Beat Sugar Addiction Now! – by Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum & Chrystle Fiedler

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Sugar isn’t often thought of as an addiction in the same category as alcohol or nicotine, but it’s actually very similar in some ways…

A bold claim, but: in each case, it has to do with dopamine responses to something that has:

  • an adverse effect on our health,
  • a quickly developed tolerance to same,
  • and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when quitting.

However, not all sugar addictions are created equal, and Dr. Teitelbaum lays four different types of sugar addiction out for us:

  1. Most related to “I need to perform and I need to perform now”
  2. Most related to “I just need something to get me through one more stressful day, again, just like every day before it”
  3. Most related to “ate too much sugar because of the above, and now a gut overgrowth of C. albicans is at the wheel”
  4. Most related to “ate too much sugar because of the above, and now insulin resistance is a problem that perpetuates itself too”

Of course, these may overlap, and indeed, they tend to stack cumulatively as time goes by.

However, Dr. Teitelbaum notes that as readers we may recognize ourselves as being at a particular point in the above, and there are different advices for each of them.

You thought it was just going to be about going cold turkey? Nope!

Instead, a multi-vector approach is recommended, including adjustments to sleep, nutrition, immune health, hormonal health, and more.

In short: if you’ve been trying to to kick the “White Death” habit as Gloria Swanson called it (sugar, that is, not the WW2 Finnish sniper of the same name—we can’t help you with that one), then this book is really much more helpful than others that take the “well, just don’t eat it, then” approach!

Pick up your copy of Beat Sugar Addiction Now from Amazon, and start your journey!

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    Peppermint aids digestion, but beware with GERD. It may help with nausea, depending on the cause. Find it in your local supermarket or online.

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  • Why You’re Tired & How To Fix It

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    This is Sadia Badiei. A dietician by academic and professional background, she’s nowadays hung up her lab coat for a chef’s jacket, and is best known for her “Pick Up Limes” brand. Today, we’ll be taking her advice on managing energy levels with what’s on our plates!

    Quick note: our usual medical/legal disclaimer applies, and this article cannot diagnose you from afar, and thus neither can it make any certain prescription; this is for educational purposes, and aimed at being applicable to most of our readers.

    There are many possible things that can cause chronic fatigue, and not all of them can be fixed by diet. Your doctor will have access to tests and such that we, being a humble health science publication, do not.

    You may recognize her; we’ve featured her videos occasionally, mostly recently:

    Pick Up A Zest For Life: 10 Lessons For A Healthy Mind & Body

    But, what does she want us to know about living life with more energy?

    It starts with balance

    Badiei makes the case that we should strive for a nutritionally-balanced diet; that may not come as much of a revelation, but what does that look like for a vegan (Badiei advocates for plant-based eating)?

    She recommends that our diet consist of:

    • About 50% fruits and vegetables
    • About 25% grains and starches
    • About 25% proteins
    • Modest amounts of fats
    • A little of well-chosen dairy substitutions
    • Finally, a few judicious supplements to top it off

    That does add up to more than 100%, but 1) we did say “About n%” and 2) this is not a bad thing to note, actually, since Badiei advocates (as we do) for focussing more on what we add into our diet, rather than what we take out.

    Breaking it down a little further, she recommends making sure to get “the foundational seven”, which is a little like “Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen”, but in this case it’s counted on a per-food-type basis.

    Thus, she recommends:

    1. Dark green leafy vegetables
    2. Assorted other non-starchy vegetables (your choice what kind)
    3. Fruit, of any kinds (unlike Dr. Greger separating berries)
    4. Grains and starches (so for example, potatoes are lumped in with rice here, botanically very different, but often fulfil a similar culinary role)
    5. Nuts and seeds
    6. Legumes
    7. Fortified dairy alternatives

    For full details including how much of each, and “what counts”, etc, see:

    Pick Up Limes | The Nourish Method

    Time your carbs

    Slow-release carbohydrates, those with the most fiber, are best most of the time, giving us more sustained fuel, keeping us energized for longer after meals—even if we would rather sleep:

    She cites: Fiber and Saturated Fat Are Associated with Sleep Arousals and Slow Wave Sleep

    Quick-release carbohydrates, those with what’s generally considered a less favorable carb:fiber ratio, are best if we’re going to eat nearer to bedtime. We know, eating before bed is often considered a bit of a no-no, but Badiei bids us indulge if we so desire, as the quicker-absorbed carbohydrates support tryptophan reaching our brain more efficiently, and thus promote sleep onset.

    See also: Should You Go Light Or Heavy On Carbs?

    About that fat

    We mentioned (or rather, Badiei’s citation mentioned) saturated fat. It is indeed linked with difficulty falling asleep, and/but omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, promote better sleep.

    She cites: The relationship between sleep duration, sleep quality and dietary intake in adults

    While you’re enjoying those nuts and seeds (for the omega-3 fatty acids), you might also note that several also star in Badiei’s list of plant-based foods that are rich in tryptophan, such as soy, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, beans, green vegetables, and mushrooms.

