Eat This Daily For No Wrinkles (& How It Works)
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Dr. Andrea Suarez explains:
Go nuts for…
Almonds! They’re rich in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), beta-sitosterol, squalane, protein, and fiber:
- Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, protecting skin lipids.
- Lipids in almonds support the skin barrier and hydration.
- Protein is necessary for collagen synthesis.
- Fiber promotes gut health, indirectly benefiting skin.
- Polyphenolic compounds in almond skins (not the shells, the skins, the fibrous brown part that slides off if you blanch them) provide additional skin protection.
The science (yes, there have been almond intervention studies!):
- 2019 Study:
- Participants: 28 post-menopausal women with fair skin (Fitzpatrick phototype 1-2).
- Design: 20% of daily calories from almonds vs. a calorie-matched snack.
- Results: 9% decrease in facial wrinkles in the almond group, no change in oil production or barrier function.
- 2021 Study:
- Extended Duration: 24 weeks with a similar design as the 2019 study.
- Findings: further wrinkle reduction and improvement in skin pigmentation.
- Mechanism: vitamin E may reduce hyperpigmentation and support antioxidant defense.
- UV Protection Study (2021):
- Participants: healthy Asian women (18–45 years, Fitzpatrick phototype 2-4).
- Method: daily almond snack vs pretzel snack for 12 weeks.
- Outcome: increased skin resistance to UV damage in the almond group.
Obviously, a limitation is there is not really an option to make a RCT with a blinded control; “…and group B will only think they are eating almonds” doesn’t really work. Hence, interventional RCTs with a non-blinded control (the calorie-matched snack).
Almonds may not be the cure to all things, but they certainly are potent nuts. Best enjoyed, of course, as part of a healthy overall diet (Mediterranean diet is great), and it’s certainly advisable to take care of your skin from the outside too (sunscreen as a must; other things optional).
For more on all of this, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts
Take care!
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The Wim Hof Method – by Wim Hof
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In Wednesday’s main feature, we wrote about the Wim Hof Method, and/but only scratched the surface. Such is the downside of being a super-condensed newsletter! However, it does give us the opportunity to feature the book:
The Wim Hof Method is definitely loudly trumpeted as “up there” with Atomic Habits or How Not To Die in the category of “life-changing” books. Why?
Firstly, it’s a very motivational book. Hof is a big proponent of the notion “if you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right” idea, practises what he preaches, and makes clear he’s not special.
Secondly, it’s backed up with science. While it’s not a science-heavy book and that’s not the main focus, there are references to studies. Where physiological explanations are given for how certain things work, those explanations are sound. There’s no pseudoscience here, which is especially important for a book of this genre!
What does the book have that our article didn’t? A good few things:
- More about Hof’s own background and where it’s taken him. This is generally not a reason people buy books (unless they are biographies), but it’s interesting nonetheless.
- A lot more advice, data, and information about Cold Therapy and how it can (and, he argues convincingly, should) be built into your life.
- A lot about breathing exercises that we just didn’t cover at all in our article, but is actually an important part of the Wim Hof Method.
- More about stepping through the psychological barriers that can hold us back.
Bottom line: this book offers benefits that stretch into many areas of life, from some simple habits that can be built.
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The Aesthetic Brain – by Dr. Anjan Chatterjee
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Dr. Anjan Chatterjee (not to be mistaken for Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, whose books we have also sometimes reviewed before) is a neurologist.
A lot about aesthetics is easy enough to understand. We like physical features in humans that suggest a healthy mate, and we like lush and/or colorful plants that reassure us that we will have plenty to eat.
But what about a beautiful building, or a charcoal drawing of some captivatingly eldritch horror? And what, neurologically speaking, is the difference between a bowl of fruit and a painting of a bowl of fruit? And what, if anything, does appreciation of such do for us?
In this very readable pop-science book, we learn about these things and many more, from the perspective of an experienced neurologist who explains things simply but with plenty of science.
Bottom line: if you’d like to understand how and why your brain does more things than just process tasks necessary for survival, this book will give you plenty of insight.
Click here to check out The Aesthetic Brain, and learn more about yours!
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What Your Skin Says About Nutrient Deficiencies
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Dr. Andrea Suarez, dermatologist, shows us:
Watch out for…
Fun fact: skin, hair, and nail cells divide rapidly, making them among the first tissues to reflect inadequate nutrition.
These deficiencies mimic other common skin conditions: nutrient shortages can disrupt your skin barrier, immune function, cell turnover, and inflammation control, causing rashes that resemble dandruff, eczema, acne, or seborrheic dermatitis.
So, what’s to blame?
Deficiencies and their signs/symptoms include:
- Vitamin B2 deficiency: can cause severely chapped lips, cracks at the corners of your mouth, angular cheilitis, a smooth red tongue, and a facial rash that resembles seborrheic dermatitis.
- Vitamin B3 deficiency: can cause a severe sunburn-like rash, skin darkening and thickening, a dark band around the neck called Casal’s necklace, mouth pain, a smooth tongue, diarrhea, dementia, and can eventually be fatal if untreated (technically all vitamin deficiencies are fatal if not corrected, or else they wouldn’t be called vitamins, but this one speedruns it)
- Vitamin B6 deficiency: can produce a seborrheic dermatitis-like facial rash, dandruff, and eczema-like skin changes, especially in people with alcohol misuse, inflammatory bowel disease, malabsorption disorders, kidney failure, or certain medication use.
- Vitamin B9 deficiency: can contribute to pale skin, brittle nails, mouth sores, fatigue, and symptoms that overlap with B12 deficiency.
- Vitamin B12 deficiency: can cause skin darkening, especially in skin folds and on your palms, dark streaks in your nails, a sore smooth tongue, loss of taste, angular cheilitis, and sometimes premature graying of your hair.
- Iron deficiency: can lead to hair thinning, excessive shedding, brittle nails, spoon-shaped nails, pale or dry skin, and unexplained itching.
For more on all of this plus visual illustrations, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
As for why you might want to favor getting these from food if you can, then while the title says “vitamins”, the following book discusses an assortment of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients; the “other nutrients” category including amino acids (branched chain and essential), prebiotics and probiotics, and triglycerides of various kinds:
Eat Your Vitamins – by Mascha Davis, RDN ← see our review, here
Take care!
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Mung Beans vs Peas – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing mung beans to peas, we picked the mung beans.
Why?
The peas are good, but the mung beans are better:
In terms of macros, the mung beans have more protein, carbs, and fiber, making them the clear winner in this category.
In the category of vitamins, mung beans have more of vitamins B5, B9, E, and choline, while peas have more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, and K, making a marginal win for peas here.
When it comes to minerals, mung beans have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while peas are not higher in any mineral. An overwhelming win for mung beans in this round.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for mung beans, but by all means enjoy either or both; peas are good too!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Plant vs Animal Protein: Head to Head
Enjoy!
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Why You Feel Like You Have To Pee Again Right After You Just Went
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Dr. Amy Konvalin talks us through breaking the pattern:
When nature calls… Repeatedly
Fun fact: feeling like you need to pee again right after standing up is often more a matter of bladder sensation, pelvic floor tension, positioning, and learned bathroom habits, rather than necessarily incomplete emptying.
Notably, repeatedly sitting back down “just in case” can accidentally train your brain and bladder into expecting a second round, reinforcing the pattern over time.
So, what to do instead?
- Before: sit down, take three slow deep belly breaths in through your nose, then exhale fully, to help relax your nervous system and pelvic floor before starting.
- During: consciously relax your pelvic floor instead of rushing or straining.
- After: once you feel done, take one more deep breath, exhale, and check once, dry and stand up, resisting any urge to return.
- After after: distract yourself and move on with your day to help break the automatic “go twice” pattern.
Safety note, though: persistent urinary urgency, frequent urination, pain, burning, blood in your urine, prolapse symptoms, recurrent infections, or trouble emptying should all be checked out by an medical professional, as many causes—including UTIs, overactive bladder, pelvic floor dysfunction, or prostate/bladder issues and even cancer—can overlap.
For more on all of this and for some mysterious reason absolutely no visual demonstrations for this one, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
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Cantaloupe vs Grapes – 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 cantaloupe to grapes, we picked the cantaloupe.
Why?
Both have their merits!
In terms of macros, they’re very equal apart from that grapes have about 2x the carbs. Now, carbs are great and all (fuel!) but in this case the fiber being equal does mean grapes have the moderately higher glycemic index, so we’re going to call this round a nominal win for for cantaloupe.
In the category of vitamins, cantaloupe has a lot more of vitamins A, B3, B5, B7, B9, and C, while grapes have more of vitamins B1, B2, B6, E, and K, giving a 6:5 win to cantaloupe here.
Looking at minerals, cantaloupe has more copper, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc, while grapes have more calcium, iron, and manganese, so it’s a 5:3 win for cantaloupe in this round.
When it comes to other considerations, grapes have more polyphenols, depending on the color, with red and black grapes delivering mostly anthocyanins. You might be wondering about resveratrol, and yes, they do have that too, at the nearly-exciting rate of 0.15mg/100g (that’s basically nothing).
Adding up the sections makes for a modest overall win for cantaloupe, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Can We Drink To Good Health? ← while there are polyphenols such as resveratrol in red wine that per se would boost heart health, there’s so little per glass that you may need 100–1000 glasses per day to get the dosage that provides benefits in mouse studies.
If you’re not a mouse, you might even need more than that!
To this end, many people prefer resveratrol supplementation ← link is to an example product on Amazon, but there are plenty more so feel free to shop around 😎
Enjoy!
Don’t Forget…
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