Acorns vs Chestnuts – Which is Healthier?

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Our Verdict

When comparing acorns to chestnuts, we picked the acorns.

Why?

In terms of macros, chestnuts are mostly water, so it’s not surprising that acorns have a lot more carbs, fat, protein, and fiber. Thus, unless you have personal reasons for any of those to be a problem, acorns are the better choice, offering a lot more nutritional value.

In the category of vitamins, acorns lead with a lot more of vitamins A, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B9, while chestnuts have more of vitamins B1 and C. However, that vitamin C is useless to us, because it is destroyed in the cooking process (by boiling or roasting), and both of these nuts can be harmful if consumed raw, so that cooking does need to be done. That leaves acorns with a 6:1 lead.

When it comes to minerals, things are more even; acorns have more copper, magnesium, manganese, and zinc, while chestnuts have more calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. Thus, a 4:4 tie (and yes, the margins of difference are approximately equal too).

We mentioned “both of these nuts can be harmful if consumed raw”, so a note on that: it’s because, while both contain an assortment of beneficial phytochemicals, they also both contain tannins that, if consumed raw, chelate with iron, essentially taking it out of our diet and potentially creating an iron deficiency. Cooking tannins stops this from being an issue, and the same cooking process renders the tannins actively beneficial to the health, for their antioxidant powers.

You may have heard that acorns are poisonous; that’s not strictly speaking true, except insofar as anything could be deemed poisonous in excess (including such things as water, and oxygen). Rather, it’s simply the above-described matter of the uncooked tannins and iron chelation. Even then, you’re unlikely to suffer ill effects unless you consume them raw in a fair quantity. While acorns have fallen from popular favor sufficient that one doesn’t see them in supermarkets, the fact is they’ve been enjoyed as an important traditional part of the diet by various indigenous peoples of N. America for centuries*, and provided they are cooked first, they are a good healthy food for most people.

*(going so far as to cultivate natural oak savannah areas, by burning out young oaks to leave the old ones to flourish without competition, to maximize acorn production, and then store dried acorns in bulk sufficient to cover the next year or so in case of a bad harvest later—so these was not just an incidental food, but very important “our life may depend on this” food. Much like grain in many places—and yes, acorns can be ground into flour and used to make bread etc too)

Do note: they are both still tree nuts though, so if you have a tree nut allergy, these ones aren’t for you.

Otherwise, enjoy both; just cook them first!

Want to learn more?

You might like to read:

Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts

Take care!

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  • Sugar Blues – by William Dufty

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    This is a “read it cover to cover” book. It charts the rise of sugar’s place in world diets in general and the American diet in particular, and draws many conclusions about the effect this has had on us.

    This book will challenge you. Sometimes, it will change your mind. Sometimes, you’ll go “no, I’m sure that’s not right”, and you’ll go Googling. Either way, you’ll learn something.

    And that, for us, is the most important measure of any informational book: did we gain something from it? In Sugar Blues, perhaps the single biggest “gain” for the reader is that it’s an eye-opener and a call-to-arms—the extent to which you heed that is up to you, but it sure is good to at least be familiar with the battlefield.

    Check Out Sugar Blues on Amazon Today!

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  • Chili Chestnut, Sweet Apricot, & Whipped Feta Toasts

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    This is a delightful breakfast or light lunch option, full of gut-healthy ingredients and a fair list of healthy polyphenols too.

    You will need

    • ½ baguette, sliced into ½” slices; if making your own, feel free to use our Delicious Quinoa Avocado Bread recipe. If buying shop-bought, a sourdough baguette will likely be the healthiest option, and tasty too.
    • 4 oz feta cheese; if you are vegan, a plant-based version will work in culinary terms, but will have a different (less gut-healthy) nutritional profile, as plant-based cheeses generally use a lot of coconut oil and potato starch, and are not actually fermented.
    • 1 tbsp yogurt; your preference what kind; live-cultured with minimal additives is of course best—and this time, plant-based is also just as good, healthwise, since they are fermented and contain more or less the same beneficial bacteria, and have a good macro profile too.
    • 4 oz precooked chestnuts, finely chopped
    • 6 dried apricots, finely chopped
    • ¼ bulb garlic, grated
    • 2 tsp harissa paste
    • 1 tsp black pepper, coarse ground
    • ¼ tsp MSG or ½ tsp low-sodium salt
    • Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
    • Optional garnish: finely chopped chives

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Combine the feta and yogurt in a small, high-speed blender and process into a smooth purée. If it isn’t working, add 1 tbsp kettle-hot water and try again.

