Tasty Hot-Or-Cold Soup
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Full of fiber as well as vitamins and minerals, this versatile “serve it hot or cold” soup is great whatever the weather—give it a try!
You will need
- 1 quart low-sodium vegetable stock—ideally you made this yourself from vegetable offcuts you kept in the freezer until you had enough to boil in a big pan, but failing that, a large supermarket will generally be able to sell you low-sodium stock cubes.
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced, or equivalent small carrots, sliced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- ¼ bulb garlic, minced
- 1 small piece (equivalent of a teaspoon) ginger, minced
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tsp black pepper, coarse ground
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
- Optional: ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
About the MSG/salt: there should be enough sodium already from the stock and potatoes, but in case there’s not (since not all stock and potatoes are made equal), you might want to keep this on standby.
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Heat some oil in a sauté pan, and add the diced onion, frying until it begins to soften.
2) Add the ginger, potato, carrot, and leek, and stir for about 5 minutes. The hard vegetables won’t be fully cooked yet; that’s fine.
3) Add the zucchini, red pepper, celery, and garlic, and stir for another 2–3 minutes.
4) Add the remaining ingredients; seasonings first, then vegetable stock, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
5) Check the potatoes are fully softened, and if they are, it’s ready to serve if you want it hot. Alternatively, let it cool, chill it in the fridge, and enjoy it cold:
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Eat More (Of This) For Lower Blood Pressure
- Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits? ← 5/5 in our recipe today!
- Monosodium Glutamate: Sinless Flavor-Enhancer Or Terrible Health Risk?
Take care!
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The Pills That Reduce Alcohol Consumption
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Alcohol is, of course, unhealthy. Not even the famous “small glass of red” is recommended:
Can We Drink To Good Health? ← this was mostly about the purported heart health benefits, and the answer to the question is: no, we cannot, and as WHO has declared, “the only safe amount of alcohol is zero”)
See also: How Much Alcohol Does It Take To Increase Cancer Risk? ← the answer is “any” (although, the risk is dose-dependent, so if not abstaining completely, less is still better than more)
A lot of why people think that moderate drinking is healthy, that widespread popular belief stems from flawed associative studies that compared the following two categories of people:
- non-drinkers, including many former heavy drinkers who stopped because they realized the harm they were doing to themselves
- light drinkers, who have been able to continue drinking because of their otherwise good health
In other words, they looked at now-teetotal former alcoholics whose health was ruined by drinking and concluded “aha, non-drinkers have bad health; clearly some drinking is best”.
You can read more about this and how that flawed research was later disproven once the confounding variables were removed, here: Are You Making This Alcohol Mistake?
Drugs to the rescue!
“Take drugs to reduce the consumption of alcohol (another drug)” may seem like odd advice, but we’re not talking narcotics here.
Although! The drugs in question are active on the dopamine system, so yes, it is actually rather relevant. In other words, they reduce alcohol cravings (and thus, alcohol consumption), by improving dopamine signalling, which means people are less likely to reach for a bottle to self-medicate in order to try to get certain parts of the brain to light up.
Here some readers may be thinking “but I’m not trying to self-medicate; I just like enjoying the drink”, and if that’s you, then well, consider double-checking, for example:
The Alcohol Experiment – by Annie Grace ← it’s a 30-day no-alcohol challenge. If it’s not a dependency, you can do it no problem, right? Compare how willing you are (or not) to do this challenge, compared to, say, abstaining from some other thing that you frequently enjoy but isn’t addictive.
For example, this writer drinks, on average, 6 cups of spearmint tea per day. I love it. But it’s not addictive, and if challenged to skip it, I wouldn’t be counting the days or having to plan coping strategies.
So, with the knowledge in mind that alcohol is indeed addictive and does hijack dopamine circuitry (and more), a team of researchers (Dr. Andrea de Bejczy et al.) investigated the combination of two existing medications (varenicline, for smoking cessation, and bupropion, an antidepressant that works on the dopamine system) in treating alcohol use disorder.
The study
It was respectably large (n=384) 13-week randomized controlled trial, with adults aged 25–70 years with moderate-to-severe alcohol use disorder. About two thirds of the participants were male, the rest were female.
As for how effective it was: compared to placebo, the combination of both drugs reduced a blood alcohol biomarker (B-PEth) by about 39% and the percentage of self-reported heavy drinking days by about 31%.
It’s worthy of note also that actually varenicline achieved this reduction when tested alone, too; adding buproprion didn’t increase the effectiveness but did decrease the side effects:
❝Nausea is a well-known and troublesome side effect of treatment with varenicline. It was surprising but very encouraging to see that nausea decreased when bupropion was added. The fact that the combination treatment is more tolerable for patients increases the chances that they will complete the full course of treatment❞
~ Dr. Andrea de Bejczy
You can read the paper in full, here: Efficacy and safety of varenicline and bupropion, in combination and alone, for alcohol use disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre trial
And if you’d prefer a drug-free approach, check out: Rethinking Drinking: How To Reduce Or Quit Alcohol
Worried you’ve already done too much harm?
