Physical Health & Well-Being Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-21-2022

If you're adopting a low-cholesterol lifestyle, you'll need to rethink your food-shopping habits: Know which fruits and vegetables are most beneficial, and look for high-fiber foods. Also, become intimate with cholesterol and saturated-fat content in common foods so that you'll automatically make the healthiest choices. This Cheat Sheet helps you with all of these new ways of thinking. You also can find a handful of bonus recipes.

Article / Updated 09-19-2022

Food additives may be natural or synthetic. For example, vitamin C is a natural preservative. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are synthetic preservatives. To ensure your safety, both the natural and synthetic food additives used in the United States come only from the group of substances known as the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) list. All additives on the GRAS list Are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning that agency is satisfied that the additive is safe and effective Must be used only in specifically limited amounts Must be used to satisfy a specific need in food products, such as protection against molds Must be effective, meaning that they must actually maintain freshness and safety Must be listed accurately on the label Nutrient additives Vitamin D, which is added to virtually all milk sold in the United States, is one example of a clearly beneficial food additive. Most U.S. bread and grain products are fortified with added B vitamins, plus iron and other essential minerals to replace what's lost when whole grains are milled into white flour for white bread. Some people say that people would be better off simply sticking to whole grains, but adding vitamins and minerals to white flours enhances a product that many people prefer. Some nutrients are also useful preservatives. For example, vitamin C is an antioxidant that slows food spoilage and prevents destructive chemical reactions, which is why American food packagers must add a form of vitamin C (isoascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate) to bacon and other luncheon meats to prevent the formation of potentially cancer-causing compounds. Color additives Colors, flavoring agents, and flavor enhancers make food look and taste better. Like other food additives, these three may be either natural or synthetic. Natural colors One good example of a natural coloring agent is beta carotene, the yellow pigment extracted from many fruits and vegetables and used to turn naturally white margarine to buttery yellow. Some other natural coloring agents are annatto, a yellow-to-pink pigment from a tropical tree; chlorophyll, the green pigment in green plants; carmine, a reddish extract of cochineal (a pigment from crushed beetles); saffron, a yellow herb; and turmeric, a yellow spice. Synthetic colors An example of a synthetic coloring agent is FD&C Blue No. 1, a bright blue pigment made from coal tar and used in soft drinks, gelatin, hair dyes, and face powders, among other things. And, yes, as scientists have discovered more about the effects of coal-tar dyes, including the fact that some are carcinogenic, many of these coloring agents have been banned from use in food in one country or another but are still allowed in cosmetics. Flavor additives Every cook worth his or her spice cabinet knows about natural flavor ingredients, especially salt, sugar, vinegar, wine, and fruit juices. Artificial flavoring agents reproduce natural flavors. For example, a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice in the batter lends cheesecake a certain je ne sais quoi (French for "I don't know what" — a little something special), but artificial lemon flavoring works just as well. You can sweeten your morning coffee with natural sugar or with the artificial sweetener saccharin. Flavor enhancers are a slightly different kettle of fish. They intensify a food's natural flavor instead of adding a new one. The best-known flavor enhancer is monosodium glutamate (MSG), widely used in Asian foods. Although it improves flavor, MSG may also trigger short-term, generally mild reactions, such as headaches, flushing, sweating, facial numbness and tingling, and rapid heartbeat in people sensitive to the seasoning. Preservatives Food spoilage is a totally natural phenomenon. Milk sours. Bread molds. Meat and poultry rot. Vegetables wilt. Fats turn rancid. The first three kinds of spoilage are caused by microbes (bacteria, mold, and yeasts). The last two happen when food is exposed to oxygen (air). Preservative techniques such as cooking, chilling, canning, freezing, and drying prevent spoilage either by slowing the growth of the organisms that live on food or by protecting the food from the effects of oxygen. Chemical preservatives do essentially the same thing: Antimicrobials are natural or synthetic preservatives that protect food by slowing the growth of bacteria, molds, and yeasts. Antioxidants are natural or synthetic preservatives that protect food by preventing food molecules from combining with oxygen (air). The table is a representative list of some common preservative chemicals and the foods in which they're found. Preservatives in Food Preservative Found in … Ascorbic acid* Sausages, luncheon meats Benzoic acid Beverages (soft drinks), ice cream, baked goods BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) Potato chips and other foods BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) Potato chips and other foods Calcium propionate Breads, processed cheese Isoascorbate* Luncheon meats and other foods Sodium ascorbate* Luncheon meats and other foods Sodium benzoate Margarine, soft drinks * A form of vitamin C Other additives in food Food chemists use a variety of the following types of natural and chemical additives to improve the texture of food or prevent mixtures from separating: Emulsifiers, such as lecithin and polysorbate, keep liquid-plus-solids, such as chocolate pudding, from separating into liquid and solids. They can also keep two unfriendly liquids, such as oil and water, from divorcing so that your salad dressing stays smooth. Stabilizers, such as the alginates (alginic acid) derived from seaweed, make food such as ice cream feel smoother, richer, or creamier in your mouth. Thickeners are natural gums and starches, such as apple pectin or cornstarch, that add body to foods. Texturizers, such as calcium chloride, keep foods such as canned apples, tomatoes, or potatoes from turning mushy. Although many of these additives are derived from foods, their benefit is aesthetic (the food looks better and tastes better), not nutritional.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-12-2022