    2) Heat the oil in a skillet over a medium heat; add the garlic and when it starts to turn golden, add the chestnuts and harissa, as well as the black pepper and MSG/salt. Stir for about 2 minutes, and then stir in the apricots and take it off the heat.

    3) Toast the baguette slices under the grill. If you’re feeling bold about the multitasking, you can start this while still doing the previous step, for optimal timing. If not, simply doing it in the order presented is fine.

    4) Assemble: spread the whipped feta over the toast; add the apricot-chestnut mixture, followed by the finely chopped chives if using, and serve immediately:

    Enjoy!

    Want to learn more?

    For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

    Take care!

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  • Melatonin: A Safe, Natural Sleep Aid?

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    Melatonin: A safe sleep supplement?

    Melatonin is a hormone normally made in our pineal gland. It helps regulate our circadian rhythm, by making us sleepy.

    It has other roles too—it has a part to play in regulating immune function, something that also waxes and wanes as a typical day goes by.

    Additionally, since melatonin and cortisol are antagonistic to each other, a sudden increase in either will decrease the other. Our brain takes advantage of this, by giving us a cortisol spike in the morning to help us wake up.

    As a supplement, it’s generally enjoyed with the intention of inducing healthy, natural, restorative sleep.

    Does it really induce healthy, natural, restorative, sleep?

    Yes! Well, “natural” is a little subject and relative, if you’re taking it as a supplement, but it’s something your body produces naturally anyway.

    Contrast with, for example, benzodiazepines (that whole family of medications with names ending in -azopan or -alozam), or other tranquilizing drugs that do not so much induce healthy sleep, but rather reduce your brain function and hopefully knock you out, and/but often have unwanted side effects, and a tendency to create dependency.

    Melatonin, unlike most of those drugs, does not create dependency, and furthermore, we don’t develop tolerance to it. In other words, the same dose will continue working (we won’t need more and more).

    In terms of benefits, melatonin not only reduces the time to fall asleep and increases total sleep time, but also (quite a bonus) improves sleep quality, too:

    Meta-Analysis: Melatonin for the Treatment of Primary Sleep Disorders

    Because it is a natural hormone rather than a drug with many side effects and interactions, it’s also beneficial for those who need good sleep and/but don’t want tranquilizing:

    The Efficacy of Oral Melatonin in Improving Sleep in Cancer Patients with Insomnia: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study

    Any other benefits?

    Yes! It can also help guard against Seasonal Affective Disorder, also called seasonal depression. Because SAD is not just about “not enough light = not enough serotonin”, but also partly about circadian rhythm and (the body is not so sure what time of day it is when there are long hours of darkness, or even, in the other hemisphere / other time of year, long hours of daylight), melatonin can help, by giving your brain something to “anchor” onto, provided you take it at the same time each day. See:

    As a small bonus, melatonin also promotes HGH production (important for maintaining bone and muscle mass, especially in later life):

    Melatonin stimulates growth hormone secretion through pathways other than the growth hormone-releasing hormone

    Anything we should worry about?

    Assuming taking a recommended dose only (0.5mg–10mg per day), toxicity is highly unlikely, especially given that it has a half-life of only 40–60 minutes, so it’ll be eliminated quite quickly.

    However! It does indeed induce sleepiness, so for example, don’t take melatonin and then try to drive or operate heavy machinery—or, ideally, do anything other than go to bed.

    It can interfere with some medications. We mentioned that melatonin helps regulate immune function, so for example that’s something to bear in mind if you’re on immunosuppressants or otherwise have an autoimmune disorder. It can also interfere with blood pressure medications and blood thinners, and may make epilepsy meds less effective.

    As ever, if in doubt, please speak with your doctor and/or pharmacist.

    Where to get it?

    As ever, we don’t sell it (or anything else), but for your convenience, here is an example product on Amazon.

    Enjoy!

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  • I’m a medical forensic examiner. Here’s what people can expect from a health response after a sexual assault

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    An estimated one in five women and one in 16 men in Australia have experienced sexual violence.

    After such a traumatic experience, it’s understandable many are unsure if they want to report it to the police. In fact, less than 10% of Australian women who experience sexual assault ever make a police report.

