In Defense of Food – by Michael Pollan

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Eat more like the French. Or the Italians. Or the Japanese. Or…

Somehow, whatever we eat is not good enough, and we should always be doing it differently!

Michael Pollan takes a more down-to-Earth approach.

He kicks off by questioning the wisdom of thinking of our food only in terms of nutritional profiles, and overthinking healthy-eating. He concludes, as many do, that a “common-sense, moderate” approach is needed.

And yet, most people who believe they are taking a “common-sense, moderate” approach to health are in fact over-fed yet under-nourished.

So, how to fix this?

He offers us a reframe: to think of food as a relationship, and health being a product of it:

  • If we are constantly stressing about a relationship, it’s probably not good.
  • On the other hand, if we are completely thoughtless about it, it’s probably not good either.
  • But if we can outline some good, basic principles and celebrate it with a whole heart? It’s probably at the very least decent.

The style is very casual and readable throughout. His conclusions, by the way, can be summed up as “Eat real food, make it mostly plants, and make it not too much”.

However, to summarize it thusly undercuts a lot of the actual value of the book, which is the principles for discerning what is “real food” and what is “not too much”.

Bottom line: if you’re tired of complicated eating plans, this book can help produce something very simple, attainable, and really quite good.

Click here to check out In Defense of Food, for some good, hearty eating.

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Recommended

  • Sweet Spot for Brain Health – by Dr. Sui Wong
  • Goji Berries vs Pomegranate – Which is Healthier?
    Goji berries trump pomegranates in protein, vitamins, and minerals, offering more health benefits per bite!

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  • Eat Better, Feel Better – by Giada de Laurentis

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    In yesterday’s edition of 10almonds, we reviewed Dr. Aujla’s “The Doctor’s Kitchen“; today we’re reviewing a different book about healing through food—in this case, with a special focus on maintaining energy and good health as we get older.

    De Laurentis may not be a medical doctor, but she is a TV chef, and not only holds a lot of influence, but also has access to a lot of celebrity doctors and such; that’s reflected a lot in her style and approach here.

    The recipes are clear and easy to follow; well-illustrated and nicely laid-out.

    This cookbook’s style is less “enjoy this hearty dish of rice and beans with these herbs and spices” and more “you can serve your steak salad with white beans and sweet shallot dressing on a bed of organic quinoa if you haven’t already had your day’s serving of grains, of course”.

    It’s a little fancier, in short, and more focused on what to cut out, than what to include. On account of that, this could make it a good contrast to yesterday’s book, which had the opposite focus.

    She also recommends assorted adjuvant practices; some that are evidence-based, like intermittent fasting and meditation, and some that are not, like extreme detox-dieting, and acupuncture (which has no bearing on gut health).

    Bottom line: if you like the idea of eating for good health, and prefer a touch of celebrity lifestyle to your meals, this one’s a good book for you.

    Click here to check out “Eat Better, Feel Better”, and enjoy her unique blend of quality and minimalism!

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  • Pistachios vs Pine Nuts – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing pistachios to pine nuts, we picked the pistachios.

    Why?

    First looking at the macros, pistachios have nearly 2x the protein while pine nuts have nearly 2x the fat. The fats are healthy in moderation (mostly polyunsaturated, a fair portion of monounsaturated, and a little saturated), but we’re going to value the protein content higher. Also, pistachios have approximately 2x the carbs, and/but nearly 3x the fiber. All in all, we’ll call this section a moderate win for pistachios.

    When it comes to vitamins, pistachios have more of vitamins A, B1, B5, B6, B9, and C, while pine nuts have more of vitamins B2, B3, E, K, and choline. All in all, pistachios are scraping a 6:5 win here, or we could call it a tie if we want to value pine nuts’ vitamins more (due to the difference in how many foods each vitamin is found in, and thus the likelihood of having a deficiency or not).

    In the category of minerals, pistachios have more calcium, copper, potassium, and selenium, while pine nuts have more iron, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. This would be a tie if we just call it 4:4, but what’s worth noting is that while both of these nuts are a good source of most of the minerals mentioned, pine nuts aren’t a very good source of calcium or selenium, so we’re going to declare this section a very marginal win for pistachios.

