Healthy Choco-Banoffee Ice Cream

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Chocolate, banana, and coffee—quite a threesome, whether for breakfast or dessert, and this is healthy enough for breakfast while being decadent enough for dessert! With no dairy or added sugar, and lots of antioxidants, this is a healthy way to start or end your day.

You will need

  • 3 bananas
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder, no additives
  • 2 shots espresso, chilled
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • On standby: milk of your choice—we recommend almond or hazelnut

Method

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

1) Peel, slice, and freeze the bananas (let them freeze for at least 2–3 hours)

2) Blend the ingredients, except the milk. Add milk as necessary if the mixture is too thick to blend. Be careful not to add too much at once though, or it will become less of an ice cream and more of a milkshake!

3) Scoop into a sundae glass to serve:

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

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

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  • Cross That Bridge – by Samuel J. Lucas

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    Books of this genre usually have several chapters of fluff before getting to the point. You know the sort:

    1. Let me tell you about some cherry-picked celebrity stories that overlook survivorship bias
    2. Let me tell you my life story, the bad parts
    3. My life story continued, the good parts now
    4. What this book can do for you, an imaginative pep talk that keeps circling back to me

    …then there will be two or three chapters of the actual advertised content, and then a closing chapter that’s another pep talk.

    This book, in contrast, throws that out of the window. Instead, Lucas provides a ground-up structure… within which, he makes a point of giving value in each section:

    • exercises
    • summaries
    • actionable advice

    For those who like outlines, lists, and overviews (as we do!), this is perfect. There are also plenty of exercises to do, so for those who like exercises, this book will be great too!

    Caveat: occasionally, the book’s actionable advices are direct but unclear, for example:

    • Use the potential and power of tea, to solve problems

    Context: there was no context. This was a bullet-pointed item, with no explanation. It was not a callback to anything earlier; this is the first (and only) reference to tea.

    However! The book as a whole is a treasure trove of genuine tips, tools, and voice-of-experience wisdom. Occasional comments may leave you scratching your head, but if you take value from the rest, then the book was already more than worth its while.

    Get Your Copy of Cross That Bridge on Amazon Today!

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  • 10 “Harsh” Truths You Probably Need to Hear

    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.

    What do you think? Are they actually harsh? We’re not convinced, but either way they are helpful, which is the important part:

    10 Helpful Truths

    Here they are:

    1. Simple isn’t easy: simplicity doesn’t guarantee ease; focus on small, manageable habits that meet you where you are.
    2. Hard habits: the changes we resist most are often the ones we need most to grow.
    3. We stand in our own way: doubt and lack of commitment hinder progress; believe in possibilities and take consistent action.
    4. Success is failure: failure is often part of the route to success; it provides valuable lessons if we embrace and reflect on it.
    5. Nothing works forever: adapt and evolve as circumstances change; clinging to outdated habits can hinder progress.
    6. Effort doesn’t equal outcome: feeling like you’re working hard doesn’t always mean you’re making effective progress.
    7. Someone always has it easier: comparisons are inevitable but unhelpful; focus on your own unique path and progress.
    8. There’s no one best thing: results depend on creating systems that fit your lifestyle, not chasing a single magic solution.
    9. Mindset matters most: success requires examining your mindset, lifestyle, and priorities, not just physical actions.
    10. Do it anyway: push through resistance, especially on tough days; discipline and consistency create success.

    For more on all of each of these, enjoy:

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    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    How To Really Pick Up (And Keep!) Those Habits

    Take care!

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  • Fixing Fascia

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    Fascia: Why (And How) You Should Take Care Of Yours

    Fascia is the web-like layer of connective tissue that divides your muscles and organs from each other. It simultaneously holds some stuff in place, and allows other parts to glide over each other with minimal friction.

    At least, that’s what it’s supposed to do.

