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:

Take care!

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  • From straight to curly, thick to thin: here’s how hormones and chemotherapy can change your hair

    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.

    Head hair comes in many colours, shapes and sizes, and hairstyles are often an expression of personal style or cultural identity.

    Many different genes determine our hair texture, thickness and colour. But some people’s hair changes around the time of puberty, pregnancy or after chemotherapy.

    So, what can cause hair to become curlier, thicker, thinner or grey?

    Curly or straight? How hair follicle shape plays a role

    Hair is made of keratin, a strong and insoluble protein. Each hair strand grows from its own hair follicle that extends deep into the skin.

    Curly hair forms due to asymmetry of both the hair follicle and the keratin in the hair.

    Follicles that produce curly hair are asymmetrical and curved and lie at an angle to the surface of the skin. This kinks the hair as it first grows.

    The asymmetry of the hair follicle also causes the keratin to bunch up on one side of the hair strand. This pulls parts of the hair strand closer together into a curl, which maintains the curl as the hair continues to grow.

    Follicles that are symmetrical, round and perpendicular to the skin surface produce straight hair.

    A diagram shows the hair follicle shape of straight, curly and coiled hair.
    Each hair strand grows from its own hair follicle.
    Mosterpiece/Shutterstock

    Life changes, hair changes

    Our hair undergoes repeated cycles throughout life, with different stages of growth and loss.

    Each hair follicle contains stem cells, which multiply and grow into a hair strand.

    Head hairs spend most of their time in the growth phase, which can last for several years. This is why head hair can grow so long.

    Let’s look at the life of a single hair strand. After the growth phase is a transitional phase of about two weeks, where the hair strand stops growing. This is followed by a resting phase where the hair remains in the follicle for a few months before it naturally falls out.

    The hair follicle remains in the skin and the stems cells grow a new hair to repeat the cycle.

    Each hair on the scalp is replaced every three to five years.

    A woman with curly hair works on her computer.
    Each hair on the scalp is replaced every three to five years.
    Just Life/Shutterstock

    Hormone changes during and after pregnancy alter the usual hair cycle

    Many women notice their hair is thicker during pregnancy.

    During pregnancy, high levels of oestrogen, progesterone and prolactin prolong the resting phase of the hair cycle. This means the hair stays in the hair follicle for longer, with less hair loss.

    A drop in hormones a few months after delivery causes increased hair loss. This is due to all the hairs that remained in the resting phase during pregnancy falling out in a fairly synchronised way.

    Hair can change around puberty, pregnancy or after chemotherapy

    This is related to the genetics of hair shape, which is an example of incomplete dominance.

    Incomplete dominance is when there is a middle version of a trait. For hair, we have curly hair and straight hair genes. But when someone has one curly hair gene and one straight hair gene, they can have wavy hair.

    Hormonal changes that occur around puberty and pregnancy can affect the function of genes. This can cause the curly hair gene of someone with wavy hair to become more active. This can change their hair from wavy to curly.

    Researchers have identified that activating specific genes can change hair in pigs from straight to curly.

    Chemotherapy has very visible effects on hair. Chemotherapy kills rapidly dividing cells, including hair follicles, which causes hair loss. Chemotherapy can also have genetic effects that influence hair follicle shape. This can cause hair to regrow with a different shape for the first few cycles of hair regrowth.

    A woman with wavy hair looks in a mirror
    Your hair can change at different stages of your life.
    Igor Ivakhno/Shutterstock

    Hormonal changes as we age also affect our hair

    Throughout life, thyroid hormones are essential for production of keratin. Low levels of thyroid hormones can cause dry and brittle hair.

    Oestrogen and androgens also regulate hair growth and loss, particularly as we age.

    Balding in males is due to higher levels of androgens. In particular, high dihydrotestosterone (sometimes shortened to DHT), which is produced in the body from testosterone, has a role in male pattern baldness.

    Some women experience female pattern hair loss. This is caused by a combination of genetic factors plus lower levels of oestrogen and higher androgens after menopause. The hair follicles become smaller and smaller until they no longer produce hairs.

    Reduced function of the cells that produce melanin (the pigment that gives our hair colour) is what causes greying.The Conversation

    Theresa Larkin, Associate professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • The Cold Truth About Respiratory Infections

    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.

