing you to wake up after just a few hours and be unable to return to sleep.

Niacin

Stress can lead to depression and anxiety, both of which can negatively affect sleep. Niacin plays a key role in stress regulation, helping to relieve both anxiety and depression, leading to a better night’s sleep.

Protein

The longer you go without food the more likely it is that your blood sugar will dip. That dip is often the reason why you wake up in the middle of the night. Eating a snack that’s high in protein will keep that dip from occurring.

There are a million things you could eat as a bedtime snack. Many of them will have some of the nutrients found in almonds, but few provide you with the protein, niacin, calcium, magnesium, and melatonin found in a single almond. Those nutrients work together to create a powerhouse food that can satiate your hunger, calm your nerves and muscles, and help you sleep better. It’s no wonder that almonds are considered a superfood.

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Nosh

Pantry Makeover: Organizing Your Way Through Weight Loss

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know the food you eat affects your weight. What about the food you have right now in your own pantry? Does it bring you closer to your weight loss goals or farther away? With spring in full bloom, now is a great time to make over your pantry. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you organize your pantry, know what to keep and what to trash, and fill your pantry with weight loss–friendly foods.

1. Take stock of your space

Take a good look at your pantry space, whether you use a couple of kitchen cabinets or have a walk-in pantry. Decide whether you’d like to keep food in boxes or move to baskets, bins, or clear storage containers.

2. Throw away

Look at each food item in your pantry. Obviously, you will want to throw away any expired foods or foods that are well past their prime. When I do this, I often find a stray potato or onion that is trying its best to grow without soil or water. It’s ironic that they grow so well in the pantry and fail in my garden.

3. Put foods into categories

Organize your food items by category. For example, in my pantry, I have the following sections:

  • Grains
  • Canned goods
  • Sauces, dressings, and condiments
  • Oils
  • Baking supplies
  • Quick, healthy snacks

Sorting foods into categories helps me be more efficient at meal planning, lets the kids readily see what snacks are available, and saves me money at the grocery store because I don’t buy food items I already have.

4. Look at each food left in terms of weight loss

All the food left in your pantry should now be within the use-by date and placed in general categories.

Now comes the hard part.

Start a pile of foods that have crept into your pantry that aren’t helping you on your weight loss journey or are just plain bad for your health.

You might put the following types of foods in this “not good for you” pile.

  • Foods with trans fats.
  • Foods high in added sugar like cookies, cereals, chocolate-covered granola bars, fruit canned in syrup, or pastries.
  • Snack foods you know you shouldn’t be eating. You may have to add those chips, pretzels, and high-calorie granola bars to the pile.
  • Junk food. I often stashed candy in the back of the pantry where only I could find it. If you have this habit too, put it in the pile. I know it’s hard to let it go, but it has to be done.

Donate this pile of still good but not good for you food to a local charity or just get rid of it. I have a problem throwing away perfectly good food so I tend to donate it.

5. Make a list of foods to stock up on

Now that you’ve got your pantry cleaned out, organized, and categorized in a way that will help you lose weight, make a list of foods you might be missing.

I like to keep the following foods on hand because they make it easy to toss together a complete meal that is healthy, low in calories, and tasty.

Beans, both canned and dried. I use them in soups, stews, on top of salads, as a dip, in quesadillas, or as a base for a tasty vegetarian burger.

Whole wheat pasta. Unless you are a low carb dieter, whole wheat pasta is a great addition to your diet. It’s filling, very versatile, and has lots of fiber. Just be sure to pay attention to serving sizes.

Rice, couscous, and quinoa. Any of these makes a great side dish and can serve as a main dish if you add protein to it. I like to use the whole grain varieties.

Quick serve snacks. I have six kids still living at home and although I make a lot of their snacks from scratch, I do like to have some they can grab if I’ve run out. I stock up on nuts, dried fruit, unsweetened applesauce, and fruit bars.

