Ice Cream vs Fruit Sorbet – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing ice cream to fruit sorbet, we picked the ice cream.
Why?
Well, neither are great!
But the deciding factor is simple: ice cream has more nutrients to go with its sugar.
While “fruit is good” is a very reliable truism in and of itself, sorbet tends to be made with fruit juice (or at best, purée, which for these purposes is more or less the same) and sugar. The small vitamin content is nowhere near enough to make up for this. The fiber having been removed by juicing or puréeing, the fruit juice with added sugar is basically shooting glucose and fructose into your veins while doing little else.
Fruit juice (even freshly-pressed) is nowhere near in the same league of healthiness as actual fruit!
See also: Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?
Ice cream, meanwhile, is also not exactly a health food. But it has at least some minerals worth speaking of (mostly: calcium, potassium, phosphorus), and some fat that a) can be used b) helps slightly slow the absorption of the sugars.
In short: please do not consider either of these things to be a health food. But if you’re going to choose one or the other (and are not lactose-intolerant), then ice cream has some small positives to go with its negatives.
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Chickpeas vs White Beans – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing chickpeas to white beans, we picked the chickpeas.
Why?
They are both excellent, top-tier choices! But…
In terms of macros, chickpeas have notably more fiber while white beans have slightly more protein. While we’d like to emphasize that both are great for both, we say that on balance, this means a slight win for chickpeas in this category. But if you’d rather call it a tie, you can.
In the category of vitamins, chickpeas have more of vitamins A, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, and K, while white beans have more vitamin E, yielding an overwhelming win for chickpeas.
Looking at minerals, chickpeas have more copper, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc, while white beans have more calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium, giving chickpeas a modest 5:4 win in this round.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for chickpeas, by all means do enjoy either or both, as they’re both very strong contenders, and diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?
Enjoy!
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Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It – by Gary Taubes
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We’ve previously reviewed Taubes’ “The Case Against Sugar“. What does this one bring differently?
Mostly, it’s a different focus. Unsurprisingly, Taubes’ underlying argument is the same: sugar is the biggest dietary health hazard we face. However, this book looks at it specifically through the lens of weight loss, or avoiding weight gain.
Taubes argues for low-carb in general; he doesn’t frame it specifically as the ketogenic diet here, but that is what he is advocating. However, he also acknowledges that not all carbs are created equal, and looks at several categories that are relatively better or worse for our insulin response, and thus, fat management.
If the book has a fault it’s that it does argue a bit too much for eating large quantities of meat, based on Weston Price’s outdated and poorly-conducted research. However, if one chooses to disregard that, the arguments for a low-carb diet for weight management remain strong.
Bottom line: if you’d like to cut some fat without eating less (or exercising more), this book offers a good, well-explained guide for doing so.
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Cranberries vs Fig – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing cranberries to fig, we picked the fig.
Why?
In terms of macros, cranberries have slightly more fiber, while figs have more carbs and slightly more protein. Since the fiber and protein differences are small, and the carbs difference is subjective in value terms (i.e. do you, with your lifestyle, need more carbs or fewer?), we’ll call this first round a tie.
However…
In the category of vitamins, cranberries have more of vitamins C and E, while figs have more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, and B9, winning easily.
Looking at minerals, cranberries have more manganese, while figs have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, again winning easily.
In other considerations, cranberries have some special properties that amount to a mixed bag of pros and cons (see details in the “learn more” below), so that could swing it one way or another depending on your personal health risks, so in the interests of fairness, we’ll call this round a tie.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for figs, but by all means do enjoy either or both (unless cranberries are contraindicated for you personally), since as very good general rule of thumb, diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Health Benefits Of Cranberries (But: You’d Better Watch Out) ← cranberries’ bonus properties (including: famously very good at decreasing UTI risk) come with some warnings, including that they may increase the risk of kidney stones if you are prone to such, and also that cranberries have anti-clotting effects, which are great for heart health but can be a risk of you’re on blood thinners or have a bleeding disorder.
Enjoy!
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Five Supplements That Actually Work Vs Arthritis
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This is Dr. Diana Girnita, a double board-certified physician (internal medicine & rheumatology) who, in addition to her MD, also has a PhD in immunology—bearing in mind that rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition.
Her mission is to help people with any form of arthritis (rheumatoid or otherwise) and those with many non-arthritic autoimmune conditions (ranging from tendonitis to lupus) to live better.
Today, we’ll be looking at her recommendations of 5 supplements that actually help alleviate arthritis:
Collagen
Collagen famously supports skin, nails, bones, and joint cartilage; Dr. Girnita advises that it’s particularly beneficial for osteoarthritis.
Specifically, she recommends either collagen peptides or hydrolyzed collagen, as they are most absorbable. However, collagen can also be sourced from foods like bone broth, fish with skin and bones, and gelatin-based foods.
