Thinner Leaner Stronger – by Michael Matthews
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First, the elephant in the training room: this book does assume that you want to be thinner, leaner, and stronger. This is the companion book, written for women, to “Bigger, Stronger, Leaner”, which was written for men. Statistically, these assumptions are reasonable, even if the generalizations are imperfect. Also, this reviewer has a gripe with anything selling “thinner”. Leaner was already sufficient, and “stronger” is the key element here, so “thinner” is just marketing, and marketing something that’s often not unhealthy, to sell a book that’s actually full of good advice for building a healthy body.
In other words: don’t judge a book by the cover, however eyeroll-worthy it may be.
The book is broadly aimed at middle-aged readers, but boasts equal worth for young and old alike. If there’s something Matthews knows how to do well in his writing, it’s hedging his bets.
As for what’s in the book: it’s diet and exercise advice, aimed at long-term implementation (i.e. not a crash course, but a lifestyle change), for maximum body composition change results while not doing anything silly (like many extreme short-term courses do) and not compromising other aspects of one’s health, while also not taking up an inordinate amount of time.
The dietary advice is sensible, broadly consistent with what we’d advise here, and/but if you want to maximise your body composition change results, you’re going to need a pocket calculator (or be better than this writer is at mental arithmetic).
The exercise advice is detailed, and a lot more specific than “lift things”; there are programs of specifically how many sets and reps and so forth, and when to increase the weights and when not to.
A strength of this book is that it explains why all those numbers are what they are, instead of just expecting the reader to take on faith that the best for a given exercise is (for example) 3 sets of 8–10 reps of 70–75% of one’s single-rep max for that exercise. Because without the explanation, those numbers would seem very arbitrary indeed, and that wouldn’t help anyone stick with the program. And so on, for any advice he gives.
The style is… A little flashy for this reader’s taste, a little salesy (and yes he does try to upsell to his personal coaching, but really, anything you need is in the book already), but when it comes down to it, all that gym-boy bravado doesn’t take away from the fact his advice is sound and helpful.
Bottom line: if you would like your body to be the three things mentioned in the title, this book can certainly help you get there.
Click here to check out Thinner Leaner Stronger, and become thinner, leaner, stronger!
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Quiet Your Mind And Get To Sleep – by Dr. Colleen Carney & Dr. Rachel Manber
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One of the biggest problems with disrupted sleep is how it relates to other conditions, especially chronic pain or mental health difficulties—each part of it makes the other part(s) worse.
How, then, to interrupt that cycle, and enjoy better sleep that allows one to improve the other things too? Of course, you can tackle all parts of it in any order, but this book deals with it from a “sleep first” angle, with the philosophy that you’ll then be well-rested and better able to take on the other things.
The authors use an approach based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), which you’ve probably encountered elsewhere, but the difference here is that the authors don’t assume that all your problems can be just flowcharted away (which is otherwise a common weakness of CBT; attempts to note that the thing isn’t as bad as you automatically assumed will fail, if the thing really is that bad).
Instead, we see tools for improving sleep from the inside out, examining in detail how sleep works and what can go wrong with it, before then troubleshooting sleep-incompatible behaviors, optimizing our sleep system, and, as the title promises, quieting our mind. The authors give us tools for change to implement in all parts of this, including tools for changing our way of thinking about sleep, when often the stress of sleeplessness can, by painful irony, contribute to our sleeplessness.
It’s not all about head-stuff though; the authors do also cover peripheral matters including discussing quite an assortment of substances and medications that can help, harm, or both).
Lastly, the authors talk us through creating a plan, including working out in advance the possible challenges we may face (due to factors unforeseen by the authors, but known to us) and how we’ll overcome them or, if necessary, work around them.
The style is to-the-point self-help pop-science, without undue jargon, and/but with copious citations throughout, and an extensive bibliography, itself preceded by a generous set of resource-containing appendices.
Bottom line: if you struggle with sleep and that problem is comorbid with something else (e.g. chronic pain, stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc—actually the authors cover far more conditions than we’ve had room to mention here) then this is an excellent book to tackle your sleep holistically with those things in mind.
Click here to check out Quiet Your Mind And Get To Sleep, and rest well!
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The Two Worst Things For Cardiac Aging
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What do you think? There are some very reasonable top likely candidates!
Is it ultraprocessed food? It could be, on account of science such as: Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and their circulating receptors predict cardiovascular disease mortality in older women
For more on that, see: Are You Eating AGEs?
