In the modern world, with more ways to communicate than ever, thanks to technology, you might think that feelings of connection between people should be at an all-time high. But even though we have the ability to reach people at any time with tools like email, social media, and text messaging, many people feel deeply unsatisfied with the quality of social connection in their lives.

Worldwide, people are reporting feeling lonelier than ever. A 2023 Meta-Gallup survey taken across 142 countries found 24% of people ages 15 and older reported feeling lonely. And in the US, the Surgeon General’s office even put out a special report, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” to address this dire issue and make it a national health priority.

According to the US Surgeon General report, a lack of social connection can increase disease incidence, making us more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, infectious diseases, and depression and anxiety, as well as impacting mortality rates.

But why do we as a society feel so alone, and what can we do about it?

In a quest to find the answers, we turned to Dr. Janina Scarlet, a San Diego, CA-based clinical psychologist who wrote the recently released book Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued: Managing Loneliness, Loss of Connection and Not Fitting In. After her own struggles and experience with loneliness, Dr. Scarlet sought to share what she had learned about loneliness and how to navigate this uncomfortable emotion.

We sat down with her to examine the impact of loneliness on our lives, how you can feel more connected, and the ways in which you can help others feel less lonely, too.

Defining Loneliness and its Universality

FRN: Thank you for being with us. Loneliness is such an isolating emotion, which makes it hard to know if we’re truly alone or not. Can you tell us, is loneliness normal, and does it affect everyone equally?

Loneliness does not mean being physically alone in space. It means feeling emotionally disconnected from other people. And it is something that everyone who is capable of feeling emotions is able to feel.

Dr. Janina Scarlet, Clinical Psychologist and Author

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Loneliness is absolutely normal. I just think most of us don’t talk about it or might not know what it is. Loneliness is a universal emotion, much like joy and sadness and fear. Loneliness does not mean being physically alone in space. It means feeling emotionally disconnected from other people. And it is something that everyone who is capable of feeling emotions is able to feel.

FRN: What are some of the causes of loneliness? You mentioned a little bit about emotional disconnection from people, and maybe physical, too; but what else beyond that?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Grief, trauma, bullying, being made to feel like the “other.” So, any discrimination, racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, all of those can greatly increase our feelings of loneliness — when we feel like we don’t belong, when we feel like we are the other, or when we are made to feel like we are the “other” by society, or when we’re invalidated about how we’re feeling.

For example, when we’re going through chronic illness other people might tell us to “get over it.” So, in many of those situations, people are likely to feel misunderstood by others and, therefore, lonely and emotionally disconnected.

FRN: Why do you think that older adults are particularly at risk for loneliness?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think for many older adults, if they’re, for example, not able to express what they’re going through, when they’ve maybe lost loved ones to either death or illness or distance, or maybe they don’t feel like they have a safe place to express what they’re going through, even if they’re around other people — even if they’re living with other people — they’re more likely to feel lonely.

The Interplay of Loneliness and Health

FRN: Do you think experiencing chronic pain or illness plays into it as well?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Absolutely. People who are going through chronic illness are a lot more likely to feel lonely. And especially when folks have been taught to “suck it up,” they’re more likely to pretend to be okay, whereas inside, they might be really struggling.

And it’s when they meet other people who might be going through it, too, that their masks are more likely to come down. And they’re more likely to find that sense of belonging.

In 2020, before the pandemic started, the United States Surgeon General was estimating that the rate of loneliness in the United States was about 25%. The current loneliness estimates in the United States are now at about 50%.

And in places like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and, I believe, Australia, where loneliness has been studied in emergency rooms, it was estimated that about one in every four to five emergency room visits had to do with loneliness.

FRN: That’s so sad. Well, going along the lines of health, then, why is it that human connection is so important to good health, not just mental health, but even disease prevention?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Absolutely. We as humans are wired for connection, not only psychologically but also physiologically.

When we’re around other people, especially people that we like, people we trust, our bodies produce this very special hormone called oxytocin. And oxytocin is something that makes us feel better, not only emotionally but also physically. It strengthens our immune health, and it strengthens our cardiovascular health as well.

Individuals who have a steady supply of oxytocin, if you will, through meaningful social connections, are actually less likely to even develop things like the common cold because their immune system is stronger.

FRN: That’s really incredible. It also makes me think about — what is it — broken heart syndrome, too. So is that the same idea?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Absolutely. So, broken heart syndrome is a physiological phenomenon where somebody dies, usually from a heart attack, within a year of a painful loss, such as the loss of a spouse or a child. However, we find that when individuals who are bereaved have a significant support system where they feel truly seen and supported and safe to express their pain, the risk of broken heart syndrome is significantly reduced.

Food and Loneliness

FRN: Yeah. I feel like most people don’t really think about the impact that their emotions really can have on their health in the short term, but in the long term, too.

Besides health — I don’t know if you can speak on this — but what role does food and connecting over food have in preventing loneliness?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think many cultures worldwide connect over different activities, whether it’s food or making food. For some, it’s cleaning together. For some, after disasters, it’s people getting together and helping to rebuild.

So, I think when people have some tradition or purpose that brings them together, that sense of belonging increases, and that oxytocin development really spikes, making us healthier.

So, of course, we know that ideally, we want to eat healthy; we want to exercise. But it seems that a sense of belonging is just as important as a healthy diet and exercise. So, if we can bond over activities like walking together or eating together, I imagine that we can be even healthier.

A sense of belonging is just as important as a healthy diet and exercise.

Dr. Janina Scarlet, Clinical Psychologist and Author

FRN: Yeah, totally. What if people around you aren’t necessarily eating the same diet as you or the same types of foods? Do you have any tips for navigating that situation to still connect with people?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I don’t think it matters what people are eating so long as everyone is welcoming. I think that when people have dietary restrictions or they, for whatever reason, might need to have a different eating plan, the most important thing is that everyone is accepting of whatever that person needs to eat.

So, for example, I have certain food allergies, and when I go somewhere where people are eating things that I’m not able to have, it doesn’t bother me so long as folks are inclusive. For example, when I went to my in-laws’ Thanksgiving dinner, they were very kind in terms of asking me what foods I was able to have and made me a separate dish within my allergy restrictions. And that made me feel included, even though there were certain things they were eating that I wasn’t and vice versa.

So I don’t think it’s about eating the same food. I think it’s about folks respecting each other’s differences that really matters.

Dr. Scarlet’s Experience with Loneliness

FRN: I agree. If you are comfortable, could you share how you’ve experienced loneliness in your own life and what helps you connect with others?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Yeah, absolutely. So, I grew up in the former Soviet Union. And the mentality was that if you’re feeling lonely, you’re simply not being grateful. So, the assumption was that you just have to remember all these wonderful people that are in your life — for example, your mom or your dad or whoever, or your cat — and that should magically make you feel better. Only, when I received this advice from my family members and teachers, I felt even more alone because I felt even more misunderstood about my experience.

So for me, fictional characters helped me feel more seen. You see, my family and I lived through the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, but not before being exposed to radiation. When I came to the United States, I experienced painful bullying, with many children in school asking me if I was “radioactive” or “glow-in-the-dark.”

But seeing how fictional characters dealt with loneliness in terms of people who have been discriminated against, let’s say the X-Men [Editor’s Note: A group of fictional comic book characters who are mutants with superhuman abilities], allowed me to see a stronger representation of my feelings than I was able to meet in real life. And because I was able to find even fictional characters to connect with, I felt less lonely.

When I became a psychologist, I started using fictional metaphors or fictional characters to invite folks to find someone who shares their experience. When they were able to resonate with a fictional character, they were often able to feel less lonely and more understood. And if they were able to, for example, join a support group where there were other folks who had similar experiences, they were able to feel less lonely in that regard as well.

So for me, it was finding someone, even a fictional character, who shared my experience that really helped me to manage loneliness. So that’s something I try to do even to this day.

And then my other strategy has been journaling, to become my own witness to my experience, and that’s something I encourage folks to do on a regular basis as well.

Giving Ourselves What We Need

FRN: That was actually what I was going to ask you next. What are some strategies or techniques that someone could use to help validate their own feelings and experiences?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: One exercise I really like to invite folks to do is an exercise I developed that’s called journaling in two parts. So, in this exercise, we split the page in half by drawing a line down the middle. And on the left-hand side, we write about how we feel — for example, that we feel misunderstood or invalidated by other people. And on the right-hand side, we write a compassionate response as if we’re talking to a friend.

So if we wrote a bullet point on the left-hand side about our struggles, on the right-hand side, we write a point-by-point response. Or if we wrote it as more of a narrative, on the right-hand side we write a narrative compassionate response. And a lot of folks report feeling significantly less lonely after practicing this exercise.

FRN: What do you think it is about that exercise that resonates with people?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think it’s about bearing witness to our experience so that we know what we’re going through, and then providing that compassionate wisdom that we really seek in others. Sometimes, we might fail to get this kind of support from other people because of their lack of skills in offering support. But we know what we need to hear, so through practicing journaling in two parts, we’re able to give ourselves exactly what we need.

And then, once we are able to do that, we might even be able to advocate for ourselves. We might say to, for example, our partner or our friend, “Hey, could you maybe use this statement with me? Could you, for example, tell me, ‘Hey, I see you when you’re in pain, or I hear you.’”

And I think that once we are able to advocate for what we want, we’re more likely to get our needs met and feel significantly less lonely with folks who are willing to meet our needs in that way.

Resiliency and Loneliness

FRN: That’s great. Can you explain the concept of resiliency and building resiliency and how that might relate to loneliness as well?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: So, resilience has to do with getting back up after we feel down. It has to do with the willingness to do something difficult, to come out of something that we’re struggling with. It doesn’t mean not feeling bad. It doesn’t mean that things won’t get us knocked down. Instead, it means getting up and standing up for what we believe in.

And for many folks, I think a lot of times when we get knocked down, let’s say through something painful such as a friendship breakup, we might be really heartbroken about it. So many folks wait to feel better before they start making other friends. But that could take a long time.

So, what I often recommend instead is starting to take action even before we feel ready, because emotions follow actions, not the other way around. When we start taking action, even if it’s outside of our comfort zone, even before we feel fully ready, then we start feeling better faster. It doesn’t mean ignoring our feelings, it means finding that balance between taking action and maybe not pushing ourselves beyond our limits. It means starting to honor what’s really important to us before we feel fully healed, if that makes sense.

FRN: Do you think that resiliency also plays into the health side of loneliness, too, and how that impacts your health? The more resilient you are, the better your body is able to navigate that?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I do. Many people think resilience is a personality trait, and I don’t. I think resilience is a choice. And what it means is that, again, we might take action because of what’s important to us, even when we still feel unheard, even when we still feel heartbroken.

And I think that the more of these actions we take to start forming meaningful connections — to maybe go to a therapy support group or a grief support group or something like it — the more likely we are to feel more supported, more understood, and over time, perhaps less lonely.

And I want to be very clear. Loneliness doesn’t mean we’re doing something wrong. Loneliness means our needs are not being met. And if we can take a moment to figure out what needs need to be met, then we can better advocate for those needs.

Helping Others Feel Less Lonely

FRN: So going off of that, then, how can we help other people feel less lonely?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think one of the best things we can do is to check in with curiosity in terms of, “Hey, would it be okay for me to check in with you? How are you really feeling today if you’re open to talking about it? And what are some ways I can meet your needs?”

I often talk about love languages, not only in terms of romantic couples but also in terms of friendship love languages. I often recommend that people talk to their friends: “Hey, when you’re feeling down, what are some ways that you would like to be supported? And what are some ways that you would like for me to show up for you? And here are some ways that I would like to be supported, and I would like for you to show up for me.”

I think when we’re checking on our friends, asking them for specific guidance is important.

If our friends are, for example, grieving or really overwhelmed, giving them a couple of choices can be really helpful. For example, if I have a friend who is grieving, and I know they’re feeling lonely and overwhelmed, I might ask them, “Hey, what would be the most supportive thing I can do for you right now? Would you like me to come over, or would you like some space right now?” So, I give them a couple of options, and I also let them know, “You don’t have to respond if you don’t want to.”

So in doing that, I’m allowing my friend to not respond at all. I’m letting them off the hook there, and I’m giving them a couple of choices. So they can say, “Yes, please come over,” or, “Can we schedule a call?” or, “You know what, I need a few days of space.” And I find that many people really appreciate choices.

Resources to Help You Feel Less Lonely

FRN: Yes, totally agree. Do you have any resources related to loneliness that you could share?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Absolutely. I put a lot of them into my book, Unseen, Unheard, and Undervalued. I do think Dr. Vivek Murthy, who’s the current US Surgeon General, his book Together is a really good book that talks about the research behind loneliness.

I do recommend that folks consider either working with a therapist or maybe a support group for whatever they’re going through at that moment. For example, a holiday support group, or for many individuals who, say, had parents with addiction, ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) is a free support group that’s available worldwide, even on Zoom, phone, and in-person that a lot of folks don’t know about. So there are many support groups for just about anything that folks are going through that are either low-cost or free that people might be able to attend even from their homes.

FRN: What about if someone has chronic loneliness — a chronic feeling of just being alone?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: It might be helpful in that regard to consider looking into either therapy or, again, either like a local support group or even starting one. Some folks might not realize that they can start their own support group. And you don’t have to be a therapist — so long as you’re not charging or pretending to be a therapist — to just start a loneliness support group. I’ve actually had clients who did that.

I had a student who started a support group in her high school where students would meet once a week for an hour and just talk about their feelings and talk about loneliness and talk about what they were going through.

Other folks might think about what are some ways that they can help other people who are also feeling lonely. This is called post-traumatic growth, when we’re able to make meaning out of what we’re going through and support other people.

So, for example, if I’m feeling really lonely and really disenchanted with something, I’ll send 12 of my friends a message like, “Hey, I love you. I appreciate you. I’m thinking of you. I hope you have a wonderful day.” I never expect a reply. But to me, sending a loving, caring message to other people allows me to feel a stronger sense of belonging.

And then, if I do hear back, that’s lovely, but that’s never the expectation.

I also often encourage people to either volunteer or support other people in those moments when they’re feeling especially alone.

What to Do When Connection Is not Reciprocated

FRN: That’s great advice. Because sometimes I feel like in order to feel connected, we have to connect. And I think some people struggle with that because maybe they always feel like they’re the ones reaching out. But at the same time, I think that’s just what we have to do sometimes.

Going off of that, what do you do if it’s not reciprocated?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Well, again, when I’m sending out those messages of love, I don’t expect anything in return. But if our needs are chronically not being met… For example, if we have a friend that maybe we reach out to, and we ask for support, and that friend is frequently not reciprocating and not giving us the support that we’re looking for, then we might have a conversation with that friend. Like, “Hey, I’ve noticed maybe we haven’t fully been aligning. Here are my needs. What are your needs? How can we make this friendship work?” And if that friend is not willing to have that conversation or isn’t validating, or is defensive, then we might need to rethink and reevaluate our friendship.

I often say that there are friends we have that are friends of convenience, friends that we’ve had for a long time because we’ve met them in school or at work. And then there are real friends. And real friends are ones that will be willing to have the hard conversations. They might not always be skillful, but for the most part, they’re going to be willing to have conversations and make the friendship work. Whereas friends of convenience are ones that we’ve just known for a while, but they might not be real friends.

So after a while, we might need to think about, do we need to think about these friends as more of acquaintances and change our expectations of them, and maybe invest in some new friendships? So if our needs are chronically not being met, we do need to reevaluate what those needs are and communicate them. And if nothing’s changed, then we need to change something.

Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued

FRN: Okay, great. I’d love for you to talk a little bit about your book and what it’s all about.

Dr. Janina Scarlet: My book, Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued, is about the different aspects of loneliness. As I mentioned, loneliness does not have anything to do with being physically alone. It’s about that emotional disconnection.

And I break it down into those three categories: feeling unseen, for example, ignored by other people; feeling unheard, so invalidated, for example, by other people or gaslit; and feeling undervalued or devalued by other people. So that’s where we’re made to feel like the “other.” So those are the three subtypes.

So the first part of the book breaks loneliness down into those three subcomponents and gives lots of examples and case studies of those three subtypes of loneliness and also research studies to support some of these findings.

And then the second half of the book talks about how we can first practice seeing, hearing, and valuing ourselves, how we can practice self-compassion, for example. And then how we can advocate for ourselves in friendships. For example, by talking about love languages, or our needs, whether it’s with our friends, with our partners, or with our coworkers. And also how we can set boundaries if somebody is not meeting our needs, or if somebody isn’t validating us. And then also how we can continue cultivating the friendships or relationships that do work, such as, for example, by sending out the “just because” text messages.

So, research studies that came out last year (in 2022) have actually found that when we send out the “just because” text — “Hey, I was thinking about you. I hope your day is going well” — people who send those greatly underestimate how significant those messages are to the recipients. The recipients who get those texts report being significantly more moved by those messages than people who send them have anticipated.

I provide some examples of messages that folks can send out and different gratitude practices that folks can do, such as sending a letter of gratitude to somebody who influenced them or supported them. And then imagining what maybe somebody else might say to them if they received a letter of gratitude.

The intentionality of the book is, first and foremost, to validate folks who have been through some of these painful experiences. And second of all, to provide folks with some skills that they’re able to use to support themselves, to advocate for themselves, and then also to deepen significant relationships that they already have.

FRN: Thank you. I’m really excited to read it.

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Thanks. I’m really excited, too. It’s probably one of the most personal books I’ve written. So it definitely has a bit of my autobiographical stuff and also a lot of case studies from a lot of different folks who very courageously contributed their stories to this book.

You Are Not Alone in Your Experience

FRN: Is there anything else that you want to say about loneliness specifically or anything related to it?

Dr. Janina Scarlet: I think the main thing I just want to add is, for anyone who’s feeling lonely, who’s feeling invalidated or unseen, who’s feeling disconnected, please know that you’re not alone in this experience. And if you’re feeling that way right now, chances are at least four or five other people you know personally are going through this right now, but they might not think to tell you.

So, if we go about our day with the assumption that most people around us are going through the same level of loneliness as we are, I imagine we might be more willing to connect with people. And maybe we might reduce how much we’re masking. And maybe through doing that and through having conversations about loneliness, we can eradicate the stigma about this universal experience once and for all.

FRN: That was so good.

Dr. Janina Scarlet: Thank you so much for interviewing me.

—–

Dr. Janina Scarlet is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, author, and a TEDx speaker. A Ukrainian-born refugee, she survived Chernobyl radiation and persecution. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 with her family and later, inspired by the X-Men, developed Superhero Therapy to help patients with anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Dr. Scarlet is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award by the United Nations Association for her work on Superhero Therapy. Her work has been featured on Yahoo, BBC, NPR, Sunday Times, The New York Times, Forbes, and many other outlets. She regularly consults on books and television shows, including HBO’s The Young Justice.

Dr. Scarlet is the Lead Trauma Specialist at the Trauma and PTSD Healing Center. She’s authored twelve books, including Superhero Therapy, Harry Potter Therapy, Dark Agents, Super-Women, It Shouldn’t Be This Way, and her latest, Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you ever feel lonely?
• What strategies have you used to combat loneliness and feel more connected?
• How do you help others feel less lonely?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Ponomariova_Maria

Read Next:

• Do Your Food Choices Leave You Feeling Lonely?
• The Emotional Heart: How What You Feel Impacts Heart Health

The post Navigating Loneliness in the Age of Connection: An Interview with Dr. Janina Scarlet appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Unfortunately, it’s now been over 50 years, and cancer is still very much with us.

But cancer science has indeed made progress. Some cancers, like childhood leukemia, which had a 99% fatality rate in 1955, are largely curable these days. New drugs can add years of life to many people diagnosed with multiple myeloma. And many cancers have morphed from death sentences into manageable chronic conditions. Gene-editing technology also promises many more potential medical treatment advances in the years to come.

That’s the good news.

The less good news is that cancer is still a leading killer worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths every year (that’s nearly one-sixth of all deaths from all causes). And there’s a concerning uptick in cancer cases among people younger than 50, with the largest increases among those aged 30–39.

