Top 10 Foods That Promote Lymphatic Drainage and Lymph Flow
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Melissa Gallagher, a naturopath by profession, recommends the following 10 foods that she says promote lymphatic drainage and lymph flow, as well as the below-mentioned additional properties:
Ginger
Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory, which we wrote about here:
Ginger Does A Lot More Than You Think
Turmeric
Turmeric is another natural anti-inflammatory, which we wrote about here:
Why Curcumin (Turmeric) Is Worth Its Weight In Gold
Garlic
Garlic is—you guessed it—another natural anti-inflammatory which we wrote about here:
The Many Health Benefits Of Garlic
Pineapple
Pineapple contains a collection of enzymes collectively called bromelain—which is a unique kind of anti-inflammatory, and which we have written about here:
Bromelain vs Inflammation & Much More
Citrus
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are rich in vitamin C, which can help support the immune system in general.
Cranberry
Cranberries contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which we wrote about here:
Health Benefits Of Cranberries (But: You’d Better Watch Out)
The video also explains how cranberry bioactives inhibit adipogenesis and reduces fat congestion in your lymphatic system.
Dandelion Tea
Dandelion is a natural diuretic and anti-inflammatory herb, which we’ve not written about yet!
Nettle Tea
Nettle is a natural diuretic and anti-inflammatory herb, which we’ve also not written about yet!
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats like avocado, nuts, and olive oil can help reduce inflammation and support the immune system.
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods, such as kimchi and sauerkraut, contain probiotics that can improve gut health, which in turn boosts the immune system. You can read all about it here:
Making Friends With Your Gut (You Can Thank Us Later)
Want the full explanation? Here’s the video:
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How was the video? If you’ve discovered any great videos yourself that you’d like to share with fellow 10almonds readers, then please do email them to us!
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The Link Between Introversion & Sensory Processing
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We’ve talked before about how to beat loneliness and isolation, and how that’s important for all of us, including those of us on the less social end of the scale.
However, while we all need at least the option of social contact in order to be at our best, there’s a large portion of the population who also need to be able to retreat to somewhere quiet to recover from too much social goings-on.
Clinically speaking, this sometimes gets called introversion, or at least a negative score for extroversion on the “Big Five Inventory”, the only personality-typing system that actually gets used in science. Today we’re going to be focusing on a term that typically gets applied to those generally considered introverts:
The “highly sensitive person”
This makes it sound like a very rare snowflake condition, when in fact the diagnostic criteria yield a population bell curve of 30:40:30, whereupon 30% are in the band of “high sensitivity”, 40% “normal sensitivity” and the remaining 30% “low sensitivity”.
You may note that “high” and “low” together outnumber “normal”, but statistics is like that. It is interesting to note, though, that this statistical spread renders it not a disorder, so much as simply a description.
You can read more about it here:
Sensory-processing sensitivity and its relation to introversion and emotionality
What it means in practical terms
Such a person will generally seek solitude more frequently during the day than others will, and it’s not because of misanthropy (at least, statistically speaking it’s not; can’t speak for individuals!), but rather, it’s about needing downtime after what has felt like too much sensory processing resulting:
If this need for solitude is not met (sometimes it’s simply not practicable), then it can lead to overwhelm.
Sidenote about overwhelm: pick your battles! No, pick fewer than that. Put some back. That’s still too many 😜
Back to seriousness: if you’re the sort of person to walk into a room and immediately do the Sherlock Holmes thing of noticing everything about everyone, who is doing what, what has changed about the room since last time you were there, etc… Then that’s great; it’s a sign of a sharp mind, but it’s also a lot of information to process and you’re probably going to need a little decompression afterwards:
This is the biological equivalent of needing to let an overworked computer or phone cool down after excessive high-intensity use of its CPU.
The same goes if you’re the sort of person who goes into “performance mode” when in company, is “the life and soul of the party” etc, and/or perhaps “the elegant hostess”, but needs to then collapse afterwards because it’s more of a role you play than your natural inclination.
Take care of your battery
To continue the technological metaphor from earlier, if you repeatedly overuse a device without allowing it cooldown periods, it will break down (and if it’s a certain generation of iPhone, it might explode).
Similarly, if you repeatedly overuse your own highly sensitive senses (such as being often in social environment where there’s a lot going on) without allowing yourself adequate cooldown periods, you will break down (or indeed, explode: not literally, but some people are prone to emotional outbursts after bottling things up).
None of this is good for the health, not in the short term and not in the long term, either:
With that in mind, take care to take care of yourself, meeting your actual needs instead of just those that get socially assumed.
Want to take the test?
Here’s a two-minute test (results available immediately right there on-screen; no need to give your email or anything) 😎
Want to know more?