It it, perhaps, alcohol? There’s a strong argument, as despite the popular myth of the “small glass of red per day”, any amount of alcohol increases mortality risk,, a comprehensive review in “Circulation”, a cardiovascular health journal, has suggested the French Paradox may not be so paradoxical after all, and is likely due to unrelated lifestyle factors, and historic under-reporting of cardiovascular disease by French doctors, and the World Health Organization has declared that the only safe amount of alcohol is zero: WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health
It’s further relevant that alcohol also increases all-cause mortality at any dose (even “low-risk drinking”): Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Mortality Among Older Adults
For more on that, see: Can We Drink To Good Health? ← this is mostly about red wine and heart health
Could it be red meat? Definitely a fair contender. It’s… Bad:
- Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Red Meat Consumption in Comparison With Various Comparison Diets on Cardiovascular Risk Factors
- Associations of Processed Meat or Unprocessed Red Meat Intake With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality
- Potential health hazards of eating red meat
- Red meat consumption, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Red Meat Consumption and its Relationship With Cardiovascular Health: A Review of Pathophysiology and Literature
For more on that, see: The Whys and Hows of Cutting Meats Out Of Your Diet
The very two top worst things
Researchers (Dr. Nazanin Rajai et al.) looked at this very question and found that the two biggest drivers of cardiac aging were…
*drumroll please*
Surprising many, financial strain and food insecurity emerged as the two strongest factors driving accelerated cardiac aging and higher mortality risk, outweighing many traditional clinical risk factors. It was a pretty comprehensive study, a cross-sectional analysis of 280,323 adult patients treated between 2018 and 2023, combining social determinants of health with AI-ECG* data and advanced statistical modeling.
*Dr. Rajai and her team used electrocardiogram technology combined with AI modeling to estimate cardiac age; a higher cardiac age gap means the heart is biologically older than the person**, and thus indicates a greater future cardiovascular risk.
**Notably, “biological age” is often thought of as one thing, but in reality, it’s an amalgam of many things, and different body parts/systems can age differently than others, within the same person’s body. We wrote about this here: Age & Aging: What Can (And Can’t) We Do About It? ← our mythbusting special on this topic
As for the factors that were looked at, this particular study looked at stress, physical activity, social connection, housing instability, financial strain, food insecurity, transportation needs, nutrition, and education.
That said, it’s worth taking into account that the other factors were important too; especially, social factors such as financial strain, housing instability, and physical inactivity predicted mortality risk at levels comparable to—or exceeding—some conventional cardiovascular risk factors.
You can read the paper in full, here: Interplay of Social Determinants of Health and Traditional Risk Factors in Predicting Cardiac Aging
This is consistent with what we wrote about previously, with a list of The Lifestyle Factors That Matter >8 Times More Than Genes
…and upon narrowing it down: 6 Lifestyle Factors To Measurably Reduce Biological Age
…and narrowing it further: Want To Age More Slowly? These 4 Social Factors Count The Most
And in particular, and especially relevant today: Heart Health vs Systemic Stress
As to how to address that? See: The S.T.E.P.S. To A Healthier Heart
Want to learn more?
You might like this book that we reviewed a while back:
Heart Smarter for Women: Six Weeks to a Healthier Heart – by Dr. Jennifer Mieres
Take care!
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Clams vs Oysters – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing clams to oysters, we picked the clams.
Why?
Considering the macros first, clams have more than 2x the protein, while oysters have nearly 2x the fat, of which, a little over 5x the saturated fat. So, in all accounts, clam is the winner here.
In terms of vitamins, clams have more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, and C, while oysters are not higher in any vitamins. Another win for clams.
The category of minerals is more balanced; clams are higher in manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium, while oysters are higher in copper, iron, magnesium, and zinc. This makes for a 4:4 tie, though it’s worth noting that the margin of difference for zinc is very large, so that can be an argument for oysters.
Nevertheless, adding up the sections makes for a clear win for clams.
A quick aside on “are oysters an aphrodisiac?”:
That zinc content is probably largely responsible for oysters’ reputation as an aphrodisiac, and zinc is important in the synthesis of both estrogen and testosterone. However, as the synthesis is not instant, and those sex hormones rise most in the morning (around 8am to 9am), to enjoy aphrodisiac benefits it’d be more sensible, on a biochemical level, to eat oysters one day, and then have morning sex the next day when those hormones are peaking. That said, while testosterone is the main driver of male libido, progesterone is usually more relevant for women’s, and unlike estrogen, progesterone usually peaks around 10pm to 2am, and is uninfluenced by having just eaten oysters.
