The Complete Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Beginners – by Dorothy Calimeris and Lulu Cook

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First, about the authors: notwithstanding the names, Calimeris is the cook, and Cook is the nutritionist (and an RDN at that).

As for the book: we get a good primer on the science of inflammation, what it is, why it happens, what things are known to cause/trigger it, and what things are known to fight it. They do also go outside of nutrition a bit for this, speaking briefly on other lifestyle factors too, but the main focus is of course nutrition.

As for the recipes: while distinctly plants-forward (as one might expect of an anti-inflammatory eating book), it’s not outright vegan or even vegetarian, indeed, in the category of main dishes, there are sections for:

  • Vegetarian and vegan
  • Fish and shellfish
  • Poultry and meat

…as well as, before and after those, sections for breakfast and brunch and snacks and sweets. As well as a not-to-be-underestimated section, for sauces, condiments, and dressings. This is important, because those are quite often the most inflammatory parts of an otherwise healthy meal! So being able to make anti-inflammatory versions is a real boon.

The recipes are mostly not illustrated, but the steps are very clearly described and easy to follow.

Bottom line: if inflammation is currently on your to-tackle list, this book will be an excellent companion in the kitchen.

Click here to check out The Complete Anti-Inflammatory Diet For Beginners, and give your immune system some care!

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Recommended

  • The Disordered Mind – by Dr. Eric Kandel
  • Calm Your Mind with Food – by Dr. Uma Naidoo
    Harvard-trained psychiatrist-chef turns nutritious eating into mental peace with practical meal plans and recipes in “Calm Your Mind With Food.”

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  • Artichoke vs Asparagus – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing artichoke to asparagus, we picked the artichoke.

    Why?

    Both are great and it was close!

    In terms of macros, artichoke has a little more protein and around 3x the carbs and fiber: the ratio there means that both vegetables have an identical glycemic index, so we’ll go with the “most food per food” reckoning of nutritional density, and call it for the artichoke.

    When it comes to vitamins, artichoke has more of vitamins B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, and choline, while asparagus has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, E, and K. Both very respectable nutritional sets, but artichoke gets a marginal 6:5 win on strength of numbers.

    In the category of minerals, artichoke has more calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and potassium, while asparagus has more iron, selenium, and zinc. A clearer 6:3 win for artichoke this time.

    Once again, both of these are great foods, so by all means enjoy either or both. But if you’re looking for the nutritionally densest option, it’s the artichoke!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?

    Take care!

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  • Building & Maintaining Mobility

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    Building & Maintaining Mobility!

    This is Juliet Starrett. She’s a CrossFit co-founder, and two-time white-water rafting world champion. Oh, and she won those after battling thyroid cancer. She’s now 50 years old, and still going strong, having put aside her career as a lawyer to focus on fitness. Specifically, mobility training.

    The Ready State

    Together with her husband Kelly, Starrett co-founded The Ready State, of which she’s CEO.

    It used to be called “Mobility WOD” (the “WOD” stands for “workout of the day”) but they changed their name as other companies took up the use of the word “mobility”, something the fitness world hadn’t previously focussed on much, and “WOD”, which was also hardly copyrightable.

    True to its origins, The Ready State continues to offer many resources for building and maintaining mobility.

    Why the focus on mobility?

    When was the last time you had to bench-press anything larger than a small child? Or squat more than your partner’s bodyweight? Or do a “farmer’s walk” with anything heavier than your groceries?

    For most of us, unless our lifestyles are quite extreme, we don’t need ridiculous strength (fun as that may be).

    You know what makes a huge difference to our quality of life though? Mobility.

    Have you ever felt that moment of panic when you reach for something on a high shelf and your shoulder or back twinges (been there!)? Or worse, you actually hurt yourself and the next thing you know, you need help putting your socks on (been there, too!)?

    And we say to ourselves “I’m not going to let that happen to me again”

    But how? How do we keep our mobility strong?

    First, know your weaknesses

    Starrett is a big fan of mobility tests to pinpoint areas that need more work.

    Most of her resources for this aren’t free, and we’re drawing heavily from her book here, so for your convenience, we’ll link to some third party sources for this:

    Next, eliminate those weaknesses

    Do mobility exercises in any weak areas, until they’re not weak:

    Want to train the full body in one session?

    Try out The Ready State’s 10-Minute Morning Mobility Routine

    Want to learn more?

    You might enjoy her book that we reviewed previously:

    Built to Move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully

    You might also enjoy The Ready State App, available for iOS and for Android:

    The Ready State Virtual Mobility Coach

    Enjoy!

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  • F*ck You Chaos – by Dominika Choroszko

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    We’ve all read decluttering books. Some may even have decluttering books cluttering bookshelves. This one’s a little different, though:

    Dominika Choroszko looks at assessing, decluttering, and subsequently organizing:

    • Your home
    • Your mind
    • Your finances

    In other words

    • she starts off like Marie Kondo, and…
    • phases through doing the jobs of Queer Eye’s “Fab Five”, before…
    • sitting us down with some CBT worksheets, and…
    • finally going through finances à la Martin Lewis.

    By the time we’ve read the book, it’s as though Mary Poppins has breezed through our house, head, and bank account, leaving everything “practically perfect in every way”.

    Of course, it’s on us to actually do the work, but as many of us struggle with “how” and the ever-dreaded “but where to begin”, Choroszko’s whirlwind impetus and precision guidance (many very direct practical steps to take) really grease the wheels of progress.