It’s never too early to quit drinking, but it’s also never too late:
What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol ← for a detailed timeline which parts of your body recover when
Take care!
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Eat to Your Heart’s Content – by Dr. Sat Bains
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.
Making food heart-healthy and tasty is a challenge that vexes many, but it doesn’t have to be so difficult.
Dr. Sat Bains, a professional chef with multiple Michelin stars to his name, is an expert on “tasty”, and after surviving a heart attack himself, he’s become an expert on “heart-healthy” since then.
The book contains not only the recipes (of which there are 68, by the way), but also large sections of explanation of what makes various ingredients or methods heart-healthy or heart-unhealthy.
There’s science in there too, and these sections were written under the guidance of Dr. Neil Williams, a lecturer in physiology and nutrition.
You may be wondering as to why the author himself has a doctorate too; in fact he has three, none of which are relevant:
- Doctor of Arts
- Doctor of Laws
- Doctor of Hospitality (Honorary)
…but we prefix “Dr.” when people are that and he is that. The expertise we’re getting here though is really his culinary skill and extracurricular heart-healthy learning, plus Dr. Williams’ actual professional health guidance.
Bottom line: if you’d like heart-healthy recipes with restaurant-level glamour, this book is a fine choice.
Click here to check out Eat To Your Heart’s Content, and look after yours!
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Lemons vs Strawberries – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing lemons to strawberries, we picked the strawberries.
Why?
Both have their merits!
In terms of macros, the only meaningful difference is that lemons have 50% more fiber, scoring a slender first-round victory.
In the category of vitamins, however, lemons have more of vitamins B1, B5, and B6, while strawberries have more of vitamins B2, B3, B7, B9, C, E, and K, winning by a fair margin in this round.
Looking at minerals next, lemons boast only (slightly) more calcium and iron, while strawberries have more copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, winning another round easily.
In other considerations, strawberries are much higher in polyphenols, as can be expected of most berries, so that’s another point in strawberries’ favor.
Adding up the section makes for a clear overall win for strawberries, but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Eat These 8 Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Healthy, Glowing Skin!
Enjoy!
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The Diet That Slows Skin Aging
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.
You are, in fact, what you eat. That is to say: your body is made up, physically, of what you have consumed. That’s literally where the matter of your body comes from.
Of course, there are changes that happen along the way. If you eat nuts, that doesn’t mean that you are nuts (silly jokes notwithstanding), but rather that a lot of the nuts’ composite carbs, proteins, fats, and so forth have been repurposed to rebuild various parts of you.
But taking this approach, of remembering that food doesn’t really just vanish once we’ve swallowed and become purely some kind of generic undifferentiated fuel (some of it becomes that! But a lot of it doesn’t) can help us to make much more mindful choices about what we put in our bodies.
Our skin is perhaps one of the most visible representations of that, what with being a fairly sensitive organ that surrounds most of our body.
How to give your skin what it needs
Of course, there are many things besides diet that affect skin aging, including sun exposure, and non-dietary toxins (such as smoking). But today we’re looking at diet.
Specifically, we’re looking at a study by Dr. Marika Cordaro et al., showing what foods make the biggest difference to skin aging—in both directions.
According to their study, the most impactful nutrients for skin youthfulness include:
- Vitamins A, C, and E (support collagen and skin elasticity)
- Polyphenols and carotenoids (such as from berries, leafy greens, tomatoes)
- Omega-3 fatty acids (such as from chia seeds, flaxseed, salmon)
- Peptides and amino acids (especially lysine and proline for collagen synthesis)
- Minerals including at the top of the list: zinc, copper, and selenium
- Phytoestrogens (soy, flaxseed) that, while they cannot be used directly as estrogen for most purposes (incompatible) do benefit skin health
- Probiotics and prebiotics (support skin microbiome and hydration)
- Cranberry polyphenols get a special shoutout aside from other polyphenols, for their unique reduction of collagen stiffening by inhibiting collagen glycation.
- Fermented foods show benefit also in reducing signs of aging, though the mechanism for this one is unclear, and may be a simple result of improved systemic health.
- Moringa oleifera and fermented Agastache rugosa extracts may protect against skin stress and UV damage
We wrote about Moringa here: Moringa Oleifera Against CVD, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s & Arsenic?
And as for cranberries: Health Benefits Of Cranberries (But: You’d Better Watch Out) ← there are a couple of contraindications to be aware of
And for the last word on collagen: We Are Such Stuff As Fish Are Made Of
You may be wondering: what’s that about glycation?
We’ve written about that before too: Are You Eating AGEs? ← it has to do with advanced glycation end-products (which are Very Bad™)
You may also be wondering about chocolate, so check out: The Truth About Chocolate & Skin Health
On which note… What not to eat?
The biggest offenders, according to the study, are:
- alcohol
- refined sugars
- advanced glycation end-products
- trans fats
- omega-6 fatty acids (in excess)*
*unlike the other items in the list, we do need some omega-6 fatty acids, but most people, and especially most Americans, get far, far too much.
Want to know more?