So, in what way, if any, could oysters be responsible for libido in women? Well, the zinc is still important in energy metabolism, so that’s a factor, and also, we might hypothesize that oysters’ high saturated fat and cholesterol content may increase blood pressure which, while not fabulous for the health in general, may be considered desirable in the bedroom since the clitoris is anatomically analogous to the penis, and—while estrogen vs testosterone makes differences to the nervous system down there that are beyond the scope of today’s article—also enjoys localized increased blood pressure (and thus, a flushing response and resultant engorgement) during arousal.
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Does Eating Shellfish Really Contribute To Gout? ← short answer is: it can if consumed frequently over a long period of time, but that risk factor is greatly overstated, compared to some other risk factors
Take care!
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High Histamine Foods To Avoid (And Low Histamine Foods To Eat Instead)
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.
Nour Zibdeh is an Integrative and Functional Dietician, and she helps people overcome food intolerances. Today, it’s about getting rid of the underdiagnosed condition that is histamine intolerance, by first eliminating the triggers, and then not getting stuck on the low-histamine diet
The recommendations
High histamine foods to avoid include:
- Alcohol (all types)
- Fermented foods—normally great for the gut, but bad in this case
- That includes most cheeses and yogurts
- Aged, cured, or otherwise preserved meat
- Some plants, e.g. tomato, spinach, eggplant, banana, avocado. Again, normally all great, but not in this case.
Low histamine foods to eat include:
- Fruits and vegetables not mentioned above
- Minimally processed meat and fish, either fresh from the butcher/fishmonger, or frozen (not from the chilled food section of the supermarket), and eaten the same day they were purchased or defrosted, because otherwise histamine builds up over time (and quite quickly)
- Grains, but she recommends skipping gluten, given the high likelihood of a comorbid gluten intolerance. So instead she recommends for example quinoa, oats, rice, buckwheat, millet, etc.
For more about these (and more examples), as well as how to then phase safely off the low histamine diet, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Further reading
Food intolerances often gang up on a person (i.e., comorbidity is high), so you might also like to read about:
- Gluten: What’s The Truth?
- Fiber For FODMAP-Avoiders
- Foods For Managing Hypothyroidism (incl. Hashimoto’s)
- Crohn’s, Food Intolerances, & More
Take care!
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Lychees vs Strawberries – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing lychees to strawberries, we picked the strawberries.
Why?
Strawberries enjoy modest to strong wins in each category:
In terms of macros, lychees have more carbs, while strawberries have more fiber, winning.
In the category of vitamins, lychees have more of vitamins B2, B3, B6, and C, while strawberries have more of vitamins A, B1, B7, B9, E, and K, winning this round too.
Looking at minerals, lychees have more copper, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium, while strawberries have more calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and zinc, once gain winning.
In other considerations, strawberries have more polyphenols, which is one more win.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall in for strawberries, but do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Are You Getting The Right Kinds Of Flavonoids?
Enjoy!
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Coconut Milk vs Soy Milk – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing coconut milk to soy milk, we picked the soy.
Why?
First, because there are many kinds of both, let’s be clear which ones we’re comparing. For both, we picked the healthiest options commonly available, which were:
- Soy milk, unsweetened, fortified
- Coconut milk, raw (liquid expressed from grated meat and water)
Macronutrients are our first consideration; coconut milk has about 3x the carbs and about 14x the fat. Now, the fats are famously healthy medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), but still, one cup of coconut milk contains about 2.5x the recommended daily amount of saturated fat, so it’s wise to go easy on that. Coconut milk also has about 4x the fiber, but still, because the saturated fat difference, we’re calling this one a win for soy milk.
In the category of vitamins, the fortified soy milk wins. In case you’re curious: milk in general (animal or plant) is generally fortified with vitamin D (in N. America, anyway; other places may vary), and vitamin B12. In this case, the soy milk has those, plus some natural vitamins, meaning it has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and D, while coconut milk has more of vitamins B3, B5, and C. A fair win for soy milk.
When it comes to minerals, the only fortification for the soy milk is calcium, of which it has more than 7x what coconut milk has. The coconut milk, however, has more copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. An easy win for coconut milk.
Adding up the sections gives us a win for soy milk—but if consumed in moderation as part of a diet otherwise low in saturated fat, a case could be made for the coconut.
The real take-away here today is not this specific head-to-head but rather: milks (animal or plant) vary a lot, have a lot of different fortifications and/or additives, and yes that goes even for brands (cow milk brands do this a lot) who don’t advertise their additives because their branding is going for a “natural” look. So, read labels, and make informed decisions about which additives you do or don’t want.
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
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