No matter what age it occurs, cancer can be a devastating disease physically, emotionally, and financially. And those burdens are often shared by friends and families. The financial toll can be especially disastrous if the person and their family lack the financial resources to take time off work or don’t have insurance.

Globally, the cost of cancers diagnosed between 2020–2050 is estimated to reach an almost incomprehensible $25.2 trillion. (To help wrap my head around that amount, I calculated that it would be enough money to provide $3,000 to every human being on Earth — with a trillion dollars to spare.)

Some researchers wonder, then, if the original framing of waging a “war” against cancer was a mistake. Viewing cancer as an external enemy took focus away from the value of prevention, which, in all likelihood, could have kept many cases of cancer from developing in the first place.

A lot of research over the last 50 years has pointed to the pivotal role of dietary and lifestyle choices in influencing cancer risk. In fact, one conservative estimate found that 30–40% of all cancers may be preventable with diet and lifestyle measures alone. (In case you’re keeping track, that could lead to savings of up to $10 trillion, and 120 million lives, over the next 30 years, which doesn’t sound too shabby to me.)

So what are these measures? How can you potentially prevent cancer in yourself or a loved one? In this article, we’ll look at 12 ways to reduce cancer risk.

What Can You Do to Help Prevent Cancer?

While many diet and lifestyle strategies have research behind them showing they can help prevent cancer, there are no guarantees in life. There are many different factors that may contribute to a cancer diagnosis. Everyone is biologically different. And what works for one person may not work for another.

But if you want to give yourself the best chance of preventing a cancer diagnosis, there are a few strategies that may help eliminate exposure to harmful cancer-causing chemicals and dietary compounds, along with preventing oxidative stress — a known contributor to carcinogenesis — in the body.

1. Don’t Smoke or Vape Tobacco

Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of cancer in the US and accounts for 25% of all cancer deaths globally (including the majority of lung cancers). Cigarette smoke contains numerous carcinogens, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), N-nitrosamines, aromatic amines, 1,3-butadiene, benzene, aldehydes, and ethylene oxide.

And while smokers’ risk of lung cancer can be a whopping 22 times higher than that of nonsmokers, smoking increases the risk of many other types of cancer as well. Associations also exist between smoking and skin cancer, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, endometrial carcinoma, and breast cancer

While the long-term effects of vaping and e-cigarettes are as of yet unknown, preliminary research suggests that they may also increase cancer risk. Similarly, vaping can expose you to nasty-sounding carcinogens such as nicotine derivatives (nitrosonornicotine and nitrosamine ketone), PAHs, heavy metals, and complex organic compounds such as formaldehyde.

While quitting smoking at any age can improve your health, doing so at a young age can significantly lower cancer incidence and increase life expectancy.

2. Avoid Plastics

Plastics are another environmental toxin linked to an elevated risk of cancer. This is most clearly seen where plastic exposure is the greatest such as in occupational exposure during manufacturing.

But as industrially-produced plastics continue to grow and infiltrate our lives, it’s harder and harder to find water, food, or soil that doesn’t contain microplastics. Even more concerning is their ability to find their way into living tissue due to their tiny size. While researchers first noticed microplastics in the flesh of marine creatures, now studies show they’re increasingly prevalent in human bodies as well.

Even if you avoid seafood and don’t work in a factory that produces or uses plastic, you still risk exposure to potentially carcinogenic chemicals from plastics found in everyday items.

Plastic packaging for food products can leach harmful chemicals into that food, especially if the contents are heated or acidic (like tomato sauce). Two of the most frequently implicated plastic chemicals are BPA and phthalates.

BPA may cause metabolic disease, obesity, infertility, and ADHD; while phthalates, as endocrine disruptors, can compromise pregnancy, child growth, and reproductive system development. Both chemicals have links to cancer.

BPA has a role in promoting several hormone-dependent cancers (breast, ovarian, and prostate). Exposure to phthalates during childhood is associated with an increased incidence of childhood osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and lymphoma (blood and lymph cancers).

BPA and phthalates aren’t limited to food packaging, however. They’re also in toys, medications, and beauty and personal care products.

The plastics industry has responded to growing concern by using plastics touted as “BPA-free” and “phthalate-free.” But the problem is, other chemicals found in plastics — nearly every type of plastic — turn out to be toxic as well.

It’s not clear whether swapping one type of plastic for another will pay health dividends, at least not nearly as much as finding ways to reduce overall exposure to plastic. Reducing your plastic footprint benefits not just you, but the wider environment.

You can replace plastic food containers with safer ones that have the added benefit of being long-lasting. And for both health and environmental reasons, you can eliminate, as much as possible, highly wasteful and polluting single-use plastics from your life.

Here are nine tips to help you live without plastic (yes, it really is possible!).

3. Avoid Processed Foods and Meats

Now it’s time to talk about food. Many processed foods contain harmful cancer-causing ingredients. While many countries have banned these ingredients, they’re still very much a part of the ultra-processed US food system.

A 2023 study found that eating large amounts of ultra-processed food is associated with a higher risk of developing cancers of the upper digestive tract, such as mouth, throat, and esophageal cancer.

Processed meat, in particular, has been associated with increased cancer risk. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a class 1 carcinogen back in 2015. Specifically, a comprehensive 2021 meta-analysis found that processed meat consumption was associated with “a 6% greater breast cancer risk, an 18% greater colorectal cancer risk, a 21% greater colon cancer risk, a 22% greater rectal cancer risk, and a 12% greater lung cancer risk.”

Fortunately, it’s possible to replicate a lot of the taste and texture of processed meats with plant-based alternatives. Some are definitely kinder to your health than others. And the healthiest will generally be the ones you make yourself. You can even make bacon out of plants!

4. Filter Your Water

Multiple carcinogens exist in drinking water, too. Some, like arsenic, occur naturally, while others are the result of contamination from industry or agriculture. Still others are created when chlorine, used to disinfect tap water, comes into contact with organic material.

The 2000 movie Erin Brockovich told the true story of a town’s contaminated water supply. Unfortunately, a 2022 survey of US federal and state water testing found that the tap water of more than 250 million Americans still has dangerously high levels of this contaminant (chromium-6).

A 2023 study found that the tap water consumed by half of all households in the US is contaminated with cancer-causing PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” so named because they’re extremely resistant to breaking down, either in the environment or the body.

Microplastics are also increasingly concentrated in drinking water.

For tips on how you can treat your drinking water to reduce health risks, check out this comprehensive article on drinking water treatment.

Editor’s Note: Having a good home water filter is a great way to protect your family (and to save money over buying bottled water, which typically comes in plastic). One option that FRN likes is the AquaTru — a countertop RO unit that includes excellent carbon filter technology, delivers high-quality water and flavor, slashes the purchase cost, requires no installation fees, is remarkably water-efficient, and has extremely minimal maintenance costs. The manufacturer, AquaTru, states that their system removes chromium-6, arsenic, PFAS, and a great many other contaminants. It’s available for a $100 discount for FRN members. If you’re interested, you can find out more here.

5. Filter Your Air

While many people think that lung cancer only happens to smokers, up to 29% of all lung cancer deaths are attributable to poor air quality. Some of this comes from outdoor pollution, including car exhaust, factory and power plant emissions, and wildfire smoke, which can travel indoors, where the carcinogenic particles can become even more concentrated.

Your home is also a potential source of airborne cancer-causing chemicals. Cooking with a gas stove, it turns out, can be more of a contributor to carcinogenic air than even second-hand cigarette smoke. Gas stoves can raise indoor levels of benzene, a carcinogen linked to leukemia and other blood cell cancers.

VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are chemicals that can off-gas from cleaning supplies, paints, insecticides, lacquers and stains, and many other products. Some of these are suspected human carcinogens, as well as having multiple other health effects.

Another chemical that can build up in the home and raise the risk of cancer is radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. You can get your home tested, and if levels are high, you can either increase the rate of airflow, get a suitable home air filter, or install an underground ventilation system to divert the gas before it enters your living spaces.

To find out more on the top sources and stunning health effects of indoor air pollution, and what you can do about it, see our article, here.

6. Reduce Your Stress

There are also internal contributors to cancer development: how we process stressors. While the stress response is a crucial system that has evolved to keep us safe in the presence of a threat, many people experience a chronic stress response that remains active even in the absence of an external threat.

Animal studies (our view on the use of animals in medical research is here) and lab-grown human cancer cells have provided evidence that chronic stress may cause cancer to get worse and spread. That’s because prolonged stress triggers inflammation, suppresses immunity, and promotes tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis.

There’s also evidence that persistent and chronic stress exposure might also contribute to tumor initiation in specific cancers.

While you can’t avoid all of life’s stressors, there are some proven strategies that can help you manage stress more effectively. Certain foods can help (here are seven of them.) And adaptogens are plants and herbs that could be especially useful in helping your body deal with stressors and come back into balance.

Exercising and spending time in nature are also documented ways of lowering stress levels. For an added boost of calm, you can do both at the same time, an approach known as green fitness.

7. Use (Natural) Sunscreen

Skin cancer accounts for almost one-third of all diagnosed cancers, and the incidence of both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers has been increasing over the past decades.

The main factors that predict the development of melanoma appear to be a combination of a history of sunburn from ultraviolet radiation and continued recreational exposure to the sun.

One way to keep the sun from damaging your skin is by using sunscreen. Studies have shown that it does reduce the risk of skin cancers. Unfortunately, not all sunscreens are benign. Some contain benzophenone, a suspected carcinogen that also can interfere with key hormones and reproductive organs.

It’s ironic that many people who seek to avoid one type of cancer end up doing so with products that promote other cancers, as well as additional health problems. To avoid this “from-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire” scenario, look for natural sunscreens or other forms of natural sun protection. There are even foods that can protect your skin from harmful UV radiation.

For advice on what to look for in a natural sunscreen, see our article, here.

8. Wash Produce to Remove Pesticides

The greatest cancer risk associated with pesticides is occupational, affecting farm workers who apply pesticides. However, there may also be a risk from dietary sources. Estimates put more than 90% of the US population with detectable concentrations of pesticide biomarkers in their urine or blood.

While many fruits and vegetables are potent cancer-fighters, some of the pesticides used to grow them promote tumor growth, as well as cause harmful gene expression and DNA modification. For example, a 2021 study found a correlation between dietary exposure to pesticides and increased breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women.

But there are several things you can do to minimize your exposure to these potentially carcinogenic compounds. If you can access and afford organic produce, that’s a great way to keep some of the worst pesticide offenders off your plate.

If a 100% organic shopping cart is out of your reach, you can get the most pesticide-free bang for your buck by going organic with the most pesticide-contaminated produce aka “the Dirty Dozen.”

And while you can’t remove all pesticide residue by washing your produce, a water and baking soda mixture can get rid of some pesticides.

For more on how to wash produce to remove the vast majority of pesticide residues, see our article here.

9. Use Nontoxic Cookware

Even after buying organic and washing off as much pesticide residue as you can, you may still be cooking your produce in ways that increase cancer risk. That’s because some nonstick cookware has a coating of carcinogenic chemicals.

The two biggest culprits are poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFOA is widely used in the manufacture of a bunch of industrial and commercial products, including Teflon coating on cookware. It’s associated with several cancers, including those of the testicles and kidneys, as well as pancreatic cancer.

To avoid these chemicals, check out some of our suggestions on healthy cookware options.

10. Drink Less (or No) Alcohol

While the media and wellness influencers debate the pros and cons of red wine for heart health, the evidence is clear and increasingly compelling that alcoholic beverages qualify as group 1 carcinogens. This doesn’t mean they get to board airplanes first. Rather, “group 1” is used by the WHO to indicate that there’s “convincing evidence that the agent causes cancer” in humans.

Drinking alcohol increases the risk of several cancer types, including cancers of the upper digestive tract, liver, colorectum, and breast. Worldwide, about 4% of cancers have a correlation with alcohol consumption.

But how much alcohol do you need to drink before your risk of cancer increases? According to the WHO, there’s no safe level of alcohol consumption. While the risk of developing cancer increases substantially the more alcohol you consume, even light or moderate consumption raises your odds of developing cancer.

Find out more on how alcohol affects your health here, and get some suggestions on nonalcoholic or mocktail recipes here.

11. Get Regular Cancer Screenings

Although no substitute for prevention, it’s often true that early detection can be a lifesaver. Getting regular cancer screenings can enable your health care provider to find precancerous cells as well as cancerous tumors.

Specifically, medical societies recommend screening for cancers that are easier to treat and cure when found early. For example, screenings can prevent colorectal and cervical cancers by identifying and removing precancerous lesions before they become cancerous.

Recent studies are also showing that mammography screenings decrease women’s risk of dying from breast cancer. A large-scale 2020 study out of Sweden found that women who participated in mammograms reduced their risk of dying of breast cancer within 10 years by a whopping 41%.

Another screening success has been the Pap smear, which I just learned was named after Dr. Georgios Papanikolaou, the Greek pathologist who discovered the test and publicized it in 1943. Over the past three decades, its widespread use has been credited with decreasing cervical cancer incidence and mortality by over 50%.

Colonoscopies that look for colorectal cancer may also be beneficial once people have reached a certain age. (According to the American Cancer Society, that age is 45 for folks with “average risk”).

Keep in mind, however, that there are also risks involved in all cancer screenings, including false positives that can lead to invasive treatments, as well as aggressively treating tumors that may be so slow-growing as to represent little threat to health.

Additionally, certain cancer screening tests may only be suggested for people who are high-risk. Others are routine tests done regularly after a certain age. To find out what cancer screenings are recommended by the American Cancer Society, here’s a resource they put together.

And remember the adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. For most of us, the best prevention is a healthy diet and lifestyle. Starting with choosing to…

12. Eat Cancer-Fighting Foods

While most of the items on this list are things to avoid — tobacco smoke, plastics, processed foods, etc. — there are also things you can add more of to help prevent cancer.

Vegetable and fruit consumption is associated with a lower risk of many cancers, including those of the stomach, esophagus, lung, oral cavity and pharynx, endometrium, pancreas, colon, and others. The effects are likely due to the many positive qualities of whole plant-based foods. But two of the best studied are phytonutrients and fiber.

Phytonutrients and phytochemicals found in colorful plant foods, in particular, have been shown to possess anticancer effects. These and other antioxidants help neutralize free radicals in your cells and fight oxidative stress in your body.

Oxidative stress plays a major role in cancer cell metabolism. Cancer patients frequently have low antioxidant stores, and experience increased oxidative stress, leading researchers to seek ways to increase antioxidant activity as a cancer prevention strategy.

Fiber is another key nutrient for cancer prevention. There’s a clear link between fiber and colorectal health. You can think of fiber as the “broom” that sweeps your colon clean. Studies show that people who consumed just 10 more grams of fiber per day had a 10% reduction in their risk of developing colorectal cancer.

But fiber’s benefit doesn’t stop there. Multiple studies have found that the more fiber you eat, the lower your risk of breast and other hormonal cancers.

For more on why fiber is good for you, including a beautifully designed graphic showing 33 of the best high-fiber foods and a bunch of delicious fiber-rich recipes, check out this article.

And for more on anticancer foods, check out 7 Ways to Eat to Defeat Cancer Today and Every Day by Dr. William Li.

Cancer-Fighting Recipes

While some of the strategies shared in this article may take time and even a bit of expense to implement (changing cookware and sunscreen, replacing plastic containers with glass ones, getting a home air purifier, and so on), you can quickly make a dent in your cancer risk through the food you prepare and eat today.

Here are a few of our favorite anticancer recipes that taste so good, you’ll be forgiven for forgetting how good they are for you.

1. Smashed Edamame Avocado Toast

This easy toast recipe delivers a hefty dose of fiber, which is essential for digestive health and reducing the risk of certain types of cancer. Avocado is a nutrient powerhouse, rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, and is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. The star ingredient, however, is edamame, which adds a substantial dose of plant-based protein and isoflavones. These phytonutrients may protect cells from damage and reduce the risk of cancer development. Enjoy the flavors, textures, and nutritional attributes of this craveable breakfast.

2. Strawberry Spinach Salad

Delight in a vibrant salad bursting with flavor and packed with cancer-fighting nutrients. This colorful ensemble features nutrient-rich spinach, known for its abundance of antioxidant cancer fighters like vitamin C and beta-carotene. It’s also complemented by sweet and succulent strawberries, offering a dose of ellagic acid — a phytonutrient that helps scavenge free radicals. The Strawberry Spinach Salad also provides quercetin — a plant compound with anticancer properties. Topped with a tangy beet balsamic dressing, this salad is a mouthwatering treat and a potential ally in your journey toward cancer prevention.

3. Pink Cauliflower Soup

Indulge in a flavorful blend of cauliflower, beets, garlic, tofu, and aromatic spices designed with potential cancer-fighting properties in mind. Cauliflower, a cruciferous vegetable rich in sulforaphane, may assist in reducing the risk of certain cancers by aiding in the body’s natural detoxification processes. Vibrant beets contribute betalains known for their anti-inflammatory properties. And garlic adds allicin, believed to possess powerful anticancer effects. With the addition of delicate microgreens, you’ll also get an extra boost of essential vitamins and minerals.

4. Plant-Powered Lunch Bowl

This Plant-Powered Lunch Bowl is a vibrant mix of nutrient-dense kale, antioxidant-packed turmeric, and carotenoid-rich sweet potatoes. Complemented by a vibrant matcha turmeric dressing, this bowl is more than just a delicious meal — it’s a cancer-fighting recipe. The abundance of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals from all of the ingredients creates a bowl bursting with health benefits.

5. Rainbow Smoothie

Indulge in a vibrant Rainbow Smoothie, a flavorful concoction blending the goodness of banana, apple, mixed berries, nutrient-rich spinach, and chia seeds, all with potentially cancer-preventive properties. This colorful smoothie offers a wealth of antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber. Both berries, particularly rich in anthocyanins and vitamin C, and spinach, abundant in folate and antioxidants, are believed to combat oxidative stress and inflammation, potentially reducing cancer risk. Combined with the fiber and omega-3 fatty acids from chia seeds, this refreshing smoothie is a nourishing and delightful treat!

Take Control of Your Health with These Cancer Prevention Strategies

Cancer can be devastating. And while medical advances have been largely modest and limited to certain families of cancer, there’s a lot of hope in the form of evidence-based strategies for lifestyle-based cancer prevention.

From steering clear of harmful substances like tobacco and plastics to embracing stress reduction techniques and consuming cancer-fighting foods, there are many steps you can take toward a healthier lifestyle.

While no approach guarantees immunity from cancer, the combination of these measures can significantly reduce your risk. And the collective impact of these lifestyle changes holds promise not just for individual well-being but also for a future in which the devastating impact of cancer is diminished.

Tell us in the comments:

• Which of the 12 cancer-fighting strategies above do you already engage in?
• What’s one thing you can do right now to reduce the risk of cancer for yourself and your loved ones?
• Which cancer-fighting recipe will you make next?

Featured Image: iStock.com/FatCamera

Read Next:

• The Top 10 Vegetables You Can Eat to Prevent and Reverse Cancer
• IGF-1: The Growth Hormone That Can Fuel Cancer

The post 12 Ways to Reduce Your Cancer Risk Using Diet & Lifestyle appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Have you noticed a lot of CBD talk in recent years? Or that you can suddenly find it almost everywhere? Well, that’s because, in 2018, the Farm Bill legalized the regulated production of hemp in the United States. When this bill was signed into law, it granted hemp manufacturers the right to mass-produce, sell, and transport hemp and hemp products — and for you to be able to possess and use it.

There was, however, one catch.

Hemp is the same plant species as marijuana, which contains the psychoactive cannabinoid known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). And so, if hemp producers want to be within the legality of the Farm Bill, their products need to contain less than 0.3% THC.

This bill has had major implications for the natural health world. See, while THC produces the “high” associated with marijuana, there are loads of other cannabinoids within hemp that have been shown to be highly beneficial for human health without causing any psychoactive effects.