We reviewed this book about playing to one’s strengths in the context of sensitivity, a while back, and highly recommend it:
Sensitive – by Jenn Granneman and Andre Sólo
Enjoy!
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Pine Nuts vs Peanuts – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing pine nuts to peanuts, we picked the pine nuts.
Why?
An argument could be made for either, honestly, as it depends on what we prioritize the most. These are both very high-calorie foods, and/but are far from empty calories, as they both contain main nutrients. Obviously, if you are allergic to nuts, this one is just not a comparison for you, sorry.
Looking at the macros first, peanuts are higher in protein, carbs, and fiber, while pine nuts are higher in fats—though the fats are healthy, being mostly polyunsaturated, with about a third of the total fats monounsaturated, and a low amount of saturated fat (peanuts have nearly 2x the saturated fat). On balance, we’ll call the macros category a moderate win for peanuts, though.
In terms of vitamins, peanuts have more of vitamins B1, B3, B5, B6, and B9, while pine nuts have more of vitamins A, B2, C, E, K, and choline. All in all, a marginal win for pine nuts.
In the category of minerals, peanuts have more calcium and selenium, while pine nuts have more copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. An easy win for pine nuts, even before we take into account that peanuts have nearly 10x as much sodium. And yes, we are talking about the raw nuts, not nuts that have been roasted and salted.
Adding up the categories gives a win for pine nuts—but if you have certain particular priorities, you might still prefer peanuts for the areas in which peanuts are stronger.
Of course, the best solution is to enjoy both!
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts!
Take care!
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Gutbliss – by Dr. Robynne Chutkan
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We’ve previously reviewed another of (gastroenterologist) Dr. Chutkan’s books, “The Anti-Viral Gut”, but Gutbliss is her most well-known book, and here’s why:
This book goes into a lot more detail than most gut health books. You probably already know to eat fiber and enjoy an occasional probiotic, and chances are good you’ve already at least considered screening for food sensitivities/intolerances/allergies, especially common ones like lactose and gluten.
So, well beyond such, Dr. Chutkan talks about the very many things that affect our gut health, and countless small tweaks we can make to improve things, and the very least not sabotage ourselves. A lot of the advice is of course dietary, but some is other aspects of lifestyle, and a lot of items are things like “do this at this time of day, not that time of day”, or “do this and this, but not together”, and similar such advices that come from a place of deep professional knowledge.
The “10-day plan” promised by the subtitle is of course delivered, and while it may seem a bold claim, do remember that the life cycle of things in your gut is very very short, so 10 days is more than enough time for a complete reset, if doing things correctly.
The style is very accessible pop science, making this very easy to implement.
Bottom line: if you’d like your gut health to be better than it is, this book has a wealth of information to guide you through doing exactly that.
Click here to check out Gutbliss, and enjoy how much healthier you can feel!
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The Hidden Cost Of Keto
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The ketogenic diet has a simple principle: eat very-low-carb, moderate-to-high fat, force the body to switch to burning fat for energy, by starving it of carbs.
Strengths:
- It’s good against refractory epilepsy in children (this is actually what it was created for)
- It can result in weight loss, which some people want
Weaknesses:
- It’s bad for the heart (low-carb is good for the heart, generally speaking, very-low-carb like the keto, however, is relatively bad for the heart)
- It increases the risk of kidney stones and can lead to renal failure
- Its weight-loss effects are short-term at best
- It increases osteoporosis risk, even in the short term, and especially in the long term
Rather than flood you with links for each of those, we’ll link to our main article about these pros and cons, here:
Ketogenic Diet: Burning Fat Or Burning Out?
That said, we will also quickly mention a few relevant things we’ve written about since that article, namely:
- Why Keto Fat Loss Doesn’t Work So Well For Women ← short version is that in response to a drop in carbohydrate intake (even if made of for with fat, calorie-wise) estrogen tries to save us from starving by prioritizing fat storage to outlast the famine we are obviously experiencing
- The Diets & Supplements That Can Mess Up Your Skin ← keto is in the #1 spot here
- How To Dodge The “Keto Flu” ← this is about the unwanted symptoms of being ketosis, something that is a goal in the ketogenic diet, those less favorable symptoms including bad breath, weight loss, appetite loss, increased fatigue and irritability, digestive issues, and insomnia
But aside from all that…
What else does the ketogenic diet do for us?
❝We’ve seen short-term studies and those just looking at weight, but not really any studies looking at what happens over the longer term or with other facets of metabolic health.❞
~ Dr. Molly Gallop
Researchers (Dr. Molly Gallop et al.) examined this issue, and found that the ketogenic diet reduced weight gain compared with an equal-calorie high-fat Western diet, but any weight that was gained was primarily fat mass rather than lean tissue.
