Rest For The Restless (Legs)

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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!

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

❝Any tips for dealing with restless legs syndrome?❞

As a neurological disorder (Willis-Ekbom Disease, as it is also called by almost nobody outside of academia), there’s a lot that’s not known about its pathology, but we do know that looking after one’s nerves can help a lot.

This means:

You can also take into account the measures recommended for dealing with peripheral neuropathy, e.g:

Peripheral Neuropathy: How To Avoid It, Manage It, Treat It

There are also medication options for RLS; most of them are dopamine agonists, so if you want to try something yourself before going the pharmaceutical route, then things that improve your dopamine levels will probably be a worth checking out. In the category of supplements, you might enjoy:

NALT: The Dopamine Precursor And More

Take care! And… Want something answered here? Send us your questions!

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    Discover the six distinct categories of procrastination and learn how to overcome them with the help of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Beat procrastination now!

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  • Fruit, Fiber, & Leafy Greens… On A Low-FODMAP Diet!

    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.

    Fiber For FODMAP-Avoiders

    First, let’s quickly cover: what are FODMAPs?

    FODMAPs are fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.

    In plainer English: they’re carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion.

    This is, for most people most of the time, a good thing, for example:

    When Is A Fiber Not A Fiber? When It’s A Resistant Starch.

    Not for everyone…

    However, if you have inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS), including ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, or similar, then suddenly a lot of common dietary advice gets flipped on its head:

    Dietary Intolerances & More

    While digestion-resistant carbohydrates making it to the end parts of our digestive tract are good for our bacteria there, in the case of people with IBS or similar, it can be a bit too good for our bacteria there.

    Which can mean gas (a natural by-product of bacterial respiration) accumulation, discomfort, water retention (as the pseudo-fiber draws water in and keeps it), and other related symptoms, causing discomfort, and potentially disease such as diarrhea.

    Again: for most people this is not so (usually: quite the opposite; resistant starches improve things down there), but for those for whom it’s a thing, it’s a Big Bad Thing™.

    Hold the veg? Hold your horses.

    A common knee-jerk reaction is “I will avoid fruit and veg, then”.

    Superficially, this can work, as many fruit & veg are high in FODMAPs (as are fermented dairy products, by the way).

    However, a diet free from fruit and veg is not going to be healthy in any sustainable fashion.

    There are, however, options for low-FODMAP fruit & veg, such as:

    Fruits: bananas (if not overripe), kiwi, grapefruit, lemons, limes, melons, oranges, passionfruit, strawberries

    Vegetables: alfalfa, bell peppers, bok choy, carrots, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, kale, lettuce, olives, parsnips, potatoes (and sweet potatoes, yams etc), radishes, spinach, squash, tomatoes*, turnips, zucchini

    *our stance: botanically it’s a fruit, but culinarily it’s a vegetable.

    For more on the science of this, check out:

    Strategies for Producing Low FODMAPs Foodstuffs: Challenges and Perspectives ← table 2 is particularly informative when it comes to the above examples, and table 3 will advise about…

    Bonus

    Grains: oats, quinoa, rice, tapioca

    …and wheat if the conditions in table 3 (linked above) are satisfied

    (worth mentioning since grains also get a bad press when it comes to IBS, but that’s mostly because of wheat)

    See also: Gluten: What’s The Truth?

    Enjoy!

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  • Pinch Of Nom, Everyday Light – by Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson

    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.

    One of the biggest problems with “light”, “lean” or “under this many calories” cookbooks tends to be the portion sizes perhaps had sparrows in mind. Not so, here!

    Nor do they go for the other usual trick, which is giving us something that’s clearly not a complete meal. All of these recipes are for complete meals, or else come with a suggestion of a simple accompaniment that will still keep the dish under 400kcal.

    The recipes are packed with vegetables and protein, perfect for keeping lean while also making sure you’re full until the next meal.

    Best of all, they are indeed rich and tasty meals—there’s only so many times one wants salmon with salad, after all. There are healthy-edition junk food options, too! Sausage and egg muffins, fish and chips, pizza-loaded fries, sloppy dogs, firecracker prawns, and more!

    Most of the meals are quite quick and easy to make, and use common ingredients.

    Nearly half are vegetarian, and gluten-free options involve only direct simple GF substitutions. Similarly, turning a vegetarian meal into a vegan meal is usually not rocket science! Again, quick and easy substitutions, à la “or the plant-based milk of your choice”.

    Recipes are presented in the format: ingredients, method, photo. Super simple (and no “chef’s nostalgic anecdote storytime” introductions that take more than, say, a sentence to tell).

    All in all, a fabulous addition to anyone’s home kitchen!

    Get your copy of “Pinch of Nom—Everyday Light” from Amazon today!