    In short, this could be the book that kickstarts your next big “getting everything into better order” drive, with a clear step-by-step this-then-this-then-this linear process.

    Get your copy of “F*ck You Chaos” from Amazon today!

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Related Posts

  • The Disordered Mind – by Dr. Eric Kandel
  • Meningitis Outbreak

    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.

    Don’t Let Your Guard Down

    In the US, meningitis is currently enjoying a 10-year high, with its highest levels of infection since 2014.

    This is a big deal, given the 10–15% fatality rate of meningitis, even with appropriate medical treatment.

    But of course, not everyone gets appropriate medical treatment, especially because symptoms can become life-threatening in a matter of hours.

    Most recent stats gave an 18% fatality rate for the cases with known outcomes in the last year:

    CDC Emergency | Increase in Invasive Serogroup Y Meningococcal Disease in the United States

    The quick facts:

    ❝Meningococcal disease most often presents as meningitis, with symptoms that may include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, photophobia, or altered mental status.

    [It can also present] as meningococcal bloodstream infection, with symptoms that may include fever and chills, fatigue, vomiting, cold hands and feet, severe aches and pains, rapid breathing, diarrhea, or, in later stages, a dark purple rash.

    While initial symptoms of meningococcal disease can at first be non-specific, they worsen rapidly, and the disease can become life-threatening within hours. Immediate antibiotic treatment for meningococcal disease is critical.

    Survivors may experience long-term effects such as deafness or amputations of the extremities.❞

    ~ Ibid.

    The good news (but still don’t let your guard down)

    Meningococcal bacteria are, happily, not spread as easily as cold and flu viruses.

    The greatest risks come from:

    • Close and enduring proximity (e.g. living together)
    • Oral, or close-to-oral, contact (e.g. kissing, or coughing nearby)

    Read more:

    CDC | Meningococcal Disease: Causes & How It Spreads

    Is there a vaccine?

    There is, but it’s usually only offered to those most at risk, which is usually:

    • Children
    • Immunocompromised people, especially if HIV+
    • People taking certain medications (e.g. Solaris or Ultomiris)

    Read more:

    CDC | Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendations

    Will taking immune-boosting supplements help?

    Honestly, probably not, but they won’t harm either. The most important thing is: don’t rely on them—too many people pop a vitamin C supplement and then assume they are immune to everything, and it doesn’t work like that.

    On a tangential note, for more general immune health, you might also want to check out:

    Beyond Supplements: The Real Immune-Boosters!

    The short version:

    If you or someone you know experiences the above-mentioned symptoms, even if it does not seem too bad, get thee/them to a doctor, and quickly, because the (very short) clock may be ticking already.

    Better safe than sorry.

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  • It Didn’t Start with You – by Mark Wolynn

    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.

    There is a trend in psychology to “blame the parents” for “childhood trauma” that can result in problems later in life. Sometimes fairly, sometimes not. This book’s mostly not about that.

    It does touch on our own childhood trauma, if applicable. But mostly, it’s about epigenetic trauma inheritance. In other words, not just trauma that’s passed on in terms of “the cycle of abuse”, but trauma that’s passed on in terms of “this generation experienced trauma x, developed trauma response y, encoded it epigenetically, and passed it on to their offspring”.

    So, how does one heal from a trauma one never directly experienced, and just inherited the response to it? That’s what most of this book is about, after establishing how epigenetic trauma inheritance works.

    The author, a therapist, provides practical advice for how to do the things that can be done to rewrite the epigenetic code we inherited. Better late than never!

    Bottom line: it is well-established that trauma is inheritable. But unlike one’s eye color or the ability to smell asparagus metabolites in urine, we can rewrite epigenetic things, to a degree. This book explains how.

    Click here to check out It Didn’t Start With You, and put things to rest!

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  • Should You Soak Your Nuts?

    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

    ❝hi. how many almonds should one eat per day? do they need to be soaked? thank you.❞

    Within reason, however many you like! Given that protein is an appetite suppressant, you’ll probably find it’s not too many.

    Dr. Michael Greger, of “How Not To Die” fame, suggests aiming for 30g of nuts per day. Since almonds typically weigh about 1g each, that means 30 if it’s all almonds.

    And if you’re wondering about 10 almonds? The name’s a deliberate reference to an old internet hoax about 10 almonds being the equivalent of an aspirin for treating a headache. It’s a reminder to be open-mindedly skeptical about information circulating wildly, and look into the real, evidence-based, science of things.

    • Sometimes, the science validates claims, and we’re excited to share that!
    • Sometimes, the science just shoots claims down, and it’s important to acknowledge when that happens too.

    On which note, about soaking…

    Short version: soaking can improve the absorption of some nutrients, but not much more than simply chewing thoroughly. See:

    Soaking does reduce certain “antinutrients” (compounds that block absorption of other nutrients), such as phytic acid. However, even a 24-hour soak reduces them only by about 5%:

    Determination of d-myo-inositol phosphates in “activated” raw almonds using anion-exchange chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

    If you don’t want to take 24-hours to get a 5% benefit, there’s good news! A 12-hour soak can result in 4% less phytic acid in chopped (but not whole) almonds:

    The Effect of Soaking Almonds and Hazelnuts on Phytate and Mineral Concentrations

    Lest that potentially underwhelming benefit leave a bitter taste in your mouth, one good thing about soaking almonds (if you don’t like bitter tastes, anyway) is that it will reduce their bitterness:

    Bitter taste, phytonutrients, and the consumer: a review

    Don’t Forget…

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