Panko bread crumbs. These are great with chicken or pork. I season the bread crumbs with herbs from my garden and a bit of olive oil before popping the chicken in the oven.

High fiber cereals and granola. Some cereal and granola brands have preservatives you may want to avoid, but there are some good organic options that are high in fiber and low in sugar. The caveat for weight loss is that these foods can also be high in calories per serving.

High quality broths. I tend to make my own chicken and vegetable broth and freeze it in 1-cup containers, but there are times I run out. Even my small-town grocery store stocks broth varieties that are low in sodium and organic. I bet yours does as well.

Once you’ve got everything organized, categorized, and well stocked, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Now your pantry supports your weight loss efforts. Just be sure to schedule a pantry refresh every couple of months to ensure it doesn’t get out of control.

Categories
Wellbeing

Raising Strong And Happy Girls

When it comes to girls growing up in our modern culture, I think Charles Dickens put it perfectly: it’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times. Young women in America have more freedoms and opportunities than ever before in history, and they can have wonderful and fulfilling relationships and careers. 

Still, those formative years can be pretty brutal with the pressures to be thin, smart, funny, kind, and attractive weighing heavily on a young female’s shoulders. Add to that the fact that girls often take a major blow to their confidence at the age of 8 or 9, and it’s easy to see how they can have a pretty rough time.

So what can we do? How can we help girls find direction and purpose in this world? How do we equip them with the skills they’ll need to navigate the challenges they’ll experience and reach their potential? Book after book has been written about good parenting advice for daughters, and I won’t pretend to offer all the solutions on this topic in a single article. But I still believe that we can do our part to help girls overcome these common obstacles. Whether it’s your daughter, sister, niece, or student, here are a few ideas to help bring up a strong and healthy girl.

One of the aspects of a young woman that is given the most attention is her physical appearance. How often do we say things like, “She’s so cute!” or “Oh my goodness, I love your dress and shoes”? Although it’s not bad to tell a girl she’s pretty, we need to be sure that’s not the main message we give her about what we think about her. 

In a famous HuffPo article from a few years ago, Lisa Bloom wrote about the importance of asking a girl about what’s going on in her heart and mind (for example, what book she is reading). This can help them value themselves more than just physically and also hopefully help them avoid the myriad problems plaguing young women who go to dangerous lengths in the hopes of improving their bodies (eating disorders, plastic surgery, etc.)

Another way to raise a strong girl is to consciously fight the culture of entitlement. Unfortunately, many of the young women portrayed in media today act like divas, and our daughters, granddaughters, and nieces may look up to them as role models. One of the ways to counter this is to talk to young girls about the value of hard work and the importance of kindness. The mother’s behavior really sets the tone here. Show by example how not to act like a diva; instead show gratitude, compassion, and conscientiousness.

A sometimes overlooked aspect of bringing up daughters is preparing them for the “real world” of education and career. It seems we often talk to young men about one day having a great job and salary but neglect to help teach and prepare young girls for these same things. We must speak frequently with every girl about how she will continue her journey of learning and take advantage of work opportunities so she can provide for herself, use her talents, and serve her community. 

Also, studies show that girls whose mothers work outside the home may have an economic advantage. No matter how your family does things, make sure to talk often (and in a positive way!) with growing girls about career exploration.

Raising happy and healthy girls obviously doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a process that takes years of helping them nurture their minds, learn to work hard, have new learning experiences, and prepare for their future. I encourage you to consider how you can be a good influence on the young women in your life—in ways big or small.

