Women Rowing North – by Dr. Mary Pipher

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Ageism is rife, as is misogyny. And those can be internalized too, and compounded as they intersect.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Mary Pipher, herself 75, writes for us a guidebook of, as the subtitle goes, “navigating life’s currents and flourishing as we age”.

The book does assume, by the way, that the reader is…

  • a woman, and
  • getting old (if not already old)

However, the lessons the book imparts are vital for women of any age, and valuable as a matter of insight and perspective for any reader.

Dr. Pipher takes us on a tour of aging as a woman, and what parts of it we can make our own, do things our way, and take what joy we can from it.

Nor is the book given to “toxic positivity” though—it also deals with themes of hardship, frustration, and loss.

When it comes to those elements, the book is… honest, human, and raw. But also, an exhortation to hope, beauty, and a carpe diem attitude.

Bottom line: this book is highly recommendable to anyone of any age; life is precious and can be short. And be we blessed with many long years, this book serves as a guide to making each one of them count.

Click here to check out Women Rowing North—it really is worth it

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Recommended

  • What I Wish People Knew About Dementia – by Dr. Wendy Mitchell
  • Caffeine Blues – by Stephen Cherniske
    Cherniske tackles the hidden impact of caffeine and advocates for a life without it, including a decaffeination program, with a sensational style backed by a substantial bibliography.

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  • Black Bean Burgers With Guacamole

    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.

    Once again proving that burgers do not have to be unhealthy, this one’s a nutritional powerhouse full of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, as well as healthy fats and extra health-giving spices.

    You will need

    • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 cup same, cooked, drained, and rinsed)
    • 3 oz walnuts (if allergic, substitute with pumpkin seeds)
    • 1 tbsp chia seeds
    • 1 tbsp flax seeds
    • ½ red onion, finely chopped
    • 1 small eggplant, diced small (e.g. ½” cubes or smaller)
    • 1 small carrot, grated
    • 3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (or if you have the “this tastes like soap” gene, then substitute with parsley)
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped (adjust per heat preferences)
    • ¼ bulb garlic, crushed
    • 2 tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp smoked paprika
    • 1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust per heat preferences)
    • ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
    • Burger buns (you can use our Delicious Quinoa Avocado Bread recipe if you like)

    For the guacamole:

    • 1 large ripe avocado, pitted, skinned, and chopped
    • 1 tbsp lime juice
    • 1 tomato, finely chopped
    • ¼ red onion, finely chopped
    • ¼ bulb garlic, crushed
    • 1 tsp red chili pepper flakes (adjust per heat preferences)

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Process the walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds in a food processor/blender, until they become a coarse mixture. Set aside.

    2) Heat a little oil in a skillet, and fry the red onion, aubergine, and carrot for 5 minutes stirring frequently, then add the garlic and jalapeño and stir for a further 1 minute. Set aside.

    3) Combine both mixtures you set aside with the rest of the ingredients from the burger section of the recipe, except the buns, and process them in the food processor on a low setting if possible, until you have a coarse mixture—you still want some texture, not a paste.

    4) Shape into patties; this recipe gives for 4 large patties or 8 small ones. When you’ve done this, put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, to firm up.

    5) While you wait, make the guacamole by mashing the avocado with the lime juice, and then stirring into the onion, tomato, garlic, and pepper.

    6) Cook the patties; you can do this on the grill, in a skillet, or in the oven, per your preference. Grilling or frying should take about 5 minutes on each side, give or take the size and shape of the patties. Baking in the oven should take 20–30 minutes at 400℉ / 200℃ turning over halfway through, but keep an eye on them, because again, the size and shape of the patties will affect this. You may be wondering: aren’t they all going to be patty-shaped? And yes, but for example a wide flat patty will cook more quickly than the same volume of burger mixture in a taller less wide patty.

    7) Assemble! We recommend the order: bottom bun, guacamole, burger patty, any additional toppings you want to add (e.g. more salad, pickles, etc), top bun:

    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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  • How To Reduce Knee Pain After Sitting

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    Sitting is bad for the health, and doubly so if you have arthritis, as a lack of regular movement can cause joints to “seize up”. So, what to do about it if you have to sit for an extended time?

    Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, arthritis specialist, explains:

    Movement remains key

    The trick is to continue periodically moving, notwithstanding that you may need to remain seated. So…

    1. Heel slides
      • Straighten and bend your leg by sliding or lifting your heel.
      • Promotes blood flow and reduces fluid buildup in the knee.
      • Helps lubricate the joint, making standing up easier.
    2. Heel lifts
      • Lift your heels up and down while keeping feet on the ground.
      • This one’s ideal for tight spaces, such as when riding in a car or airplane.
      • Improves blood circulation and can reduce ankle swelling and leg heaviness.