    Like any body part, it can go wrong. More on this later. But first…

    A quick note on terms

    It may seem like sometimes people say “myofascial” because it sounds fancier, but it does actually have a specific meaning too:

    • Fascia” is what we just described above
    • Myofascial” means “of or relating to muscles and fascia

    For example, “myofascial release” means “stopping the fascia from sticking to the muscle where it shouldn’t” and “myofascial pain” means “pain that has to do with the muscles and fascia”. See also:

    Myofascial vs Fascia: When To Use Each One? What To Consider

    Why fascia is so ignored

    For millennia, it was mostly disregarded as a “neither this nor that” tissue that just happens to be in the body. We didn’t pay attention to it, just like we mostly don’t pay attention to the air around us.

    But, much like the air around us, we sure pay attention when something goes wrong with it!

    However, even in more recent years, we’ve been held back until quite new developments like musculoskeletal ultrasound that could show us problems with the fascia.

    What can go wrong

    It’s supposed to be strong, thin, supple, and slippery. It holds on in the necessary places like a spiderweb, but for the most part, it is evolved for minimum friction.

    Some things can cause it to thicken and become sticky in the wrong places. Things such as:

    • Physical trauma, e.g. an injury or surgery—but we repeat ourselves, because a surgery is an injury! It’s a (usually) necessary injury, but an injury nonetheless.
    • Compensation for pain. If a body part hurts for some reason, and your posture changes to accommodate that, doing so can mess up your fascia, and cause you different problems somewhere else entirely.
      • This is not witchcraft; think of how, when using a corded vacuum cleaner, sometimes the cord can get snagged on something in the next room and we nearly break something because we expected it to just come with us and it didn’t? It’s like that.
    • Repetitive movements (repetitive strain injury is partly a myofascial issue)
    • Not enough movement: when it comes to range of motion, it’s “use it or lose it”.
      • The human body tries its best to be as efficient as possible for us! So eventually it will go “Hey, I notice you never move more than 30º in this direction, so I’m going to stop making fascia that allows you to go past that point, and I’ll just dump the materials here instead”

    “I’ll just dump the materials here instead” is also part of the problem—it creates what we colloquially call “knots”, which are not so much part of the muscle as the fascia that covers it. That’s an actual physical sticky lumpy bit.

    What to do about it

    Firstly, avoid the above things! But, if for whatever reason something has gone wrong and you now have sticky lumpy fascia that doesn’t let you move the way you’d like (if you have any mobility/flexibility issues that aren’t for another known reason, then this is usually it), there are things can be done:

    • Heat—is definitely not a cure-all, but it’s a good first step before doing the other things. A heating pad or a warm bath are great.
    • Massage—ideally, by someone else who knows what they are doing. Self-massage is possible, as is teaching oneself (there are plenty of video tutorials available), but skilled professional therapeutic myofascial release massage is the gold standard.
      • Foam rollers are a great no-skill way to get going with self-massage, whether because that’s what’s available to you, or because you just want something you can do between sessions. Here’s an example of the kind we mean.
    • Acupuncture—triggering localized muscular relaxation, an important part of myofascial release, is something acupuncture is good at.
      • See also: Pinpointing The Usefulness Of Acupuncture ← noteworthily, the strongest criticism of acupuncture for pain relief is that it performs only slightly better than sham acupuncture, but taken in practical terms, all that really means is “sticking little needles in does work, even if not necessarily by the mechanism acupuncturists believe”
    • Calisthenics—Pilates, yoga, and other forms of body movement training can help gradually get one’s fascia to where and how it’s supposed to be.
    • This is that “use it or lose it” bodily efficiency we talked about!

    Remember, the body is always rebuilding itself. It never stops, until you die. So on any given day, you get to choose whether it rebuilds itself a little bit worse or a little bit better.

    Take care!