Having Parkinson’s disease (PD) makes for a challenging journey. Use the succinct information in this Cheat Sheet to recognize the important PD terms and acronyms, know where to look for related support, manage medications, and prepare emergency contact information.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 08-15-2022

Most people think of yoga as something you do exclusively on a mat. But using chairs as props has been part of yoga for many years. You can experience so much of what yoga has to offer right from your chair without any other equipment.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 08-15-2022

Hearing loss among adults is common. Almost half of all adults over the age of 60 have hearing loss. Understanding and treating hearing loss is important for our emotional, cognitive, and even physical health. In fact, recent research suggests hearing loss is a risk factor for social isolation, loneliness, falls, cognitive decline, and dementia. It’s important to know about hearing loss, the signs of hearing loss, strategies to use to talk to someone with hearing loss, and how to tackle hearing care.

Article / Updated 07-28-2022

CrossFit, in its simplest definition, is a fitness routine that personal trainer Greg Glassman developed over several years in the mid- to late-1990s. CrossFit is designed to improve your overall physical abilities, including your endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, coordination, balance, and more. But CrossFit is also a few more things — it's an exercise philosophy, a competitive sport, a corporation, and a community. You can't find a CrossFit class in just any gym you step into, CrossFit is offered only by gyms that undergo special certification by CrossFit, Inc. to become CrossFit-affiliated. CrossFit workouts typically include a combination of elements from other exercise styles, including high-intensity interval training, gymnastics, weightlifting, calisthenics, powerlifting, and strongman competitions. The "CrossFit community" is a key part of the overall philosophy of CrossFit — members of the same class typically become close by sharing fitness goals with one another, pushing each other to break personal records and overcome fitness plateaus, and praising each other for reaching milestones. CrossFit is a scalable workout that's accessible to everyone. The stereotype about a CrossFit class is that it's full of the kind of chest-pounding, lifelong athletes who scale mountains or jog from St. Louis to Albuquerque just for fun. In reality, that same class may have a 60-year-old grandmother who's just completed the first pull up of her life. The intensity of each exercise can be customized to suit the lifestyle and fitness level of every class member. Many CrossFit trainers (often called coaches) see themselves as part of a new movement in fitness that rejects some longstanding and conventional fitness wisdom. For example, a regular personal trainer may have you repeat a movement with a dumbbell 10 or 15 times, but a CrossFit Coach could ask you to keep going to exhaustion — until you simply can't perform the movement again. Most CrossFit coaches also encourage their students to follow CrossFit, Inc.'s nutrition recommendations, including a Paleo diet. The structure of CrossFit To become a CrossFit affiliate, a gym's personal trainers must complete a standard two-day course and a variety of additional seminars on topics like gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, endurance training, kettlebells, self-defense, rowing, and more. Once this training is complete, CrossFit, Inc. licenses the CrossFit name to the gym for an annual fee and certifies the trainers. Each CrossFit gym is then free to develop its own exercise classes and pricing. What a CrossFit workout looks like A typical CrossFit workout will involve various equipment from other workouts, including Barbells Dumbbells Kettlebells Gymnastic rings Jump ropes Medicine balls Resistance bands Rowing machines Squat machines Abdominal mats Pull up bars Additionally, a CrossFit class may incorporate some less conventional fitness equipment, including Ropes, for climbing Boxes, for performing jumps Tractor tires, for flipping Each class is led by a certified CrossFit instructor, called a coach, and the gym is called a Box (CrossFit has its own language). CrossFit classes usually last one hour and include a warm up, a skill session, an explanation and example of the Workout of the Day (WOD, in CrossFit lingo), and the actual workout. Some of the exercises you can expect to do in a CrossFit class include Push ups Pull ups Squats, with and without a barbell Bench press Deadlifts Farmer's carry, where you pick up some heavy object and walk with it as far as you can Box jumps, where stand in front of a secured box or platform, jump onto the box, and immediately back down to the floor Back extension Toes-to-bar, where you hang from an overhead bar (or pull up bar) and bring your toes up to touch the bar Kettlebell swing