If you’re vegetarian/vegan, then it becomes important to simply consume the ingredients for collagen, because like most animals, we can synthesize it ourselves provided we get the necessary nutrients. For more on that, see:
We Are Such Stuff As Fish Are Made Of
Glucosamine & chondroitin
Technically two things, but almost always sold/taken together. Naturally found in joint cartilage, it can slow cartilage breakdown and reduce pain in osteoarthritis.
Studies show pain relief, especially in moderate-to-severe cases; best taken long-term. Additionally, it’s a better option than NSAIDs for patients with heart or gastrointestinal issues.
10almonds tip: something that’s tricker to find as a supplement than glucosamine and chondroitin, but you might want to check it out:
Cucumber Extract Beats Glucosamine & Chondroitin… At 1/135th Of The Dose?!
Omega-3 fatty acids
Dr. Girnita recommends this one because unlike the above recommendations that mainly help reduce/reverse the joint damage itself, omega-3 reduces inflammation, pain, and stiffness, and can decrease or eliminate the need for NSAIDs in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
She recommends 2-4g EPA/DHA daily; ideally taken with a meal for better absorption.
She also recommends to look for mercury-free options—algae-derived are usually better than fish-derived, but check for certification either way! See also:
What Omega-3 Fatty Acids Really Do For Us
Boswellia serrata (frankincense)
Popularly enjoyed as an incense but also available in supplement form, it contains boswellic acid, which reduces inflammation and cartilage damage.
Dr. Girnita recommends 100 mg daily, but advises that it may interact with some antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and NSAIDs—so speak with your pharmacist/doctor if unsure.
We also wrote about this one here:
Science-Based Alternative Pain Relief
Curcumin (turmeric)
Well-known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties, it’s comparable to NSAIDs in pain relief for most common forms of arthritis.
Dr. Girnita recommends 1–1.5g of curcumin daily, ideally combined with black pepper for better absorption:
Why Curcumin (Turmeric) Is Worth Its Weight In Gold
Lastly…
Dr. Girnita advises to not blindly trust supplements, but rather, to test them for 2–3 months while keeping a journal of your symptoms. If it improves things for you, keep it up, if not, discontinue. Humans can be complicated and not everything will work exactly the same way for everyone!
For more on dealing with chronic pain specifically, by the way, check out:
Managing Chronic Pain (Realistically!)
Take care!
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Why We Get Earaches & How To Stop Them
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!
No question/request too big or small 😎
❝I find I’m very prone to earaches in colder weather, is there something can be done to prevent this? Besides earmuffs!❞
Prevent outright? Sadly no.
Reduce the risk? Definitely yes!
Most earaches are caused by ear infections, which can be from a wide assortment of pathogens, including bacterial or viral, or even fungal.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common culprit, and is bacterial, which is why antibiotics are often prescribed. But, as regular 10almonds readers will know, antibiotics should only be used when it’s either absolutely certain they’re necessary, or when the counter risk is so grave that going scorched-earth on the microbiome is worth the harm.
See also: Antibiotics? Think Thrice ← including 4 ways oral antibiotics can kill you
And if you must have antibiotics, then: Minimize The Harm Of Antibiotics
Because we’re unlikely to be able to self-diagnose whether our earache is due to a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection (or something else entirely), that limits self-treatment options, and even ear drops for the purpose will often only work on one of the three. And in some cases, if you guess wrong, it’ll make things worse rather than better (for example, if you use a topical antibiotic that wipes out your local skin microbiome but doesn’t touch the viral or fungal infection, but rather removes the competitors for resources and causes further overgrowth/infection).
Aside from that, the first-line treatment is just to wait it out, and take painkillers if appropriate. However, you shouldn’t wait more than 2–3 days, and if it gets severe, see a doctor (or your pharmacist, often quicker and usually able to help).
What about prevention?
First we’ll mention, earmuffs will usually not help and may even increase the risk, since they will help create a warmer environment for the pathogens to flourish.
To understand the cold weather paradox at hand in such situations, see: The Pathogens That Came In From The Cold
The only time when they might help you avoid earache is when the earache is not due to an ear infection at all, but is due to changes in air pressure, for example due to altitude.
Another possible cause is earwax buildup, but of course earmuffs will not help in that case either. In that case, earwax removal is good, but gently please, and do not poke things in your ears no matter how much you may be tempted.
And especially, please do not put things in your ears and set fire to them, either; that is a terrible idea. For more on that, see: Ear Candling: Is It Safe & Does It Work? ← the answer is “no and no”, but the science may interest you!
What you can do, however, is use earwax-removing oils, and if you want a home-remedy edition, olive oil or almond oil can be used; these oils dissolve the wax quite quickly (in fancier words: they are cerumenolytic agents); washing with water (e.g. in the shower or bath) is then all that’s needed. However, to avoid infection, ensure you are using a high-purity oil, and get one to use just for that; don’t just grab a bottle from the kitchen.