The 2018 Farm Bill — along with other more recent legislation — has opened up a whole new area of research into these cannabinoids. Previously, it was difficult to study beneficial cannabinoids due to the restrictions on hemp. So studies were few and far between. But now, scientists are finding out what some had suspected about certain cannabinoids all along — they appear to have extraordinary benefits for human health.

While there are numerous beneficial cannabinoids, in this blog, I want to talk specifically about one that has the most scientific research behind it: cannabidiol (CBD).

Not sure what CBD is — or why you should care about it? Well, keep reading! I’ll go over how CBD interacts with your body to support good health, its legality, types of CBD, and the best ways to take it.

CBD and the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)

Most people don’t realize that their bodies actually create cannabinoids on their own, contributing to a system within the body made up of molecules and receptors. Discovered only in 1988, researchers call this system the endocannabinoid system, or ECS for short.

With cannabinoids, along with their receptors, the ECS helps maintain a certain balance — or homeostasis — within the body, regulating functions related to pain, memory, appetite, and sleep, among others.

When a disruption in ECS homeostasis occurs, it’s known as an endocannabinoid deficiency. This is a situation where the body does not have enough naturally-made cannabinoids to attach to cannabinoid receptors. A deficiency in cannabinoids can throw the body out of balance and cause mismanagement of the ECS’s important functions.

However, a nonpsychoactive compound found within the hemp plant, CBD, can interact with the cannabinoid receptors within your body in astonishing ways. If you’re low in cannabinoids, think of CBD as supplementing these important compounds — enabling your body to find balance once again.

Plus, not only is CBD considered a multipurpose cannabinoid that can interact with many different receptors, it may increase the lifespan and amount of your body’s endocannabinoids, allowing your body to use more of what it’s already naturally producing.

By helping the ECS and supporting various other mechanisms throughout the body, (which you’ll learn about below), CBD may contribute to some remarkable health benefits.

So, without further ado, let’s learn about how this potent natural compound might be able to support your health!

1. CBD Sleep Benefits

If you have sleep issues, or if you just occasionally find yourself having a difficult time falling and staying asleep, consider adding CBD to your nightly regimen. There’s scientific research to back up the use of CBD as a support for relaxing and getting quality sleep.

When we’re stressed, our bodies produce a hormone called cortisol. Dubbed “the stress hormone,” cortisol can negatively impact sleeping patterns. But according to research, CBD could help regulate cortisol levels, helping us to relax.

In fact, a large case series from 2019 found that CBD use improved sleep in participants by nearly 67% after just one month.

And a 2023 systematic review of 34 studies showed that CBD alone (or in tandem with certain forms of THC) might improve symptoms of insomnia.

2. CBD and Joint Health

CBD has also been shown to help ease achy joints and promote a healthy inflammatory response. This is particularly important if you have a condition that causes discomfort within your joints.

For one thing, CBD has been shown to potentially increase the levels of anandamide in our bodies — a neurotransmitter associated with reducing pain perception and improving mood. And a 2021 study found that while CBD isolate oil didn’t reduce the volume of pain, it did make pain less bothersome.

And CBD doesn’t just make things feel better — it can also make them get better by helping manage the body’s response to inflammation. Research shows that CBD may reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cells in the body while increasing the levels and effectiveness of crucial immune cells.

CBD has also been found to target the areas of the joints suffering from chronic inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis, potentially providing relief from uncomfortable symptoms.

And if all of that wasn’t enough, CBD might also help strengthen joint tissue. An analysis of CBD joint studies concluded that there is sufficient evidence that CBD may be able to both reduce cartilage degradation and facilitate cartilage repair.

3. CBD Brain Benefits

Cannabinoid receptors are dispersed throughout many brain regions and are responsible for regulating numerous aspects of activity within your brain.

As such, ongoing research is showing that CBD may have neuroprotective properties, specifically against cognitive decline and certain conditions and disorders of the brain.

One of the main factors in cognitive decline has to do with oxidative stress and inflammation. These states cause damage to neurons, inhibiting proper brain function. But CBD has been shown to offer potentially protective effects in the brain by reducing these factors.

A review from 2021 showed that CBD might be able to both repair and replace neurons, supporting cognition and brain health.

4. CBD and Mental Health

One of the causes of anxiety and depression is certain chemical reactions in the brain. It turns out that CBD may be able to reduce these symptoms by regulating chemicals in the brain.

For example, CBD has been shown to potentially help increase levels of what’s been dubbed the “bliss molecule” — a neurotransmitter called anandamide.

Researchers believe that a deficiency in endocannabinoids such as anandamide can lead to depression, migraines, and other conditions of the brain and nervous system. They also theorize that endocannabinoids like anandamide might offer protection against conditions like anxiety and depression.

It’s also thought that anandamide could help better regulate the body’s stress response.

And there’s another neurotransmitter CBD can influence — serotonin, a chemical that controls mood and makes you feel happy. Low levels of serotonin are linked to depression, anxiety, and mania associated with bipolar disorder. Though CBD isn’t thought to necessarily increase serotonin levels, it appears to change how your body uses the serotonin it does have, activating it and allowing it to better bind to serotonin receptors.

5. CBD and PMS

Chances are that you either know someone who gets menstrual cramps or you get them yourself. These types of cramps are quite common, with approximately 75% of menstruating people experiencing cramps during their periods.

Because of its natural ability to potentially alleviate discomfort and help manage the body’s inflammatory response, CBD is becoming increasingly popular to help relieve menstrual cramps.

A recent review of studies found CBD could be helpful in providing relief for many of the symptoms involved with PMS. Additionally, some researchers theorize that the main cause of menstrual pain — along with many other PMS symptoms — has to do with inflammation. CBD’s ability to affect the body’s inflammatory response is well documented. As such, it may help provide PMS relief by managing inflammation.

6. CBD and Hair Growth

While research is limited in this area, there are some interesting findings that show CBD intake might be able to contribute to increased hair growth.

Once again, it comes back to the ECS. Certain cannabinoid receptors have been found to be key players in hair follicle growth. As such, CBD may be able to help regulate the health of hair follicles.

Additionally, it may help regulate hormones which are often involved in hair loss conditions.

More research is needed, but it stands to reason that CBD might be helpful.

Is CBD Actually Legal?

Okay, so now you may be thinking, these benefits sound great — but I’m still worried about the legality of CBD.

Maybe a coworker told you that CBD isn’t legal everywhere, or you read somewhere that the lines are a bit blurry when it comes to what’s allowed and what isn’t. After all, you don’t want to get in trouble with the law, even if the health results from CBD are promising.

So, is CBD fully legal in the United States — or whatever country you live in?

Well, the fact of the matter is that it depends on where you live. In the US, as in many other countries around the world, there are both federal and state regulations on CBD use, as well as all other forms of the plant that CBD is extracted from — and they don’t always agree with one another. So it’s important to familiarize yourself with local as well as national laws concerning CBD.

Why is the issue of CBD legality complicated? It comes down to both how CBD is grown and extracted.

THC Levels and CBD Legality

CBD comes from a plant species called Cannabis sativa. Plants in this family include cannabis and hemp, which most people consider “sister plants.” The main difference between the two is that cannabis contains more THC — the cannabinoid responsible for the “high” feeling people get from marijuana — and hemp contains more CBD. Even so, some legislators worry that even hemp-derived CBD contains the illegal compound THC. This is why the 2018 Farm Bill clarified that hemp is only legal to produce if it contains less than 0.3% THC.

Essentially, CBD is legal in every state in the US, as well as Washington, DC. But many states have conditions.

While there are a number of states that have zero restrictions on CBD, just as many have certain conditions that need to be met if you want to purchase and use CBD. The main stipulation is that the THC level within the hemp plant the CBD was derived from needs to be at a certain percentage. Following the federal guideline, most are set at 0.03%. But some states allow zero traces of THC whatsoever.

Other states allow up to 0.05% THC, but you’ll need a medical license. And some don’t care about the percentage as long as the CBD is derived from hemp. Other states, like Mississippi, are a bit stricter and require you not just to have a medical license but to obtain CBD only from the University of Mississippi.

So, as you can see, it’s hard to say just yes or no to the question of whether CBD is legal within the United States. And other countries have their own rules and regulations, too.

CBD Types

So if you are able to obtain CBD legally, how do you know what kind to take?

There are many different methods that companies use to isolate and extract CBD and a range of ingredients they choose to add or leave in their products. In addition, there are also different blends that leave or take out flavonoids and cannabinoids. Some even completely isolate CBD on its own.

There are three main kinds of CBD products: CBD isolate, full-spectrum CBD, and broad-spectrum CBD.

CBD Isolate

CBD isolate is just that — pure CBD by itself without any other cannabinoids in the mix. Some people prefer it because it lacks any THC whatsoever. However, isolating CBD from all other cannabinoids requires the most lab processing of the three categories.

Isolate has similar health benefits to full- and broad-spectrum CBD, but lacks the so-called “entourage effect” that occurs with the presence of multiple endocannabinoids and related compounds.

Full-Spectrum CBD

Full-spectrum blends tend to increase in positive effects as the dosage is increased. However, while full-spectrum CBD must contain less than 0.3% THC, it may include trace amounts of THC, the active cannabinoid in marijuana products. Even though the amount of THC found in full-spectrum blends is generally too low to create a “high,” it does have the potential to show up as a positive on drug tests.

For some people, this is a deal-breaker. As we’ve seen, not all states allow CBD with THC above a certain level, or they require a medical card. And some people are also extremely sensitive to THC’s effects and don’t find it to be a positive experience even in tiny amounts.

Broad-Spectrum CBD

Finally, we come to broad-spectrum CBD blends. Broad-spectrum CBD means that all or some of the cannabinoids in the plant are extracted for the blend, minus THC.

My favorite broad-spectrum CBD products are processed in a way that retains all of the cannabinoids’ active properties. And there are quite a few cannabinoids besides CBD and THC (none of which are psychoactive, of course).

Another great thing about broad-spectrum CBD is it is less costly on average than full-spectrum products because the THC is left out. And it’s less heavily processed than CBD isolate.

What Type of CBD Is Best?

Ultimately, it depends on the person. Everyone’s bodies interact with CBD products differently. You may want to try out a few and choose the product that works best for you.

Are There Any Downsides to CBD?

As of the date of this article’s publication, the FDA “has not approved a marketing application for cannabis for the treatment of any disease or condition.” But a few cannabis-derived drugs have been approved.

However, since CBD (as with many supplements) is not regulated by the FDA in anything like the manner that pharmaceuticals are regulated, you may want to research the company and its production methods before purchasing. Some companies cut corners and use treatment and extraction processes that damage the purity and quality of their products, rendering them less effective than they could be — or worse, completely ineffective!

They could also contain unwanted contaminants such as pesticides, bacteria, and heavy metals. According to a report published by the CBD resource site Leafreport, 25% of the 136 brands they looked at did not conduct purity testing for their CBD products.

CBD can also potentially interact with certain medications, including anticonvulsants, sedative drugs, herbal supplements, and narcotics. Side effects can also sometimes occur, especially in high doses, and may include diarrhea, fatigue, vomiting, and drowsiness. I recommend consulting a medical professional before beginning a regular CBD regimen.

How Much CBD Should You Take?

While up to 1,500mg per day of CBD is seen as the tolerable upper limit for consumption, recommended amounts are usually much less.

Various factors may influence dosage amount, including body weight, the condition being treated, type of CBD, and sensitivity. When starting CBD, you’ll likely want to begin with a low dosage, which you can gradually increase as necessary. It may take some time and experimentation to find the right amount, as well as the right type of CBD product for you.

In the book CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medicinal Cannabis by Leonard Leinow and Juliana Birnbaum, they break CBD dosage down into three categories: micro, standard, and macro.

• Microdose: 0.5mg–20mg of CBD per day
• Standard dose: 10mg–100mg of CBD per day
• Macrodose: between 50mg–800mg of CBD per day

Determining your dosage will also depend on the method you choose to take CBD, so let’s take a look at the types of CBD products that are available.

How to Take CBD

Now that we’ve covered the ins and outs of CBD, including its potential health benefits, you may be wondering how to take it.

There are many different CBD products, and the way in which they’re taken can affect the benefits you get, how quickly it works, and more. Determining what’s best for you may take a bit of experimentation. But as you’ll see, some are more reliable than others if you’re looking to get the maximum benefits out of your CBD usage.

CBD Edibles

CBD through edibles is a fun and easy way to consume the compound. You can do this through gummies, sweets, and even mints. Some food and beverage companies also make CBD-infused products.

Though easy to consume, there are some downsides. Some gummies may be made with gelatin, which could come from factory-farmed animals, and food and beverage products may also include natural and artificial flavorings and sweeteners.

Eating CBD also subjects the compound to something called the “first pass effect.” During this process, CBD is broken down by the liver and digestive tract. As a result, it can take several hours for the CBD to take effect, and you’ll likely only absorb 20–30% of it.

CBD Topicals

CBD topicals are meant to be applied directly to the skin. These can include lotions, creams, balms, ointments, and transdermal patches. This can be a great option for treating skin conditions or inflammation over specific areas of the body.

One study done on rats found that topical CBD greatly reduced joint swelling in the applied area, giving promise to those with arthritis.

However, skin can be hard for these compounds to penetrate. If you do go this route, it’s probably best to use a generous amount of a topical product that has a high concentration of CBD.

Vaping or Smoking CBD

You can smoke CBD in a joint, much like marijuana, use a vaporizer that has CBD oil in a cartridge, or inhale CBD concentrates using a vape pen.

With this method, the CBD hits your bloodstream much faster, and you will likely feel the effects rather quickly. Even then, only about 34–56% of the CBD will be absorbed.

However, taking CBD in this way, as with other smoke products, can also potentially expose you to harmful carcinogens. And research is still underway on the lasting effects of vaping. Based on a growing body of concern about the health effects of smoking and vaping, it seems that it may well be best to avoid this method.

CBD Tincture Oil

This is one of the simplest ways to take CBD. With CBD tinctures or sprays, you drop or squirt the CBD oil into your mouth and swallow. Like other herbal products delivered in this manner, you’ll want to hold the CBD beneath your tongue for a few moments, as the CBD can penetrate the thin tissue if allowed to linger.

CBD oil is a great way to get pure, high-quality CBD in a way that doesn’t have any risks like smoking or vaping.

However, because of its poor solubility, CBD taken this way isn’t absorbed very well, with some reports showing only a 13–19% absorption rate.

Liposomal CBD

Liposomes are membranous, fluid-filled sacs that can help in the delivery of cellular products. They occur naturally in the body, but may also be created synthetically. They’ve been shown to be extremely effective in delivering everything from vitamins to pharmaceuticals safely throughout the body.

Liposomal CBD facilitates survival in the acidic environment of the stomach and absorbs through the intestinal wall.

One study compared liposomal CBD with non-liposomal CBD. They gave the first group of participants standard, orally-administered non-liposomal CBD oil and the second group orally-administered liposomal CBD oil.

After one hour, the non-liposomal group only had 6 out of 15 participants showing CBD in the blood, while the entire liposomal group showed CBD in their blood.

On top of that, CBD levels were significantly higher in the liposomal group. The highest concentration of CBD detected at one hour was 5.9 ng/mL in the liposomal CBD group compared to a mere 1.3 ng/mL in the non-liposomal group. That’s nearly five times as much!

CBD Is a Promising Substance for Your Health

As you can see, CBD has a number of useful applications for your health, especially if you’re somebody already struggling with an issue like insomnia or joint pain, or are worried about cognitive decline.

Because there are different types, methods of consumption, and dosages, you may have to experiment a bit in finding what’s right for you. And it may be wise to work with a health care provider to avoid side effects and any potential medication interactions.

I don’t know about you, but with the increasing availability of CBD and research on its potential uses, I’m excited to see how it continues to help people with a variety of medical conditions.

Even though more research is clearly needed before we know all the pros, cons, and long-term effects of the different forms of CBD, many people are concluding that they’ve seen enough to want to give CBD a try and see how it works in their bodies.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you heard of CBD or tried it yourself?
• Have you seen results with specific CBD products?
• What other questions do you have about CBD consumption?

Featured Image: iStock.com/ArtistGNDphotography

Read Next:

• How Mushrooms Can Help with Depression, Anxiety, and Your Overall Mental Health
• Sleep Hacks: How to Sleep Better with Diet and Lifestyle

The post Is CBD Good For You? CBD Health Benefits, Varieties, & Best Practices appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Of course, the odds that a vegetarian or vegan will be eating the same foods as everyone else aren’t great. No wonder Vedentam laughed at the irony. As a vegetarian, he’s not exactly poised to maximize trust and cooperation by sharing the same food with his colleagues and friends. And for vegans and other plant-based eaters, it can be even more of a challenge.

Sharing Food with Others: The Good and Bad

As Alice Julier observes in her book, Eating Together: Food, Friendship, and Inequality, sharing food is often a crucial component of all kinds of gatherings, from political campaigns to union drives to religious events. Whether conscious of it or not, these organizations are creating feelings of connection and solidarity through the sharing of meals.

But when you don’t eat the same as other people do, these situations can prove isolating rather than uniting. And even more so if your dietary preferences are outed and people hesitate to invite you either out of a sense of guilt or exclusion since “there’s nothing you can eat.”

In situations where camaraderie and cohesion have already been established, differences in food choices are usually more navigable. Your friends and family love you, and while they may not understand your choice to avoid or limit certain foods, they probably aren’t going to stop loving you because of it.

Our closest friends and family may know about our distinctive food choices, and they may have even accepted them and adapted to them on our behalf. Perhaps they have gone so far as to join us in eating some of the same foods, or maybe they are always sure to provide food options that work for us when we join them in a meal.

But our business contacts, colleagues, and new acquaintances don’t know how we eat unless and until we tell them. And it can feel fraught to do so, especially if our diet is radically different from the standard American diet (SAD) or the animal product-laden foods that are the norm in many countries and cultures around the world.

Navigating Food Choices and Feelings

Years ago, when I ate the SAD diet, meal invitations were easy to say yes to and easy to show up for. In fact, I often felt some excitement knowing that I’d get to try a new dish and enjoy the connection and bonding that results when people come together to share food. But that was when I ate like most other people.

Of course, sharing my food choices is a risky endeavor because others can feel like I’m looking down on them for not doing what I do. I can’t tell you how often people say to me that just because they eat animals doesn’t mean they don’t love animals.

What I’ve come to see is that while I’m feeling self-conscious, and sometimes even lonely in my food choices, those around me are often experiencing guilt and even shame for theirs. The truth is that many people don’t feel great about the food they eat or how much of it they choose to consume. In fact, according to a 2019 survey, nearly a third of all food Americans eat makes them feel guilty.

Realizing how many people feel self-conscious about their food choices gives me more compassion and understanding in regard to why they might not always be fully supportive of mine. In the moment, they very likely have a subconscious desire for me to eat the same foods as them, so they won’t feel so bad about what they’re eating. They may feel that if I join them in eating those foods, they will be better able to enjoy those foods.

Now that I eat differently, a simple invitation to eat together can send me into a nervous tailspin, as I try to figure out how I’m going to navigate this ancient ritual of “breaking bread” together. Especially because some people can be downright hostile about plant-based eaters.

The Reality of the “Lonely Vegan”

While writing this, I hopped over to my Facebook page and was horrified to see a recent post from a colleague, quoting Anthony Bourdain: “Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter-faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food.”

To my horror, a hateful volley of comments ensued as the omnivores applauded Bourdain and attacked a lone vegan with the audacity to join the conversation. This post came from someone I know and have networked with. I literally felt sick to my stomach with shock and grief. But it was also a teaching moment because it helped me see that those feelings of loneliness and isolation don’t occur in a vacuum.

And by the way, that obnoxious quote from Bourdain appears in his book, Kitchen Confidential, where it is immediately followed by this sentence: “But as a professional, the post punk concept of vegetarianism as a dietary alternative was always an interesting one to me.”

Bourdain was a chef and television personality who was known for his unfiltered and provocative opinions. But he acknowledged the importance of vegetarian and vegan diets and respected those who chose to follow them. In some of his interviews and writings, he said that he understood the ethical and environmental reasons behind vegetarianism and recognized that vegetarian dishes could be creative and delicious.