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Wellbeing

5 Ways To Cope With Loneliness When You’re Between Relationships

Being alone is hard enough, but when you’re between relationships it can feel torturous. Every day feels like an eternity, and adjusting to single life is exhausting. Most of us are in relationships in part to avoid being single, so when this life transition inevitability presents itself, we face it with a sense of dread.
I’ve written quite a bit about loneliness and being alone, and I have personally felt differently about these states of being depending on where I am in my own life. I’ve learned that it’s much easier to give advice on how to feel less lonely when I’m not feeling it myself, and I enjoy sharing tips about how to be alone when I’m feeling more confident about spending time with myself.
Right now loneliness and being alone—they’re two separate things in my mind—are both strongly present for me and I’m needing to get very creative. Recently I went the entire day without talking to anyone. Not because I was avoiding the world, but because my life is structured in such a way that I don’t have much contact with people. This makes dealing with loneliness tricky, because forcing myself to seek out socialization feels unnatural. But I know I won’t survive without some form of connection.
You may have a solitary life as well, or you may be in a work environment around a lot of people yet still feel lonely. That’s just as bad in my book, because the need to put on a happy face can get old really fast. This is one of the first things to remember about loneliness. Being around strangers you don’t really care about doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll feel less lonely. In fact, it can often feel worse.
So how does one cope when straddling the breakup gap between lost love and new love? It’s an ongoing education for sure, but I’ve come up with a few tactics that I hope you’ll find easy and helpful as you move through this transition of your life.

Binge on Movies

I know this sounds like a crazy and unhealthy coping mechanism (especially coming from a therapist), but there was a time when movies were the only pastime. It’s only in our modern culture that we shy away from this great distraction because of how technologically addicted we all are. Look at this the same way you would if you were on vacation and wanting to kind of check out from your life. You’re actually on hiatus from love, so why not use that situation to your advantage and get in some good screen time?

Purge Something

Everyone has at least a couple of drawers or a closet to clean out. Getting rid of some old stuff and relinquishing junk you’ve been stockpiling both fills your time and keeps you focused on something other than your loneliness. Taking action opens up pathways in the brain that inspire and motivate because we all want to feel productive. Sitting around feeds the loneliness monster because you’re just waiting instead of doing.

Start a Project

For me, writing is an ongoing project, and I’ve never been more productive than I’ve been over these last few weeks being alone. By now you’re probably getting the theme of focusing on something, and projects keep you directed while invoking a feeling of creativity. Creativity is inspiring and healing, so pick something to work on that opens that part of your mind and heart. Puzzles are great, start a Pinterest board, plant a garden, or build something if you’re handy.

Go Outside

A large part of loneliness is feeling like you’re disconnected or don’t belong. There’s something about the outdoors that makes it impossible to feel alone. I always think of plant life as my “relatives,” so even just sitting in the yard or going for a short walk can shift your mindset from loneliness to being a part of something greater. Going on a hike or visiting a body of water works wonders, but if that’s not possible, simply being in fresh air will do the trick.

Get Moving

This is a general recommendation, the point of which is don’t be still too long. That feeling of restlessness you get when you start to feel empty—or like something is missing—is normal, and moving will release the tension. Dancing is an amazing release (and no one’s even looking), or getting in your car for a little road trip can transform loneliness into freedom. Again, action is powerful when it comes to moving through loneliness. It allows us to take control and move on faster instead of dwelling on the situation.
Loneliness is painful, but it can be hugely informative as well. You’ll never know yourself better than when you’re forced to be with yourself on this level. Use the time wisely, because soon enough you’ll be wishing you had that solitude back.

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Sweat

Changing Perspective For Weight Loss Success

A football player running for the end zone focuses solely on that end zone. He runs fast, evades his opponents, and holds tight to the ball until he crosses the goal line. Getting to your goal weight is important, but unlike that football player, focusing solely on the end goal instead of on the process as you go along is a misstep for both weight loss and weight maintenance.

What’s the magic number you want to see on the scale?

It could be 125, 150, 200, 136, 192, or any other number.

It’s so tempting to set that magic number in your mind and just focus on it to the exclusion of anything else.

Of course, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have that goal number in mind because setting goals is good. What I am saying is that not focusing enough on the nuts and bolts of weight loss will backfire on you in the end.