    Micronutrients

    Badiei’s focus here is on B-vitamins, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. We imagine most of our readers here are taking steps to ensure to get a full daily coverage of vitamins and minerals anyway, but you might want to read what she has to say about iron on a plant-based diet, because the numbers may be different than you think.

    The reason for this is that while animal products contain mostly heme iron, which is easier to absorb but associated with a risk increase in some diseases, plant-based foods usually* contain only non-heme iron, which is healthier but not as bioavailable, so if eating only plants, we need more of it:

    Pick Up Limes | Iron on a Plant-Based Diet

    *If you eat a carnivorous plant, guess what, it’ll have heme iron in it, tangling that food web.

    “What if I know I have chronic fatigue for non-dietary reasons?”

    Well, that sucks, and we’re not going to pretend the above will magically fix it. However, there are still things that can at least relatively improve your experience:

    Eat To Beat Chronic Fatigue! Yes, Even When Fatigued Chronically

    (it’s a good guide to being able to consistently eat healthily when your energy levels are consistently at minimal, meaning that a lot of common advice becomes unusable)

    Take care!

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  • Demystifying Cholesterol

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    All About Cholesterol

    When it comes to cholesterol, the most common lay understanding (especially under a certain age) is “it’s bad”.

    A more informed view (and more common after a certain age) is “LDL cholesterol is bad; HDL cholesterol is good”.

    A more nuanced view is “LDL cholesterol is established as significantly associated with (and almost certainly a causal factor of) atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and related mortality in men; in women it is less strongly associated and may or may not be a causal factor”

    You can read more about that here:

    Statins: His & Hers? ← we highly recommend reading this, especially if you are a woman and/or considering/taking statins. To be clear, we’re not saying “don’t take statins!”, because they might be the right medical choice for you and we’re not your doctors. But we are saying: here’s something to at least know about and consider.

    Beyond HDL & LDL

    There is also VLDL cholesterol, which as you might have guessed, stands for “very low-density lipoprotein”. It has a high, unhealthy triglyceride content, and it increases atherosclerotic plaque. In other words, it hardens your arteries more quickly.

    The term “hardening the arteries” is an insufficient descriptor of what’s happening though, because while yes it is hardening the arteries, it’s also narrowing them. Because minerals and detritus passing through in the blood (the latter sounds bad, but there is supposed to be detritus passing through in the blood; it’s got to get out of the body somehow, and it’s off to get filtered and excreted) get stuck in the cholesterol (which itself is a waxy substance, by the way) and before you know it, those minerals and other things have become a solid part of the interior of your artery wall, like a little plastering team came and slapped plaster on the inside of the walls, then when it hardened, slapped more plaster on, and so on. Macrophages (normally the body’s best interior clean-up team) can’t eat things much bigger than themselves, so that means they can’t tackle the build-up of plaque.

    Impact on the heart

    Narrower less flexible arteries means very poor circulation, which means that organs can start having problems, which obviously includes your heart itself as it is not only having to do a harder job to keep the blood circulating through the narrower blood vessels, but also, it is not immune to also being starved of oxygen and nutrients along with the rest of the body when the circulation isn’t good enough. It’s a catch 22.

    What if LDL is low and someone is getting heart disease anyway?

    That’s often a case of apolipoprotein B, and unlike lipoprotein A, which is bound to LDL so usually* isn’t a problem if LDL is in “safe” ranges, Apo-B can more often cause problems even when LDL is low. Neither of these are tested for in most standard cholesterol tests by the way, so you might have to ask for them.

    *Some people, around 1 in 20 people, have hereditary extra risk factors for this.

    What to do about it?

    Well, get those lipids tests! Including asking for the LpA and Apo-B tests, especially if you have a history of heart disease in your family, or otherwise know you have a genetic risk factor.

    With or without extra genetic risks, it’s good to get lipids tests done annually from 40 onwards (earlier, if you have extra risk factors).

    See also: Understanding your cholesterol numbers

    Wondering whether you have an increased genetic risk or not?

    Genetic Testing: Health Benefits & Methods ← we think this is worth doing; it’s a “one-off test tells many useful things”. Usually done from a saliva sample, but some companies arrange a blood draw instead. Cost is usually quite affordable; do shop around, though.

    Additionally, talk to your pharmacist to check whether any of your meds have contraindications or interactions you should be aware of in this regard. Pharmacists usually know contraindications/interactions stuff better than doctors, and/but unlike doctors, they don’t have social pressure on them to know everything, which means that if they’re not sure, instead of just guessing and reassuring you in a confident voice, they’ll actually check.

    Lastly, shocking nobody, all the usual lifestyle medicine advice applies here, especially get plenty of moderate exercise and eat a good diet, preferably mostly if not entirely plant-based, and go easy on the saturated fat.

    Note: while a vegan diet contains zero dietary cholesterol (because plants don’t make it), vegans can still get unhealthy blood lipid levels, because we are animals and—like most animals—our body is perfectly capable of making its own cholesterol (indeed, we do need some cholesterol to function), and it can make its own in the wrong balance, if for example we go too heavy on certain kinds of (yes, even some plant-based) saturated fat.