But it can be lonely being a vegan or a vegetarian. Research has linked loneliness to dietary restrictions of any kind, whether due to food allergies, religious prohibitions, weight reduction, vegetarianism, veganism, or anything else. Even children with food allergies can experience isolation due to their food restrictions. About one-third of all children with food allergies experience bullying just because they don’t eat the same foods as other kids.

So, despite the heartwarming reality that plant-based options have enjoyed a dramatic recent surge in popularity, plant-based eaters can still navigate feelings of loneliness and isolation. There are often threads expressing that sense of isolation on Reddit and Facebook groups with the words “lonely vegan” in the title.

So what can whole foods, plant-based eaters do?

Leading by Example

In general, I prefer to live by example. And hopefully, my health and vitality will speak for themselves.

As I age, it seems that my diet and lifestyle are enabling me to avoid many of the chronic health conditions that impact my friends and colleagues — even those who are ten to twenty years younger than I. It’s sad for me to witness their decline when I know that changing their diet would make a huge difference in their health, quality of life, and longevity.

But I also know that they know, or will soon learn, that I eat very differently than they do. I would rather allow them to come to me to ask how I am achieving my good health and emotional well-being than to preach at them and risk adding to their suffering by creating even more feelings of shame.

Even when people do seem genuinely curious to learn, sadly, the truth is not always greeted with enthusiasm. I’m thinking of one family member who wanted to know the details of my diet, so she could also enjoy the same good health. But when I shared my food choices with her, she quickly realized she was not ready to give up some of her favorite foods. And sadly, she continued to get sicker and sicker.

I also know that allowing those I love the dignity of their own choices is important, both to preserve our connection and to respect their decisions about their bodies — just as I wish for them to respect mine.

Eating with Others Is Beneficial to Your Health

What’s most important to remember is that there are advantages to eating together even if you don’t consume the same foods.

It’s well-established that social bonding is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. As research from The Big Lunch and University of Oxford’s Professor of Psychology, Robin Dunbar, illustrates, social eating boosts happiness, feelings of well-being, and one’s overall satisfaction with life. In fact, research has shown that having a good social support network is every bit as impactful as giving up a 15-cigarette-a-day smoking habit. And interpersonal social networks may be more crucial to physical health than exercising, or losing weight if you are obese.

The bottom line is: Our health depends upon social connection with others.

Not only that, but time with friends also feels good! Social bonding releases feel-good hormones like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. In turn, those hormones have many beneficial effects on our health.

Get Out There and Spend Time with Others

What we eat really matters, but so does our lifestyle. And it’s important that we spend time with other people, even if they don’t eat like we do. You may prefer to socialize while doing non-food activities, as I do. But I think the advantages of eating together are powerful enough that it makes sense to also find ways to bond with others through social eating, even when we eat differently.

Some people are meeting online to share a meal through social media, Meetups, and even online forums. You can also meet like-minded eaters at health food stores, CSAs, farmers markets, and the like, where there may already be clubs or events centered around plant-based eating.

But some of my favorite social events don’t even include food. I love to go on hikes with people, paddle boarding, or take a walk with my dogs. If I must attend a food-centered event, I prefer potlucks.

Potlucks take the focus off what I specifically eat and allow me to bring a dish that meets my needs but that others can enjoy, too. The fact that I am not eating a lot of the other foods provided doesn’t stand out as much in a crowd — that is, unless one person is particularly attached to my trying the meat-based dish they brought with them. When that happens, the uncomfortable feelings return while I look for a gracious way to either change the topic or share why I avoid animal products.

But when I eat with people who don’t share my food choices, I find it’s far more enjoyable if I can explore what I have in common with them besides food. And it can also sometimes be an opportunity to share my favorite vegan dishes with people who may be convinced that I only eat salads (not that there is anything wrong with salads — I love them!).

You’re Never Truly Alone

It may feel isolating at times to follow a dietary path that deviates from the norm. And it can be tempting to either avoid certain social gatherings or to eat food that you know isn’t right for you. But it’s important to remember that you can share meals with people whose food is different from yours, without compromising on your dietary goals.

Embracing a whole foods, plant-based lifestyle may set you apart, but it also supports your emotional, mental, and physical well-being — while serving as an example of what is possible for those you care about. Keeping your heart open to positive social interactions and enriching experiences with both strangers and loved ones also supports your long-term health. And if you remember that most people feel some discomfort around their food choices, you can lead the way towards less judgment, shame, and isolation for all of us, regardless of what we eat.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you ever felt lonely or isolated after changing your diet?

• What ways have you found to navigate eating with others who don’t eat like you?

• How do you connect with other plant-based eaters?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Kiwis

Read Next:

• Three Loving Ways to Stick to Your Diet at Social Gatherings

The post Do Your Food Choices Leave You Feeling Lonely? appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

An exhaustive Google search confirmed what I had long suspected: There are no popular songs about livers or kidneys. Celine Dion never penned the immortal lyric, “My gallbladder will go on.” The Bee Gees and Al Green chose not to wonder, “How can you mend a broken appendix?” And Neil Young didn’t lament about his search for a spleen of gold.

When it comes to love songs, it’s the heart, the whole heart, and nothing but the heart. (I said love, not lust.)

So why is that? What’s the link between the bright red emoji and the complicated four-chambered organ in the middle of your chest? Why have millennia of poets and musicians from around the globe associated that little blood pump with intense feelings of connection and desire?

Could there be actual scientific truth, and cardiovascular significance, to the metaphors?

From Physical to Emotional Hearts

This viewpoint of the heart as a purely physical organ has determined the shape of modern cardiology. Medical professionals measure heart health via blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, and heart rhythm via EKGs. And when there are problems, they’re described and treated in material terms via medications and physical interventions like surgeries.

I’m not saying there’s no merit to this approach. On the contrary, modern cardiac medicine saves lives on a daily basis. Improvements in cardiac care, including new drugs and innovations in heart implant technology, have lowered the mortality rate from heart disease in the industrialized world — saving millions of lives.

At the same time, modern science is rediscovering what many traditional cultures have known since time immemorial: that the heart is much more than a physical pump. While we know that lifestyle, especially diet, has a major impact on the physical aspects of heart health, there’s another factor related to heart health that’s not talked about as often as it deserves to be: your emotions.

However, in 2004, researchers conducted the first large-scale trial looking at emotions and the heart. The INTERHEART study enrolled over 25,000 participants in 52 countries and clearly identified several emotional stressors as key risk factors for heart disease. And continuing research is filling in the picture, as well as creating protocols for healing “broken hearts” on both the emotional and physical levels.

In this article, we’re going to look at the emotional side of the heart, how your feelings (both pleasant and unpleasant) can impact your heart, and how to take care of your emotional heart.

Can Your Heart Think or Feel?

For a long time, Western science assumed that the brain was the only part of the body that “thinks.” All the other organs and systems were, in this view, mindless automata just carrying out instructions from the brain. This theory was turned on its head by the discovery that the gut also has something of a “brain,” in the form of what’s known as the enteric nervous system.

And more recently, researchers are coming to recognize another kind of “brain” within the heart as well — a discovery that helped spawn the field of neurocardiology.

Wait a second, though. What does it mean to say there’s a “brain” in the gut or the heart? Are we literally talking about a cauliflower-shaped lump of gray squishy stuff in there?

No, “brain” here is a metaphor, referring to particular functions: the ability to sense the environment, make decisions based on that information, and communicate those decisions throughout the body. And by those criteria, the heart does indeed have a brain, which trades information back and forth with the head brain.

The Heart’s “Little Brain”

Renowned cardiologist and FRN’s Healthy Heart Course partner, Dr. Mimi Guarneri, calls it the body’s “little brain,” since it has, in her words, “its own intelligence, emotions, nervous system, and decision-making power.”

We now know that the heart includes the hardware to run all this brain-like software. In fact, the heart has its own nervous system, called the intrinsic cardiac nervous system (ICNS). The ICNS can manufacture and secrete hormones and operates similarly to the brain’s nervous system via an intricate network of nerve clusters, neurotransmitters, proteins, and other cells.

All this circuitry enables the heart to act independently of the brain. The heart can feel and sense your internal world (and aspects of the external world) directly and can learn, store memories, and make decisions. And what the heart feels turns out to have a direct impact on how well it functions and how long it lasts.

In short, as Dr. Guarneri puts it, your heart is a “mental, emotional, and spiritual organ with many complex connections that go well beyond pumping blood.”

How Pleasant Feelings Impact the Heart

In healing traditions throughout the world, the heart is seen as the emotional center of the body. In Indian Ayurvedic texts as well as Greek and Roman literature, the emotion most closely associated with the heart is love. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s joy.

Many people report feeling the sensations of love, caring, and joy emanating from the heart or chest area. And it’s not just cultural mythology; the heart actually is a sensory organ, capable of feelings. In fact, one of the hormones that the heart manufactures is oxytocin, the so-called “cuddle” or “love” hormone that activates when we feel close to another person, a companion animal, or something greater than ourselves.

Pleasant emotions make you feel good, which is reason enough to want to feel them on a regular basis. But here’s another reason: they also provide protection for your heart.

Loving Touch

Love is a potent cardioprotective emotion. Hugging and other forms of loving touch can lower blood pressure and heart rate. Oxytocin triggers vasodilation or the widening of the arteries. When that happens, more blood can flow through the arteries, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Laughter and Heart Health

Laughter also puts a smile on your heart as well as your face. The act of laughing releases chemicals called beta-endorphins, part of that feel-good family of endorphins. These beta-endorphins coax receptors on the vascular endothelium to release nitric oxide, a molecule that protects the cardiovascular system in many ways. When you laugh on a regular basis, you’re at lower risk of heart attack and stroke than your more dour counterparts. And laughter reduces stiffness and damage to blood vessels as you age.

Gratitude and Heart Health

Gratitude also helps your heart function at its healthiest. In Dr. Guarneri’s words:

“An attitude of gratitude is not just a mental tool, it can also be good for your physical health — especially your heart… Research has shown that individuals who practice gratitude are healthier, exercise more, have fewer physical ailments, and feel better overall. Clinical trials have proven that ritual gratitude can even lower your blood pressure and increase your immune function — having dramatic, and lasting effects on your health.”

Gratitude can begin to heal your heart even after significant damage. A 2016 study looked at the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal for older patients (average age was mid-60s) with Stage B heart failure. The participants who journaled regularly for eight weeks saw their inflammatory biomarkers go down significantly compared to non-journaling controls. While journaling, their heart rate variability (HRV) improved as well.

And in other studies, regular expressions of gratitude and optimism have been correlated with both lower heart rate and blood pressure.

How Unpleasant Feelings Impact the Heart

While agreeable emotions like love, gratitude, and hopefulness can protect the heart, unpleasant emotions can have the opposite effect. Four well-studied (and for most of us, very familiar) “negative” emotions include depression, grief, stress, and anger. Let’s take a look at each of these now — and then we’ll look at what can help you (and your heart) feel better.

Depression and Heart Disease

Someone with depression now is at increased risk of heart disease in the future. (And the relationship goes in both directions, as many cardiac patients develop depression in response to their diagnosis.)

In Dr. Guarneri’s words:

“While about one in twenty American adults experience major depression in a given year, that number jumps to about one in three for people who have survived a heart attack. And, the risk of having a heart attack is four times greater in people with heart disease who also suffer from depression when compared to those who are not depressed.”

The American Heart Association reported in a 2015 scientific statement that even teens with depressive disorder were at greater subsequent risk for heart disease. While the exact mechanisms aren’t yet known, one promising theory links depression to heart disease via lower HRV. That’s because, the theory goes, depression disturbs the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

That could explain why coexisting anxiety can also increase cardiac risk; anxiety represents a constant drain on the autonomic nervous system, which can further depress HRV.

Grief’s Impact on the Heart

When people say they have a “broken heart,” they aren’t just speaking in metaphor. It turns out the phrase has a sound physiological basis. Grief — an intense emotional response to loss — can damage the heart and leave it vulnerable to acute and chronic injury.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also called broken heart syndrome, can cause heart attacks without the presence of an arterial blockage. The disease gets its name from the shape the affected heart takes, which resembles Japanese ceramic vases used as pots to catch octopi (“tako tsubo”).

A person who has recently lost a spouse is at a significantly elevated risk of developing and dying from heart disease. While part of this may be due to changes in lifestyle (eating poorly or not getting out as much, for example), there are also direct biochemical pathways.

Bereavement can lead to elevated catecholamines, which are stress hormones, and higher blood pressure. Both of these are effects of great sympathetic nervous system activity.

But it’s not just the loss of a spouse that can trigger such heartrending grief. Those who lose a parent or a child also face an increased risk of a cardiac event.

Stress and the Heart

Psychosocial stress (a fancy way of saying that there’s a gap between the demands of your life and your capacity to meet those demands) may be as bad for your heart as an unhealthy diet or even smoking, according to recent research.

And while eating poorly or smoking may be within an individual’s control, the “social” in psychosocial indicates that external stressors may be difficult or impossible to avoid or mitigate. Things like job stress, racism, poverty, and chronic stress conditions like PTSD are all associated with a higher risk of hypertension.

While stress can damage the cardiovascular system at any age, it’s most strongly associated with early onset (prior to age 50) cardiovascular disease (CVD). Think of an engine that’s constantly revving too fast and too hot. The sustained sympathetic nervous system activity characterized by chronic stress has been shown to do a number on the cardiovascular system. Mechanisms of damage include arrhythmias, platelet aggregation, acute coronary syndromes, and heart failure.

Anger and Heart Health

If depression is about shutting down, then anger is about lashing out. Those prone to angry outbursts have been found to be at greater risk of CVD, stroke, and heart failure.

In Dr. Guarneri’s words:

“Emerging research on how anger can affect your body is quite disturbing: being angry can increase your risk of a heart attack by as much as 230%! Stress and anger can trigger more than 1,400 chemical reactions in your body. These oftentimes lead to measurable physical changes in your cardiovascular system.”

Anger doesn’t occur in a vacuum but rather in an existing environment, and it may be the case that the more stressful that environment, the more corrosive the effects of an individual’s anger on their heart health. One study found a positive association between anger expression and the risk of CVD among urban residents but not rural residents. Researchers hypothesized that the more stressful city atmosphere enhanced the association between anger and CVD.

Another study found anger may contribute to the development of specific cardiovascular diseases and CVD mortality, especially heart failure in men and in those with diabetes.

How to Take Care of Your Emotional Heart

Just as depression, grief, stress, and anger can have a negative impact on your heart health, it turns out that cultivating positive and pleasant emotions can protect and even heal your heart.

Experience Love

Social connection and love are powerful antidotes to loneliness, which, as we’ve seen, can lead to the development of CVD. Spending time with loved ones, even over the phone or via video call, can stimulate the production of oxytocin and other pro-social and heart-friendly neurotransmitters.

Socializing at any age provides long-term health benefits to your heart. A fascinating 2018 study found that teen boys whose parents reported them spending more time with friends grew — 20 years later! — into men with lower blood pressure and healthier body mass index — both of which are predictors of heart health.

An action step here is to work on increasing the expression and experience of love in your life. The more quality time you spend with friends and loved ones, the greater your production of oxytocin.

Cultivate Inner Peace

Inner peace is an antidote to rampant and overwhelming stress, and can also moderate your angry responses. Activities like yoga, prayer, meditation, and other spiritual or contemplative practices have all been shown to improve biomarkers of cardiovascular risk.

Mindfulness helps you practice nonjudgmental awareness of your feelings and surroundings, which gives you the space to choose your response rather than just reacting with emotions and expressions that can compound your stress.

And tai chi, a gentle martial art based on principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has been shown to help suppress inflammation and lift depression.

Relaxing lifestyle activities can all improve your parasympathetic tone, strengthening your ability to maintain a healthy blood pressure and heart rate in the face of life’s inevitable stressors.

Cultivate Positivity

When it comes to heart health, thinking positively can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. A 2019 meta-analysis of studies of almost 230,000 people found that those who were more optimistic had a lower risk of CVD.

Positive well-being, which refers to having positive feelings and a sense of optimism, is also associated with less mental stress and more resilience. Making an effort to experience positive emotions daily can counteract the influence of negative emotions on systolic blood pressure.

I’m not suggesting that you try to banish all unpleasant emotions or aggressively recite positive affirmations every time you feel sad or angry or afraid. These so-called “negative” emotions can serve a valuable purpose. Grief when confronted with loss is totally natural, and not something that I’d recommend you try to bypass or “get over” just to lower your blood pressure.

Instead, I’m talking about seeking balance. The world that most of us live in doesn’t actively afford us multiple daily opportunities to relax, slow down enough to appreciate our lives, or connect with friends, neighbors, and loved ones. That means we need to be deliberate and proactive about making sure we build these heart-healthy — and life-affirming — practices into our days.

Curious about gratitude? Discover the neuroscience of gratitude, and specific practices that have been proven to improve health as well as happiness.

What You Feel Impacts Your Heart

The heart is not just a physical organ. It’s also an emotional one with its own nervous system. What you feel can have a direct impact on the health of your heart. When you cultivate more love, peace, and gratitude, things don’t just feel better. They also support your health, which makes them get better, too.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you ever experienced the effects of emotions — pleasant or unpleasant — on your health?
• What are your favorite strategies and practices for cultivating positive emotions?
• What’s one thing you could build into your day that would afford you greater joy and resilience?

Featured image: iStock.com/fizkes

Read Next: 

• Good Food = Good Mood: The Nutrition and Mental Health Connection
• The 4 Scientifically Proven Pillars of Heart Health

The post The Emotional Heart: How What You Feel Impacts Heart Health appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

• “May you live to 100!”
• “To your health!”
• “May God forgive you!”
• “God bless you!”
• “Elation!”
• “Go away, kitten!”

If you guessed, “This is how various cultures respond to a sneeze,” (in Mandarin, German, Amharic, English, Arabic, and Serbian), then you win today’s prize, which is the rest of this article on how to prevent sneezing (and coughing and running a fever) through natural means.

(Why “Go away, kitten”? In Serbian, that phrase has an onomatopoeic similarity to the sound of a sneeze. It’s as though an English speaker responded to a sneeze with, “I choose!”)

Before we get to it, though, here’s one more cool word that I found during my research: sternutation. It means, “the act or noise of sneezing,” and if you use it in casual conversation, your friends will be extremely impressed with you (or not, depending on what they think of fancy words about sneezing).

Now that we’ve gotten the linguistics out of the way, let’s talk about the thing itself: What exactly is a cold, and how do you keep from getting one? And if you do get sick, are there natural cold remedies for shortening the duration and feeling less miserable?

What Is a Cold?

The common cold is a viral infection of the nose and throat (upper respiratory tract) and typically causes inflammation in these areas. There isn’t just one “common cold”: several viruses, including rhinoviruses (accounting for about 40% of all colds), parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and some of the now-infamous coronaviruses (but not the COVID-19 varieties) can all lead to the symptoms we associate with a cold.

Symptoms of a cold may include a stuffy, runny nose; a scratchy, tickly throat; watery eyes; a low-grade fever; and sneezing (“May cleanliness/purity be bestowed upon you!” — Persian).

And having a cold often means missing out on school or work and not getting to participate in social engagements. One positive to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is an increased awareness of how disruptive a cold or other respiratory illness can be, which means it’s become far more socially acceptable to stay home when you have symptoms so that you get better faster and don’t infect others in the process.

Treating the Common Cold

For a bad cold that persists, many people go to the doctor. And sometimes mainstream medicine is the answer, especially if the illness lasts a long time, and especially if it gets progressively more severe. The problem is, doctors sometimes prescribe antibiotics to treat illness without making an effort to diagnose the cause. And while antibiotics can be effective against bacteria, they do nothing to treat viruses.

Unwarranted prescription of antibiotics isn’t benign; it’s not just a case of a medicine not working. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics over time have led to the evolution of drug-resistant superbugs, which has rendered many of the traditional antibiotics more or less useless. (And don’t get me started on how the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in industrial meat production is turning livestock into superbug factories!)

