Good Energy – by Dr. Casey Means
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For a book with a title like “Good Energy” and chapters such as “Bad Energy Is the Root of Disease”, this is actually a very science-based book (and there are a flock of well-known doctors saying so in the “praise for” section, too).
The premise is simple: most of our health is a matter of what our metabolism is (or isn’t) doing, and it’s not just a case of “doing more” or “doing less”. Indeed, a lot of “our” energy is expended doing bad things (such as chronic inflammation, to give an obvious example).
Dr. Means outlines about a dozen things many people do wrong, and about a dozen things we can do right, to get our body’s energy system working for us, rather than against us.
The style here is pop-science throughout, and in the category of criticism, the bibliography is offloaded to her website (we prefer to have things in our hands). However, the information here is good, clearly-presented, and usefully actionable.
Bottom line: if you ever find yourself feeling run-down and like your body is using your resources against you rather than for you, this is the book to get you out of that slump!
Click here to check out Good Energy, and get your metabolism working for you!
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Can I Eat That? – by Jenefer Roberts
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The answer to the question in the title is: you can eat pretty much anything, if you’re prepared for the consequences!
This book looks to give you the information to make your own decisions in that regard. There’s a large section on the science of glucose metabolism in the context of food (other aspects of glucose metabolism aren’t covered), so you will not simply be told “raw carrots are good; mashed potatoes are bad”, you’ll understand many factors that affect it, e.g:
- Macronutrient profiles of food and resultant base glycemic indices
- How the glycemic index changes if you cut something, crush it, mash it, juice it, etc
- How the glycemic index changes if you chill something, heat it, fry it, boil it, etc
- The many “this food works differently in the presence of this other food” factors
- How your relative level of insulin resistance affects things itself
…and much more.
The style is simple and explanatory, without deep science, but with good science and comprehensive advice.
There are also the promised recipes; they’re in an appendix at the back and aren’t the main meat of the book, though.
Bottom line: if you’ve ever found it confusing working out what works how in the mysterious world of diabetes nutrition, this book is a top tier demystifier.
Click here to check out Can I Eat That?, and gain confidence in your food choices!
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Over 50? Do These 3 Stretches Every Morning To Avoid Pain
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Will Harlow, over-50s specialist physiotherapist, recommends these three stretches be done daily for cumulative benefits over time, especially if you have arthritis, stiff joints, or similar morning pain:
The good-morning routine
These stretches are designed for people with arthritis and stiff joints, but if you experience any extra pain, or are aware of having some musculoskeletal irregularity, do seek professional advice (such as from a local physiotherapist). Otherwise, the three stretches he recommends are:
Quad hip flexor stretch
This one is performed while lying on your side in bed:
- Bring the top leg up toward your body, grab the shin, and pull the leg backward to stretch.
- Feel the stretch in the front of the leg (quadriceps and hip flexor).
- Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on both sides.
- Use a towel or band if you can’t reach your shin.
Book-opener
This one helps improve mobility in the lower and mid-back:
- Lie on your side with arms at a 90-degree angle in front of your body.
- Roll backward, opening the top arm while keeping legs in place.
- Hold for 20–30 seconds or repeat the movement several times.
- Optionally, allow your head to rotate for a neck stretch.
Calf stretch with chest-opener
This one combines a calf and chest stretch:
- Stand in a lunged position, keeping the back leg straight and heel down for the calf stretch.
- Place hands behind your head, open elbows, and lift your head slightly for a chest stretch.
- Hold for 20–30 seconds, then switch legs.
For more on all the above plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
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Superfood Energy Balls
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They are healthy, they are tasty, they are convenient! Make some of these and when you need an energizing treat at silly o’clock when you don’t have time to prepare something, here they are, full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, good for blood sugars too, and ready to go:
You will need
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 cup raw mixed nuts
- ¼ cup goji berries
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp chili flakes
Naturally, you can adjust the spice level if you like! But this is a good starter recipe.
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Blend all the ingredients in a good processor to make a dough
2) Roll the dough into 1″ balls; you should have enough dough for about 16 balls. If you want them to be pretty, you can roll them in some spare dry ingredients (e.g. chopped nuts, goji berries, chili flakes, seeds of some kind, whatever you have in your kitchen that fits the bill).
3) Refrigerate for at least 1–2 hours, and serve! They can also be kept in the fridge for at least a good while—couldn’t tell you how long for sure though, because honestly, they’ve never stayed that long in the fridge without being eaten.
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Dates vs Figs – Which is Healthier?
- Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts!
- Goji Berries: Which Benefits Do They Really Have?
- The Sugary Food That Lowers Blood Sugars
- Enjoy Bitter Foods For Your Heart & Brain
- Capsaicin’s Hot Benefits
Take care!