    In Australia there is no time limit on reporting sexual assault to police. However, there are tight time frames for collecting forensic evidence, which can sometimes be an important part of the police investigation, whether it’s commenced at the time or later.

    This means the decision of whether or not to undergo a medical forensic examination needs to be made quite quickly after an assault.

    I work as a medical forensic examiner. Here’s what you can expect if you present for a medical forensic examination after a sexual assault.

    fizkes/Shutterstock

    A team of specialists

    There are about 100 sexual assault services throughout Australia providing 24-hour care. As with other areas of health care, there are extra challenges in regional and rural areas, where there are often further distances to travel and staff shortages.

    Sexual assault services in Australia are free regardless of Medicare status. To find your nearest service you can call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Full Stop Australia (1800 385 578) who can also provide immediate telephone counselling support.

    It’s important to call the local sexual assault service before turning up. They can provide the victim-survivor with information and advice to prevent delays and make the process as helpful as possible.

    The consultation usually occurs in a hospital emergency department which has a designated forensic suite, or in a specialised forensic service.

    The victim-survivor is seen by a doctor or nurse trained in medical and forensic care. There’s a sexual assault counsellor, crisis worker or social worker present to support the patient and offer counselling advice. This is called an “integrated response” with medical and psychosocial staff working together.

    In most cases the victim-survivor can have their own support person present too.

    Depending on what the victim-survivor wants, the doctor or nurse will take a history of the assault to guide any medical care which may be needed (such as emergency contraception) and to guide the examination.

    Sexual assault services are always very aware of giving victim-survivors a choice about having a medical forensic examination. If a person presents to a sexual assault service, they can receive counselling and medical care without undergoing a forensic examination if they do not wish to. https://www.youtube.com/embed/CGlbTgia0Ek?wmode=transparent&start=0 Sexual assault services are inclusive of all genders.

    Collecting forensic samples

    Samples collected during a medical forensic examination can sometimes identify the perpetrator’s DNA or intoxicating substances (alcohol or drugs that might be relevant to the investigation). The window of opportunity to collect these samples can be as short as 12 hours, or up to 5–7 days, depending on the nature of the sexual assault.

    In most of Australia, an adult who has experienced a recent sexual assault can be offered a medical forensic examination without making a report to police.

    Depending on the state or territory, the forensic samples can usually be stored for 3 to 12 months (up to 100 years in Tasmania). This allows the victim-survivor time to decide if they want to release them to police for processing.

    The doctor or nurse will collect the samples using a sexual assault investigation kit, or a “rape kit”.

    Collecting these samples might involve taking swabs to try to detect DNA from external and internal genital areas and anywhere there may have been DNA transfer. This can be from skin cells, where the perpetrator touched the victim-survivor, or from bodily fluids including semen or saliva.

    The doctor or nurse carrying out the examination do their best to minimise re-traumatisation, by providing the victim-survivor information, choices and control at every step of the process.

    A nurse talking to two women.
    The victim-survivor can usually have a support person with them. Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

    How about STIs and pregnancy?

    During the consultation, the doctor or nurse will address any concerns about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy, if applicable.

    In most cases the risk of STIs is small. But follow-up testing at 1–2 weeks for infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and at 6–12 weeks for infections such as syphilis and HIV, is usually recommended.

    Emergency contraception (sometimes called the “morning after pill”) can be provided to prevent pregnancy. It can be taken up to five days after sexual assault (but the sooner the better) with follow-up pregnancy testing recommended at 2–3 weeks.

    Things have improved over time

    When I was a junior doctor in the late 90s, taking forensic swabs was usually the responsibility of the busy obstetrics and gynaecology trainee in the emergency department, who was often managing multiple patients and had little training in forensics. There was also usually no supportive counsellor.

    Anecdotally, both the doctor and the patient were traumatised by this experience. Research shows that when specialised, integrated services are not provided, victim-survivors’ feelings of powerlessness are magnified.

    But the way we carry out medical forensic examinations after sexual assault in Australia has improved over the years.

    With patient-centred practices, and designated forensic and counselling staff, the experience for the patient is thought to be empowering rather than re-traumatising.

    Our research

    In new research published in the Australian Journal of General Practice, my colleagues and I explored the experience of the medical forensic examination from the victim-survivor’s perspective.