Plus, on an individual level, antibiotics kill off many of the good bacteria in your microbiome, which can compromise not only your digestion but your immune system as well. (For more on antibiotics, see our article here.)

If antibiotics aren’t the answer, what is? Pharmacies stock entire aisles of medicines that promise to make life with a cold less miserable. Some drugs are for prevention, and others for shortening the duration of the discomfort.

But prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications, as useful as they can sometimes be, may also cause unpleasant or harmful side effects. One of the most common sinus meds, oxymetazoline hydrochloride (brand names include Afrin, Dristan, and Sinex), has been documented to produce the following side effects: burning or stinging in the nose, increased nasal discharge, dryness inside your nose, nervousness, dizziness,  headache, nausea, trouble sleeping, and — wait for it — sneezing (“A good sign hopefully!” — Kurdish). Flu And Cold Medicine (DM) can bring side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision, upset stomach, nausea, and nervousness — none of which sound like fun to me.

Turning to Natural Cold Remedies

So it’s no wonder more and more people are turning to natural remedies to keep themselves well or return to wellness.

While some natural remedies don’t yet have loads of scientific evidence to support them, that doesn’t mean they don’t help. Research costs money and takes time, and plants don’t have Big Pharma backing them up to fund expensive studies.

Nevertheless, a growing body of research is finding a number of herbs, spices, and foods that could help train your immune system to fight colds more effectively. Certain tweaks to your lifestyle may also give you a leg up on immunity.

So what are they? What lifestyle strategies and natural foods and ingredients can keep you from getting sick in the first place? And what non-pharmaceutical remedies are actually effective in relieving symptoms and shortening the duration of a cold if you do get infected?

How to Prevent a Cold in the First Place

Let’s begin by looking at five powerful lifestyle strategies that not only reduce your likelihood of catching a cold, but also protect your health in many other ways.

Get Enough Sleep

One of the most important healthy habits is to routinely grab at least seven hours of sleep per night. And don’t be embarrassed if you need more; for adults, “normal” sleep duration ranges from 7–9 hours of shut-eye every 24 hours.

You could fill several books with what we’re learning about the benefits of sleep, including memory consolidation, mood stabilization, and insight formation. But one thing that’s been clear for a long time is that sleep supports your immune system, and you need enough of it on a regular basis for optimal protection from pathogens.

Not sleeping leads to inflammation in the body, which increases your chances of catching a cold. A dramatic 2015 study exposed 164 healthy adults to a common-cold-causing rhinovirus and watched them for symptoms over the next five days. Those who slept fewer than six hours per night (as measured by a biometric sensor, rather than the highly unreliable self-report) were more than four times more likely to catch a cold than those who slept for seven or more.

How do you get 7–9 hours per night, especially if you have difficulty falling or staying asleep? Here are a couple of in-depth articles that will help you drift off to dreamland — and keep you well-rested:

Sleep Hacks: How to Sleep Better with Diet and Lifestyle

What to Eat (and Drink) for Better Sleep

Minimize Stress

Your body experiences stress in response to perceived threats. And that stress has a very useful evolutionary purpose — it can help you survive. The problem isn’t that your body automatically revs up to run away from a predator. It’s that our minds can see threats — and instruct our bodies to react against them — on a chronic basis.

The alarm clock going off? Stress response. An unfriendly email from a coworker? Stress response. A traffic jam on the freeway? Fight or flight, baby, even if it’s completely pointless from a survival standpoint.

Being chronically stressed wastes huge amounts of energy, and a lot of that energy comes from an immune system that’s in constant reaction mode. Over time, chronic stress can exhaust your immune system and lower immunity leading to a reduction in the number of natural killer cells in your body. This leaves you more susceptible to viruses and bacteria.

We’re also learning that the link between stress and immune impairment goes beyond simple exhaustion. Under acute stress, your body responds differently to pathogens and autoimmune threats. If you’re under a lot of acute stress during a viral infection, your body is less able to marshall an effective immune response.

Exercise

While moderate exercise can enhance the effectiveness of the immune system (as well as enhancing metabolic health, brain health, mood, and self-control), that doesn’t necessarily mean that more is always better. It turns out that frequent rounds of high-intensity exercise can actually lower immunity. There’s a phenomenon known as “runner’s flu” which refers to the not-uncommon experience of a runner getting sick a few days after a long and grueling race, such as a marathon.

But if you keep it moderate, a regular exercise routine can trigger your immune system to produce anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects throughout your body. A 2021 meta-analysis found that higher levels of habitual physical activity — somewhere between 15 and 120 minutes, 1–5 times a week — are associated with a 31% lower risk of “community-acquired” (a fancy way of saying someone coughed on you and got you sick) infection, and even greater protection against dying from such a disease.

Wash Your Hands

I always knew it was a good idea to wash my hands, but until I started researching this article, I had no idea how often was often enough. Then I came across this 2021 meta-analysis, which found that people who washed their hands more than 10 times a day had a 41% lower risk of disease than those who washed less. The researchers concluded: “The more frequently hands were washed, the lower [the] risk of disease. So far, however, there is no high-quality evidence indicating the best range of hand washing frequency for disease prevention.” So don’t go overboard. As one such woman who did put it: “I love my new snakeskin gloves! Oh wait, that’s just my new hand skin after washing them 100 times a day.”

And by the way, by washing, I mean washing with actual soap, rather than using hand sanitizers. A 2012 study found that ethanol-based sanitizers did not kill rhinoviruses, whereas scrubbing with soap and water did the trick.

And beware: Antibacterial soaps are no more effective than regular ones, and have the added disadvantage of altering the skin microbiome as well as the gut microbiome. Plus, they can harm the environment.

When washing, go for a good lather, as soap tends to work mechanically rather than chemically. The lather forms pockets called micelles that trap and remove germs, harmful chemicals, and dirt from your hands.

And get in the habit of not touching your eyes, mouth, or nose with unwashed hands to prevent virus transmission through mucous membranes.

Eat a Diet Rich in Whole Plant Foods

Your immune system thrives on good nutrition, while poor eating habits can weaken it. Just like us, plants have to defend themselves against pathogens. And since they can’t run away, they rely on chemical means to repel and destroy harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi. When you eat those plants, you ingest some of those compounds for your own immune system to deploy. Thus, food is one of the best types of natural cold remedies.

One class of immune-boosting plant nutrients is antioxidants, which are essential for disease prevention. While all foods contain some antioxidants, plant foods are the primary source, containing, on average, 64 times more antioxidants than animal-based foods.

Whole plant foods also contain several micronutrients that have been shown to protect against viral illness, including zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A, and others.

7 Foods and Herbs That Help with Colds

While a varied diet of whole plant foods is a great base for immune health, a few “immunity superstars” have been scientifically documented to lower the risk of infection and help the body heal after contracting a viral illness. Here are seven to include in your diet on a regular basis (and I may be biased, but I think they can all be pretty delicious as well).

Ginger

Ginger has been used as a cold and flu remedy (among many other health benefits) for thousands of years. With powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, ginger can prevent viruses from attaching to cells, and can also suppress the growth of viruses that do manage to evade host defenses.

You can chop ginger into dishes like curries, stir-fries, and soups, as well as grate the root, steep it in hot water, and drink it as a tea.

For more on ginger, see our article here.

Garlic

Garlic and other vegetables in the allium family protect themselves with strong aromas that many pests don’t like. The compounds that produce these eye-watering smells are called organosulfur compounds. The one most responsible for the famous scent of garlic is allicin, which research shows is an effective adversary against multidrug-resistant strains of E.coli, Candida albicans, and a number of human intestinal parasites and viruses.

Garlic also helps prevent and treat a variety of viral infections. You can eat the raw cloves (bonus points for cutting them up or smashing them and then letting them sit for 10 minutes before ingesting; the damage triggers the formation of allicin). You can also use raw or cooked garlic in dips, spreads, salad dressings, pasta dishes, and so on. I have yet to discover any good garlic-based desserts, however. (No, garlic ice cream. Just, no.)

For much more about the health benefits of the entire allium family, check out our comprehensive article here.

And if you’re interested in growing your own garlic, here’s a guide for gardeners.

Honey

Honey is antimicrobial, which is why properly stored honey never spoils (archeologists have found perfectly delicious 2,000-year-old honey in excavated Egyptian tombs). It’s also antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, making it a potent immune booster.

Despite its high sugar content, honey actually inhibits the growth and proliferation of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. This may be due in part to honey’s high polyphenol content, as well as other healthful components.

As of this writing, researchers are studying honey for its potential to deactivate viruses like COVID-19, which are typically shielded from the immune system via a protective outer layer, akin to how an envelope protects a letter.

If you choose to use honey, you can add it to teas and other warm beverages, on roasted vegetables, in smoothies, and to sweeten oatmeal.

Note: Many ethically-minded people are concerned about the treatment of bees, especially in commercial honey farms that may feed them high-fructose corn syrup, smoke them out of their hives, and engage in other ethically dubious practices. Local, small-scale, unfiltered, raw, and organic honey production is generally more sustainable and ethical. And if honey consumption doesn’t align with your ethical sensibilities — no worries. There are many other fabulous foods that can help strengthen your immunity.

Turmeric

Curcumin, the main active ingredient in the turmeric root, shows antiviral activity against a broad spectrum of viruses, including COVID-19. It also has some anti-fatigue properties, which could be valuable in the management of long COVID.

Curcumin may also be effective as a treatment for symptoms of colds, flu, and other viruses — including helping to bring down coughing and inflammation of mucous membranes.

You get even greater benefits when you combine turmeric with black pepper, which can boost curcumin bioavailability substantially.

You can drink your turmeric in teas, golden milk, and smoothies; and add the spice powder to dishes such as curries, stir-fries, and roasted vegetables. It’s also a great way to add flavor and a yellow hue to scrambled tofu.

For more on the health benefits of turmeric, check out this article.

A potent curcumin supplement we like is Purality Health’s Curcumin Gold.

Tea (and other warm beverages)

Any warm beverage can help you feel better by relieving cold symptoms, providing hydration, and helping to regulate your body temperature. Tea, in particular, (meaning beverages made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant) provides extra benefit in the quest to stay healthy in the presence of airborne pathogens. These include black, green, and white teas.

Compounds in tea called catechins (no relation to the kitties that the Serbian sneeze-witnessers try to banish) may inhibit the ability of the flu virus to stick to the cells in your mucous membranes (a process known as adsorption). The catechins also suppressed the virus’ ability to replicate and enhanced the body’s immunity to viral infection.

You don’t even have to drink tea to benefit from those catechins; they’re effective against some cold viruses in gargle form as well.

Green tea, with its high concentration of antioxidant polyphenols, has been shown to help prevent the common cold. And both white and green teas are high in a powerful antioxidant called EGCG.

If you’re not a fan of “true” tea from the tea plant, you can get many cold-fighting benefits from your favorite herbal tea as well.

For more on the different kinds of tea and their health benefits, check out this article.

For a delicious, comforting, and eclectic tea experience, I love Pique’s Immune Support Bundles, which contain several premium varieties of regular and herbal teas in a convenient and potent form.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are high in biologically active compounds that are tough on viruses. Good old white mushrooms are great here; there’s also evidence that so-called “medicinal” mushrooms may provide additional immune support via their collection of polysaccharides, proteins, terpenes, melanins, and other potent compounds.

Regular mushroom consumption can enhance the immune system while reducing excessive inflammation. Mushrooms are also a rich source of compounds called beta-glucans, which activate the white blood cells that scour the body to fight infections. And some mushrooms exposed to UV light are a dietary source of vitamin D, which is also an immune-boosting compound.

To go deep into the wonderful world of mushroom nutrition, here’s an article for you.

If you’re a fan of the health benefits but not the taste or texture of medicinal mushrooms, we’ve got you covered. FreshCap’s Ultimate Mushroom Complex gives you the power of chaga, reishi, turkey tail, lion’s mane, maitake, and cordyceps in an easy-to-consume powder.

Elderberry

Elderberry is well named, considering its many health benefits: Consume it copiously to improve your chances of living long enough to become an elder!

Regarding colds and flu, there’s evidence that elderberry may be one of the few foods that can actually reduce both the severity and duration of the illnesses. A 2019 meta-analysis of studies involving 180 participants showed that elderberry supplementation substantially reduced upper respiratory symptoms.

Researchers have concluded that elderberry may be a safe option for treating viral respiratory illness, including COVID-19, because it stimulates the immune system without tipping it into a dangerous “cytokine storm.”

Raw elderberries are highly concentrated and, in fact, toxic to humans. You can safely consume cooked elderberries as jam, syrup, cordial, and in various lozenges and supplements.

Recipes for When You Have a Cold or to Prevent One

If the thought of getting sick has you running to the supplement aisle, you might want to turn your attention to these immune-supporting cold remedies instead! Each recipe is filled with antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory ingredients to support your immune system and help you fend off those unwanted colds — and to help shorten them if you do come down with a case of the Ahchoos. These plant-powered recipes may be just the trick to cure what ails you.

1. FRN’s Fire Cider

Immune-supporting ginger, turmeric, onion, garlic, and horseradish root create an invigorating, nourishing, and healing tonic to keep you in tip-top shape once cold and flu season arrives. Apples are wonderful, but an ounce or two of FRN’s Fire Cider a day might also help keep the doctor away!

2. Ocean’s Savory (Instant Pot) Oatmeal

Nearly every ingredient in this unique breakfast provides the nourishing plant power you need to help stop the cold and flu in their tracks! This morning meal boasts powerful ingredients — turmeric, kale, oats, garlic, and more! — that support optimal health. Plus, Ocean’s Savory Oatmeal is super tasty, and a fun way to use that Instant Pot!

3. The Ultimate Immune-Supporting Soup

This savory immune-loving soup contains powerful spices and nourishing plant ingredients that are so tasty you’ll delight in the chance to kick cold and flu season to the curb. Complete with herbs and spices, cruciferous veggies, and plant-based protein, the Ultimate Immune-Supporting Soup can help you feel physically and mentally strong and invigorated throughout the colder months.

4. Superfood Bowl

The best thing about a bowl full of superfoods (besides the health benefits) is the variety of flavor, texture, and colors you get in every bite. This scrumptious Superfood Bowl features quinoa, lentils, fresh herbs, cauliflower, mushrooms, kale, and a variety of seeds. With all of those powerful ingredients, it’s no surprise that this bowl has prebiotic fiber, healing phytonutrients, yummy healthy fats, and hearty plant-based protein for a meal that will leave you feeling invincible!

5. Garlic Ginger Sauce

Powerfully potent and delightfully tasty, Garlic Ginger Sauce gives your favorite salads, grain bowls, and stir-fries the antiviral boost they need to help you stay strong when there’s a cold going around. Plus, this zingy sauce is super simple to make, so it’s an easy way to keep a natural cold remedy at your fingertips!

Fight Off a Cold with Diet & Lifestyle!

Getting sick with a cold can be downright miserable. And for people with compromised immune systems, asthma, or other health challenges, it can be more dangerous. You can bolster your immune system and avoid illness by following some lifestyle best practices. These include getting enough sleep and exercise, minimizing stress, washing your hands, and eating a diet rich in plant foods, herbs, and spices. And if you do end up getting sick, a number of natural foods may help alleviate your symptoms and might well shorten the amount of time that you’re sick.

Tell us in the comments:

• Which lifestyle factor (sleep, exercise, stress reduction, handwashing, and diet) is your strongest? Which could benefit from an upgrade?
• What’s your favorite cold-fighting superfood?
• Which cold-preventing recipe do you plan to try?

Featured Image: iStock.com/gpointstudio

Read Next:

• 14 Top Foods for Immunity Support So You Can Stay Well During Cold and Flu Season
• 6 Important Natural Medicine Resources to Help You Take Control of Your Health (and 2 Recipes!)

The post Whole Food Cold Remedies That Actually Work + How to Prevent a Cold in the First Place! appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Subsequent advances in nanotechnology have some futurists predicting the end of death sometime in this century. And just in case that doesn’t work out, many technologists are cheering efforts to build computers sophisticated enough to accommodate human consciousness. Someday soon, they insist, we’ll all just be uploaded to the cloud when our bodies fail, and either experience the universe as an immersive simulation or get transferred to some other organic body for the next phase of life.

That’s all very interesting, and maybe I’d want to live in a world where such things are possible (or even commonplace) — I’d have to think about it. But for right now, I’m not after literal immortality. I just want a long and healthy life, surrounded by loved ones, doing work that matters to me.

Cracking the Longevity Code

The good news is that we humans have already cracked that code. Many times over. In far-flung parts of the planet, a number of societies have arisen that have created a quality of life conducive to vital and vigorous longevity. My dad, John Robbins, wrote about four such places in his 2007 book, Healthy at 100. And additional research over the intervening 15 years has reinforced what he learned and found more communities where an unusual proportion of citizens are still vibrant and active past their hundredth birthdays.

A National Geographic team, including author Dan Buettner, has studied five of these places, which they dubbed “Blue Zones.” Not only did they quantify and verify the longevity claims, but they also conducted sophisticated statistical analyses to identify common factors that contributed to those long and healthy lives.

In this article, we’ll look at the Blue Zones research, and highlight things you can do to improve the quality and, possibly, length of your life. And as some of the factors are social rather than individual, when you make some of these changes, you may also increase the odds of the people around you gaining years of healthy and fulfilling lives, as well.

The “Fight” Against Aging

Most of us fear getting old and stress out about the prospect. In an industrialized society in which things change incredibly quickly, being old is no longer seen as a qualification for wisdom and value. Instead, the idea that aging renders people irrelevant and out of touch has taken hold.

And in a society that sometimes seems to worship youth, many of us bemoan the physical limitations that accompany aging. We peer into a bleak future of deteriorating health, increasing pain, and physical and cognitive limitations. We may anticipate boredom, loneliness, or even neglect by a world infatuated with the new.

And despite the fact that all of us — the fortunate ones, anyway — will age, there’s a strong societal stigma against it. There’s a reason so many products are touted as “anti-aging” — our society is seriously frightened of aging, so much so that we consider it a disease rather than a normal and natural stage of life, which, like all other stages of life, has its own challenges and difficulties, and also its own gifts and blessings.

Your View on Aging Matters

When you visualize an old person, what words come to mind that describe that person? A rather typical list for someone in our society might include words like: “Senile. Slow. Sick. Grumpy. Irritable. Stubborn.” Words or phrases like that are characteristic of how our society often views the elderly.

But it might surprise you to learn that in some other cultures it’s a very different story. Becca Levy is a Professor of Epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, and a Professor of Psychology at Yale University. She writes that when she asked people in China to describe an old person, the most common response was “wisdom.” In contrast, when she asked people in the US to describe an old person, the first image that came to many was “memory loss.”

It’s important to look at our prejudices about aging, because the fear of aging can become self-fulfilling. Evidence tells us that simply believing that aging is bad can be damaging to your health. As we age, this bias takes a toll on our self-esteem, our dignity, and also our health.

Adding Life to Your Years

Up until very recently, modern society has been steadily extending people’s lives for over a century. Advanced medical technologies may keep people alive longer today, but they rarely add quality of life to those years. The result is we’re living longer — with an increased lifespan — but our “healthspan,” the number of healthy years we get to experience, is actually decreasing.

There’s reason to think our current medical paradigm may be reaching the limits of its effectiveness. In the US, life expectancy has actually been decreasing over the past several years. This is partly due to COVID-19, and partly due to the opioid crisis, but it’s also because those losses haven’t been offset by gains brought about by new technologies.

While longevity and computer consciousness researchers look to an uncharted future for the “cure” for aging and even death, I find value in looking at societies where healthy aging is the norm. These are cultures where people fully expect to remain strong and healthy well into their 80s and 90s, and where it’s common to find people who are literally healthy at 100 (which is why my dad titled his book, Healthy at 100). So let’s explore them, looking for lessons for our society.

Spoiler alert: We’re going to see that longevity in these cultures isn’t linked to self-denial and abstinence, but rather to pleasure, social connection, meaningful work, and delicious, healthy, life-giving food and drink.

What Is a Blue Zone?

In 2004, Dan Buettner joined a National Geographic expedition to uncover the secrets of human longevity. They wanted to know not just where people lived the longest, but what the healthiest lifestyles were that contributed to their longevity and vitality.

The concept of a “blue zone” — and the name — grew out of demographic work by researchers Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain. They drew blue circles on maps to highlight regions of extreme longevity and referred to the areas inside the circles as Blue Zones.

Building on that demographic work, Buettner and his team identified five major Blue Zones. Using epidemiological data, statistics, birth certificates, and other research, the team verified the unusual distribution of ages that showed how common it was to live for 100 years or more. They found that someone living in a Blue Zone is 10 times more likely to reach 100 than a person living in the United States as a whole.

Places With the Most Centenarians (and the Characteristics that Contribute to Longevity)

Buettner and his collaborators have been studying Blue Zones for almost 20 years now, and have amassed a treasure trove of data. Not just about how long people live, but about what factors contribute to their extended healthy lives. Now let’s take a look at each of these five Blue Zones, and explore some of the qualities and commonalities among the people who live there that distinguish them from people in industrialized and postindustrial societies.

Ikaria, Greece

Ikaria is an island where, according to legend, people “forget to die.” And that’s just a slight exaggeration — one in three Ikarians make it to their 90s. Their rates of chronic disease are low, and dementia is almost unheard of. So how do they do it?

Let’s start with diet. Most Ikarians keep a garden, which provides not just exercise and exposure to the outdoors, but local and organic plant-based calories. Their diet is mostly plant-based, with a Mediterranean pattern that’s roughly 37% greens and other vegetables. They also eat lots of whole grains, beans, and potatoes. And they drink teas brewed from domesticated and wild local herbs, including rosemary, oregano, and sage.

Their Greek Orthodox practice sanctions many fast days per year, which means they’re practicing constant caloric restriction (one of the few interventions that consistently increases lifespan in animals).

Ikaria is a mountainous island, which necessitates plenty of vigorous movement just to get around from one place to another. No need for spin classes or aerobics — just going about daily life on Ikaria keeps residents fit.

That said, residents of Ikaria aren’t going full-out all the time. They enjoy their rest periods, including a daily midafternoon break. They don’t rush around trying not to be late for appointments. Instead, they embrace a more relaxed pace of life. Sometimes they stay up well past midnight playing dominoes and fostering social connections, and sleep in til later the morning.

Loma Linda, California

The 24,000-person town of Loma Linda, California is the only Blue Zone located in the US. Despite living mostly typical American lives, with cars, shopping centers, and stressful jobs, the people here live a full decade longer than other Americans. They also have a lower average body mass index, which correlates with all kinds of positive health outcomes.

Their distinguishing feature is their religion. The vast majority of Loma Linda residents belong to the Seventh-day Adventist church, a Christian denomination that puts a heavy emphasis on healthy living. Adventists typically avoid alcohol and caffeine — and don’t smoke. Beyond these no-nos, many adherents follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, based on a verse in chapter one of Genesis: “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the Earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you, it shall be for meat.”

Many Adventists interpret this verse to describe a primarily fruit- and vegetable-based diet as the ideal human way of eating. Many who do eat meat do so in small quantities, as a side dish rather than the main course.

For a snack, some Adventists prefer nuts, which is a good idea healthwise. Studies show that Adventists who eat nuts at least five times a week have cut their risk of heart disease in half, and live about two years longer, compared to Adventists who aren’t so into nuts. They typically enjoy a light, early dinner, which is another dietary pattern associated with good health.

Along with clean eating, Adventists prioritize regular, gentle exercise, such as long walks. They observe a weekly Sabbath, a day in which they rest from earthly pursuits and focus instead on family, God, camaraderie, and nature. They often volunteer for meaningful causes, which provides a strong sense of purpose.

The Alzheimer’s rates among the Adventist population in Loma Linda are also among the lowest in the world. This is particularly striking because there are neighborhoods just on the outskirts of Loma Linda where people don’t follow the diet and lifestyle practices of the Adventists, and as a result, have vastly higher rates of dementia.

Sardinia, Italy

A cluster of several villages on the Italian island of Sardinia demonstrates the potent synergy of nature and nurture to promote health. Most of the inhabitants have an otherwise rare genetic marker, called M26, that’s linked to exceptional longevity. And they also enjoy a health-promoting lifestyle that takes full advantage of their genetic potential, with nearly 10 times more centenarians per capita than in the US. Unusually, a large percentage of Sardinian men make it to 100.

Again, we see a primarily plant-based diet in action, with whole grains providing about half of all calories. Meat and added sugar, which are so prevalent in industrialized societies, are rare treats rather than staples. Mostly, they eat homegrown and homemade foods, in what many Americans would consider a minimalist diet. But they also enjoy a traditional red wine called Cannonau, which they source from a native grape.

Because they are a shepherding culture, Sardinians walk a lot as a natural part of their work and daily routine. Family is important in Sardinia, and the culture there celebrates elders, involving them and valuing their experience and wisdom.

Okinawa, Japan

When researching Healthy at 100, my dad stumbled upon an amazing statistic about the Japanese island of Okinawa — despite being home to just 0.0002% of the world’s population, they boast 15% of the world’s supercentenarians (people over 110). The island also has the world’s longest-lived women.

They also have very low rates of cancer, heart disease, dementia, osteoporosis, and other chronic health conditions.

Traditional Okinawans eat — you guessed it — a primarily plant-based diet, consisting mostly of purple Okinawan sweet potatoes, rice, whole soy products, and other veggies. And they don’t stuff themselves with all this goodness. Following the dictum “hara hachi bu,” they stop eating when they’re about 80% full.

Almost all Okinawan centenarians grow — or once grew — a garden, often including medicinal plants. In addition to the benefits of the food and herbs grown there, gardening has them spending time outside each day, which helps them maintain optimal vitamin D levels year-round.

Traditional Okinawans maintain a powerful social network called a “moai.” Unlike digital social networks, the moai is a collection of close friends and family who interact with each other on a regular basis, in person, for the good of all. It’s both a social and economic safety net, and reduces stress and loneliness, two of the most insidious drivers of ill health.

Additionally, Okinawans are motivated by a strong sense of purpose in life, which the Japanese call “ikigai.”

Nicoya, Costa Rica

Most inhabitants of the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica live to at least 90. As they age, they maintain their social networks, and tend to stay under the family roof, living with their children and/or grandchildren, and remaining active and useful. Many of these centenarians attribute their longevity to having a “plan de vida,” or strong sense of purpose in their lives.

As with the other Blue Zones, Nicoyans eat healthy, plant-based diets, in their case based on the traditional Mesoamerican “three sisters” — squash, corn, and beans. They eat many fruits and vegetables that they grow themselves, and go light on the meat. They also eat small dinners.

And they enjoy physical labor, typically performed outdoors, as their main form of exercise.

How to Live to 100

So what can you learn from these varied Blue Zone communities if you want a long and healthy life? Should you move to an island, live in the mountains, and take up gardening? Maybe drink herbal teas and eat purple sweet potatoes?

The thing is, there are a million variables at play here, and it’s easy to get hung up on isolated details out of context. After all, that’s how our media tends to report on health — this particular food cures cancer, here’s the perfect 7-minute workout, and so on.

But the Blue Zones are challenging to researchers because they aren’t controlled experiments with one or two variables. Rather, they’re dynamic environments that contribute in a holistic way to people’s life experiences and health outcomes. So we need to zoom out from the specifics, as important as they can be, and also identify some of the broad patterns that play out in each of the regions under study.

And remember that there are no guarantees — it’s always possible to be hit by the proverbial bus (unless you live on an island that has no buses, I guess) or develop disease despite your best efforts. But while we may not all be privileged to live to 100, we can certainly take away insights from Blue Zones lifestyles that, if we implement them, will help us live far healthier lives than is the norm in our society. So let’s look at the things the Blue Zones have in common. What should you do if you want to live more like the people in these societies do?

Exercise and Longevity: Move Naturally

In other words, build movement into your routines of daily life. “Workouts” and “exercise” are great, but also seek to move on a regular basis as part of your way of life. I sometimes think we’ve become physically the laziest and most sedentary people in history. Our ancestors would never have survived if they were a tenth as inactive as many of us are today. In contrast, in each of the Blue Zones, the way people live — gardening, farming, shepherding, walking up and down mountains — both necessitates and produces a high level of physical fitness.

If you want to live longer, become and remain physically active. You’ll sleep better, you’ll feel better and be less prone to depression, and your health will improve in countless ways. And exercise can also help prevent prediabetes from developing into type 2 diabetes.

Find Your Purpose

The Okinawans and Nicoyans, in particular, exhibit a strong sense of purpose, a “why” they wake up every morning. This sense of being needed is easier to come by in the Blue Zones, where the communities integrate elders and value their contributions.

Having a purpose, whether it’s to support family, take care of the land, do the bidding of God, or some other reason, keeps people going when others might give up on living. According to Blue Zones research, knowing your purpose and living in accord with it can contribute up to seven years of extra life expectancy.

If you live in a society that doesn’t value and integrate elders, you’ll need to find and act on your own purpose. Look for volunteer opportunities and other opportunities to be of service to others. If you serve on the board of a charity or social welfare organization, see if you can include older people in setting and carrying out your mission.

Downshift and Manage Stress

Stress is a natural and inevitable part of life. What’s unnatural is never taking time to unplug from it, or engaging in practices to recover and reset. We know that excess and chronic stress can seriously damage your health by laying the groundwork for persistent inflammation that’s linked to chronic disease.

Blue Zone cultures build stress management into daily routines.

First, they tend to produce less stress because they aren’t “on the clock” all the time, experiencing “time scarcity” and always rushing around.

Second, social interactions themselves can reduce stress by triggering social engagement that can replace the neurological “fight or flight” response.

Third, they take frequent breaks for reflection or pause. Okinawans take a few moments each day to bring to mind their honored ancestors: Adventists pray, Ikarians nap, and Sardinians enjoy happy hour. They also use some homegrown herbs — in foods, drinks, or as medicines — to help to relieve stress.

What can you add to your day to ease the stresses of life?

Follow the 80% Rule

The Okinawan practice of eating only until 80% full is a great example of moderation in eating. This one rule could be the difference between gaining weight or maintaining a slim and healthy physique.

Not everyone in every Blue Zone follows this practice specifically, but all Blue Zone cultures emphasize moderating food intake in some way. For example, the smallest meal is usually eaten in the late afternoon or early evening, after which people fast until breakfast (now I hear it — “break fast”).

Fasting is also a part of Blue Zone lifestyles. There are many different types, including single-day, multiday, partial, and intermittent. In addition to aligning with deeply held spiritual beliefs, fasting has a number of health benefits.

And there’s a clear link between overeating and stress, often acting in a disempowering vicious loop that creates digestive problems and obesity. Noticing fullness and stopping at the first sensations of satiety is one powerful way to break the cycle.

Eat Mostly Plants

People in the Blue Zones and other long-lived areas follow a primarily plant-based diet. Staples of Blue Zone diets include vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds.

As a lot of research has shown by now, plant-based diets are among the healthiest ways of eating, and can help prevent and stop the development of chronic disease.

Most of the Blue Zone diets aren’t entirely vegan, with the exception of a subset of Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda. But while they include some meat and dairy, animal foods typically make up a small proportion of their diets, are locally sourced, come from animals that graze in pastures rather than live in feedlots and factory farms, and are often reserved for special occasions like holidays and life cycle celebrations.

For example, traditional Okinawans source about 5% of their diet from meat and dairy, while these foods comprise over 30% of the diet of the average American. Also, Blue Zone residents typically grow or raise the majority of their food, and they rarely if ever consume the ultra-processed foods that make up almost two-thirds of the food eaten in the modern Western diet.

Plus, their diets are low in calories compared to others, with an average of about 1,900 per day — far less than the 3,600 calories that the average American puts away on a daily basis.

Drink Alcohol in Moderation (or not at all)

People in Blue Zones — except Loma Linda Adventists who don’t drink at all — drink alcohol in moderation. This looks like 1–2 glasses per day, always with friends, and as part of meals. While alcohol in moderation may relieve stress and lubricate social interactions, there are other ways to achieve the same effects without drinking, if you so choose.

I say this because there’s a lot of evidence that alcohol consumption is a net negative for health, and has been shown to increase your risk for several chronic physical conditions, as well as mental illness, and even death.

So if you live in a Blue Zone where you have a daily glass of locally produced wine as part of a leisurely and social dinner, that’s one thing. But please don’t take up drinking to live longer if it means downing a few beers in the evening while watching TV. This is a case where context really matters.

A Sense of Belonging

Just about all the centenarians interviewed as part of the original Blue Zones research belonged to a faith-based community. And while it’s impossible to disentangle belief in a benevolent deity from simply belonging to a community of like-minded people, we do know that “a sense of belonging is a significant predictor of mental health and well-being in later life.”

In older adults, specifically, research shows that a low sense of belonging is associated with depression, suicidal ideation, and hopelessness.

If being part of organized religion isn’t your thing, don’t despair — belonging can take many forms. You can connect with family and friends, participate in a group hobby like ballroom dancing, or even combine belonging with your sense of purpose by joining an advocacy group or charity that puts you in contact with others.

If you live in a society that’s fragmented, with little social connection, then you have to do some of that community building yourself. Start forming support networks, weave together neighbors and friends, and make sure to include elders now, so that you will be included when you reach that stage of life.

You can belong to the more-than-human world as well. Connecting with companion animals, or even feeling that you have a place in nature can also provide a sense of belonging.

Put Loved Ones First

Those who successfully reach 100 in Blue Zones almost invariably prioritize their families above all else. Often aging parents and grandparents live nearby or in the homes of younger family members. In modern society that may seem like a burden, but in the Blue Zones it isn’t; one of the reasons for this is that rates of Alzheimer’s and other dementias in these societies are only the tiniest fraction of what we currently experience in our society.

In terms of belonging, family often tops the list. ​​Family connections can provide a sense of meaning and purpose, social connection, and tangible resources such as home care, feeding, and cleaning. Being connected and taken care of enhances well-being.

Hang Out With the Right Tribe

People in Blue Zones enjoy longer and more vigorous lives than most because they’re embedded in systems and structures that promote healthy lifestyles. Just being part of a real-life social network improves health outcomes. A review of 150 studies including over 300,000 participants found that people with strong social ties are 50% more likely to survive over any given time period, compared to those lacking those ties.

Blue Zone cultures, by emphasizing the community and honoring and including elders in community life, provide social circles — like the Okinawan moais — that support healthy behaviors. Research shows that behaviors and qualities that most of us think of as personal and individual — including smoking, obesity, happiness, and even loneliness — are contagious.

I hope you’ll start weaving these Blue Zones strategies into “recipes” for your long, healthy, and joyful life. There are plenty of challenges to living in healthy, nature-based, and socially connected ways in modern societies. But the more each of us strives to build and belong to a nurturing and inclusive community, the more accessible such a lifestyle becomes for everyone else.

The food factor in Blue Zone longevity may be the easiest for you to adopt, as it requires the least coordination with others. And once you’ve dialed in a healthy, plant-based diet, look for ways to join with others — parties, potlucks, gatherings, cooking demos — to bring the rest of the Blue Zone magic to life in your life.

Here are some delicious Blue Zone-inspired recipes to get you started.

Blue Zone Recipes

Gather your community to share in the joy and power of nourishing plant food, taking healthy inspiration from these tasty whole-food recipes. Using common ingredients consumed in the Blue Zones, these recipes — incorporated into your daily routine — can help you live energized like a healthy centenarian!

1. Homemade Granola with Yogurt and Berries

Pile this yummy, nutty granola on top of your favorite plant-based yogurt (we highly recommend giving our recipe a try — just sayin’!) along with antioxidant-rich blueberries for an early (or late) morning breakfast that couldn’t be simpler or more delicious. Plus, this longevity recipe is an easy way to help you reach the Blue Zone recommendation of two handfuls of nuts a day!

2. Three-Seed Fermented Buckwheat Bread

Adding fermented foods to your diet may help you unlock one of the secrets to longevity. We think that our friends in the Blue Zones would enjoy our contribution to the effort — Three-Seed Fermented Buckwheat Bread — thanks to its deliciously moist texture with crunchy seeds and a slightly sour taste from the fermentation process. Be sure to keep an eye on the fermentation time and bring your patience — the end result is absolutely worth it! Enjoy the health-boosting benefits of this yummy bread with your favorite fruit-based spread, with nut or seed butter, or alongside a hearty plant-based soup.

3. Energizing White Bean and Kale Soup

Energizing White Bean and Kale Soup might be the quintessential Blue Zone meal with its bounty of hearty beans, nourishing veggies, and comforting herbs and spices. This soup has so much wholesome goodness, and the nutrition you need to thrive in every decade of life. There is plenty of calcium from the kale, lycopene and vitamin C from the tomatoes, plant-based iron from the beans, and so many more life-enhancing nutrients that this soup will certainly add a bit of Blue Zone magic to your life!

4. Savory Chickpeas and Spinach

Beans are a dietary staple in all five of the Blue Zones, with an average serving of at least a half cup per day! Savory Chickpeas and Spinach is a bright, zingy, and perfectly spiced bean-based side that makes getting your daily dose easy and delicious. It’s also super versatile — swap the chickpeas and spinach for your favorite beans and veggies of choice to make a new combination you’ll always be excited to try.

5. Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Gather the family to share and embrace the power of plant-proven nutrition with these longevity-loving Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. When it comes to nourishing your body, sweet potatoes are a plant-based MVP. With the addition of a protein-packed and phytonutrient-rich black bean and sweet corn medley, delightfully creamy avocado, and flavorful herbs and spices, it’s no wonder this recipe fits the Blue Zone recipe criteria.

Longevity Is Possible!

Although aging is often something that people in industrialized nations dread, due to its association with loneliness and chronic health problems, it doesn’t have to be this way. While aging is an inevitable part of life, and there are things you can do to slow the process, obsessing over stopping aging or finding some miraculous Fountain of Youth can actually stoke fears and increase dread of what’s to come.

Instead, look for things to do that can make your later years vibrant and enjoyable. By looking to the centenarians of the world in places like the Blue Zones, you can take inspiration on how to live so that you may dance your way to your “wisdom years,” whether they extend to 100 and beyond or not.

Tell us in the comments:

• What’s your favorite Blue Zone, based on the descriptions here? Which one fits your interests and temperament most closely?
• What can you do to increase your daily dose of movement in nature?
• Which of the Blue Zones strategies are already embedded in your life?

Feature Image: iStock.com/cometary

Read Next:

• What is Miso? Introducing a Longevity Food of the Blue Zones

The post The Blue Zones: Longevity Secrets from Centenarians appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

What you feed your body plays a big role in how healthy it is. Nutrient-packed food, clean water,  and the right herbs and spices can all support vibrant health, while processed junk food has the opposite effect.

You’ve heard that “we are what we eat.” That’s literally true; the food you chew and swallow today turns either into the tissues of your body or the energy required to power it, or it exits as waste.

But your digestive system isn’t the only way you absorb the outside world into your body. Your skin also “eats” — in this case, much of whatever you put on it, from the chemicals in shampoo and sunscreen to those in moisturizer and makeup. And the quality of those products can have a big impact on how healthy your skin is — and looks.

The comparisons to your digestive system don’t end there. Like your gut, your skin has its very own microbiome made up of millions of bacteria and other microorganisms — around 1,000 different species. This microbiome provides a barrier between your skin and the outside world and also helps to break down and utilize anything you apply to your skin.

Your skin’s microbiome can be affected negatively by toxins in skin care products (the “junk food” of the skin care world), but it can also be nourished by the right ingredients. Of course, figuring out which products are helpful and which are harmful isn’t an easy job, especially when there’s a lot of money at stake. Analysts estimate the size of the hyper-competitive skin care market was at about $100 billion in 2020, with through-the-roof growth projections for the foreseeable future. Advertising and PR firms are paid to make every product look like the greatest thing since sliced cucumbers, regardless of what long-term havoc it might cause to your skin and your overall health.