Article / Updated 07-28-2022

The ketogenic diet (or keto diet for short) is an exceptionally well-researched and proven method to start working with your body, rather than against it, to improve your health. Following the basic rules of the keto lifestyle can help you Feel more energized. Lose weight faster. Improve the health of your heart. Sharpen your mental focus. In addition to these benefits, there are a host of other long-term benefits that will leave you jumping for joy. Though it’s become popular recently, the keto diet has been used for almost a hundred years to heal and prevent disease — that’s a long track record of benefits. In a nutshell, the keto diet is High fat Moderate protein Very low carbohydrate Having grains and carbohydrates form the basis of every meal may seem like contemporary wisdom, but for most of human history, this wasn’t the case. Processed and easily digested carbohydrates fuel weight gain and unhealthy spikes in blood sugar with each bite; over the course of a lifetime, this destroys your health. The keto diet puts your body into ketosis, a process where you use fats, rather than sugars from carbohydrates, to fuel your body. On the keto diet, you’ll learn to turn to nutritional powerhouses — fats — into the basis of your meals. The truth is that fat really isn’t to blame for the increasingly common problems of obesity and being overweight that we always hear about. Fat is actually very good for you, keeps you feeling fuller longer, helps you lose weight, and improves your health over the long term. There are a lot of misconceptions about nutrition in general, and the keto diet in particular. The keto lifestyle is much more than the “bacon wrapped in cheese” memes will have you believe — although you can eat cheese and bacon. It won’t wreak havoc on your heart or blood vessels, nor will it increase your cholesterol levels if you follow a whole-food-based keto lifestyle. Despite what many of us have been told for decades, we don’t need to eat many carbohydrates as part of a healthy lifestyle. Instead, eating a range of whole keto foods can be the key to healthy living. Keto is a flexible and adventurous lifestyle that isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan; there are several different varieties to fit with your lifestyle and goals. Standard ketogenic diet The standard ketogenic diet is the basic version of the keto diet. It’s been around the longest and has the most evidence and research behind it. If you’re thinking about keto, you need to be very familiar with the standard ketogenic diet. It clearly breaks down the sources of your daily calorie intake, as follows: Fat: 70 percent Protein: 25 percent Carbohydrates: 5 percent Historically, on this diet, you’ll generally eat about 25 grams of carbohydrates per day. However, we live in more flexible times, and some people eat as much as 50 grams per day. That’s okay, because most people stay in ketosis on 50 grams of carbs a day, so they don’t need to limit their carbs anymore. Over time, you’ll figure out what works best for you. The amount of daily carbs is, at most, only a fifth of what many Americans eat. On the standard American diet, you get about 30 percent of calories from fat, 20 percent from protein, and 50 percent (or more) from carbohydrates. That means most Americans are eating about 250 grams of carbs or more per day. As you can imagine, making such a radical change from a carb-based diet to a fat-based one will have a massive impact on your health and energy levels. On the standard ketogenic diet, the ratio is 70:25:5 in terms of calories coming from fat, protein, and carbs. You should aim for 30 grams of carbs or fewer in a day. Targeted ketogenic diet The targeted ketogenic diet is geared toward athletes. It’s a slightly more flexible version of the keto diet because it allows you to eat more carbs around the time of your intense workouts. When you’re burning a lot of calories, the carbs you eat are consumed as fuel immediately, so your body doesn’t get “kicked out” of ketosis in the long term. As soon as you use up all the carbs during your workout, your body goes back to fat burning because there aren’t carbs left around when you’re more sedentary. This choice is good for very active people who are exercising at high levels regularly (for hours, not minutes) or training for an intense athletic challenge that requires a lot of energy, like a marathon. Regardless, this is not a free pass to eat as many carbohydrates as you would on a high-carb diet. You should consume about 20 or 25 grams of easily digestible carbs approximately 30 to 45 minutes before you exercise. After exercising, you’ll go back to the regular keto diet. Keep in mind the total number of calories (including your pre-workout carbs) when coming up with your daily energy intake. It’s critical that you only eat enough carbs to fuel your workout, so your body goes back to burning fats when you’re done exercising. Generally, you should be well adjusted to the standard ketogenic diet for a couple months at least before you switch to this targeted version. Cyclical ketogenic diet