    The Pathogens That Came In From The Cold

    Yesterday, we asked you about your climate-themed policy for avoiding respiratory infections, and got the above-depicted, below-described, set of answers:

    • About 46% of respondents said “Temperature has no bearing on infection risk”
    • About 31% of respondents said “It’s important to get plenty of cold, fresh air, as this kills/inactivates pathogens”
    • About 22% of respondents said “It’s important to stay warm to avoid getting colds, flu, etc”

    Some gave rationales, including…

    For “stay warm”:

    ❝Childhood lessons❞

    For “get cold, fresh air”:

    ❝I just feel that it’s healthy to get fresh air daily. Whether it kills germs, I don’t know❞

    For “temperature has no bearing”:

    ❝If climate issue affected respiratory infections, would people in the tropics suffer more than those in colder climates? Pollutants may affect respiratory infections, but I doubt just temperature would do so.❞

    So, what does the science say?

    It’s important to stay warm to avoid getting colds, flu, etc: True or False?

    False, simply. Cold weather does increase the infection risk, but for reasons that a hat and scarf won’t protect you from. More on this later, but for now, let’s lay to rest the idea that bodily chilling will promote infection by cold, flu, etc.

    In a small-ish but statistically significant study (n=180), it was found that…

    ❝There was no evidence that chilling caused any acute change in symptom scores❞

    Read more: Acute cooling of the feet and the onset of common cold symptoms

    Note: they do mention in their conclusion that chilling the feet “causes the onset of cold symptoms in about 10% of subjects who are chilled”, but the data does not support that conclusion, and the only clear indicator is that people who are more prone to colds generally, were more prone to getting a cold after a cold water footbath.

    In other words, people who were more prone to colds remained more prone to colds, just the same.

    It’s important to get plenty of cold, fresh air, as this kills/inactivates pathogens: True or False?

    Broadly False, though most pathogens do have an optimal operating temperature that (for obvious reasons) is around normal human body temperature.

    However, given that they don’t generally have to survive outside of a host body for long to get passed on, the fact that the pathogens may be a little sluggish in the great outdoors will not change the fact that they will be delighted by the climate in your respiratory tract as soon as you get back into the warm.

    With regard to the cold air not being a reliable killer/inactivator of pathogens, we call to the witness stand…

    Polar Bear Dies From Bird Flu As H5N1 Spreads Across Globe

    (it was found near Utqiagvik, one of the northernmost communities in Alaska)

    Because pathogens like human body temperature, raising the body temperature is a way to kill/inactivate them: True or False?

    True! Unfortunately, it’s also a way to kill us. Because we, too, cannot survive for long above our normal body temperature.

    So, for example, bundling up warmly and cranking up the heating won’t necessarily help, because:

    • if the temperature is comfortable for you, it’s comfortable for the pathogen
    • if the temperature is dangerous to the pathogen, it’s dangerous to you too

    This is why the fever response evolved, and/but why many people with fevers die anyway. It’s the body’s way of playing chicken with the pathogen, challenging “guess which of us can survive this for longer!”

    Temperature has no bearing on infection risk: True or False?

    True and/or False, circumstantially. This one’s a little complex, but let’s break it down to the essentials.

    • Temperature has no direct effect, for the reasons we outlined above
    • Temperature is often related to humidity, which does have an effect
    • Temperature does tend to influence human behavior (more time spent in open spaces with good ventilation vs more time spent in closed quarters with poor ventilation and/or recycled air), which has an obvious effect on transmission rates

    The first one we covered, and the third one is self-evident, so let’s look at the second one:

    Temperature is often related to humidity, which does have an effect

    When the environmental temperature is warmer, water droplets in the air will tend to be bigger, and thus drop to the ground much more quickly.

    When the environmental temperature is colder, water droplets in the air will tend to be smaller, and thus stay in the air for longer (along with any pathogens those water droplets may be carrying).

    Some papers on the impact of this:

    So whatever temperature you like to keep your environment, humidity is a protective factor against respiratory infections, and dry air is a risk factor.