For your convenience, here is an example of medical grade almond oil (with dropper!) on Amazon
For more on that, see: What Is Earwax & Should You Get Rid Of It?
Since it is usually an ear infection, however, it’s worth knowing that common risk factors include:
- Being immunocompromised (having long COVID counts for this)
- Smoking, including being exposed to second-hand smoke
- You might wonder why a toxin would increase infection risk, rather than killing the pathogens. The answer is firstly that it’s toxic to us because of our physiology, and doesn’t affect those. However, it does compromise our own immune system in an assortment of ways, including, mostly simply, clogging up macrophages with pollution to get rid of, which takes them away from anti-infection duties.
- Being in close proximity with many other people, especially if some or all are ill (hospitals and care institutions are high on this list, as are airplanes)
- Being male (this is because of hormone-modulated immune responses differing by which sex hormone is dominant out of estrogen and testosterone)
- Being in climates that are conducive to pathogens (note that this can also mean microclimates, for example a damp house)
So, avoid those things where possible, and you will reduce your earache risk significantly.
Want to learn more?
Check out:
Take care!
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Neurotransmitter Cheatsheet
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.
Which Neurotransmitter?
There are a lot of neurotransmitters that are important for good mental health (and, by way of knock-on effects, physical health).
However, when pop-science headlines refer to them as “feel-good chemicals” (yes but which one?!) or “the love molecule” (yes but which one?!) or other such vague names when referring to a specific neurotransmitter, it’s easy to get them mixed up.
So today we’re going to do a little disambiguation of some of the main mood-related neurotransmitters (there are many more, but we only have so much room), and what things we can do to help manage them.
Dopamine
This one predominantly regulates reward responses, though it’s also necessary for critical path analysis (e.g. planning), language faculties, and motor functions. It makes us feel happy, motivated, and awake.
To have more:
- eat foods that are rich in dopamine or its precursors such as tyrosine (bananas and almonds are great)
- do things that you find rewarding
Downsides: is instrumental in most addictions, and also too much can result in psychosis. For most people, that level of “too much” isn’t obtainable due to the homeostatic system, however.
See also: Rebalancing Dopamine (Without “Dopamine Fasting”)
Serotonin
This one predominantly helps regulate our circadian rhythm. It also makes us feel happy, calm, and awake.
To have more:
- get more sunlight, or if the light must be artificial, then (ideally) full-spectrum light, or (if it’s what’s available) blue light
- spend time in nature; we are hardwired to feel happy in the environments in which we evolved, which for most of human history was large open grassy expanses with occasional trees (however, for modern purposes, a park or appropriate garden will suffice).
Downsides: this is what keeps us awake at night if we had too much light before bed, and also too much serotonin can result in (potentially fatal) serotonin syndrome. Most people can’t get that much serotonin due to our homeostatic system, but some drugs can force it upon us.
See also: Seasonal Affective Disorder Strategies
Oxytocin
This one predominantly helps us connect to others on an emotional level. It also makes us feel happy, calm, and relaxed.
To have more:
- hug a loved one (or even just think about doing so, if they’re not available)
- look at pictures/videos of cute puppies, kittens, and the like—this triggers a similar response
Downsides: negligible. Socially speaking, it can cause us to drop our guard, most for most people most of the time, this is not a problem. It can also reduce sexual desire—it’s in large part responsible for the peaceful lulled state post-orgasm. It’s not responsible for the sleepiness in men though; that’s mostly prolactin.
See also: Only One Kind Of Relationship Promotes Longevity This Much!
Adrenaline
This one predominantly affects our sympathetic nervous system; it elevates heart rate, blood pressure, and other similar functions. It makes us feel alert, ready for action, and energized.
To have more:
- listen to a “power anthem” piece of music. What it is can depend on your musical tastes; whatever gets you riled up in an empowering way.
- engage in something competitive that you feel strongly about while doing it—or by the same mechanism, a solitary activity where the stakes feel high even if it’s actually quite safe (e.g. watching a thriller or a horror movie, if that’s your thing).
Downsides: its effects are not sustainable, and (in cases of chronic stress) the body will try to sustain them anyway, which has a deleterious effect. Because adrenaline and cortisol are closely linked, chronically high adrenal action will tend to mean chronically high cortisol also.
See also: Lower Your Cortisol! (Here’s Why & How)
PS: it is also called epinephrine, and chemically different but almost identical in most ways, noradrenaline or norepinephrine
Some final words
You’ll notice that in none of the “how to have more” did we mention drugs. That’s because:
- a drug-free approach is generally the best thing to try first, at the very least
- there are simply a lot of drugs to affect each one (or more), and talking about them would require talking about each drug in some detail.
However, the following may be of interest for some readers:
Antidepressants: Personalization Is Key!
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
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