The cyclical ketogenic diet is another more flexible keto option for highly trained athletes. We’re upping the playing field here — this is the ultramarathon runner or the professional athlete, not the weekend warrior. These athletes may increase their carb intake for a short time to “fuel” themselves for the high level of performance they’re about to commit to. The increase may be for a couple of days before a major training event — and the amount of carbs they consume is in line with the amount of physical activity they’re facing. Then they go back to the standard ketogenic diet after the major event is over. Although they may be out of ketosis during these “cheat days,” their high level of performance ensures that they’re still in the low-carb range because they’re burning so many more calories than usual. Another group of people who follow the cyclical ketogenic diet are those who have a hard time sticking to the standard ketogenic diet and choose to have cheat days once in a while. This may involve going keto five days a week, with the weekends reserved for “cheat days.” For those who eat carbs on the weekend, or can’t stick to the standard ketogenic diet because of social pressures, it’s important not to go on carb-binging cycles. It’s quite a shift for the body to go from ketosis to high-carb so rapidly. Instead, increase your carbs to a “low-carb diet,” in the range of 150 to 200 grams on your cheat days. You won’t be in ketosis on those days — and it may take a while for your body to go back to ketosis even on your regular standard ketogenic diet days — but at least you’ll still have the benefits of cutting back on carbs. The cyclical ketogenic diet may be helpful for athletes and those who find it difficult to commit to the keto lifestyle. Keto is very flexible and can work with any lifestyle, as long as you make a commitment to health. High-protein ketogenic diet In the high-protein ketogenic diet, you increase the percent of calories from protein. Commonly, this breaks down as follows: Fat: 60 percent Protein: 35 percent Carbohydrate: 5 percent This option is best for people who are concerned about losing muscle or even want to bulk up, like bodybuilders or individuals who have very low lean body muscle mass. Generally, keto is a muscle neutral diet (you don’t gain or lose it), so adding protein is a great choice for those who want to gain muscle. In this diet, you’re still in ketosis, but you don’t necessarily have as high a level of ketones as someone on the standard ketogenic diet. It’s hard, but possible, to get kicked out of ketosis if you go higher than the recommended 35 percent of calories from protein. It’s also important on this type of keto diet to remember to eat a range of protein foods that are healthy and nutritious. Burning fat: Ketosis Ketosis is the process your body uses to breaks down ketone bodies for most of its energy needs. Ketones come from fatty acids regardless of whether you eat them or get them from your fat cells. Your body prefers to use glucose for energy (see the preceding section), so ketosis only occurs when you don’t have enough glucose coming in from your diet. On a keto diet, your body switches from glycolysis to ketosis as the primary energy generator. Fat, like carbohydrates, is also a source of calories, but it provides a whopping nine calories per gram, compared to the measly four calories you get from carbs and protein. This means, head to head, fat is always a more efficient source of energy than carbohydrates. On the keto diet, instead of using glycolysis for energy, fatty acids are broken down into three types of ketones that provide energy to all your body’s cells: Acetoacetate: The main ketone made by your liver. β-hydroxybutyric acid: The main ketone in your bloodstream and the source of ketones’ anti-inflammatory benefits. Acetone: The least common ketone; it doesn’t provide energy, but it is responsible for carrying waste out of the body. It’s responsible for keto breath (the fruity or moldy breath that some people have when in ketosis) because it’s ridding the body of excess acetone through the lungs. Importantly, fatty acids not only make ketones but also are able to produce glucose if you aren’t getting it from your diet. That’s why, even on the keto diet, your blood sugar levels don’t drop precipitously. They also don’t rise astronomically, as they do on a carb-rich diet, every time you take a bite of food. The liver, the workhorse of metabolism, can’t use ketones as its energy source, so it’s crucial that fat can be turned into glucose to support the liver during ketosis. Like glucose, ketones are also a source of energy for the brain and provide its fuel during ketosis. Ketones may be better brain fuel than carbohydrates because they’ve been shown to improve the health of our brain cells and may be helpful in preventing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. The words ketosis, ketogenesis, and ketogenic are all derived from a similar root, meaning to produce and utilize ketone bodies as the primary form of energy. That’s where the names ketogenic diet and keto diet come from!