    Do 20–30 repetitions every now and again, to keep your joints moving.

    Note: if you are a wheelchair user whose legs lack the strength and/or motor function to do this, in this case it’s the movement of the leg that counts, not where that movement originated from. So, if you use one hand to lift your leg slightly and the other to push it like a swing, that will also be sufficient to give the joint the periodic movement it needs.

    For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    Stand Up For Your Health (Or Don’t) ← our main feature on this also includes more things you can do if you must sit, to make sitting less bad!

    Take care!

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  • No, sugar doesn’t make your kids hyperactive

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    It’s a Saturday afternoon at a kids’ birthday party. Hordes of children are swarming between the spread of birthday treats and party games. Half-eaten cupcakes, biscuits and lollies litter the floor, and the kids seem to have gained superhuman speed and bounce-off-the-wall energy. But is sugar to blame?

    The belief that eating sugary foods and drinks leads to hyperactivity has steadfastly persisted for decades. And parents have curtailed their children’s intake accordingly.

    Balanced nutrition is critical during childhood. As a neuroscientist who has studied the negative effects of high sugar “junk food” diets on brain function, I can confidently say excessive sugar consumption does not have benefits to the young mind. In fact, neuroimaging studies show the brains of children who eat more processed snack foods are smaller in volume, particularly in the frontal cortices, than those of children who eat a more healthful diet.

    But today’s scientific evidence does not support the claim sugar makes kids hyperactive.

    Sharomka/Shutterstock

    The hyperactivity myth

    Sugar is a rapid source of fuel for the body. The myth of sugar-induced hyperactivity can be traced to a handful of studies conducted in the 1970s and early 1980s. These were focused on the Feingold Diet as a treatment for what we now call Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a neurodivergent profile where problems with inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity can negatively affect school, work or relationships.

    Devised by American paediatric allergist Benjamin Feingold, the diet is extremely restrictive. Artificial colours, sweeteners (including sugar) and flavourings, salicylates including aspirin, and three preservatives (butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, and tert-Butrylhdryquinone) are eliminated.

    Salicylates occur naturally in many healthy foods, including apples, berries, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, capsicums, nuts, seeds, spices and some grains. So, as well as eliminating processed foods containing artificial colours, flavours, preservatives and sweeteners, the Feingold diet eliminates many nutritious foods helpful for healthy development.

    However, Feingold believed avoiding these ingredients improved focus and behaviour. He conducted some small studies, which he claimed showed a large proportion of hyperactive children responded favourably to his diet.

    bowls of lollies on table
    Even it doesn’t make kids hyperactive, they shouldn’t have too much sugar. DenisMArt/Shutterstock

    Flawed by design

    The methods used in the studies were flawed, particularly with respect to adequate control groups (who did not restrict foods) and failed to establish a causal link between sugar consumption and hyperactive behaviour.

    Subsequent studies suggested less than 2% responded to restrictions rather than Feingold’s claimed 75%. But the idea still took hold in the public consciousness and was perpetuated by anecdotal experiences.

    Fast forward to the present day. The scientific landscape looks vastly different. Rigorous research conducted by experts has consistently failed to find a connection between sugar and hyperactivity. Numerous placebo-controlled studies have demonstrated sugar does not significantly impact children’s behaviour or attention span.

    One landmark meta-analysis study, published almost 20 years ago, compared the effects of sugar versus a placebo on children’s behaviour across multiple studies. The results were clear: in the vast majority of studies, sugar consumption did not lead to increased hyperactivity or disruptive behaviour.

    Subsequent research has reinforced these findings, providing further evidence sugar does not cause hyperactivity in children, even in those diagnosed with ADHD.

    While Feingold’s original claims were overstated, a small proportion of children do experience allergies to artificial food flavourings and dyes.

    Pre-school aged children may be more sensitive to food additives than older children. This is potentially due to their smaller body size, or their still-developing brain and body.

    Hooked on dopamine?

    Although the link between sugar and hyperactivity is murky at best, there is a proven link between the neurotransmitter dopamine and increased activity.

    The brain releases dopamine when a reward is encountered – such as an unexpected sweet treat. A surge of dopamine also invigorates movement – we see this increased activity after taking psychostimulant drugs like amphetamine. The excited behaviour of children towards sugary foods may be attributed to a burst of dopamine released in expectation of a reward, although the level of dopamine release is much less than that of a psychostimulant drug.

    Dopamine function is also critically linked to ADHD, which is thought to be due to diminished dopamine receptor function in the brain. Some ADHD treatments such as methylphenidate (labelled Ritalin or Concerta) and lisdexamfetamine (sold as Vyvanse) are also psychostimulants. But in the ADHD brain the increased dopamine from these drugs recalibrates brain function to aid focus and behavioural control.

    girl in yellow top licks large lollipop while holding a pink icecream
    Maybe it’s less of a sugar rush and more of a dopamine rush? Anastasiya Tsiasemnikava/Shutterstock

    Why does the myth persist?