    Read more: Can Saturated Fats Be Healthy? ← see for example how palm oil and coconut oil are both plant-based, and both high in saturated fat, but palm oil’s is heart-unhealthy on balance, while coconut oil’s is heart-healthy on balance (in moderation).

    Want to know more about your personal risk?

    Try the American College of Cardiology’s ASCVD risk estimator (it’s free)

    Take care!

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  • Carrots vs Red Cabbage – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing carrots to red cabbage, we picked the red cabbage.

    Why?

    It’s very close!

    In terms of macros, these two vegetables are pretty much equal on all metrics. By official numbers, carrots have a tiny bit more fiber and red cabbage has a tiny bit more protein, but realistically, the difference are so small that they’re within the margin of variation (i.e. while we look at official average values, in reality one plant’s figures will differ very slightly from another’s; it could depend on what the soil was like or which plant got more sun, etc). So, a tie here.

    In the category of vitamins, carrots have more of vitamins A, B3, B5, and E, while red cabbage has more of vitamins B2, B6, C, K, and choline. So, both have their merits, but red cabbage enjoys a measurable marginal victory here.

    Looking at minerals, carrots have more copper, phosphorus, and potassium, while red cabbage has more calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and selenium. So, another marginal win for red cabbage here.

    When it comes to phytochemicals, they’re about equal on polyphenols and other relevant phytonutrients not otherwise mentioned above.

    Adding up the sections makes for a win for red cabbage, but it was close, and carrots are certainly great too. Enjoy either or both; diversity is good!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like:

    What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?

    Enjoy!

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Related Posts

  • The Age-Proof Brain – by Dr. Marc Milstein
  • Edamame vs Soybeans – Which is Healthier?

    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.

    Our Verdict

    When comparing edamame to soybeans, we picked the soybeans.

    Why?

    You may be thinking: aren’t edamame soybeans? And yes, yes they are. But just like our many instances of pitting Brassica oleracea vs Brassica oleracea (one species, many cultivars e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc), there are still differences. In this case, edamame and soybeans aren’t even different cultivars, what are conventionally called edamame are just the young beans of the plant, while what are conventionally called soybeans are the mature beans of the plant.

    The main nutritional difference is: as they get older, they lose vitamins and gain minerals. More on that later. But first, “main difference” isn’t “only difference”, so…

    In terms of macros, edamame have more carbs, while soybeans have a little more fiber and a lot more protein. An easy win for the mature soybeans.

    In the category of vitamins, edamame have more of vitamins A, B1, B3, B5, B9, C, E, K, and choline, while soybeans have more of vitamins B2 and B6. A clear win for edamame, this time.

    When it comes to minerals, the nutritional tables are turned, and edamame have more manganese and zinc, while soybeans have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium. An easy win for soybeans.

    Adding up the sections makes for a two-to-one victory for soybeans, but by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?

    Enjoy!

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  • Pink Himalayan Salt: Health Facts

    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.

    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Q: Great article about the health risks of salt to organs other than the heart! Is pink Himalayan sea salt, the pink kind, healthier?

    Thank you! And, no, sorry. Any salt that is sodium chloride has the exact same effect because it’s chemically the same substance, even if impurities (however pretty) make it look different.

    If you want a lower-sodium salt, we recommend the kind that says “low sodium” or “reduced sodium” or similar. Check the ingredients, it’ll probably be sodium chloride cut with potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is not only not a source of sodium, but also, it’s a source of potassium, which (unlike sodium) most of us could stand to get a little more of.

    For your convenience: here’s an example on Amazon!

    Bonus: you can get a reduced sodium version of pink Himalayan salt too!

    Don’t Forget…

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  • Staring At The Sun – by Dr. Irvin Yalom

    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.

    A quick note first: there are two editions of this book; the content is the same, but the cover is different. So if in your region it has a bright yellow cover and the subtitle is the excitable “Overcoming The Terror Of Death” rather than the more measured “Being At Peace With Your Own Mortality”, that is why; different regional publishers made different choices.

    For most of us, dying is the last thing we want to do. We may fear it; we may ignore it; we may try to beat it—but it’s a constant existential threat whether we want it or not.

    This book is about “death anxiety”, either direct (conscious fear of impending death) or sublimated (not necessarily realising what we’re avoiding thinking about it). In its broadest sense, the fear of death can be described as rational. But angst about it probably won’t help, so this book looks to help us overcome that.

    The style of the book is largely anecdotal, in which the author uses examples from his therapeutic practice to illustrate ways in which the fear of death can manifest, and ways in which it can be managed healthily.

    Subjective criticism: while this author developed existential therapy, many of the ideas in this book lean heavily on the psychodynamic approach derived from Freud, and this reviewer isn’t a fan of that. But nevertheless, many of the examples here are thought-provoking and useful, so it is not too strong a criticism.

    Bottom line: there are many ways to manage one’s mortality, and this book brings attention to a range of possibilities.

    Click here to check out Staring At The Sun, and manage your mortality!

    Don’t Forget…

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