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  • Bridging The Generation Gap Over The Holidays

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    Often seen as a time for family connection, this same holiday period is often experienced as a time of family tension. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

    Hopefully this will be of benefit to readers of all ages, but we’re going to write with the largest age-group of our readership, which is people who are most likely to have Gen-Z grandkids.

    why are we writing about this?

    Not only are health and happiness closely linked, and not only is mental health also just health, but… In terms of the healthy longevity secrets of the “Blue Zones”, strong intergenerational connections are usually a feature.

    First, the obvious:

    Any holiday tensions, of course, don’t usually start with grandkids, and are more likely amongst the adults, but some points of friction can be the same:

    • Differences of opinion on political/social/economic issues
    • Difference of opinion on parenting/dating choices
    • Differences of opinion on life priorities

    And yes, by the way, that includes even young teens (and perhaps younger) having opinions on these things—we are living in an information age, and this does mean a lot of information is a lot more accessible than it used to be, including for kids. Problems (at all ages) may occur when someone is only really exposed to views from within a certain “bias bubble”, but for better or worse, most people will have an opinion on most well-known things.

    As a general rule of thumb, all of these differences of opinion can be shelved if (and only if) those involved seek to avoid conflict. And while age is no guarantee of maturity, often it’ll be the older person(s) in the strongest position to redirect things. So, have a stack of “safe” topics up your sleeve.

    Bonus: you can also have non-conversational distractions up your sleeve! These may be kitchen-related, for example (time to produce something distracting, or if the nascent conflict was only between you and one other person, time to go check on something, thus removing yourself from the situation).

    Next, about “family time” and technology

    It can be tempting to try to have a “phones away” rule, but this will tend to only exacerbate a younger person’s withdrawal.

    Better: ask (with a tone of cheerful curiosity, not accusation) about what captures their attention so. Ask about their favorite YouTubers or TikTokers or whatever it is that it is for them. Learn about that Subreddit.

    Or maybe (more likely for Millennials) they were following what is going on in the world via social media, which takes on an intermediary role for the delivery of world news. Hopefully this won’t run into the differences of opinion that we mentioned up top, but it could also be a perfectly good avenue of conversation, and maybe there’s more common ground than you might expect.

    Meanwhile, if you’re the older generation present, chances are your own social media use is more about the human element. That’s great, but watch out:

    A common faux pas is taking pictures without asking, let alone posting them online without asking. For many people this may seem an odd thing to object to, but generationally speaking, the younger someone is (down to the upper single digits, anyway) the more likely they might feel strongly about this. So, ask first.

    The reason, by the way, is that in this age of digital hypervisibility, what we choose to share online can be a deeply personal thing. And, say what you will about the pros or cons of someone carefully curating an image of how they wish to be seen, shortcutting through that for them with a candid photo posted on Facebook will not endear you to them, even if you can’t see anything wrong with the photo in question, for example.

    See also: Make Social Media Work For Your Mental Health

    Show an interest, but don’t interrogate

    This one doesn’t take too much explanation. If people want to share about their lives, they’ll need only the smallest nudge to do so. If someone passes up an opportunity to talk about something you showed an interest in, chances are they have their own reasons for not wanting to talk about it. This might be hurtful if you feel like they’re keeping you out of their life, but the best way to get them to talk to you is just to be a good listener—not an interrogator that they have to dodge.

    For some powerful tools on this, see: Listening, Better

    Lastly, if things aren’t so good…

    43% of people are currently experiencing some sort of familial estrangement, so if that’s you, you’re not on your own.

    Sometimes, it really is too late to fix things, but sometimes it isn’t; we put together a guide that might help:

    Family Estrangement & How To Fix It

    Take care!

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  • SMOL Bowl With Sautéed Greens

    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.

    Whole grains are good, and gluten is bad for some people. Today’s dish has four whole grains, and no gluten (assuming no cross-contamination, so look for the gluten-free label if that’s important to you). Breafast? Brunch? Lunch? Supper, even? This is good at any time of day, packed with nutrients and full of flavor!

    You will need (per person)

    • 1 cup mixed cooked grains of equal parts sorghum, millet, oats, lentils (SMOL)—these can be cooked in bulk in advance and frozen in portions, as it’s often good to used mixed grains, and these four are a great combination for many purposes.
    • ½ cup low sodium vegetable stock (ideally you made this yourself from vegetable offcuts you kept in the freezer until you had enough for this purpose, but failing that, low-sodium stock cubes can be bought at most large supermarkets).
    • ½ cup finely chopped red onion
    • 6 oz cavolo nero, finely chopped
    • 1 small carrot, finely chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
    • 1 tsp black pepper, coarse ground
    • 1 tsp white miso paste
    • To serve: 1 lemon wedge

    Method

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

    1) Add the stock to a sauté pan over a medium heat, and add the onion, garlic, and carrot. Stir frequently for about 7 minutes.