    The complex interplay between diet, behaviour and societal beliefs endures. Expecting sugar to change your child’s behaviour can influence how you interpret what you see. In a study where parents were told their child had either received a sugary drink, or a placebo drink (with a non-sugar sweetener), those parents who expected their child to be hyperactive after having sugar perceived this effect, even when they’d only had the sugar-free placebo.

    The allure of a simple explanation – blaming sugar for hyperactivity – can also be appealing in a world filled with many choices and conflicting voices.

    Healthy foods, healthy brains

    Sugar itself may not make your child hyperactive, but it can affect your child’s mental and physical health. Rather than demonising sugar, we should encourage moderation and balanced nutrition, teaching children healthy eating habits and fostering a positive relationship with food.

    In both children and adults, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting free sugar consumption to less than 10% of energy intake, and a reduction to 5% for further health benefits. Free sugars include sugars added to foods during manufacturing, and naturally present sugars in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.

    Treating sugary foods as rewards can result in them becoming highly valued by children. Non-sugar rewards also have this effect, so it’s a good idea to use stickers, toys or a fun activity as incentives for positive behaviour instead.

    While sugar may provide a temporary energy boost, it does not turn children into hyperactive whirlwinds.

    Amy Reichelt, Senior Lecturer (Adjunct), Nutritional neuroscientist, University of Adelaide

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

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Related Posts

  • What I Wish People Knew About Dementia – by Dr. Wendy Mitchell
  • Managing Sibling Relationships In Adult Life

    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.

    Managing Sibling Relationships In Adult Life

    After our previous main feature on estrangement, a subscriber wrote to say:

    ❝Parent and adult child relationships are so important to maintain as you age, but what about sibling relationships? Adult choices to accept and move on with healthier boundaries is also key for maintaining familial ties.❞

    And, this is indeed critical for many of us, if we have siblings!

    Writer’s note: I don’t have siblings, but I do happen to have one of Canada’s top psychologists on speed-dial, and she has more knowledge about sibling relationships than I do, not to mention a lifetime of experience both personally and professionally. So, I sought her advice, and she gave me a lot to work with.

    Today I bring her ideas, distilled into my writing, for 10almonds’ signature super-digestible bitesize style.

    A foundation of support

    Starting at the beginning of a sibling story… Sibling relationships are generally beneficial from the get-go.

    This is for reasons of mutual support, and an “always there” social presence.

    Of course, how positive this experience is may depend on there being a lack of parental favoritism. And certainly, sibling rivalries and conflict can occur at any age, but the stakes are usually lower, early in life.

    Growing warmer or colder

    Generally speaking, as people age, sibling relationships likely get warmer and less conflictual.

    Why? Simply put, we mature and (hopefully!) get more emotionally stable as we go.

    However, two things can throw a wrench into the works:

    1. Long-term rivalries or jealousies (e.g., “who has done better in life”)
    2. Perceptions of unequal contribution to the family

    These can take various forms, but for example if one sibling earns (or otherwise has) much more or much less than another, that can cause resentment on either or both sides:

    • Resentment from the side of the sibling with less money: “I’d look after them if our situations were reversed; they can solve my problems easily; why do they resent that and/or ignore my plight?”
    • Resentment from the side of the sibling with more money: “I shouldn’t be having to look after my sibling at this age”

    It’s ugly and unpleasant. Same goes if the general job of caring for an elderly parent (or parents) falls mostly or entirely on one sibling. This can happen because of being geographically closer or having more time (well… having had more time. Now they don’t, it’s being used for care!).

    It can also happen because of being female—daughters are more commonly expected to provide familial support than sons.

    And of course, that only gets exacerbated as end-of-life decisions become relevant with regard to parents, and tough decisions may need to be made. And, that’s before looking at conflicts around inheritance.

    So, all that seems quite bleak, but it doesn’t have to be like that.

    Practical advice

    As siblings age, working on communication about feelings is key to keeping siblings close and not devolving into conflict.

    Those problems we talked about are far from unique to any set of siblings—they’re just more visible when it’s our own family, that’s all.

    So: nothing to be ashamed of, or feel bad about. Just, something to manage—together.

    Figure out what everyone involved wants/needs, put them all on the table, and figure out how to:

    • Make sure outright needs are met first
    • Try to address wants next, where possible

    Remember, that if you feel more is being asked of you than you can give (in terms of time, energy, money, whatever), then this discussion is a time to bring that up, and ask for support, e.g.:

    “In order to be able to do that, I would need… [description of support]; can you help with that?”