Additionally, in a mouse study (because no ethics board would let them do this humans), they found even when they stayed lean, mice on the ketogenic diet developed fatty liver disease, showing severe liver damage and impaired liver function.
So, what was going on? Let’s break it down…
- Blood lipid changes: the diet caused hyperlipidemia, meaning excess fats accumulated in the blood and the liver rather than being safely metabolized.
- Blood sugar dysregulation: after initial low blood sugar and insulin levels, mice showed extreme and prolonged blood glucose spikes when carbohydrates were reintroduced.
- Insulin secretion problem: the glucose intolerance was driven by impaired insulin release from pancreatic beta cells, not by insulin resistance.
- Cellular mechanisms disrupted: pancreatic cells showed endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi stress that disrupted insulin granule trafficking and secretion.
However, because of the same mechanism that often stops women from losing weight on the ketogenic diet, female mice were more resistant to the liver damage than male mice, who were the most adversely affected by that one.
You can read the paper in full, here: A long-term ketogenic diet causes hyperlipidemia, liver dysfunction, and glucose intolerance from impaired insulin secretion
Want to learn more?
For liver-healthier dietary approaches, you might want to consider:
Top Diets & Fasting vs Fatty Liver: What’s Best?
…and for a more comprehensive overview:
Which Diet? Top Diets Ranked By Experts ← a panel of 69 doctors and nutritionists examine the evidence for 38 diets, and score them in 21 categories (e.g. best for weight loss, best for heart, best against diabetes, best for the liver, etc).
Take care, and enjoy!
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Tomato vs Zucchini – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing tomato to zucchini, we picked the zucchini.
Why?
We’re calling this one for zucchini by the numbers, but tomatoes offer an important weapon in their arsenal that’s not to be overlooked.
In terms of macros, these two “vegetables that are technically fruits but people only mention it about tomatoes” are almost identical, with any difference being within margins of variation from one plant to another, thus, a tie here.
In the category of vitamins, tomato has more of vitamins A, B3, E, and K, while zucchini has more of vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, and choline, winning this round.
Looking at minerals, tomato has more copper, while zucchini has more calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc, winning easily.
When it comes to other considerations, tomatoes have more polyphenols in total, and also lycopene, which is not a polyphenol but is a very potent carotenoid with many properties comparable to those of polyphenols, and for the most part more strongly so. Thus, a win for tomatoes in this round.
Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for zucchini by the numbers, but as we say, lycopene’s not to be overlooked, so by all means do enjoy either or both (they go great together, after all); diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
Enjoy!
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Managing [E-word] Dysfunction Reactions
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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
We had several requests pertaining to veganism, meatless mondays, and substitutions in recipes—so we’re going to cover those on a different day!
As for questions we’re answering today…
Q: Information on [e-word] dysfunction for those who have negative reactions to [the most common medications]?
When it comes to that particular issue, one or more of these three factors are often involved:
- Hormones
- Circulation
- Psychology
The most common drugs (that we can’t name here) work on the circulation side of things—specifically, by increasing the localized blood pressure. The exact mechanism of this drug action is interesting, albeit beyond the scope of a quick answer here today. On the other hand, the way that they work can cause adverse blood-pressure-related side effects for some people; perhaps you’re one of them.
To take matters into your own hands, so to speak, you can address each of those three things we just mentioned:
Hormones
Ask your doctor (or a reputable phlebotomy service) for a hormone test. If your free/serum testosterone levels are low (which becomes increasingly common in men over the age of 45), they may prescribe something—such as testosterone shots—specifically for that.
This way, it treats the underlying cause, rather than offering a workaround like those common pills whose names we can’t mention here.
Circulation
Look after your heart health; eat for your heart health, and exercise regularly!
Cold showers/baths also work wonders for vascular tone—which is precisely what you need in this matter. By rapidly changing temperatures (such as by turning off the hot water for the last couple of minutes of your shower, or by plunging into a cold bath), your blood vessels will get practice at constricting and maintaining that constriction as necessary.
Psychology
[E-word] dysfunction can also have a psychological basis. Unfortunately, this can also then be self-reinforcing, if recalling previous difficulties causes you to get distracted/insecure and lose the moment. One of the best things you can do to get out of this catch-22 situation is to not worry about it in the moment. Depending on what you and your partner(s) like to do in bed, there are plenty of other equally respectable options, so just switch track!
Having a conversation about this in advance will probably be helpful, so that everyone’s on the same page of the script in that eventuality, and it becomes “no big deal”. Without that conversation, misunderstandings and insecurities could arise for your partner(s) as well as yourself (“aren’t I desirable enough?” etc).
So, to recap, we recommend:
- Have your hormones checked
- Look after your circulation
- Make the decision to have fun!
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