    We surveyed 291 patients presenting to a sexual assault service in New South Wales (where I work) over four years.

    Some 75% of patients reported the examination was reassuring and another 20% reported it was OK. Only 2% reported that it was traumatising. The majority (98%) said they would recommend a friend present to a sexual assault service if they were in a similar situation.

    While patients spoke positively about the care they received, many commented that the sexual assault service was not visible enough. They didn’t know how to find it or even that it existed.

    We know many victim-survivors don’t present to a sexual assault service or undergo a medical forensic examination after a sexual assault. So we need to do more to increase the visibility of these services.

    The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.

    Mary Louise Stewart, Senior Career Medical Officer, Northern Sydney Local Health District; PhD Candidate, University of Sydney

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • What happens when I stop taking a drug like Ozempic or Mounjaro?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are taking drugs like Ozempic to lose weight. But what do we actually know about them? This month, The Conversation’s experts explore their rise, impact and potential consequences.

    Drugs like Ozempic are very effective at helping most people who take them lose weight. Semaglutide (sold as Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide (sold as Zepbound and Mounjaro) are the most well known in the class of drugs that mimic hormones to reduce feelings of hunger.

    But does weight come back when you stop using it?

    The short answer is yes. Stopping tirzepatide and semaglutide will result in weight regain in most people.

    So are these medications simply another (expensive) form of yo-yo dieting? Let’s look at what the evidence shows so far.

    It’s a long-term treatment, not a short course

    If you have a bacterial infection, antibiotics will help your body fight off the germs causing your illness. You take the full course of medication, and the infection is gone.

    For obesity, taking tirzepatide or semaglutide can help your body get rid of fat. However it doesn’t fix the reasons you gained weight in the first place because obesity is a chronic, complex condition. When you stop the medications, the weight returns.

    Perhaps a more useful comparison is with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Treatment for hypertension is lifelong. It’s the same with obesity. Medications work, but only while you are taking them. (Though obesity is more complicated than hypertension, as many different factors both cause and perpetuate it.)

    Wegovy injections
    Obesity drugs only work while you’re taking them. KK Stock/Shutterstock

    Therefore, several concurrent approaches are needed; taking medication can be an important part of effective management but on its own, it’s often insufficient. And in an unwanted knock-on effect, stopping medication can undermine other strategies to lose weight, like eating less.

    Why do people stop?

    Research trials show anywhere from 6% to 13.5% of participants stop taking these drugs, primarily because of side effects.

    But these studies don’t account for those forced to stop because of cost or widespread supply issues. We don’t know how many people have needed to stop this medication over the past few years for these reasons.

    Understanding what stopping does to the body is therefore important.

    So what happens when you stop?

    When you stop using tirzepatide or semaglutide, it takes several days (or even a couple of weeks) to move out of your system. As it does, a number of things happen:

    • you start feeling hungry again, because both your brain and your gut no longer have the medication working to make you feel full
    CAPTION.
    When you stop taking it, you feel hungry again. Stock-Asso/Shutterstock
    • blood sugars increase, because the medication is no longer acting on the pancreas to help control this. If you have diabetes as well as obesity you may need to take other medications to keep these in an acceptable range. Whether you have diabetes or not, you may need to eat foods with a low glycemic index to stabilise your blood sugars
    • over the longer term, most people experience a return to their previous blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as the weight comes back
    • weight regain will mostly be in the form of fat, because it will be gained faster than skeletal muscle.

    While you were on the medication, you will have lost proportionally less skeletal muscle than fat, muscle loss is inevitable when you lose weight, no matter whether you use medications or not. The problem is, when you stop the medication, your body preferentially puts on fat.

    Is stopping and starting the medications a problem?

    People whose weight fluctuates with tirzepatide or semaglutide may experience some of the downsides of yo-yo dieting.

    When you keep going on and off diets, it’s like a rollercoaster ride for your body. Each time you regain weight, your body has to deal with spikes in blood pressure, heart rate, and how your body handles sugars and fats. This can stress your heart and overall cardiovascular system, as it has to respond to greater fluctuations than usual.

    Interestingly, the risk to the body from weight fluctuations is greater for people who are not obese. This should be a caution to those who are not obese but still using tirzepatide or semaglutide to try to lose unwanted weight.

    How can you avoid gaining weight when you stop?