You can read the paper in its entirety here:
Potential Role of Dietary Antioxidants During Skin Aging ← the title really undersells it; it’s about a lot more than just antioxidants
And if you want to really dive deeply into more than just nutrition, then we recommend this book that we reviewed a while back:
Biohack Your Way to Healthy Skin – by Jennifer Sun
Enjoy!
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CLA for Weight Loss?
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Conjugated Linoleic Acid for Weight Loss?
You asked us to evaluate the use of CLA for weight loss, so that’s today’s main feature!
First, what is CLA?
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a fatty acid made by grazing animals. Humans don’t make it ourselves, and it’s not an essential nutrient.
Nevertheless, it’s a popular supplement, mostly sold as a fat-burning helper, and thus enjoyed by slimmers and bodybuilders alike.
❝CLA reduces bodyfat❞—True or False?
True! Contingently. Specifically, it will definitely clearly help in some cases. For example:
- This study found it doubled fat loss in chickens
- It significantly increased delipidation of white adipose tissue in these mice
- The mice in this study enjoyed a 43–88% reduction in (fatty) weight gain
- Over the course of a six-week weight-loss program, these mice got 70% more weight loss on CLA, compared to placebo
- In this study, pigs that took CLA on a high-calorie diet gained 50% less weight than those not taking CLA
- On a heart-unhealthy diet, these hamsters taking CLA gained much less white adipose tissue than their comrades not taking CLA
- Another study with pigs found that again, CLA supplementation resulted in much less weight gained
- These hamsters being fed a high-cholesterol diet found that those taking CLA ended up with a leaner body mass than those not taking CLA
- This study with mice found that CLA supplementation promoted fat loss and lean muscle gain
Did you notice a theme? It’s Animal Farm out there!
❝CLA reduces bodyfat in humans❞—True or False?
False—practically. Technically it appears to give non-significantly better results than placebo.
A comprehensive meta-analysis of 18 different studies (in which CLA was provided to humans in randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials and in which body composition was assessed by using a validated technique) found that, on average, human CLA-takers lost…
Drumroll please…
00.00–00.05 kg per week. That’s between 0–50g per week. That’s less than two ounces. Put it this way: if you were to quickly drink an espresso before stepping on the scale, the weight of your very tiny coffee would cover your fat loss.
The reviewers concluded:
❝CLA produces a modest loss in body fat in humans❞
Modest indeed!
See for yourself: Efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid for reducing fat mass: a meta-analysis in humans
But what about long-term? Well, as it happens (and as did show up in the non-human animal studies too, by the way) CLA works best for the first four weeks or so, and then effects taper off.
Another review of longer-term randomized clinical trials (in humans) found that over the course of a year, CLA-takers enjoyed on average a 1.33kg total weight loss benefit over placebo—so that’s the equivalent of about 25g (0.8 oz) per week. We’re talking less than a shot glass now.
They concluded:
❝The evidence from RCTs does not convincingly show that CLA intake generates any clinically relevant effects on body composition on the long term❞
A couple of other studies we’ll quickly mention before closing this section:
- CLA supplementation does not affect waist circumference in humans (at all).
- Amongst obese women doing aerobic exercise, CLA supplementation has no effect (at all) on body fat reduction compared to placebo
What does work?
You may remember this headline from our “What’s happening in the health world” section a few days ago:
Research reveals self-monitoring behaviors and tracking tools key to long-term weight loss success
On which note, we’ve mentioned before, we’ll mention again, and maybe one of these days we’ll do a main feature on it, there’s a psychology-based app/service “Noom” that’s very personalizable and helps you reach your own health goals, whatever they might be, in a manner consistent with any lifestyle considerations you might want to give it.
Curious to give it a go? Check it out at Noom.com (you can get the app there too, if you want)
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Undo It! – by Dr. Dean Ornish & Anne Ornish
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.
Of course, no lifestyle changes will magically undo Type 1 Diabetes or Cerebral Palsy. But for many chronic diseases, a lot can be done. The question is,how does one book cover them all?
As authors Dr. Dean Ornish and Anne Ornish explain, very many chronic diseases are exacerbated, or outright caused, by the same factors:
- Gene expression
- Inflammation
- Oxidative stress
This goes for chronic disease from heart disease to type 2 diabetes to cancer and many autoimmune diseases.
We cannot change our genes, but we can change our gene expression (the authors explain how). And certainly, we can control inflammation and oxidative stress.
Then first part of the book is given over to dietary considerations. If you’re a regular 10almonds reader, you won’t be too surprised at their recommendations, but you may enjoy the 70 recipes offered.
Attention is also given to exercising in ways optimized to beat chronic disease, and to other lifestyle factors.
Limiting stress is important, but the authors go further when it comes to psychological and sociological factors. Specifically, what matters most to health, when it comes to intimacy and community.
Bottom line: this is a very good guide to a comprehensive lifestyle overhaul, especially if something recently has given you cause to think “oh wow, I should really do more to avoid xyz disease”.
Click here to check out Undo It, and better yet, prevent it in advance!
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