Step by Step / Updated 07-28-2022

When eaten on a regular basis, foods with anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce inflammation in the body, helping to prevent the long-term health consequences associated with it — but only if you also eliminate the foods that cause inflammation. When inflammation is under control, not only will you have more energy and feel better overall, but you’ll also find that weight loss and reduction of belly fat both become easier! Try adding anti-inflammatory foods into your meal plan on a daily basis. The more often you eat these foods, the less inflammation that will be present in your body. The following foods and nutrients can fight inflammation.

Article / Updated 07-28-2022

Keto flu is one of the most frequently experienced consequences of implementing a keto diet plan, but it can be overcome quite easily if you’re prepared with a few tricks up your sleeve. Symptoms of keto flu You’ll know you are going through the keto flu if you have Muscle aches and weakness Brain fog and difficulty concentrating Headaches Intense fatigue Insomnia Gut issues like indigestion, constipation, and even diarrhea Your body is making a significant change in its basic mode of operation, and the keto flu and other symptoms are just signs that the kinks are getting worked out. As your glucose stores drop and your body turns to fat as the primary source of energy, the many genes, enzymes, and proteins needed to accomplish this goal must come out of hibernation and ramp up to do the job. Your body has to go through the transition period of getting used to these new processes before it can become efficient at using fat as fuel. When does keto flu hit? The keto flu is a common speedbump that, if it happens, will begin a few days into starting the keto journey. The first thing you’ll need is patience. Your body is doing its best to keep up with your good intentions — give it time and remember to be gentle with yourself and your body. Make sure that you won’t be preparing for a major exam, gearing up for an intense work deadline, or having a slew of social activities around the time of your keto transition. If you have a break from work or school, use that time to start the keto diet. Or, if you can’t afford that luxury, at least make sure it’s at a time of relative calm in your life. You need to remove as many obstacles as you can to ensure you stay on keto; trying to completely change your eating style while going through other life transitions or periods of stress can be overwhelming. If you don’t have any downtime to transition, or you’re trying to go keto a second or third time because of roadblocks in the past, a good suggestion is to slowly decrease your carb intake instead of jumping headfirst into a diet where you’re suddenly restricted to 25 grams of carbs per day. You’ll still get to ketosis if your journey takes a little longer. If you’re on the standard American diet, you’re likely consuming 150 to 200 grams of carbs per day; over a few weeks, slowly drop down to less than 50 grams of carbs per day. This will help decrease your risk of going through severe keto flu. The authors keto flu experience When we first started the keto journey, we were ready to go all in. We fasted for two days, drinking water often and walking around a local park for an hour and a half each day to burn up our excess glycogen stores. We thought, “Faster is always better, right?” Not so fast. When day three hit, just as we began to get excited about digging into our avocado and coconut oil stores, the keto flu hit — and it hit hard. To say we felt like we had been run over by a truck was an understatement. We found it difficult to get out of bed, not only from fatigue, but also because as soon as we tried, the room immediately would go in and out of focus. Nausea hit like a ton of bricks, and we spent a lot of time in the bathroom. Both blood and urine tests showed that we were fully in ketosis, but being chained to the toilet put a damper on our celebration. Remedies for the keto flu If you do end up experiencing symptoms of keto flu, you can decrease the severity — or eliminate it altogether — by following a few simple steps. In no particular order, here are five remedies to get you through the keto flu: Take an Epsom salt bath. Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate crystals, and they’re great for relaxing sore muscles and decreasing pain. We recommend putting 1 or 2 cups of Epsom salts in a warm (not scalding) bath and soaking for at least 20 minutes. For an added benefit, choose a lavender and Epsom salt combo or add a few drops of lavender oil to your bath. Lavender is also known for its ability to relieve tight muscles and will add a relaxing and soothing quality to your experience. Eat (and drink) your minerals (salt, potassium, and magnesium). You can quickly lose salt and potassium on the ketogenic diet, so it’s vital that you replace them. Losing these essential minerals can cause the symptoms of keto flu, so if you replace them before they get too low, you may save yourself a challenging few days. Additionally, magnesium helps mitigate symptoms like constipation and muscle aches. To replenish these lost minerals, drink electrolyte water or bone or vegetable broth, and eat potassium-rich foods like avocado. Another good option is to take a potassium and magnesium supplement during your transition and get friendly with the salt shaker. Stay hydrated. You should be drinking half your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be drinking 100 ounces of water, but that’s just a baseline. Ditch the coffee and alcohol. If you’re addicted to your morning latte, then at least try to decrease your intake. Both caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, meaning they make you urinate more and can worsen the dehydration that often occurs as you transition to keto (as glucose and glycogen leave your body, they carry three to four times their weight in water with it). Try reducing your intake of both beverages as you’ll be chasing after your own tail — and getting nowhere fast — if you continue with the double espressos or after-dinner cocktails during your transition. Don’t be afraid to take a rain check. If you have the keto flu, you’re probably not going to feel like going anywhere. Don’t be afraid to let friends and family know that you’ll have to reschedule something for another time. Relaxation and rest are very important — don’t underestimate them! While going full bore will get you to ketosis faster, it isn’t necessarily the healthiest — or most sustainable — way to go. If you’re planning on kicking off ketosis with an intermittent fast and you’re physically prepared and able, then go for it. But stay well hydrated and add some electrolyte water or even a bit of bone broth to your hydration regimen. If you start noticing symptoms or begin feeling unwell, make sure to have your favorite electrolyte replacement within easy reach. If you get a nasty case of keto flu, you’ll be happy that you took some time to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Step by Step / Updated 07-28-2022

Medicinal herbs really are nature’s gift. They work wonders at alleviating and preventing many ailments, and herbs are an effective, inexpensive, and convenient way to manage your health. Herbs can help many conditions. If you suspect vitamin or mineral deficiencies, lack proper rest, are under chronic stress, or get numerous colds or infections, you probably have a lowered immune system and medicinal herbs may help. If you’re considering herbs to boost your immune system, discuss your particular needs with a health practitioner who understands your individual situation. Some herbs for the immune system may enhance or interact with the action of synthetic medications and should be monitored by an herbalist or a doctor who understands how herbs interact with other treatments.