Level-Up Your Fiber Intake! (Without Difficulty Or Discomfort)

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Why You’re Probably Not Getting Enough Fiber (And How To Fix It)

First things first… How much fiber should we be eating?

*This one is also a great read to understand more about the “why” of fiber

Meanwhile, the average American gets 16g of fiber per day.

So, how to get more fiber, without piling on too many carbs?

Foods that contain fiber generally contain carbs (there’s a limit to how much celery most people want to eat), so there are two key ideas here:

  • Getting a good carb:fiber ratio
  • Making substitutions that boost fiber without overdoing (or in some case, even changing) carbs

Meat → Lentils

Well-seasoned lentils can be used to replaced ground beef or similar. A cup of boiled lentils contains 18g of fiber, so you’re already outdoing the average American’s daily total.

Meat → Beans

Black beans are a top-tier option here (15g per cup, cooked weight), but many kinds of beans are great.

Chicken/Fish → Chickpeas

Yes, chicken/fish is already meat, but we’re making a case for chickpeas here. Cooked and seasoned appropriately, they do the job, and pack in 12g of fiber per cup. Also… Hummus!

Bonus: Hummus, eaten with celery sticks.

White pasta/bread → Wholewheat pasta/bread

This is one where “moderation is key”, but if you’re going to eat pasta/bread, then wholewheat is the way to go. Fiber amounts vary, so read labels, but it will always have far more than white.

Processed salty snacks → Almonds and other nuts

Nuts in general are great, but almonds are top-tier for fiber, amongst other things. A 40g handful of almonds contains about 10g of fiber.

Starchy vegetables → Non-starchy vegetables

Potatoes, parsnips, and their friends have their place. But they cannot compete with broccoli, peas, cabbage, and other non-starchy vegetables for fiber content.

Bonus: if you’re going to have starchy vegetables though, leave the skins on!

Fruit juice → Fruit

Fruit juice has had most, if not all, of its fiber removed. Eat an actual juicy fruit, instead. Apples and bananas are great options; berries such as blackberries and raspberries are even better (at around 8g per cup, compared to the 5g or so depending on the size of an apple/banana)

Processed cereals → Oats

5g fiber per cup. Enough said.

Summary

Far from being a Herculean task, getting >30g of fiber per day can be easily accomplished by a lentil ragù with wholewheat pasta.

If your breakfast is overnight oats with fruit and some chopped almonds, you can make it to >20g already by the time you’ve finished your first meal of the day.

Enjoy!

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  • Heart Healthy Diet Plan – by Stephen William

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    We’ve covered heart-healthy cooking books before, but variety is good, and boredom is an enemy of health, so let’s shake it up with a fresh stack of recipes!

    After a brief overview of the relevant science (which if you’re a regular 10almonds reader, probably won’t be new to you), the author takes the reader on a 28-day journey. Yes, we know the subtitle says 30 days, but unless they carefully hid the other two days somewhere we didn’t find, there are “only” 28 inside. Perhaps the publisher heard it was a month and took creative license. Or maybe there’s a different edition. Either way…

    Rather than merely giving a diet plan (though yes, he also does that), he gives a wide range of “spotlight ingredients”, such that many of the recipes, while great in and of themselves, can also be jumping-off points for those of us who like to take recipes and immediately do our own things to them.

    Each day gets a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and he also covers drinks, desserts, and such like.

    Notwithstanding the cover art being a lot of plants, the recipes are not entirely plant-based; there are a selection of fish dishes (and other seafood, e.g. shrimp) and also some dairy products (e.g. Greek yoghurt). The recipes are certainly very “plant-forward” though and many are just plants. If you’re a strict vegan though, this probably isn’t the book for you.

    Bottom line: if you’d like to cook heart-healthy but are often stuck wondering “aaah, what to cook again today?”, then this is the book to get you out of any culinary creative block!

    Click here to check out the Heart Healthy Diet Plan, and widen your heart-healthy repertoire!

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  • What’s behind rising heart attack rates in younger adults

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    Deaths from heart attacks have been in decline for decades, thanks to improved diagnosis and treatments. But, among younger adults under 50 and those from communities that have been marginalized, the trend has reversed. 

    More young people have suffered heart attacks each year since the 2000s—and the reasons why aren’t always clear. 

    Here’s what you need to know about heart attack trends in younger adults.

    Heart attack deaths began declining in the 1980s

    Heart disease has been a leading cause of death in the United States for more than a century, but rates have declined for decades as diagnosis and treatments improved. In the 1950s, half of all Americans who had heart attacks died, compared to one in eight today. 

    A 2023 study found that heart attack deaths declined 4 percent a year between 1999 and 2020. 

    The downward trend plateaued in the 2000s as heart attacks in young adults rose

    In 2012, the decline in heart disease deaths in the U.S. began to slow. A 2018 study revealed that a growing number of younger adults were suffering heart attacks, with women more affected than men. Additionally, younger adults made up one-third of heart attack hospitalizations, with one in five heart attack patients being under 40.

    The following year, data showed that heart attack rates among adults under 40 had increased steadily since 2006. Even more troubling, young patients were just as likely to die from heart attacks as patients more than a decade older. 

    Why are more younger adults having heart attacks?

    Heart attacks have historically been viewed as a condition that primarily affects older adults. So, what has changed in recent decades that puts younger adults at higher risk? 

    Higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure

    Several leading risk factors for heart attacks are rising among younger adults.
    Between 2009 and 2020, diabetes and obesity rates increased in Americans ages 20 to 44. 

    During the same period, hypertension, or high blood pressure, rates did not improve in younger adults overall and worsened in young Hispanic people. Notably, young Black adults had hypertension rates nearly twice as high as the general population. 

    Hypertension significantly increases the risk of heart attack and cardiovascular death in young adults.

    Increased substance use

    Substance use of all kinds increases the risk of cardiovascular issues, including heart attacks. A recent study found that cardiovascular deaths associated with substance use increased by 4 percent annually between 1999 and 2019. 

    The rise in substance use-related deaths has accelerated since 2012 and was particularly pronounced among women, younger adults (25-39), American Indians and Alaska Natives, and those in rural areas.

    Alcohol was linked to 65 percent of the deaths, but stimulants (like methamphetamine) and cannabis were the substances associated with the greatest increase in cardiovascular deaths during the study period. 

    Poor mental health

    Depression and poor mental health have been linked to cardiovascular issues in young adults. A 2023 study of nearly 600,000 adults under 50 found that depression and self-reported poor mental health are a risk factor for heart disease, regardless of socioeconomic or other cardiovascular risk factors. 

    Adults under 50 years consistently report mental health conditions at around twice the rate of older adults. Additionally, U.S. depression rates have trended up and reached an all-time high in 2023, when 17.8 percent of adults reported having depression. 

    Depression rates are rising fastest among women, adults under 44, and Black and Hispanic populations. 

    COVID-19

    COVID-19 can cause real, lasting damage to the heart, increasing the risk of certain cardiovascular diseases for up to a year after infection. Vaccination reduces the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular events caused by COVID-19 infection.

    The first year of the pandemic marked the largest single-year spike in heart-related deaths in five years, including a 14 percent increase in heart attacks. In the second year of the pandemic, heart attacks in young adults increased by 30 percent. 

    Heart attack prevention 

    Not every heart attack is preventable, but everyone can take steps to reduce their risks. The American Heart Association recommends managing health conditions that increase heart disease risk, including diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. 

    Lifestyle changes like improving diet, reducing substance use, and increasing physical activity can also help reduce heart attack risk. 

    For more information, talk to your health care provider.

    This article first appeared on Public Good News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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  • Raspberries vs Blackberries – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing raspberries to blackberries, we picked the blackberries.

    Why?