    2) Add the cavolo nero and miso paste, stirring for another 4 minutes. If there is any liquid remaining, drain it off now.

    3) Warm the SMOL mixture (microwave is fine) and spoon it into a bowl, topping with the nutritional yeast and black pepper. Finally, add the hot cavolo nero mixture.

    4) Serve with the lemon wedge on the side, to add a dash of lemon at will.

    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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  • The Paleo Diet

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    What’s The Real Deal With The Paleo Diet?

    The Paleo diet is popular, and has some compelling arguments for it.

    Detractors, meanwhile, have derided Paleo’s inclusion of modern innovations, and have also claimed it’s bad for the heart.

    But where does the science stand?

    First: what is it?

    The Paleo diet looks to recreate the diet of the Paleolithic era—in terms of nutrients, anyway. So for example, you’re perfectly welcome to use modern cooking techniques and enjoy foods that aren’t from your immediate locale. Just, not foods that weren’t a thing yet. To give a general idea:

    Paleo includes:

    • Meat and animal fats
    • Eggs
    • Fruits and vegetables
    • Nuts and seeds
    • Herbs and spices

    Paleo excludes:

    • Processed foods
    • Dairy products
    • Refined sugar
    • Grains of any kind
    • Legumes, including any beans or peas

    Enjoyers of the Mediterranean Diet or the DASH heart-healthy diet, or those with a keen interest in nutritional science in general, may notice they went off a bit with those last couple of items at the end there, by excluding things that scientific consensus holds should be making up a substantial portion of our daily diet.

    But let’s break it down…

    First thing: is it accurate?

    Well, aside from the modern cooking techniques, the global market of goods, and the fact it does include food that didn’t exist yet (most fruits and vegetables in their modern form are the result of agricultural engineering a mere few thousand years ago, especially in the Americas)…

    …no, no it isn’t. Best current scientific consensus is that in the Paleolithic we ate mostly plants, with about 3% of our diet coming from animal-based foods. Much like most modern apes.

    Ok, so it’s not historically accurate. No biggie, we’re pragmatists. Is it healthy, though?

    Well, health involves a lot of factors, so that depends on what you have in mind. But for example, it can be good for weight loss, almost certainly because of cutting out refined sugar and, by virtue of cutting out all grains, that means having cut out refined flour products, too:

    Diet Review: Paleo Diet for Weight Loss

    Measured head-to-head with the Mediterranean diet for all-cause mortality and specific mortality, it performed better than the control (Standard American Diet, or “SAD”), probably for the same reasons we just mentioned. However, it was outperformed by the Mediterranean Diet:

    Paleolithic and Mediterranean Diet Pattern Scores Are Inversely Associated with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in Adults

    So in lay terms: the Paleo is definitely better than just eating lots of refined foods and sugar and stuff, but it’s still not as good as the Mediterranean Diet.

    What about some of the health risk claims? Are they true or false?

    A common knee-jerk criticism of the paleo-diet is that it’s heart-unhealthy. So much red meat, saturated fat, and no grains and legumes.

    The science agrees.

    For example, a recent study on long-term adherence to the Paleo diet concluded:

    ❝Results indicate long-term adherence is associated with different gut microbiota and increased serum trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a gut-derived metabolite associated with cardiovascular disease. A variety of fiber components, including whole grain sources may be required to maintain gut and cardiovascular health.❞

    ~ Genoni et al, 2020

    Bottom line:

    The Paleo Diet is an interesting concept, and certainly can be good for short-term weight loss. In the long-term, however (and: especially for our heart health) we need less meat and more grains and legumes.

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  • 8 Signs Of High Cortisol & How To Reverse “Cortisol Face”

    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.

    Dr. Shereene Idriss has insights about the facial features that might indicate chronically elevated cortisol levels, and what to do about same:

    At face value

    Dr. Idriss notes that for most people, this should not be cause for undue concern, although hypercortisolism can also be associated with genetic disorders such as Cushing’s syndrome, as well as prolonged use of certain medication, or the presence of certain tumors. As well as facial swelling, hypercortisolism can also result in other physical changes like acne, weight gain, skin thinning, stretch marks, infections, and hair loss.

    As for what to do about it, she recommends addressing lifestyle factors like poor sleep, unhealthy diet, alcohol consumption, and lack of hydration to reduce facial puffiness related to stress. Diet suggestions include incorporating foods rich in magnesium, vitamin C, and omega-3s, such as leafy greens, fatty fish, nuts and seeds, and berries.

    She also suggests some supplements to consider, such as ashwagandha, magnesium, omega-3s, and/or l-theanine, but you might want to speak to your doctor/pharmacist to check in case of contraindications per any other conditions you may have, or medications you may be on.

    For more on all of this, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    Take care!

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