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  • Coffee, From A Blood Sugar Management Perspective

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    Our favorite French biochemist (Jessie Inchauspé) is back, and this time, she’s tackling a topic near and dear to this writer’s heart: coffee ☕💕

    What to consider

    Depending on how you like your coffee, some or all of these may apply to you:

    • Is coffee healthy? Coffee is generally healthy, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes by improving fat burning in the liver and protecting beta cells in the pancreas.
    • Does it spike blood sugars? Usually not so long as it’s black and unsweetened. Black coffee can cause small glucose spikes in some people due to stress-induced glucose release, but only if it contains caffeine.
    • When is it best to drink it? Drinking coffee after breakfast, especially after a poor night’s sleep, can actually reduce glucose and insulin spikes.
    • What about milk? All milks cause some glucose and insulin spikes. While oat milk is generally healthy, for blood sugar purposes unsweetened nut milks or even whole cow’s milk (but not skimmed; it needs the fat) are better options as they cause smaller spikes.
    • What about sweetening? Adding sugar to coffee, especially on an empty stomach, obviously leads to large glucose spikes. Alternative sweeteners like stevia or sweet cinnamon are fine substitutes.

    For more details on all of those things, plus why Kenyan coffee specifically may be the best for blood sugars, enjoy:

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  • 5 Exercises That Fix 95% Of Your Problems

    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.

    Well, your musculoskeletal problems, anyway! The exercises won’t, for example, do your taxes or deal with your loud neighbor for you. But, they will help your body be strong, supple, and pain-free:

    20 minutes total

    The exercises & what they do:

    • Dead hang: improves shoulder health, decompresses the spine, and strengthens grip. Hang from a bar for 20–30 seconds, progressing to 1–2 minutes.
    • Glute bridge: builds glute strength, improves core stability, and reduces lower back tension. Perform 2 sets of 10–15 reps, with variations like single-leg bridges or added weight.
    • Farmer’s walk: a full-body workout that strengthens the shoulders, core, and grip while improving posture. Walk with weights for 30–60 seconds, 3 rounds, increasing weight or duration over time.
    • Resting squat: enhances ankle, hip, and knee mobility, restoring natural functionality. Hold a deep squat for 20–30 seconds, progressing to 1–2 minutes. Use support for balance if necessary.
    • Thread the needle: improves flexibility, reduces tension, and enhances rotational mobility. Perform slow, controlled rotations from an all-fours position, 2 sets of 10 reps per side.

    Suggested 20-minute workout plan:

    1. Dead hang: 3 sets of 30 seconds
    2. Glute bridge: 2 sets of 10–15 reps
    3. Farmer’s walk: 30–60 seconds, 3 rounds
    4. Resting squat: hold for 20–30 seconds, 2–3 rounds
    5. Thread the needle: 2 sets of 10 reps per side

    It is recommended to perform this routine 3 times per week with 1-minute rests between sets.

    For more on all of these, plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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    Want to learn more?

    You might also like:

    The Most Anti Aging Exercise

    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

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    Learn to Age Gracefully

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  • Black Coffee vs Orange Juice – 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 black coffee to orange juice, we picked the coffee.

    Why?

    While this one isn’t a very like-for-like choice, it’s a choice often made, so it bears examining.

    In favor of the orange juice, it has vitamins A and C and the mineral potassium, while the coffee contains no vitamins or minerals beyond trace amounts.

    However, to offset that: drinking juice is one of the worst ways to consume sugar; the fruit has not only been stripped of its fiber, but also is in its most readily absorbable state (liquid), meaning that this is going to cause a blood sugar spike, which if done often can lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and more. Now, the occasional glass of orange juice (and resultant blood sugar spike) isn’t going to cause disease by itself, but everything we consume tips the scales of our health towards wellness or illness (or sometimes both, in different ways), and in this case, juice has a rather major downside that ought not be ignored.

    In favor of the coffee, it has a lot of beneficial phytochemicals (mostly antioxidant polyphenols of various kinds), with no drawbacks worth mentioning unless you have a pre-existing condition of some kind.

    Coffee can of course be caffeinated or decaffeinated, and we didn’t specify which here. Caffeine has some pros and cons that at worst, balance each other out, and whether or not it’s caffeinated, there’s nothing in coffee to offset the beneficial qualities of the antioxidants we mentioned before.

    Obviously, in either case we are assuming consuming in moderation.

    In short:

    • orange juice has negatives that at least equal, if not outweigh, its positives
    • coffee‘s benefits outweigh any drawbacks for most people

    Want to learn more?

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    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

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