    Adding up the moderate win, the scraped win, and the barely scraped win, all adds up to a win for pistachios. However, as you might have noticed, both are great so do enjoy both if you can!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts

    Take care!

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  • The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness – by Alvaro Fernandez et al.

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    We say “et al.” in the by-line, because this one has a flock of authors, including Dr. Pascale Michelon, Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dr. Elkehon Goldberg, and various others if we include the foreword, introduction, etc.

    This is relevant, because those who contributed to the meat of the book (i.e., those listed above), it makes the work a lot more scientifically reliable; one skilled science writer might make a mistake; it’s much less likely to make it through to publication when there are a bevy of doctors in the mix, each staking their reputation on the book’s content, and thus having a vested interest in checking each other’s work as well as their own.

    As for what this multidisciplinary team have to offer? The book covers such things as:

    • how the brain works (especially the possibilities of neuroplasticity), and what that means for such things as memory and attention
    • being “a coach not a patient”; i.e., being active rather than passive in one’s approach to brain health
    • the relevance of physical exercise, how much, and what kind
    • the relevance (and limitations) of diet choices for brain health
    • the relevance of such things as learning new languages and musical training
    • the relevance of social engagement, and how some (but not all) social engagement can boost cognition
    • methods for managing stress and building resilience to same (critical for maintaining a healthy brain)
    • “cross-fit for your brain”, that is to say, a multi-vector collection of tools to explore, ranging from meditation to CBT to biofeedback and more.

    The style is pop-science without being sensationalist, just communicating ideas clearly, with enough padding to feel casual, and not like a dense read. Importantly, it’s also practical and applicable too, which is something we always look for here.

    Bottom line: if you’d like to be given a good overview of what things work (and how much they can be expected to work), along with a good framework to put that knowledge into practice, then this is a great book for you.

    Click here to check out The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness, and optimize your brain health and performance!

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Related Posts

  • Sweet Spot for Brain Health – by Dr. Sui Wong
  • Ideal Blood Pressure Numbers Explained

    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.

    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!

    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!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝Maybe I missed it but the study on blood pressure did it say what the 2 numbers should read ideally?❞

    We linked it at the top of the article rather than including it inline, as we were short on space (and there was a chart rather than a “these two numbers” quick answer), but we have a little more space today, so:

    CategorySystolic (mm Hg)Diastolic (mm Hg)
    Normal< 120AND< 80
    Elevated120 – 129AND< 80
    Stage 1 – High Blood Pressure130 – 139OR80 – 89
    Stage 2 – High Blood Pressure140 or higherOR90 or higher
    Hypertensive CrisisAbove 180AND/ORAbove 120

    To oversimplify for a “these two numbers” answer, under 120/80 is generally considered good, unless it is under 90/60, in which case that becomes hypotension.

    Hypotension, the blood pressure being too low, means your organs may not get enough oxygen and if they don’t, they will start shutting down.

    To give you an idea how serious this, this is the closed-circuit equivalent of the hypovolemic shock that occurs when someone is bleeding out onto the floor. Technically, bleeding to death also results in low blood pressure, of course, hence the similarity.

    So: just a little under 120/80 is great.

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  • Yoga For Stiff Birds – by Marion Deuchars

    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.

    Quick show of hands, who here practices yoga in some fashion, but does not necessarily always look Instagrammable while doing it? Yep, same here.

    This book is a surprisingly practical introduction to yoga for newcomers, and inspirational motivator for those of us who feel like we should do more.

    Rather than studio photography of young models in skimpy attire, popular artist (and well-practised yogi) Marion Deuchars offers in a few brushstrokes what we need to know for each asana, and how to approach it if we’re not so supple yet as we’d like to be.

    Bottom line: whether for yourself or as a gift for a loved one (or both!) this is a very charming introduction to (or refresher of) yoga.

    Click here to check out Yoga For Stiff Birds, and get yours going!

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  • Reduce Your Stroke Risk

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    ❝Each year in the U.S., over half a million people have a first stroke; however, up to 80% of strokes may be preventable.❞

    ~ American Stroke Association

    Source: New guideline: Preventing a first stroke may be possible with screening, lifestyle changes

    So, what should we do?