What’s Important About the Process?

The process of losing weight is not just about getting to your magic number. It’s also about:

  • Learning new ways to cook
  • Discovering how to handle complex social situations
  • Finding out how you best deal with food cravings
  • Determining what foods you will and won’t include in your diet
  • Exploring exercise options that work for you
  • Transitioning to a new healthy lifestyle

My most successful clients are those who don’t rush through the weight loss process without learning important lessons about food and themselves.

They are also the ones who maintain their weight the longest.

What Happens When You Focus Only on the End Number?

Focusing mainly on your goal weight robs you of the opportunity to learn the lessons I talked about above. It’s nearly impossible to truly embrace your new healthy lifestyle when all you care about is whether the number on the scale is going down.

When you don’t have a long-term, permanent lifestyle view of weight loss, you can easily be swayed to trying to lose weight in the fastest way possible without regard to your health.

Here’s an example of someone I know: Linda (not her real name, of course) wanted desperately to lose 35 pounds before her daughter’s graduation. She told me later that she knew better, but she began losing weight by eating a very low-calorie diet—think under 1,200 calories—and exercising for a good long time every single day.

She managed to lose most of the weight but gained it back very quickly.

Why did she gain it all back?

Instead of processing what she needed to do to lose weight permanently, finding a plan that would support (and not hurt) her health, and acknowledging that weight loss can only be long term if lifestyle changes are made, she jumped on the fad diet bandwagon.

She was so depressed after the regain. But she did learn a lesson and finally lost weight in a more deliberate manner. She still had the same end number in mind but went about the process in a healthier manner. It took her a little longer but the result has been lasting weight loss.

Although focusing mainly on your goal weight may seem to be a good idea, ask yourself this question:

At the end of your journey, will you have learned enough about how not to regain weight to make your weight loss last a lifetime?

If you can’t honestly answer that question with a “yes,” then I want you to take a moment to slow down and reassess your weight loss plan.

I think you will come to the point where you, like my friend Linda, realize that focusing only on the end number is doing yourself—and possibly your health—a disservice.

Categories
Wellbeing

Nurturing Growth Through Committed Relationships

Our culture romanticizes love. From first kisses, saying those three little words, marriage proposals, walking down the aisle, and growing old together, so many of us want to be in love, experience love, or savor the love we already have. But once we get past the honeymoon phase, once we take off our rose-colored glasses and realize that our partner has flaws, and that our relationship is not as perfect as a fairy tale, then what? 

It seems that too many people think something’s wrong if they’re not always happy or even go so far as to swear off love once they’ve been disappointed. Although it’s true that real love is sometimes rocky, it can help us grow—both together and as individuals—and ultimately bring us real joy (instead of merely innocent bliss).

Love is an invitation to grow, but we’re not always fully listening. 

If you are married or in a serious relationship, or if you have children or other family members you spend a great deal of time with, remember that these individuals likely know you better than almost anyone else. They probably are intimately aware of your strengths and also of your weaknesses and shortcomings. They know your endearing patterns and your annoying quirks. So when these people give you feedback, take the time to listen! 

Hopefully those closest to you aren’t constantly bombarding you with critical messages, but even the most loving and kind person may express that you need to work on something. Not long ago my husband and kids told me a few different times that I needed to work on being a better listener. I was shocked. Don’t they know that I’ve made a career out of listening?! But after internalizing what they’d been saying, I realized that they were right; I did need to work on that communication skill. And we need these kinds of close relationships to help us improve. We have to bump up against others to smooth out our rough edges.

Another way that love helps us grow is that it challenges us to confront our insecurities, vulnerabilities, and past emotional wounds. 

Like it or not, all of our issues will eventually come bubbling to the surface. It’s amazing to me how so many of us gravitate toward individuals who make us face those painful issues; we often keep picking the same type of person over and over again, and we get them to play out a situation in our mind similar to ones we’ve experienced in the past. Unfortunately, sometimes this can lend itself to relationship problems (such as a young woman with a neglectful father having trust issues in her romantic life), but it can also help us overcome and move past these emotional raw spots through our connections with others.