    So, for example:

    • If the weather doesn’t suit having good ventilation, a humidifier is a good option
    • Being in an airplane is one of the worst places to be for this, outside of a hospital

    Don’t have a humidifier? Here’s an example product on Amazon, but by all means shop around.

    A crock pot with hot water in and the lid off is also a very workable workaround too

    Take care!

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  • Quinoa vs Couscous – 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 quinoa to couscous, we picked the quinoa.

    Why?

    Firstly, quinoa is the least processed by far. Couscous, even if wholewheat, has by necessity been processed to make what is more or less the same general “stuff” as pasta. Now, the degree to which something has or has not been processed is a common indicator of healthiness, but not necessarily declarative. There are some processed foods that are healthy (e.g. many fermented products) and there are some unprocessed plant or animal products that can kill you (e.g. red meat’s health risks, or the wrong mushrooms). But in this case—quinoa vs couscous—it’s all borne out pretty much as expected.

    For the purposes of the following comparisons, we’ll be looking at uncooked/dry weights.

    In terms of macros, quinoa has a little more protein, slightly lower carbs, and several times the fiber. The amino acids making up quinoa’s protein are also much more varied.

    In the category of vitamins, quinoa has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and B9, while couscous boasts a little more of vitamins B3 and B5. Given the respective margins of difference, as well as the total vitamins contained, this category is an easy win for quinoa.

    When it comes to minerals, this one’s not even more clear. Quinoa has a lot more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. Couscous, meanwhile has more of just one mineral: sodium. So, maybe not one you want more of.

    All in all, today’s is an easy pick: quinoa!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    Take care!

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  • I’ve been diagnosed with cancer. How do I tell my children?

    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.

    With around one in 50 adults diagnosed with cancer each year, many people are faced with the difficult task of sharing the news of their diagnosis with their loved ones. Parents with cancer may be most worried about telling their children.

    It’s best to give children factual and age-appropriate information, so children don’t create their own explanations or blame themselves. Over time, supportive family relationships and open communication help children adjust to their parent’s diagnosis and treatment.

    It’s natural to feel you don’t have the skills or knowledge to talk with your children about cancer. But preparing for the conversation can improve your confidence.

    Benjamin Manley/Unsplash

    Preparing for the conversation

    Choose a suitable time and location in a place where your children feel comfortable. Turn off distractions such as screens and phones.

    For teenagers, who can find face-to-face conversations confronting, think about talking while you are going for a walk.

    Consider if you will tell all children at once or separately. Will you be the only adult present, or will having another adult close to your child be helpful? Another adult might give your children a person they can talk to later, especially to answer questions they might be worried about asking you.

    Two sisters
    Choose the time and location when your children feel comfortable. Craig Adderley/Pexels

    Finally, plan what to do after the conversation, like doing an activity with them that they enjoy. Older children and teenagers might want some time alone to digest the news, but you can suggest things you know they like to do to relax.

    Also consider what you might need to support yourself.

    Preparing the words

    Parents might be worried about the best words or language to use to make sure the explanations are at a level their child understands. Make a plan for what you will say and take notes to stay on track.

    The toughest part is likely to be saying to your children that you have cancer. It can help to practise saying those words out aloud.

    Ask family and friends for their feedback on what you want to say. Make use of guides by the Cancer Council, which provide age-appropriate wording for explaining medical terms like “cancer”, “chemotherapy” and “tumour”.

    Having the conversation

    Being open, honest and factual is important. Consider the balance between being too vague, and providing too much information. The amount and type of information you give will be based on their age and previous experiences with illness.

    Remember, if things don’t go as planned, you can always try again later.

    Start by telling your children the news in a few short sentences, describing what you know about the diagnosis in language suitable for their age. Generally, this information will include the name of the cancer, the area of the body affected and what will be involved in treatment.

    Let them know what to expect in the coming weeks and months. Balance hope with reality. For example:

    The doctors will do everything they can to help me get well. But, it is going to be a long road and the treatments will make me quite sick.

    Check what your child knows about cancer. Young children may not know much about cancer, while primary school-aged children are starting to understand that it is a serious illness. Young children may worry about becoming unwell themselves, or other loved ones becoming sick.