    Some of the risk factors are unavoidable or not usefully avoidable, like genetic predispositions and old age, respectively (i.e. it is possible to avoid old age—by dying young, which is not a good approach).

    Some of the risk factors are avoidable. Let’s look at the most obvious first:

    You cannot drink to your good health

    While overall, the World Health Organization has declared that “the only safe amount of alcohol is zero”, when it comes to stroke risk specifically, it seems that low consumption is not associated with stroke, while moderate to high consumption is associated with a commensurately increased risk of stroke:

    Alcohol Intake as a Risk Factor for Acute Stroke

    Note: there are some studies out there that say that a low to moderate consumption may decrease the risk compared to zero consumption. However, any such study that this writer has seen has had the methodological flaw of not addressing why those who do not drink alcohol, do not drink it. In many cases, someone who drinks no alcohol at all does so because either a) it would cause problems with some medication(s) they are taking, or b) they used to drink heavily, and quit. In either case, their reasons for not drinking alcohol may themselves be reasons for an increased stroke risk—not the lack of alcohol itself.

    Smoke now = stroke later

    This one is straightforward; smoking is bad for pretty much everything, and that includes stroke risk, as it’s bad for your heart and brain both, increasing stroke risk by 200–400%:

    Smoking and stroke: the more you smoke the more you stroke

    So, the advice here of course is: don’t smoke

    Diet matters

    The American Stroke Association’s guidelines recommend, just for a change, the Mediterranean Diet. This does not mean just whatever is eaten in the Mediterranean region though, and there are specifically foods that are included and excluded, and the ratios matter, so here’s a run-down of what the Mediterranean Diet does and doesn’t include:

    The Mediterranean Diet: What Is It Good For? ← what isn’t it good for?!

    You can outrun stroke

    Or out-walk it; that’s fine too. Most important here is frequency of exercise, more than intensity. So basically, getting those 150 minutes moderate exercise per week as a minimum.

    See also: The Doctor Who Wants Us To Exercise Less & Move More

    Which is good, because it means we can get a lot of exercise in that doesn’t feel like “having to do” exercise, for example:

    Do You Love To Go To The Gym? No? Enjoy These “No-Exercise Exercises”!

    Your brain needs downtime too

    Your brain (and your heart) both need you to get good regular sleep:

    Sleep Disorders in Stroke: An Update on Management

    We sometimes say that “what’s good for your heart is good for your brain” (because the heart feeds the brain, and also ultimately clears away detritus), and that’s true here too, so we might also want to prioritize sleep regularity over other factors, even over duration:

    How Regularity Of Sleep Can Be Even More Important Than Duration ← this is about adverse cardiovascular events, including ischemic stroke

    Keep on top of your blood pressure

    High blood pressure is a very modifiable risk factor for stroke. Taking care of the above things will generally take care of this, especially the DASH variation of the Mediterranean diet:

    Hypertension: Factors Far More Relevant Than Salt

    However, it’s still important to actually check your blood pressure regularly, because sometimes an unexpected extra factor can pop up for no obvious reason. As a bonus, you can do this improved version of the usual blood pressure test, still using just a blood pressure cuff:

    Try This At Home: ABI Test For Clogged Arteries

    Consider GLP-1 receptor agonists (or…)

    GLP-1 receptor agonists (like Ozempic et al.) seem to have cardioprotective and neuroprotective (thus: anti-stroke) activity independent of their weight loss benefits:

    Neuroprotective Mechanisms of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1-Based Therapies in Ischemic Stroke: An Update Based on Preclinical Research

    Of course, GLP-1 RAs aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and they do have their downsides (including availability, cost, and the fact benefits reverse themselves if you stop taking them), so if you want a similar effect from a natural approach, there are some foods that work on the body’s incretin responses in the same way as GLP-1 RAs do:

    5 Foods That Naturally Mimic The “Ozempic Effect”

    Better to know sooner rather than too late

    Rather than waiting until one half of our face is drooping to know that there was a stroke risk, here are things to watch out for to know about it before it’s too late:

    6 Signs Of Stroke (One Month In Advance)

    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

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