    It was very close! Raspberries most certainly also have their merits. But blackberries do just a little bit better in a few categories:

    In terms of macros, raspberries have a tiny bit more carbs and fiber, while blackberries have a even tinier bit more protein, and the two berries have an equal glycemic index. We’ll call this category a tie, or else the meanest of nominal wins for raspberry.

    In the category of vitamins, raspberries have more of vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, and choline, while blackberries have more of vitamins A, B3, B9, C, E, and K. This would be a very marginal win for blackberries, except that blackberries have more than 6x the vitamin A, a much larger margin than any of the other differences in vitamins (which were usually small differences), which gives blackberry a more convincing win here.

    When it comes to minerals, things are closer: raspberries have more iron, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus, while blackberries have more calcium, copper, potassium, selenium, and zinc. None of the differences are outstanding, so this is a simple marginal victory for blackberries.

    It would be rude to look at berries without noting their polyphenols; we’re not list them all (or this article will get very long, because each has very many polyphenols with names like “pelargonidin 3-O-glucosyl-rutinoside” and so forth), but suffice it to say: raspberries are great for polyphenols and blackberries are even better for polyphenols.

    That said… In the category of specific polyphenols we’ve written about before at 10almonds, it’s worth noting a high point of each berry, for the sake of fairness: raspberries have more quercetin (but blackberries have lots too) and blackberries have more ellagic acid (of which, raspberries have some, but not nearly as much). Anyway, just going off total polyphenol content, blackberries are the clear winner here.

    Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for blackberries, but by all means, enjoy either or both; diversity is good!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    21 Most Beneficial Polyphenols & What Foods Have Them

    Enjoy!

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  • What’s the difference between burnout and depression?

    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.

    If your summer holiday already feels like a distant memory, you’re not alone. Burnout – a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion following prolonged stress – has been described in workplaces since a 5th century monastery in Egypt.

    Burnout and depression can look similar and are relatively common conditions. It’s estimated that 30% of the Australian workforce is feeling some level of burnout, while almost 20% of Australians are diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives.

    So what’s the difference between burnout and depression?

    Burnout is marked by helplessness and depression by hopelessness. They can have different causes and should also be managed differently.

    Yuri A/Shutterstock

    What is burnout?

    The World Health Organization defines burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” resulting from excessively demanding workload pressures. While it is typically associated with the workplace, carers of children or elderly parents with demanding needs are also at risk.

    Our research created a set of burnout symptoms we captured in the Sydney Burnout Measure to assist self-diagnosis and clinicians undertaking assessments. They include:

    • exhaustion as the primary symptom
    • brain fog (poor concentration and memory)
    • difficulty finding pleasure in anything
    • social withdrawal
    • an unsettled mood (feeling anxious and irritable)
    • impaired work performance (this may be result of other symptoms such as fatigue).

    People can develop a “burning out” phase after intense work demands over only a week or two. A “burnout” stage usually follows years of unrelenting work pressure.

    What is depression?

    A depressive episode involves a drop in self-worth, increase in self-criticism and feelings of wanting to give up. Not everyone with these symptoms will have clinical depression, which requires a diagnosis and has an additional set of symptoms.

    Clinically diagnosed depression can vary by mood, how long it lasts and whether it comes back. There are two types of clinical depression:

    1. melancholic depression has genetic causes, with episodes largely coming “out of the blue”
    2. non-melancholic depression is caused by environmental factors, often triggered by significant life events which cause a drop in self-worth.

    When we created our burnout measure, we compared burnout symptoms with these two types of depression.

    Burnout shares some features with melancholic depression, but they tend to be general symptoms, such as feeling a loss of pleasure, energy and concentration skills.

    We found there were more similarities between burnout and non-melancholic (environmental) depression. This included a lack of motivation and difficulties sleeping or being cheered up, perhaps reflecting the fact both have environmental causes.

    Looking for the root cause

    The differences between burnout and depression become clearer when we look at why they happen.

    Personality comes into play. Our work suggests a trait like perfectionism puts people at a much higher risk of burnout. But they may be less likely to become depressed as they tend to avoid stressful events and keep things under control.