The Most Popular Anti-Aging Skin Care Ingredient

People have been searching for the fountain of youth for centuries, if not the entirety of human history. In the quest for youthful skin, folks have endured all manner of horror. Lead makeup was all the rage in 18th century Europe, helping women achieve a pale glow that was considered fashionable at the time — the beauty statement that said, “I’ve never worked a day in my life.”

Arsenic and mercury also took their turns in creams and lotions that promised to reverse the aging process. After Marie Curie’s discovery of radiation, cosmetics companies began adding radium to their products. The firm that made Radior Chin Straps explained that “a continuous steady current of energy flows into the skin, and before long the wrinkles have disappeared.”

Modern-day wrinkle care has its own downsides. For example, Botox plumps up skin and removes wrinkles by injecting into your skin the same toxin that, in larger doses, causes botulism. And it works by producing what is essentially (and hopefully!) short-term nerve damage, preventing muscles from contracting and blocking the nerve signals that cause them to fire.

Botox treatments for wrinkles have become wildly popular. In 2008, Sex and the City character Samantha famously quipped, “I don’t really believe in marriage. Now Botox, on the other hand, that works every time.”

The Key to Healthy Skin

Can we agree up front that whatever you do to achieve healthy-looking skin should not potentially shorten your life in the process? Because skin care doesn’t have to be about artificially painting or paralyzing facial muscles to create a facade of health. It can be about feeding your skin the best and most effective nutrients to protect, renew, and restore it — just as you would eat to do the same for the rest of your body.

These days, one particular ingredient is all the rage for helping skin regain its youthful glow — retinol. It’s a powerful substance with proven efficacy in supporting wrinkle-free skin, but it also has some downsides to be aware of before you start using it regularly. In this article, we’ll examine the research into retinol, and consider whether it’s more like an actual fountain of youth or a toxic imitation.

We’ll also examine an ancient skin care remedy that’s been the subject of fascinating recent research: bakuchiol. A potent plant-based compound, bakuchiol has performed similarly to retinol in clinical studies, and many skin care experts are talking about it as a superfood for your skin.

Retinol: What it Is and How it Works

Retinol is derived from vitamin A, which is a very powerful antioxidant nutrient that has many functions in your body, including maintaining and protecting your skin. Retinol belongs to a larger group of vitamin A derivatives known as retinoids and is the strongest over-the-counter (OTC) retinoid available.

Other types of retinoids, such as retinoic acid, have stronger properties than retinol but are only available by prescription and are typically reserved for specific skin issues, such as acne.

As an OTC ingredient, retinol can be formulated into many different products, including creams, serums, targeted treatments, eye creams, and so on.

When you apply a product that contains retinol, the retinol is able to penetrate deeply into your skin (all the way to the dermis) due to its small molecular size. This is one of the properties that makes it so effective. It doesn’t just sit on top of your skin — it “feeds” it.

Once it gets into this middle layer of skin, retinol stimulates skin cell turnover, which encourages cellular regeneration and results in healthier and younger-looking skin (if all goes well).

Specific Benefits of Retinol and Retinoids

Retinol has been demonstrated to deliver several important benefits to the skin.

Boosts Collagen & Minimizes Wrinkles

One of the best things that retinol does for your skin is boost collagen production.

Collagen is a very important skin protein that helps keep your skin thick and firm. Unfortunately, it naturally degrades over time and your body starts producing less of it as you age, so boosting production is critical for minimizing signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines.

By absorbing deeply into your skin and stimulating collagen synthesis, retinol has a “plumping” effect on your skin that reduces the appearance of wrinkles.

It typically takes a few months of using retinol regularly to notice these visible effects.

Brightens Skin & Diminishes Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation is another common sign of skin aging. This term refers to spots that are darker than your normal skin tone where a pigment known as melanin — the same pigment that might give you a darker skin color — is overproduced. These spots differ in appearance slightly based on skin color and how much melanin accumulates but can affect any skin type or tone.

Often, dark spots appear because of UV damage from overexposure to sunlight and originate in the deeper layers of your skin.

Retinol is able to encourage skin cell turnover and boost collagen production in the middle layer of skin, which has the effect of fading the appearance of dark spots, making your complexion look brighter, and helping to restore your natural skin tone.

Renews Skin Cells for a More Even Texture

There’s a common misconception that retinol is an exfoliator, but the truth is it doesn’t break up or get rid of dead skin cells like other true physical and chemical exfoliators.

It has a similar effect, however, by stimulating skin cell turnover and encouraging a constant cycle of renewal in which new cells push out the old ones. This can lead to smoother, more even skin texture and has the added effect of minimizing the appearance of pores.

Common Acne Treatment

Prescription retinoids are one of the most commonly used acne treatments, and retinol itself may have some benefits for milder breakouts.

One of the reasons retinoids can be effective is because they help to keep pores unclogged and help regulate sebum production. They do this mainly by encouraging better skin cell turnover — the same mechanism that helps skin to look younger.

In addition, retinol and retinoids both have anti-inflammatory properties, which are very helpful for acne-prone skin.

The Negative Side of Retinol and Retinoids

While retinol offers significant benefits, it also comes with risks that may counterbalance some of those positive effects.

Not Plant-Based & Potentially Synthetic

If you care about where your skin care ingredients come from, it’s important to know that no retinol or retinoid product has a plant-based origin.

Retinoids are an active form of vitamin A and are only found from animal sources (liver, fish, eggs, etc.). The plant-based form of vitamin A is known as beta-carotene, an antioxidant which cannot be formulated into retinol.

Any products that are advertised as vegan retinol contain synthetic retinol, not a plant-based version — because such a thing doesn’t exist.

Retinol Has the Potential to Seriously Irritate Skin

In part because retinol is such a strong ingredient, one of its biggest downsides is the possibility that it will significantly irritate your skin.

Known side effects of using retinol or retinoids include redness, peeling skin, irritation, burning or stinging, and dryness. Some of these side effects are considered “normal” while your skin adjusts to new usage of retinol and are expected to go away with time. But the irritation doesn’t go away for everyone, and can instead worsen the more you use retinol.

If you are someone who is especially sensitive to retinol, you may experience even more serious side effects like blistering skin or discoloration.

Retinol May Increase Sun Sensitivity

Even though it reduces certain signs of aging, retinol can be problematic because it may increase the sensitivity of your skin to the sun. While some sunlight each day is great for vitamin D production, overexposure to UV rays is one of the biggest accelerators of premature skin aging.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, retinol increases sun sensitivity by constantly stimulating skin cell renewal. New layers of skin cells are more delicate than the old ones and therefore much more susceptible to UV damage.

Another serious consideration is that some animal studies have shown that applying retinoids to the skin increases tumor growth upon exposure to synthetic sunlight. (FRN’s view on the use of animals in medical research is here.) This suggests that retinol may have the potential to increase your skin cancer risk, which is not good news.

Retinol May Be Especially Hard on Sensitive or Inflamed Skin

While retinol can cause irritation for any skin type, it can be especially hard on sensitive skin and can cause a flare-up if you have certain skin conditions.. For example, the National Eczema Association even recommends avoiding retinol products if you have eczema.

Something else to note is that retinol can make your skin more sensitive to other products and shouldn’t be combined with certain ingredients. In general, avoid using retinol alongside strong exfoliators (like AHA or BHA), benzoyl peroxide, and anything that tends to dry out your skin.

Not for Use During Pregnancy

A final consideration to keep in mind is that retinoids are generally discouraged during pregnancy. Oral retinoids, like isotretinoin, may cause serious birth defects, and even topical retinoids have not been conclusively proven to be safe for an unborn baby.

Enter Bakuchiol — A Natural “Retinol” for Your Skin

Plant-based retinol may not exist, but there is a traditional skin care ingredient that appears to be just as effective and 100% natural: bakuchiol.

Bakuchiol is a powerful compound found in the babchi plant (Psoralea corylifolia), a medicinal plant and herb that has long been used in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine.

Babchi has a fascinating history of being used for numerous skin ailments and has been studied because of its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Every part of the plant — roots, leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds — has been used to treat various skin issues, even earning it the nickname “Kushtanashini” (leprosy destroyer).

More recently, researchers discovered that bakuchiol, one of the main active compounds in the babchi plant, could be extracted and used as a powerful skin care ingredient.

Babchi oil is also a beneficial source of bakuchiol, containing numerous plant compounds as well as fatty acids that are nourishing and hydrating for skin.

Top Benefits of Bakuchiol

Let’s look at what bakuchiol does for the skin and how it measures up as an alternative to retinol.

Stimulates Collagen Production & Combats Wrinkles

One of the biggest benefits of bakuchiol is the effect it has on collagen.

Essentially, bakuchiol stimulates collagen production in your skin (much like retinol) and helps to protect existing collagen due to its antioxidant properties.

Studies have found that applying a bakuchiol product daily can improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging. The bakuchiol also improved skin firmness, which helps prevent new wrinkles from forming.

This doesn’t happen overnight, but anti-aging results were noticeable within 12 weeks.

Brightens Skin & Fades the Appearance of Dark Spots

Fine lines and wrinkles aren’t the only signs of skin aging that bakuchiol can help with.

The same study that looked at its effects on collagen and wrinkles also found that bakuchiol can brighten your skin and fade the appearance of hyperpigmentation, including dark spots. In fact, an “overall reduction in photodamage” was noticed by the researchers, which puts bakuchiol at the top of the list of resources that can help with UV-damaged skin.

As a bonus, bakuchiol (and babchi oil) has anti-inflammatory properties that help to calm the appearance of redness and make your skin tone look brighter and more even. This makes bakuchiol a great alternative to retinol.

Improves Skin Elasticity & Texture

While collagen is very important for keeping skin plump and wrinkle-free, there’s another key factor for youthful skin — elasticity.

Elasticity refers to the ability of your skin to “bounce back” from damage and from being stretched. It helps to counteract the forces of gravity, keeping your skin from looking loose or saggy.

Unfortunately, elasticity is another characteristic of skin health that normally degrades as you age, but not irreversibly so. After 12 weeks of use, bakuchiol was found to have anti-aging effects, improve elasticity as well as overall skin texture.

Comparable to Retinol in Studies (Without the Side Effects)

If you’re thinking now that bakuchiol and retinol have very similar benefits, you’re right.

In fact, a clinical trial from 2018 compared the two of them side by side and discovered almost identical results. Both effectively decreased wrinkles and hyperpigmentation with “no statistical difference between the compounds.”

The main difference between the two was that bakuchiol was much better tolerated than retinol with few to no adverse effects. Other research confirms this, finding that bakuchiol does not have the “usual retinol therapy-associated undesirable effects.”

This makes bakuchiol an excellent alternative to retinol for those with sensitive skin — and for anyone seeking a natural, highly effective, plant-based skin care resource.

Antioxidant Protection Against Photodamage

Another big difference between bakuchiol vs retinol is that bakuchiol has not been shown to increase sun sensitivity in any studies.

Instead, bakuchiol possesses antioxidant properties that may help to protect your skin from UV-induced photodamage. Antioxidants also help to protect the existing collagen and elastin in your skin and combat free radicals that can accelerate skin aging.

Plant-Based, Vegan, & 100% Natural

Unlike retinol, bakuchiol comes directly from a plant. Whether you use it in the form of babchi oil or as an isolated compound added to skin care products, you can be sure that you’re using a natural, vegan skin care ingredient.

Of course, you’ll want to make sure that any product with babchi oil or bakuchiol also contains other ingredients that are natural and toxin-free. Choose USDA Certified Organic (or an equivalent in other countries) to be sure you are getting a safe, chemical-free alternative to retinol.

Tell us in the comments:

• What’s your daily skin care regimen?
• Have you ever tried an anti-aging skin care product? Which one, and what did you think of it?
• What lifestyle practices do you engage in to protect your skin?

Featured Image: iStock.com/LightFieldStudios

Read Next:

• Clean Skincare: Nature’s Top 10 Most Effective Anti-Aging & Longevity Ingredients to Use on Your Skin

The post Plant-Based Alternatives to Retinol for Healthy, Younger-Looking Skin appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

The sandwich was a perfect match for the informal, light lunch typically eaten in Britain around noontime. But there was a problem — dinner wasn’t served until 8 pm, which meant that folks could get pretty peckish around midafternoon.

And that’s where Anna Maria Russell, the Duchess of Bedford and a friend of Queen Victoria, comes into our culinary story. In the 1840s, Russell complained of a “sinkful feeling” in the afternoon, when dinner was still several hours away. To address the problem, she started taking pots of tea and some snacks in her sitting room around 4 pm.

She found this custom so pleasant that she began inviting her friends, raising her social cachet. In the hypercompetitive world of polite society, things escalated quickly, as hostesses began competing for the most splendid, elegant, and lavish affairs. They added fine china, imported teas, dainty finger sandwiches, and, of course, juicy gossip. Et voilà, the modern tea party was born (why am I using a French phrase for an English innovation?).

Why Host a Plant-Based Tea Party?

Even if you’re not into gossip and one-upmanship (and if you are, I’m not judging), you can still enjoy one of the great customs to come out of the Victorian era — an informal gathering of friends and family to sip tea, one of the world’s healthiest beverages, and have fun.

Your tea party can be as large or small as you like. Indeed, some of the most epic tea parties ever have involved a young child and a couple of dolls and stuffed animals. And the rituals of the affair can encourage mindful eating and drinking.

Tea parties also provide a chance to feel fancy. You can pick a theme, set a dress code, and even include music and games. In short, tea parties are a great way to connect with loved ones without having to spend a lot of money and time preparing.

So in this article, we’ll explore some types of teas you can include at your afternoon tea party, what you might add to those teas, as well as what kinds of food to serve for high tea. Then we’ll conclude with a few afternoon tea recipes to give you a head start on your next tea party — gossip optional.

Types of Tea

When traditionalists talk about tea, they usually mean black tea. All black teas come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. It grows in just a few parts of the globe: China, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. I won’t go into the geopolitical history of tea here (trying to keep this one light), but if you’re interested in the wars that were fought over these leaves, check out For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed History, by Sarah Rose.

Black Teas

Tea purveyors turn the crushed and dried leaves of Camellia sinensis into different varieties of black tea using the process of oxidation and adding various flavorings. Darjeeling, for example, contains fruity or floral notes, while Earl Grey is flavored with bergamot and/or citrus. Other well-known varieties include English Breakfast, Ceylon, Lapsang Souchong, and Assam.

White Teas

White teas also come from Camellia sinensis, but consist of new buds and young leaves. The buds and leaves are steamed or fried right after picking to stop oxidation, after which they’re dried.

One of the coolest things about white teas is the translations of their Chinese names. White tea names include Silver Needle, which is made from the buds only, Tribute Eyebrow, and Long Life Eyebrow.

Green Teas

Green teas also derive from the same plant. In this case, the fresh tea leaves are lightly heated or steamed, stopping oxidation, then dried. Different greens teas owe their flavor profiles both to the processing method as well as the terroir (the soil, climate, and weather of the specific location where they grow).

Some popular varieties of green tea include sencha, matcha, and genmaicha. This last one, developed in Japan, achieves a “toasty” flavor thanks to the addition of puffed rice or sorghum.

Oolong Teas

Oolong, or “black dragon” teas, are made from whole tea leaves that are semi-oxidized. The level of oxidation and the processing method determines the flavor profile, which can range from earthy to nutty to floral to fruity to sweet.

Herbal Teas

Herbal teas are united by what they’re not; they don’t come from Camellia sinensis, but from any other plant. Ranging from chamomile to peppermint to redbush (South African “rooibos tea”) to literally hundreds of different species, herbal teas can also feature roots (ginger) and barks (cinnamon). They’re favored by drinkers who wish to avoid caffeine.

What to Put in Tea

Once you’ve settled on your choice of tea the next question is, what do you add to it? Purists, and those seeking the greatest health benefits from the beverage, will drink it plain. Not only is tea healthiest on its own, but when you don’t add another flavor you can appreciate the subtle flavors and aromas in the different blends and varieties.

That said, if additions encourage you to drink more tea than you might otherwise, they can be beneficial.

Typical additions to tea are milk and sugar. Originally, milk was used not just to add flavor and reduce bitterness, but to lower the temperature to keep cheap teacups from breaking. Traditionalists still add milk to the teacup first so it doesn’t cool the water too much.

Plant-Based Milk

Milk, however, can negate the cardiovascular health benefits of tea, and cow’s milk poses other risks to your health. Instead, you may want to find a plant-based milk that you like, and that works well mixed with a hot beverage. Oat, soy, and almond beverages are common additions to tea.

Sweeteners

Sweeteners are often added to tea to combat its bitterness and, well, make it sweeter. Back in the days when sugar was a rare luxury available only to the upper classes, and only in small quantities, some viewed it as a tonic substance with health benefits.

Now that it’s clear that sugar is not good for you, and is in fact implicated in many health problems including Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease, you may want to use only a small amount, and/or replace it with a healthier sugar substitute. Some alternatives to refined sugar that may go well in tea include stevia, xylitol, monk fruit sweetener, or even small amounts of date sugar, maple syrup, or honey (although it is not considered vegan).

Lemon

One addition that is both traditional and good for you is lemon juice. Iced tea often calls for a wedge or twist of lemon, and the tangy little yellow citrus fruit can pair well with hot teas as well. Adding lemon to your tea can provide not only flavor, but can also increase antioxidant activity due to its vitamin C content, which can contribute additional health benefits.

What to Serve with Tea

Food Revolution Network

We’ve got the liquid part of the tea party sorted, so let’s talk about food. Tea parties can accommodate both sweet and savory foods. Here are some dishes that wouldn’t be out of place at Buckingham Palace — or in your home or yard.

Salads

Salads can provide lots of raw, plant-based goodness without being heavy or filling. Here are a bunch of healthy salad recipes you might want to serve at your next afternoon tea party.

Soups

Soups are great for cool weather tea parties where some warm comfort food would be just the ticket. If you’re looking for some delicious soup ideas to serve at a tea party, these vegan soup recipes will get you started.

Tea Scones

Scones are often included with classic English tea, and were described by the title character in Ted Lasso as being like a muffin “that sucks all the spit out of your mouth.” Harder and more crumbly than muffins, scones definitely call for a beverage of some kind, which may be why they became tea party stalwarts.

Scones, like these Lavender Lemon Poppy Scones, can themselves be sweet or savory, depending on what’s baked into them (dried currants and fresh blueberries or raspberries along with nuts would put them in the sweet category, while herbs, scallions, chili powder, or sundried tomatoes would qualify them as savory scones.)

Traditionally, either type might be served with jams, preserves, or clotted cream (which is as bad for your arteries as the name suggests). Healthier scone spread alternatives include fresh fruit and homemade fruit spreads, like this Strawberry Chia Spread, nut and seed butters, and plant-based nut cheeses.

Vegan and Vegetarian Finger Sandwiches

Finger sandwiches (important legal disclaimer — the name refers to their size and not what’s between the slices of bread) have been a mainstay of dainty tea parties for almost two centuries now. If you feel a strong urge to hold the handle of a teacup while extending your pinkie finger upward at a slight angle, you might also want to gently pinch a petite, triangular tea sandwich between your thumb and index finger and nibble at a corner.

If you’re at a loss for what to put in a healthy finger sandwich, you can pretty much take any of your favorite sandwiches and just make a smaller version. Here are some plant-based sandwich ideas and recipes to get you started.

Cucumber tea sandwiches are a popular choice for afternoon tea. But you don’t have to use bread as the base of your finger sandwich. It’s perfectly normal in royal society to put your toppings and spreads on cucumber slices. And I, Duke of Ocean, hereby give you permission to use other raw veggie slices as well, such as zucchini, fennel, or jicama.

Hors d’oeuvres

Hors d’oeuvres are as easy to make as they are hard to spell. Here’s a guide to some healthy starters and appetizers that will give you ideas for your next plant-based tea party, however fancy.