    Fear of regaining weight when stopping these medications is valid, and needs to be addressed directly. As obesity has many causes and perpetuating factors, many evidence-based approaches are needed to reduce weight regain. This might include:

    • getting quality sleep
    • exercising in a way that builds and maintains muscle. While on the medication, you will likely have lost muscle as well as fat, although this is not inevitable, especially if you exercise regularly while taking it
    Man walks on treadmill
    Prioritise building and maintaining muscle. EvMedvedeva/Shutterstock
    • addressing emotional and cultural aspects of life that contribute to over-eating and/or eating unhealthy foods, and how you view your body. Stigma and shame around body shape and size is not cured by taking this medication. Even if you have a healthy relationship with food, we live in a culture that is fat-phobic and discriminates against people in larger bodies
    • eating in a healthy way, hopefully continuing with habits that were formed while on the medication. Eating meals that have high nutrition and fibre, for example, and lower overall portion sizes.

    Many people will stop taking tirzepatide or semaglutide at some point, given it is expensive and in short supply. When you do, it is important to understand what will happen and what you can do to help avoid the consequences. Regular reviews with your GP are also important.

    Read the other articles in The Conversation’s Ozempic series here.

    Natasha Yates, General Practitioner, PhD Candidate, Bond University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Can You Be Fat AND Fit?

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    The short answer is “yes“.

    And as for what that means for your heart and/or all-cause mortality risk: it’s just as good as being fit at a smaller size, and furthermore, it’s better than being less fit at a smaller size.

    Here’s the longer answer:

    The science

    A research team did a systematic review looking at multiple large cohort studies examining the associations between:

    • Cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular disease risk
    • Cardiorespiratory fitness and all-cause mortality
    • BMI and cardiovascular disease risk
    • BMI and all-cause mortality

    However, they also took this further, and tabulated the data such that they could also establish the cardiovascular disease mortality risk and all-cause mortality risk of:

    1. Unfit people with “normal” BMI
    2. Unfit people with “overweight” BMI
    3. Unfit people with “obese” BMI
    4. Fit people with “normal” BMI
    5. Fit people with “overweight” BMI
    6. Fit people with “obese” BMI

    Before we move on, let’s note for the record that BMI is a woeful system in any case, for enough reasons to fill a whole article:

    When BMI Doesn’t Measure Up

    Now, with that in mind, let’s get to the results:

    What they found

    For cardiovascular disease mortality risk of unfit people specifically, compared to fit people of “normal” BMI:

    • Unfit people with “normal” BMI: 2.04x higher risk.
    • Unfit people with “overweight” BMI: 2.58x higher risk.
    • Unfit people with “obese” BMI: 3.35x higher risk

    So here we can see that if you are unfit, then being heavier will indeed increase your CVD mortality risk.

    For all-cause mortality risk of unfit people specifically, compared to fit people of “normal” BMI:

    • Unfit people with “normal” BMI: 1.92x higher risk.
    • Unfit people with “overweight” BMI: 1.82x higher risk.
    • Unfit people with “obese” BMI: 2.04x higher risk

    This time we see that if you are unfit, then being heavier or lighter than “overweight” will increase your all-cause mortality risk.

    So, what about if you are fit? Then being heavier or lighter made no significant difference to either CVD mortality risk or all-cause mortality risk.

    Fit individuals, regardless of weight category (normal, overweight, or obese), had significantly lower mortality risks compared to unfit individuals in any weight category.

    Note: not just “compared to unfit individuals in their weight category”, but compared to unfit individuals in any weight category.

    In other words, if you are obese and have good cardiorespiratory fitness, you will (on average) live longer than an unfit person with “normal” BMI.

    You can find the paper itself here, if you want to examine the data and/or method:

    Cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    Ok, so how do I improve the kind of fitness that they measured?

    They based their cardiorespiratory fitness on VO2 Max, which scientific consensus holds to be a good measure of how efficiently your body can use oxygen—thus depending on your heart and lungs being healthy.

    If you use a fitness tracker that tracks your exercise and your heart rate, it will estimate your VO2 Max for you—to truly measure the VO2 Max itself directly, you’ll need a lot more equipment; basically, access to a lab that tests this. But the estimates are fairly accurate, and so good enough for most personal purposes that aren’t hard-science research.

    Next, you’ll want to do this:

    53 Studies Later: The Best Way to Improve VO2 Max

    Take care!

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