    A mother feeling overwhelmed with a toddler.
    Excessive workloads can contribute to burnout. tartanparty/Shutterstock

    Those with burnout generally feel overwhelmed by demands or deadlines they can’t meet, creating a sense of helplessness.

    On the other hand, those with depression report lowered self-esteem. So rather than helpless they feel that they and their future is hopeless.

    However it is not uncommon for someone to experience both burnout and depression at once. For example, a boss may place excessive work demands on an employee, putting them at risk of burnout. At the same time, the employer may also humiliate that employee and contribute to an episode of non-melancholic depression.

    What can you do?

    A principal strategy in managing burnout is identifying the contributing stressors. For many people, this is the workplace. Taking a break, even a short one, or scheduling some time off can help.

    Australians now have the right to disconnect, meaning they don’t have to answer work phone calls or emails after hours. Setting boundaries can help separate home and work life.

    Burnout can be also be caused by compromised work roles, work insecurity or inequity. More broadly, a dictatorial organisational structure can make employees feel devalued. In the workplace, environmental factors, such as excessive noise, can be a contributor. Addressing these factors can help prevent burnout.

    As for managing symptoms, the monks had the right idea. Strenuous exercise, meditation and mindfulness are effective ways to deal with everyday stress.

    Woman running with dog in a park.
    Regular exercise can help manage symptoms of burnout. alexei_tm/Shutterstock

    Deeper contributing factors, including traits such as perfectionism, should be managed by a skilled clinical psychologist.

    For melancholic depression, clinicians will often recommend antidepressant medication.

    For non-melancholic depression, clinicians will help address and manage triggers that are the root cause. Others will benefit from antidepressants or formal psychotherapy.

    While misdiagnosis between depression and burnout can occur, burnout can mimic other medical conditions such as anemia or hypothyroidism.

    For the right diagnosis, it’s best to speak to your doctor or clinician who should seek to obtain a sense of “the whole picture”. Only then, once a burnout diagnosis has been affirmed and other possible causes ruled out, should effective support strategies be put in place.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

    Correction: This article originally stated that depression is marked by helplessness and burnout by hopelessness, when in fact it is vice versa. This has been amended.

    Gordon Parker, Scientia Professor of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney

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

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  • How to be kind to yourself (without going to a day spa)

    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.

    “I have to be hard on myself,” Sarah told me in a recent telehealth psychology session. “I would never reach my potential if I was kind and let myself off the hook.”

    I could empathise with this fear of self-compassion from clients such as Sarah (not her real name). From a young age, we are taught to be kind to others, but self-kindness is never mentioned.

    Instead, we are taught success hinges on self-sacrifice. And we need a healthy inner critic to bully us forward into becoming increasingly better versions of ourselves.

    But research shows there doesn’t have to be a trade-off between self-compassion and success.

    Self-compassion can help you reach your potential, while supporting you to face the inevitable stumbles and setbacks along the way.

    What is self-compassion?

    Self-compassion has three key ingredients.

    1. Self-kindness

    This involves treating yourself with the same kindness you would extend towards a good friend – via your thoughts, feelings and actions – especially during life’s difficult moments.

    For instance, if you find yourself fixating on a minor mistake you made at work, self-kindness might involve taking a ten-minute walk to shift focus, and reminding yourself it is OK to make mistakes sometimes, before moving on with your day.

    2. Mindfulness

    In this context, mindfulness involves being aware of your own experience of stress or suffering, rather than repressing or avoiding your feelings, or over-identifying with them.

    Basically, you must see your stress with a clear (mindful) perspective before you can respond with kindness. If we avoid or are consumed by our suffering, we lose perspective.

    3. Common humanity

    Common humanity involves recognising our own experience of suffering as something that unites us as being human.

    For instance, a sleep-deprived parent waking up (for the fourth time) to feed their newborn might choose to think about all the other parents around the world doing exactly the same thing – as opposed to feeling isolated and alone.