    (it might even sometimes be necessary to simply say “No, I can’t do that. Let’s look to see how else we can deal with this” and look for other solutions, brainstorming together)

    Some back-and-forth open discussion and even negotiation might be necessary, but it’s so much better than seething quietly from a distance.

    The goal here is an outcome where everyone’s needs are met—thus leveraging the biggest strength of having siblings in the first place:

    Mutual support, while still being one’s own person. Or, as this writer’s psychology professor friend put it:

    ❝Circling back to your original intention, this whole discussion adds up to: siblings can be very good or very bad for your life, depending on tons of things that we talked about, especially communication skills, emotional wellness of each person, and the complexity of challenges they face interdependently.❞

    Our previous main feature about good communication can help a lot:

    Save Time With Better Communication

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  • Sticky Jackfruit Burgers

    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.

    All the taste and experience of pulled pork, without the increased risk of cancer and metabolic disease. On the contrary, jackfruit introduces lots of fiber, vitamins, carotenoids, and flavanones. We’ll have to do a main feature about jackfruit sometime; it’s an unusual fruit especially for its protein content, but for now, let’s get cooking!

    You will need

    • 1 can (14oz/400g) green jackfruit, drained (the flesh will not, in fact, be green—this is referring to the fruit being unripe and thus still firm in texture, which is what we want. The outside of the fruit, which will not be in the can, will have been green)
    • 1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced
    • 1/2 carrot, grated
    • 6 mangetout, thinly sliced
    • 2 tbsp mayonnaise (your preference what kind, and yes, vegan is fine too)
    • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tbsp gochujang paste (if you can’t find gochujang paste locally, you can either order it online (here it is on Amazon) or substitute with harissa paste, which is not the same—it uses different spices—but will do the same job here re texture, umami taste, and level of spiciness)
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
    • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tsp garlic paste
    • 1 tsp tomato paste
    • 1 tsp ginger paste
    • 1 tsp chili flakes
    • 3½ fl oz water
    • 2 burger buns (unless you make them yourself, burger buns will probably not be healthy; you can, however, also look for small round wholemeal breads—the name of which varies far too much by region for us to try to get a catch-all name here—and use them in place of burger buns)

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Combine the garlic paste, ginger paste, tomato paste, gochujang paste, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and chili flakes in a saucepan

    2) Boil the 3½ fl oz water we mentioned; add it to the saucepan, mixing well, turn on the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes or until it is thick and sticky (it will thicken more as it cools, too, so don’t worry if it doesn’t seem thick enough yet). Set it aside.

    3) Dry the jackfruit (using strong kitchen paper should be fine), add the olive oil to a skillet and bring it to a high heat; add the jackfruit and fry on both sides for a few minutes, until it looks cooked (remember, while this may look like animal meat, it’s not, so there’s no danger of undercooking here).

    4) When the jackfruit looks a nice golden-brown, add two thirds of the sauce from the saucepan, and break apart the jackfruit a bit (this can be done with a wooden/bamboo spatula, so as to not damage your pan), When it all looks how you’d expect pulled jackfruit (or pulled pork) to look, take it off the heat.

    5) Combine the carrot, cabbage, and mangetout in a small bowl, adding the apple cider vinegar and mixing well; this will be the coleslaw element

    6) Mix the remaining sauce with the mayonnaise

    7) (optional) toast the burger buns

    8) Assemble the burgers; we recommend the following order: bottom bun, pulled jackfruit, coleslaw, gochujang mayo, top bun

    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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  • How to Prevent Dementia – by Dr. Richard Restak

    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.

    We’ve written about this topic here, we know. But there’s a lot more we can do to be on guard against, and pre-emptively strengthen ourselves against, dementia.

    The author, a neurologist, takes us on a detailed exploration of dementia in general, with a strong focus on Alzheimer’s in particular, as that accounts for more than half of all dementia cases.

    But what if you can’t avoid it? It could be that with the wrong genes and some other factor(s) outside of your control, it will get you if something else doesn’t get you first.

    Rather than scaremongering, Dr. Restak tackles this head-on too, and discusses how symptoms can be managed, to make the illness less anxiety-inducing, and look to maintain quality of life as much as possible.

    The style of the book is… it reads a lot like an essay compilation. Good essays, then organized and arranged in a sensible order for reading, but distinct self-contained pieces. There are ten or eleven chapters (depending on how we count them), each divided into few or many sections. All this makes for:

    • A very “read a bit now and a bit later and a bit the next day” book, if you like
    • A feeling of a very quick pace, if you prefer to sit down and read it in one go

    Either way, it’s a very informative read.

    Bottom line: if you’d like to better understand the many-headed beast that is dementia, this book gives a far more comprehensive overview than we could here, and also explains the prophylactic interventions available.

    Click here to check out How To Prevent Dementia, because prevention is a lot more fun than wishing for a cure!

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails: