Click here for this edition’s Table of Contents
- “The sensation of comfort can be maintained only in relation to the sensation of discomfort” -Alan Watts
1. “iron carries oxygen and is the backbone of nearly every neurotransmitter inside your skull” -Ben House
2. A very thorough and well researched review of dietary fat from Vox.
3. Why we’re fat:
we’re eating out more, portion sizes have increased, we drink a lot of sugar, healthier foods cost more, our vegetables are mainly potatoes, too many of our meals are like dessert, we’re bombarded with ads for unhealthy foods
4. Rehydration Index – here’s the bar chart. Interesting stuff.
5. “Study: higher intakes of berries → ↓rate of cognitive decline in older adults”
6. Fat infiltration into weak dysfunctional muscles is a common physiological change. Should we start to consider diet’s role in this as well? “Diabetes creates a high glucose environment that not only results in peripheral neuropathy, but also causes adipose stem cells to differentiate into adipose cells, which migrate into muscle tissue, according to several studies”
7. “research shows taking MCT oil before drinking alcohol can help protect the liver against membrane oxidation”
8. “Scientists found bright light exposure increased insulin resistance compared to dim light exposure in both the morning and the evening. In the evening, bright light also caused higher peak glucose (blood sugar) levels. Over time, excess blood glucose can result in increased body fat, weight gain and a higher risk for diabetes.”
9. “Now, for the first time, Cornell University researchers report they have identified biological markers of the disease in gut bacteria and inflammatory microbial agents in the blood.”
10. This is terrible news “The study, published in the scientific journal Addiction, concludes that there is more than simply a link or statistical association between alcohol and cancer that could be explained by something else. There is now enough credible evidence to say conclusively that drinking is a direct cause of the disease, according to Jennie Connor, of the preventive and social medicine department at Otago University in New Zealand.”
11. Authority Nutrition shares 20 science backed ways to lose belly fat:
eat soluble fiber, avoid foods that contain trans fats, don’t drink too much alcohol, eat a high-protein diet, reduce your stress levels, avoid sugary foods, do aerobic exercise, cut back on carbs (especially refined carbs), replace cooking fats with coconut oil, do resistance training (build strength), avoid sugar sweetened beverages, get plenty of sleep (at least 7 hours a night), track your food intake and exercise, eat fatty fish every week, stop drinking fruit juice, add apple cider vinegar to your diet, eat probiotic foods, try intermittent fasting, drink green tea, change your lifestyle
12. 14 ways to lower your insulin levels. Great read for some solid diet advice.
13. “Breakfast: bacon, eggs, & coffee >>> cereal, toast, & fruit juice (P<0.05)” –Bill Lagakos
14. Interesting food pyramids from other countries
15. “Vitamin D2 was found to be ineffective at impacting muscle strength in both studies wherein it was administered. In contrast, vitamin D3 was shown to have a positive impact on muscle strength”
16. Want a better life? Try living one. Eating healthy leads to improved health in other areas, such as mental health. “The researchers concluded that people who changed from almost no fruit and veg to eight portions of fruit and veg a day would experience an increase in life satisfaction equivalent to moving from unemployment to employment”. It’s all connected. #Variables
17. Checking your bone health may be the same as checking your gut health – “The human microbiome has been shown to influence a number of chronic conditions associated with impaired bone mass and bone quality, including obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease.”
Sugar
18. Eating a healthy diet can be complex (nutrient timing, vegetables, types of carbs/fats, protien intake, processed foods, microbiome, etc.). But it can also be simple – EAT LESS SUGAR. If we want to improve our nation’s health and stop the obesity epidemic we need to convince our society to stop eating so much sugar. It is by far the single worst ingredient in one’s diet.
19. “When the low-fat guidelines first came out, food manufacturers removed the fat from foods but added a whole bunch of sugar instead.”
20. “People are getting a lot of sugar from conventional foods, without even realizing it. Many of these processed, high-sugar foods are endorsed by health organizations like the Australian Heart Foundation.”
21. “Overall, sugary soft drinks (and fruit juices) are probably the unhealthiest and most fattening aspects of the modern diet, by far.”
22. Dr. Lustig lays down the law on Sugar
23. “The sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to play down the link between sugar and heart disease and promote saturated fat as the culprit instead, newly released historical documents show.”
24. We need to start calling breakfast what it really is…dessert.
25. Here’s a layman’s infographic on sugar
26. 18 Foods/Drinks that are high in sugar:
low-fat yogurt, bbq sauce, ketchup, fruit juice, spaghetti sauce, sports drinks, chocolate milk, granola, flavored coffees, iced tea, protein bars, vitamin water, pre-made soups, cereal bars, canned fruit, canned bake beans, bottled smoothies, breakfast cereal
27. “Obese children who cut sugar from their diets saw improvements in markers of heart disease after just nine days, a study in Atherosclerosis found.”
28. 8 ways food companies hide the sugar content of foods:
calling sugar by a different name, using many different types of sugar, adding sugar to foods you’d least expect it, using healthy sugars instead of sucrose, combining added sugars with natural sugars, adding health claims to products, having a high number of servings per pack, making sweet versions of a low-sugar brand
29. Addiction is an unhealthy behavior…regardless of what substance it is
Cocaine = Addictive + Harmful = Illegal
Sugar = Addictive + Harmful = Legal
(source)
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