    Child hiding in cushions
    Young children might worry about other loved ones becoming sick. Pixabay/Pexels

    Older children and teenagers may have experiences with cancer through other family members, friends at school or social media.

    This process allows you to correct any misconceptions and provides opportunities for them to ask questions. Regardless of their level of knowledge, it is important to reassure them that the cancer is not their fault.

    Ask them if there is anything they want to know or say. Talk to them about what will stay the same as well as what may change. For example:

    You can still do gymnastics, but sometimes Kate’s mum will have to pick you up if I am having treatment.

    If you can’t answer their questions, be OK with saying “I’m not sure”, or “I will try to find out”.

    Finally, tell children you love them and offer them comfort.

    How might they respond?

    Be prepared for a range of different responses. Some might be distressed and cry, others might be angry, and some might not seem upset at all. This might be due to shock, or a sign they need time to process the news. It also might mean they are trying to be brave because they don’t want to upset you.

    Children’s reactions will change over time as they come to terms with the news and process the information. They might seem like they are happy and coping well, then be teary and clingy, or angry and irritable.

    Older children and teenagers may ask if they can tell their friends and family about what is happening. It may be useful to come together as a family to discuss how to inform friends and family.

    What’s next?

    Consider the conversation the first of many ongoing discussions. Let children know they can talk to you and ask questions.

    Resources might also help; for example, The Cancer Council’s app for children and teenagers and Redkite’s library of free books for families affected by cancer.

    If you or other adults involved in the children’s lives are concerned about how they are coping, speak to your GP or treating specialist about options for psychological support.

    Cassy Dittman, Senior Lecturer/Head of Course (Undergraduate Psychology), Research Fellow, Manna Institute, CQUniversity Australia; Govind Krishnamoorthy, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology and Wellbeing, Post Doctoral Fellow, Manna Institute, University of Southern Queensland, and Marg Rogers, Senior Lecturer, Early Childhood Education; Post Doctoral Fellow, Manna Institute, University of New England

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Tofu vs Seitan – 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 tofu to seitan, we picked the tofu.

    Why?

    This one is not close!

    In terms of macros, seitan does have about 2x the protein, but it also has 6x the carbs and 6x the sodium of tofu, as well as less fiber than tofu.. So we’ll call it a tie on macros. But…

    Seitan is also much more processed than tofu, as tofu has usually just been fermented and possibly pressed (depending on kind). Seitan, in contrast, is processed gluten that has been extracted from wheat and usually had lots of things happen to it on the way (depending on kind).

    About that protein… Tofu is a complete protein, meaning it has all of the essential amino acids. Seitain, meanwhile, is lacking in lysine.

    When it comes to vitamins and minerals, again tofu easily comes out on top; tofu has 5x the calcium, similar iron, more magnesium, 2x the phosphorous, 150% of the potassium, and contains several other nutrients that seitan doesn’t, such as folate and choline.

    So, easy winning for tofu across the board on micronutrients.

    Tofu is also rich in isoflavones, antioxidant phytonutrients, while seitan has no such benefits.

    So, another win for tofu.

    There are two reasons you might choose seitan:

    • prioritizing bulk protein above all other health considerations
    • you are allergic to soy and not allergic to gluten

    If neither of those things are the case, then tofu is the healthier choice!

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    Take care!

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  • The Book of Lymph – by Lisa Levitt Gainsely

    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.

    The book starts with an overview of what lymph is and why it matters, before getting into the main meat of the book, which is lymphatic massage techniques to improve lymphatic flow/drainage throughout different parts of the body, and in the context of an assortment of common maladies that may merit particular attention.

    There’s an element of aesthetic medicine here, and improving beauty, but there’s also a whole section devoted to such things as breast care and the like (bearing in mind, the lymphatic system is one of our main defenses against cancer). There’s also a lot about managing lymph in the context of chronic health conditions.

    The style is light pop-science; the science is explained clearly throughout, but without academic citations every few lines as some books might have. The author is, after all, a practitioner (CLT) and/but not an academic.

    Bottom line: if you’d like to improve your lymphatic health, whether for beauty or health maintenance or recovery, this book will walk you through it.

    Click here to check out The Book of Lymph, and give yours some love!

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