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Marrakesh Sorghum Salad
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As the name suggests, it’s a Maghreb dish today! Using sorghum, a naturally gluten-free whole grain with a stack of vitamins and minerals. This salad also comes with fruit and nuts (apricots and almonds; a heavenly combination for both taste and nutrients) as well as greens, herbs, and spices.
Note: to keep things simple today, we’ve listed ras el-hanout as one ingredient. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a spice blend; you can probably buy a version locally, but you might as well know how to make it yourself—so here’s our recipe for that!
You will need
- 1½ cups sorghum, soaked overnight in water (if you can’t find it locally, you can order it online (here’s an example product on Amazon), or substitute quinoa) and if you have time, soaked overnight and then kept in a jar with just a little moisture for a few days until they begin to sprout—this will be best of all. But if you don’t have time, don’t worry about it; overnight soaking is sufficient already.
- 1 carrot, grated
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tbsp chopped chives
- 2 tbsp ras el-hanout
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp white miso paste
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 4 fresh apricots, pitted and cut into wedges
- 1 cup mint leaves, chopped
- To serve: your choice of salad greens; we suggest chopped romaine lettuce and rocket
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Cook the sorghum, which means boiling it for about 45 minutes, or 30 in a pressure cooker. If unsure, err on the side of cooking longer—even up to an hour will be totally fine. You have a lot of wiggle room, and will soon get used to how long it takes with your device/setup. Drain the cooked sorghum, and set it aside to cool. If you’re entertaining, we recommend doing this part the day before and keeping it in the fridge.
2) When it’s cool, add the carrot, the parsley, the chives, the vinegar, and 1 tbsp of the ras el-hanout. Toss gently but thoroughly to combine.
3) Make the dressing, which means putting ¼ cup water into a blender with the other 1 tbsp of the ras el-hanout, the garlic, the almond butter, the lemon juice, and the miso paste. Blend until smooth.
4) Assemble the salad, which means adding the dressing to sorghum-and-ingredients bowl, along with the almonds, apricots, and mint leaves. Toss gently, but sufficiently that everything is coated.
5) Serve on a bed of salad greens.
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Four Ways To Upgrade The Mediterranean Diet ← including an anti-inflammatory version, which is functionally what we’re doing today. As an aside when people hear “Mediterranean” they often think “Italy and Greece”. Which, sure, but N. Africa (and thus Maghreb cuisine) is also very much Mediterranean, and it shows!
- Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits?
- Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts!
- Brain Food? The Eyes Have It!
Take care!
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Healthy Homemade Flatbreads
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Our recipes sometimes call for the use of flatbreads, or suggest serving with flatbreads. But we want you to be able to have healthy homemade ones! So here’s a very quick and easy recipe. You’ll probably need to order some of the ingredients in, but it’s worth it, and then if you keep a stock of the ingredients, you can whip these up in minutes anytime you want them.
You will need
- 1 cup garbanzo bean flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup quinoa flour
- 2 tbsp ground/milled flaxseed
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
- ½ tsp MSG, or 1 tsp low-sodium salt, with MSG being the healthier and preferable option
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried cumin
- ½ tsp dried thyme
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Mix the flaxseed with ⅓ cup of water and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
2) Combine the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl, plus the flax mixtures we just made, and an extra ½ cup of water. Knead this into a dough, adding a touch more water if it becomes necessary, but be sparing with it.
3) Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a ball. Dust a clean surface with the extra garbanzo bean flour, and roll each dough ball into in a thin 6″ circle.
4) Heat a skillet and add some olive oil for frying; when hot enough, place a dough disk in the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Repeat with the other 5.
5) Serve! If you’re looking for a perfect accompaniment to these, try our Hero Homemade Hummus
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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Treat Your Own Back – by Robin McKenzie
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A quick note about the author first: he’s a physiotherapist and not a doctor, but with over 40 years of practice to his name and 33 letters after his name (CNZM OBE FCSP (Hon) FNZSP (Hon) Dip MDT Dip MT), he seems to know his stuff. And certainly, if you visit any physiotherapist, they will probably have some of his books on their own shelves.
This book is intended for the layperson, and as such, explains everything that you need to know, in order to diagnose and treat your back. To this end, he includes assorted tests to perform, a lot of details about various possible back conditions, and then exercises to fix it, i.e. fix whatever you have now learned that the problem is, in your case (if indeed you didn’t know for sure already).
Of course, not everything can be treated by exercises, and he does point to what other things may be necessary in those cases, but for the majority, a significant improvement (if not outright symptom-free status) can be enjoyed by applying the techniques described in this book.
Bottom line: for most people, this book gives you the tools required to do exactly what the title says.
Click here to check out Treat Your Own Back, and treat your own back!
PS: if your issue is not with your back, we recommend you check out his other books in the series (neck, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle) 😎
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