A picturesque version of love looks like a dream of romance, beauty, and a perfect life with the other person. But in real life, saying yes to love means saying yes to happiness and tears. It’s something that seasoned couples have experienced but younger couples may not fully understand. 

Things will be hard at times. We won’t always look like we did when we were in our twenties, and we may even experience the pain of infertility, financial troubles, or chronic disease. I never mean to paint a negative picture of love and relationships; my family has brought me so much joy throughout the years. Still, let’s remember that real love is more than a picture-perfect romance.

As a therapist and as a wife of 27 years, I’ve had plenty of time to learn and apply these principles and see them in the lives of my clients. Some years have been difficult, and I’ve had to learn unexpected and painful lessons, but we keep moving forward because we’re still growing. 

Love is more than a feeling; it’s a verb and a commitment. And when things are not as blissful as we’d like, we can draw on one or all of those meanings to help us see it through.

Categories
Nosh

Knowing The Cost Of Food Is Key To Success

There are very few things you can get for free. There is a cost associated with pretty much anything of value. There is a cost to owning a vehicle even if someone gives you a car free and clear. If you want a new shirt, there is a cost you will have to pay. If you want to succeed in business, there is also a cost.

When my husband was a teenager, he knew exactly what a date would cost him. I’m not talking about dollar signs. I’m actually talking about hard work. Other kids might have just gotten some money from their parents, but Steve had to work for his date money.

He knew exactly how many hours he’d have to work to take a girl out on a date when he was making the minimum wage. It could cost him eight hours of flipping burgers at Burger King for $3.35 an hour if he wanted to take a girl to a cheap dinner and a movie. That’s a lot of work for one date.

Have you ever thought about what your food costs?

There is a cost for every bite you eat. Not only is there a price you pay at the grocery store or restaurant, each calorie costs a certain amount of energy to burn off. If you decide not to burn it off, there is an even higher cost of carrying the extra calories around as stored fat.

If you think of calories like dollar bills, you can look at your body like it’s a bank account. Similar to a bank balance, your body’s “balance” is the balance of calories going in and calories going out.

If you look at your body like a bank account, you will look at food a bit differently too. Every time you want a treat, it will cost you (exercise) if you don’t want to carry an excess balance.

It’s like buying a shirt. You really can’t say whether that shirt is worth the money until you look at the price tag. Once you compare the price tag with your financial situation, you can then make a pretty good decision about whether you can afford that item.

In the same way, you should get in the habit of looking at food labels to determine if something is within your budget. Just like Steve would figure out how many hours he’d have to work for a date to determine if she was worth it, you also need to know how much exercise is required to afford certain foods.

That’s impossible to do unless you fully understand what exercise costs. One way you can determine the cost is by wearing a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate idea of how many calories you burn when you work out. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you can use this list of exercises to get an idea of how many calories a 155-pound person burns doing a variety of exercises for one hour.

HealthyWay

Using this list as a reference, now let’s look at what some of my favorite guilty pleasures would “cost” me.

  • Chili’s Smoked Chicken Quesadillas = 1735 calories
  • Five Guys Little Cheeseburger and a half order of fries = 1026 calories
  • Carrabba’s Linguine Positano with house salad (no bread) = 1098 calories
  • California Kitchen Veggie Pizza = 1070 calories

If you do the math, you will see that the quesadillas would cost almost five hours of walking at 4.0 mph to erase. All the other menu items would require at least two hours of pretty intense training, like calisthenics, to bring you back to zero. And if your exercise were a moderate walk, you would have to walk nearly 13 miles to work off one meal.

Maybe it’s worth it or maybe it’s not. Either way, you are sure to make much better decisions when weighing the cost.