    It’s not about day spas, or booking a manicure

    When Sarah voiced her fear that self-compassion would prevent her success, I explained self-compassion is distinct from self-indulgence.

    “So is self-compassion just about booking in more mani/pedis?” Sarah asked.

    Not really, I explained. A one-off trip to a day spa is unlikely to transform your mental health.

    Instead, self-compassion is a flexible psychological resilience factor that shapes our thoughts, feelings and actions.

    It’s associated with a suite of benefits to our wellbeing, relationships and health.

    Massage therapist massaging woman's back
    A one-off trip to a day spa is unlikely to transform your mental health.
    baranq/Shutterstock

    What does the science say?

    Over the past 20 years, we’ve learned self-compassionate people enjoy a wide range of benefits. They tend to be happier and have fewer psychological symptoms of distress.

    Those high on self-compassion persevere following a failure. They say they are more motivated to overcome a personal weakness than those low on self-compassion, who are more likely to give up.

    So rather than feeling trapped by your inadequacies, self-compassion encourages a growth mindset, helping you reach your potential.

    However, self-compassion is not a panacea. It will not change your life circumstances or somehow make life “easy”. It is based on the premise that life is hard, and provides practical tools to cope.

    It’s a factor in healthy ageing

    I research menopause and healthy ageing and am especially interested in the value of self-compassion through menopause and in the second half of life.

    Because self-compassion becomes important during life’s challenges, it can help people navigate physical symptoms (for instance, menopausal hot flushes), life transitions such as divorce, and promote healthy ageing.

    I’ve also teamed up with researchers at Autism Spectrum Australia to explore self-compassion in autistic adults.

    We found autistic adults report significantly lower levels of self-compassion than neurotypical adults. So we developed an online self-compassion training program for this at-risk population.

    Three tips for self-compassion

    You can learn self-compassion with these three exercises.

    1. What would you say to a friend?

    Think back to the last time you made a mistake. What did you say to yourself?

    If you notice you’re treating yourself more like an enemy than a friend, don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead, try to think about what you might tell a friend, and direct that same friendly language towards yourself.

    2. Harness the power of touch

    Soothing human touch activates the parasympathetic “relaxation” branch of our nervous system and counteracts the fight or flight response.

    Specifically, self-soothing touch (for instance, by placing both hands on your heart, stroking your forearm or giving yourself a hug) reduces cortisol responses to psychosocial stress.

    Middle-aged man hugging himself
    Yes, hugging yourself can help.
    http://krakenimages.com/Shutterstock

    3. What do I need right now?

    Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out exactly what self-compassion looks like in a given moment. The question “what do I need right now” helps clarify your true needs.

    For example, when I was 37 weeks pregnant, I woke up bolt awake one morning at 3am.

    Rather than beating myself up about it, or fretting about not getting enough sleep, I gently placed my hands on my heart and took a few deep breaths. By asking myself “what do I need right now?” it became clear that listening to a gentle podcast/meditation fitted the bill (even though I wanted to addictively scroll my phone).The Conversation

    Lydia Brown, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, The University of Melbourne

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

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  • Coach’s Plan – by Mike Kavanagh

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    A sports coach’s job is to prepare a plan, give it to the player(s), and hold them accountable to it. Change the strategy if needs be, call the shots. The job of the player(s) is then to follow those instructions.

    If you have trouble keeping yourself accountable, Kavanagh argues that it can be good to separate how you approach things.

    Not just “coach yourself”, but put yourself entirely in the coach’s shoes, as though you were a separate person, then switch back, and follow those instructions, trusting in your coach’s guidance.

    The book also provides illustrative examples and guides the reader through some potential pitfalls—for example, what happens when morning you doesn’t want to do the things that evening you decided would be best?

    The absolute backbone of this method is that it takes away the paralysing self-doubt that can occur when we second-guess ourselves mid-task.

    In short, this book will fire up your enthusiasm and give you a reliable fall-back for when your motivation’s flagging.

    Grab Your Copy of “Coach’s Plan” on Amazon!

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