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Nosh

The Anti-Inflammatory Diet

From asthma and allergies to rheumatoid arthritis and gastrointestinal disorders, chronic inflammation can lead to a whole host of health issues. Try these eight foods to reduce inflammation and give your immune system a boost.

Cauliflower

This cruciferous vegetable packs a big punch against inflammation. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin K, which according to the Arthritis Foundation, has been found to destroy the cells that contribute to rheumatoid arthritis. The white vegetable also contains glucobrassicin, a compound that can prevent the initiation of inflammation at the genetic level.

Organic Blackberries

Blackberries are loaded with antioxidants—more per serving than any other food, according to an article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Anthocyanins are a type of antioxidant found in berries—they’re also what causes the deep red, blue, and purple colors—that contains anti-inflammatory properties.

Salmon

Salmon and other fatty fish such as mackerel and sardines are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the signs of inflammation associated with age-related diseases. The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of fatty fish per week for maximum benefits (note: a serving size is about 3.5 ounces).

Walnuts

Not a fan of fish? You can still add omega 3s to your diet by eating a handful of walnuts every day. Walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based, omega 3 source suitable for vegetarians. ALAs are also good for heart health and keeping your skin smooth and younger looking. Other nuts that fit the bill are pistachios and almonds. Buy unsalted nuts to keep dietary sodium in check.

Avocados

Avocado is touted by The World’s Healthiest Foods website as having great anti-inflammatory components—namely carotenoids and phytosterols, as well as two types of flavonoids. Although most of the research shows anti-inflammatory benefits to the cardiovascular system, recent studies show that adding avocado to your diet can also help with arthritis. For the greatest benefits, eat one-half to one cup of avocado a few times per week.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

According to the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), extra-virgin olive oil is cold pressed, meaning that no heat over a certain temperature should be used when it is processed. This high-quality olive oil retains more nutrients than the standard variety and contains a plant-based compound called oleocanthal. Oleocanthal causes a peppery sting in the back of your throat when you eat it. Researchers discovered that this ingredient works to reduce inflammation the same way the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (Advil) does.

Beans

Beans are chock full of fiber, which may help lower markers of inflammation, a key factor in some types of arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation. High-fiber foods are also a food source for the good bacteria living in your gut. These good belly bugs then release substances that reduce inflammation all over the body. Lentils, black beans, and lima beans boast the most fiber, but all beans are a good source, so enjoy any variety you like.

Ginger

Got chronic inflammation? Eat more spices such as ginger, say doctors at the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Program. Ginger contains anti-inflammatory compounds known as gingerols, which are believed to reduce pain levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who eat ginger regularly.

Consume these foods as part of a well-rounded diet to treat symptoms of inflammation and help prevent some of the wear and tear associated with aging.

Categories
Nosh

There's Good News Brewing In Your Cup of Joe: The Healthy Bits Your Beans Are Doing

Once upon a time in the forests of Ethiopia, a goat herder named Kaldi noticed that his goats were particularly fond of a specific kind of berry. These berries, he observed, gave his goats quite a bit of energy. In fact, upon eating the berries, his goats could travel for much longer distances, oftentimes more alert and energetic than Kaldi himself. Kaldi told the local abbot about his discovery, and the abbot decided to try a few of the berries himself. He brewed them into a drink and found that after consuming his new cocktail, he too felt more alert and energetic.
The abbot told some monks. The monks told neighboring monks, and slowly—as news traveled back in the 11th and 12th centuries—word got to the Arabian Peninsula. From there these berries, or beans, found on the beloved coffee plant began to be cultivated and traded and made their way across the globe. True story.
For hundreds of years, people have been enjoying coffee in all its glorious forms. In recent years it has become a culture all its own thanks to Starbucks, which started the craze, and the thousands of other retail coffee houses that have popped up around the world. It has become much easier and more convenient and delicious to grab a cup of joe any time of day, turning that one-cup morning habit into a two- or three- or four-cup daily treat. Nearly every office has a Keurig for a quick fix at the 3 p.m. slump. Iced coffees are bottled for the ready at any convenience store.
But what is all this coffee doing to us? Every detox diet tells us to kick the coffee habit while we cleanse. Does that mean it’s bad? Are we overdoing it? The health risks of coffee have been well documented for years: It can make you anxious, disrupt your sleep, disturb your bowels, and cause high blood pressure and heart palpitations. Yes, all of this is true. But let’s take a look at more recent research studies and see if these documented potential risks are ones that are worth taking.
First let me say this: Coffee intake affects sexual hormones. For women, it increases some forms of estrogen levels and lowers other forms, such as estradiol estrogen, because of the numerous phytoestrogens it has. That said, phytoestrogens can protect the body positively or negatively. High coffee intake has been shown to decrease the risk of estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer in postmenopausal women, but it may increase the risk of ER-positive breast cancer in premenopausal women.
It can also increase the risk of cyst formation in breasts or ovaries. If you are prone to cysts, slow down on the coffee. If you’re not, drink away.
Pregnant women are advised to keep coffee intake to one cup per day or less, as high amounts of caffeine can lead to low birth weight and 10 percent lower testosterone levels in male babies. For men, caffeine intake increases the levels of testosterone released in the body by stimulating the adrenal glands. The increase in these hormones is not very significant unless you are consuming at least six cups per day. It will help a workout, let’s say, but won’t send you into a steroid-type rage any time soon.
For men and women alike, the health benefits of coffee appear to be numerous. Bear in mind that most of these studies are observational, yet there is something to be said about large numbers of the same observations. In 2012, for example, the New England Journal of Medicine published a huge study, the results of which indicated that people who drank one or more cups of coffee a day lived longer than their non–coffee-drinking counterparts. The longer lives came to those who drank between four and five cups per day.
The increased longevity is a result of the number of major diseases that coffee intake protects us from, including cardiovascular disease, heart failure and stroke, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, liver disease including liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and multiple sclerosis.
Caffeine, which is found even in decaffeinated coffee in small amounts, is a stimulant. It temporarily blocks adenosine (the hormone that depresses the nervous system and helps us go to sleep) in the brain and increases the release of norepinephrine and dopamine. This leads to improved brain function, reaction time, focus, and general cognitive function. And it can suppress the production of chemicals involved in the inflammatory process that cause multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. In animal studies, caffeine has helped to protect against blood–brain barrier (BBB) leakage, which disrupts the BBB’s ability to prevent toxins and bacteria from entering and damaging the brain, which can wreak all sorts of havoc.
How exactly coffee helps protect the body from other harmful diseases still remains a mystery. We know it is loaded with polyphenols, antioxidants that play an integral role in ridding our system of harmful metals and toxins. It contains several essential vitamins and minerals but in relatively small amounts. Perhaps the combination of everything stimulates liver function, thus promoting detoxification throughout the entire body.
Research has shown time and again that coffee intake decreases one’s risk of liver cancer significantly (by 40 percent) and cirrhosis of the liver by 84 percent. The liver is the largest organ in the body and is responsible for so many things, including the regulation of blood composition, the removal of toxins, the processing and storing of nutrients, and the breaking down of drugs and alcohol.
If caffeine is supporting healthy liver function, and a healthy liver is essential to a healthy body, then perhaps this—along with its positive impact on the brain—is the magical power the bean beholds. Perhaps not. Kaldi and the monks had their theories; this one is going to be mine.
Whatever you take away from this article or others examining the pros and cons of a satisfying cup or three of joe, I hope you feel at least a bit more comfortable knowing that the overall consensus is positive. There should be no guilt as you enjoy your latte or cafe cubana. Relish in the deliciousness. It’s good for you—or at least it is better for you than it is bad—and I, for one, will take that as a double thumbs up.