High Tea Desserts

Finally, you may want to conclude the festivities with some bite-sized, afternoon tea desserts and pastries. The trick to making desserts bite-size is to, well, make them bite-size. For your health, and that of your guests, you may want to keep them dairy-free and avoid refined flour and sugar. Here are some healthier baking ingredient substitutions you can use. Of course, fresh fruit can be the simplest and healthiest tea party dessert of all.

Healthy Afternoon Tea Recipes

Whether you’re looking for an herbal delight that will stimulate your mind (Tea for the Mind and Creativity), an antioxidant-powered beverage that cultivates calm focus (Soothing Spiced Matcha Tea), or a traditional tea that includes some fun experimentation (China Milky Oolong), the tea recipes below are all great choices for your next plant-based tea party. Consider Masala Chai for a soothing spiced tea that will warm your body and your heart. Or, make the Pomegranate White Tea and discover a special treat at the end!

1. Tea for the Mind and Creativity

Tea for the Mind and Creativity is made with herbs that can support a healthy brain. Rosemary, sage, mint, and lemon balm have all been shown to support memory, focus, and other cognitive functions. What’s more, the daily ritual of making this tea can further support the mind by fostering feelings of warmth and comfort.

2. Soothing Spiced Matcha Tea

If matcha green tea is new to you, you’re in for a treat. Theanine, an amino acid in matcha tea, creates a gentle awareness along with a sense of calm. For this reason, matcha tea has been studied for its stress-relieving effects. Matcha tea is also full of antioxidants, namely catechins, that have been shown to be cardioprotective.

3. China Milky Oolong

The milkiness of this tea, which can be loose-leaf or balled, comes from the brewing process of these particular leaves, not from what you might add to it — though a bit of plant-based milk can be a lovely addition. Steeping oolong tea for 2–3 minutes results in creamy notes. Steeping oolong tea for 5–10 minutes results in floral notes. Let us know which you prefer in the comments.

4. Masala Chai

Made with black tea, Masala Chai is steeped with fragrant and healing spices like clove, cardamom, and peppercorns. Feel free to get creative and experiment with your own chai blend, adding more or less of your favorite or not-so-favorite spices.

5. Pomegranate White Tea

Minimally processed white tea is chock-full of polyphenols called catechins, which act as antioxidants, scavenging free radicals. To avoid bitter notes, steep the tea for only 2–3 minutes. The special treat in Pomegranate White Tea is, perhaps not surprisingly, the pomegranate.

Cheers to Your Healthy Plant-Based High Tea

Having a tea party can be a fun way to appreciate one of the world’s healthiest beverages and get together with family and friends. You have lots of teas to choose from, and you can opt for healthier additions to your tea if you include them. Light finger foods served alongside can complement the tea and enhance your time together. We hope you give these afternoon tea recipes a try and include more tea in your life.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you have a favorite tea party memory?
• What would you like to do for your next tea party? What theme would be fun?
• What’s one new plant-based, afternoon tea party dish you’d like to make?

Feature Image: iStock.com/NadyGinzburg∆m

The post Afternoon Tea: Recipes for a Plant-Based Tea Party appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

When my dad was growing up as the presumed heir to the Baskin-Robbins company (before he left all the ice cream and all the wealth to follow his own “rocky road”), he had an ice cream cone-shaped swimming pool in his backyard. Surrounded by shade trees, the pool was an inviting and cool oasis during the hot California summers.

And while the hero of the story appears to be the ice cream empire that paid for the pool and inspired its shape, what really made those swims safe and enjoyable was the humble pool filter.

Without the filter’s constant diligence, the water would quickly have turned murky, smelly, and unsafe. An aerial photo of the backyard shows the pool itself, a lawn, and a patio — but no pump or filter. These unglamorous elements were hidden out of sight, and not given a second thought as long as they did their job.

Which brings me to today’s topic — the kidneys. They act as filters in our bodies, cleansing the blood, removing waste, and keeping our fluids in a healthy balance. They also perform some amazing and crucial tasks as part of the endocrine system (which is where the pool filter analogy falls short).

Also unlike pool filters, it’s not immediately obvious when the kidneys begin to fail. While in the US, 1 in 7 people have chronic kidney disease, and globally that figure is about 1 in 10, the majority don’t even know they have it. That’s because the disease may not cause any symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage, at which point it often becomes life-threatening in a hurry. And kidney disease incidence is on the rise, largely because of lifestyle and dietary changes that have increased its prevalence, as they have with so many other non-communicable, chronic diseases.

In this article, we’ll explore how chronic kidney disease (CKD) develops, and what it does to our bodies. We’ll also look at lifestyle factors that contribute to CKD, with a particular focus on foods for kidney health (those that can help or harm kidney function). And we’ll finish up with some yummy recipes that your mouth and kidneys will love.

What are the Functions of the Kidneys?

While the kidneys are famous for removing waste and excess fluids from the body — as well as inspiring the shape of some swimming pools and the name of the widely consumed kidney bean — they do so much more. Before we get to those functions, let’s locate them in the body.

The kidneys are a pair of organs, each about the size of a fist, located on either side of the spine just below the floating ribs. As part of the urinary system, the kidneys excrete urea (made by the liver as a byproduct of protein metabolism), which is a major component of urine. Unlike sugars and fats, the body has no means of storing proteins for later use, so the excess has to be excreted to prevent toxic buildup.

In addition to secreting urea, the kidneys remove other waste products, such as drugs and other foreign chemicals, that aren’t native to the body. They also get rid of excess fluid and regulate the fluid-electrolyte balance in your body by continuously filtering your blood.

And by “continuously,”  I do mean continuously. The kidneys filter about 200 quarts of fluid every 24 hours. The average adult has about five quarts of blood, which means that every drop of blood takes a ride through these organs around 40 times per day. (Forget Space Mountain, the most amazing ride can be found in Kidneyland!)

Of those 200 quarts, about 198 are cleaned and returned to the body, good as new, while the remaining two or so quarts are excreted. That’s partially the basis for the often-stated recommendation to drink eight cups of water — two quarts — a day.

If I were writing an infomercial about the kidneys (“Act now, and get two for the price of one” — gosh, this practically writes itself), this is where I’d say, “But wait — there’s more.” The kidneys regulate bodily concentrations of sodium, potassium, and other vital minerals, as well as maintain exquisite control over your body’s acid content.

Kidney Hormones

Your kidneys do much more for you than you may have realized. Kidneys are also highly social organs that love to chat with their colleagues. They produce hormones that affect other organs. One of these hormones is renin, which the body uses to manage your blood pressure. The kidneys also make a chemical called erythropoietin, which prompts your body to make new red blood cells. (A synthetic version of this chemical given to advanced CKD sufferers is also a popular doping agent used by athletes who want to improve their cardiovascular efficiency.)

The kidneys also convert vitamin D3 — which you either get in supplement form or metabolize from sunlight on your skin — into the active form of vitamin D (known to its many chemistry buff fans as 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol) that supports the immune system, strong skin and bones, and many other vital functions.

How Does Chronic Kidney Disease Happen?

Chronic kidney disease, the most common condition involving the kidneys, develops over time when the organs are damaged, most often as a result of diabetes and hypertension. It’s a sneakily gradual loss of kidney function, very different from acute renal injury. (“Renal” comes from the Latin word for kidney. Confusingly, a kidney doctor is called a “nephrologist,” from the Greek for kidney, “nephros.”) Acute renal injury, in which the kidneys suddenly stop working, can occur in a matter of days or hours.

In CKD, the kidneys have been structurally and/or functionally abnormal for at least three months, and aren’t able to filter blood properly. As the damage increases, patients move through a number of stages until, in the last one, stage 5, kidneys are functioning at less than 15% of their normal capacity. This is the cutoff for the clinical definition of renal failure.

At that point, known as end-stage renal disease (because a patient doesn’t typically recover from it), dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes, and wastes can build up in the body. To stay alive, a patient will need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Dialysis, which is the mechanical filtering of blood either inside or outside the body, can replace the kidney’s filtering process to some extent but it doesn’t address the signaling functions or the vitamin D conversion that the kidneys can no longer perform.

When the kidneys fail, the rest of the body suffers. CKD can increase the risks of overaccumulation of fluid in the lungs, malnutrition, heart disease, weak bones, and a dysregulated immune system.

The kidneys don’t decide one day to go on strike — the road from healthy to “we’re outta here” typically takes years, if not decades. While genetics may play a role in CKD, lifestyle factors such as elevated blood sugars, high blood pressure, smoking, and high cholesterol also increase the risk of developing CKD. And the longer you expose your body to those factors, the more likely your kidneys are to lose function.

The Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Connection

Approximately 40% of patients with type 1 diabetes and 30% of those with type 2 diabetes may eventually suffer from CKD. This occurs because diabetes damages the small blood vessels of the kidney, decreasing its ability to filter the blood.

Impaired blood filtration brings a few consequences. First, fluid retention in the body can occur, resulting in edema, or swelling, typically in the arms and legs. (If you’re a fan of 19th century English literature, you may have come across its archaic name, “dropsy,” which really paints a mental picture.) Kidneys can also lose protein — it leaks from the kidneys into the urine. Finally, the level of waste products in the blood can increase.

Diabetes also causes bladder dysfunction, including decreased bladder sensation and impaired bladder emptying, which increases the risk of infection. Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage) can wreak further havoc by making it hard to empty the bladder, or even feel when the bladder is full. And the pressure from an overfull bladder can cause pressure to build in the kidneys themselves, causing further injury. (That advice from your grandma to “never hold it in” turns out to be right on.) 

Plus, if urine that is high in sugar stays in the bladder for too long, an infection may develop from the rapid growth of bacteria in that sugar-rich environment.

Learn what brand-new scientific research says about how to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes — using food and free lifestyle tips.

Join the FREE

Watch Here

High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease

High blood pressure, or hypertension, can also damage blood vessels in the kidneys. Because hypertension makes the heart work harder to pump blood, pressure on the kidney walls increases. This pressure can compromise the efficiency with which they remove waste and extra fluids. Now we’ve got a vicious cycle between hypertension and kidney disease, in which those excess fluids further raise blood pressure, which makes the kidneys even less efficient.

Diagnosing Chronic Kidney Disease & Dysfunction

Since you can suffer from progressive CKD long before it causes clinical problems, it’s important for those at risk (i.e., already having high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, or a family history of kidney disease) to monitor the status of their kidney health. There are several ways to do this.

Blood tests can check how well your kidneys are filtering your blood. The most common metric for kidney function tests is the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR can be calculated using serum creatinine and is inversely related, meaning the higher the creatinine the lower the GFR. 

A comprehensive metabolic panel, or CMP blood test, often includes a kidney function test, namely, testing for GFR. While you can go through a health care provider to get this standard blood testing done, you can also order at-home kidney function tests, which include the CMP. Check out our article on ordering your own lab tests.

Another marker for kidney disease severity used in kidney function tests is urine albumin, which has nothing to do with the headmaster in Harry Potter. Albumin is found in the blood, is important for fluid homeostasis, and transports hormones, vitamins, and enzymes throughout the body. When there is albumin in the urine, it suggests there may have been damage to the kidneys’ filtering system.

Imaging may be helpful to further evaluate kidney function if needed, including kidney structure and assessing blood flow. In some cases, a kidney biopsy may be necessary to further diagnose the cause of kidney dysfunction.

Lifestyle Changes for Chronic Kidney Disease

Because of the association with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which have a strong link to diet and lifestyle, there are some important things people can do to help prevent the development and slow the progression of CKD. Here are some of the most important ones.

Exercise and Kidney Function

Not being physically active is both a contributing factor for and consequence of kidney disease. By the time someone is on dialysis, they may not feel like moving around much. Their increasingly sedentary lifestyle is associated with an increased risk of additional diseases and premature death.

Research shows that adding gentle exercise can help people at all stages of CKD, and lower the risks of comorbidity, hospitalization, and mortality while enhancing the quality of life.

Kidneys and Smoking

This piece of advice could fit into just about any article on health. For most people, quitting smoking will have a tremendous positive impact on all health outcomes, including kidney disease.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Obesity is one of the risk factors most predictive of CKD onset. Ironically, the disease itself can lead to significant weight loss, as CKD can cause loss of muscle mass (and strength) as it progresses. When weight loss in CKD patients occurs, they may need to focus on getting enough nutritionally dense calories to maintain a healthy weight.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep affects all aspects of health. And it turns out that the kidneys operate on a time schedule, with certain functions regulated by the body’s circadian rhythm.

There are links between kidney disease and sleeplessness: an ongoing pattern of insufficient or disrupted sleep is associated with an increased risk of CKD. It’s common for CKD patients to struggle with sleep, which can worsen disease progression. If that’s you, put attention into improving your sleep through sleep hygiene, including creating an environment that’s conducive to deep sleep, and optimizing your diet and meal timing for sleep.

Reduce Stress Levels

Stress harms the body in many different ways, and the kidneys are no exception. Research has found an association between stress-related disorders and increased risk of both chronic and acute kidney disease. One 2018 study found that the more people worried about achieving their goals, the higher the rates of CKD. There are many effective ways to reduce chronic stress levels, including practicing mindfulness and other stress-reduction techniques, reducing stress-related triggers, setting realistic goals and expectations, and choosing a dietary pattern that supports balanced hormone levels. Speaking of which…

Eat a Healthy Diet

Although genetic factors play a role in kidney disease, the majority of cases are preventable. And a kidney healthy diet is probably the most important implement in the prevention toolbox. Researchers estimate that roughly one-quarter of CKD cases in industrialized countries can be attributed to nutritional factors — and this is likely a very conservative estimate.

As industrialized diet patterns have been directly implicated in the development of both type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, it makes sense that what you eat can affect the development and progression of CKD, as well. Specifically, diets high in animal protein and low in fruits and vegetables have been associated with CKD. The best-odds, “happy kidney” diet consists largely of whole plants, with limited or no animal protein.

Renal Nutrition: Can a Plant-Based Diet Help?

Plant-based diets can decrease the incidence of cardiovascular disease, decrease rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity, and reduce inflammation and cholesterol. Since these outcomes may delay kidney failure and the initiation of dialysis, some clinicians look to plant-based diets as a strong contender to prevent and slow the progression of CKD.

An optimal renal diet emphasizes high-fiber and low-fat foods and, as I just mentioned, substantially reduces or (better yet) eliminates animal-derived protein. Here’s why this is so important: Increased fiber intake changes what the gut microbiota produce, lowering the amounts of uremic toxins. These toxins, which come from animal-based protein, take a heavy toll on the kidneys, which have to break them down, filter, and excrete them. The more fiber you eat, and the less animal protein, the fewer problems you’ll have with uremic and other toxins. Animal protein is no friend to your kidneys.

The figure above shows how these elements can work together to increase helpful compounds and decrease harmful ones to positively affect CKD outcomes.

One of the most impactful dietary changes you can make to keep your kidneys healthy is to swap animal protein with plant protein. This shift can protect you from a nasty — life-threatening, actually — condition called metabolic acidosis (an electrolyte disorder and complication of kidney disease) by lowering acid production in your body.

In a kidney-friendly diet, the dietary source of the protein may be of greater importance than the amount of protein, as plant-derived protein comes with many other beneficial components including fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients — all of which are good for kidney health.

Plant-sourced protein sources are also generally lower in saturated fat, and have no cholesterol, unlike animal foods whose dietary cholesterol and saturated fat have been linked with decreased insulin sensitivity, oxidative stress, high LDL cholesterol, and high blood pressure. In short, adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet has been shown to have numerous health benefits for the kidneys, many of which are clinically relevant for the management of CKD.

Other Nutrients That Need Monitoring in CKD

While simply eating more plants, fewer animals, and fewer highly processed foods can help manage CKD, there are some nutrients of concern that deserve special attention.

Phosphorous

One of these is phosphorus, which along with calcium helps build strong, healthy bones, and contributes to overall health. But it’s possible to have too much of a good thing — patients with CKD have trouble excreting excess phosphorus, which can actually weaken bones.

High phosphorus levels can also contribute to dangerous calcium deposits in your blood vessels, lungs, eyes, and heart. One way to avoid excess phosphorus, fortunately, is to limit animal protein, which has high concentrations of the nutrient. Another strategy is to avoid fast foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and most packaged and processed foods, many of which contain phosphorus as an additive or preservative. Phosphorus from these sources is more readily absorbed by the body, making it especially harmful for people with CKD.

Sodium
Too much sodium in a person’s diet can be harmful because it causes blood to retain fluid. People with CKD need to be careful not to let too much fluid build up in their bodies, as we’ve seen.

CKD patients are often advised to follow the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which is prescribed to people with hypertension to lower their sodium intake. This diet is associated with a lower risk of end-stage kidney disease in individuals with CKD and high blood pressure.

Most sodium in the modern industrialized diet comes from processed, packaged, and fast foods, so it’s a good idea to limit or eliminate these foods if sodium is an issue for you.

Potassium
Potassium is another nutrient of concern. Hyperkalemia (too much potassium in the blood) is a severe metabolic condition that patients with CKD often experience. As kidney disease progresses, the kidneys’ ability to excrete potassium decreases.

Patients often receive advice to limit dietary potassium intake to maintain their serum potassium levels within the normal range. The benefits of restricting potassium in CKD patients aren’t settled science, however, given that a plant-based diet with a high content of potassium-rich foods can be beneficial and slow the progression of CKD. What most folks can agree on, however, is the benefit of testing for potassium levels, to ensure they are in the normal range.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D transforms in the kidneys into the form your body can use, and CKD can interfere with that process. Whether or not you have CKD, it’s best to get enough vitamin D, whether from your body’s response to the sun, or from a supplement. When your vitamin D levels are too low, you can also end up with low calcium levels. That’s because vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium.

Calcium
Calcium metabolism and regulation are complicated and compounded with CKD. Getting too much or too little can both be problematic. To be safe, it’s usually best to get calcium from food — as supplements could give your body too much and increase your risk of kidney stones.

Click here for more on calcium.

Oxalates
Oxalates are another compound found in certain foods that may cause calcium oxalate kidney stones, which can make CKD worse. They’re also involved in inflammatory pathways. So if you consume too many of them in your diet, that could contribute to the progression of CKD and systemic inflammation.

You can reduce the levels of oxalates in some high-oxalate foods by cooking them. Choosing foods that are high in calcium and magnesium and drinking water can help reduce the negative impact of oxalates.

Click here for more on oxalates.

Best Foods for Kidney Health

To recap, the best foods for kidney health are high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, moderate in (preferably plant-based) protein, and low in phosphorus, fat, and sodium.

That leaves most, if not all, plant-based foods! Here are a few stellar kidney foods.

Lentils

Lentils are a safe, delicious, and versatile plant-based protein source that you can substitute for animal protein. Cooking lentils reduces their potassium and phosphorus levels to those recommended for CKD patients. Additionally, lentils are high in fiber and folate. Folate is important because research has found that amongst people with CKD, having normal levels of serum folate was associated with lower risk of mortality.

Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds are one of the foods for kidney health that can provide lots of valuable fiber, and are one of the richest sources of lignan precursors. Lignans are plant antioxidants that may play a role in glucose control and high blood pressure. Studies have found that flaxseed oil may reduce bone loss or shrinkage in hemodialysis patients.

Read our related article about ways to eat flaxseeds.

Blueberries

Blueberries may lower serum uric acid levels, which is a good thing if you’re not a fan of kidney stones. Furthermore, the anthocyanin antioxidants in blueberries can protect kidneys from oxidative stress and inflammation. Blueberries also appear to combat type 2 diabetes and heart disease by lowering their biomarkers (including the all-important blood pressure). Through all these and possibly other mechanisms, blueberries just might be a kidney’s best friend.

Leafy Greens

Low-oxalate leafy greens, a club that includes kale, collards, arugula, lettuce, and many others, provide necessary antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, as well as being a good source of fiber.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower, like its cruciferous cousins, is a great source of sulforaphane, which in addition to being an anticancer powerhouse, may also help fight against oxidative damage caused by kidney disease. Sulforaphane also assists the liver in its job of detoxification of the blood, which takes some of the strain off the kidneys.

Cauliflower is also high in antioxidants, folate, fiber, and vitamin K1, which helps regulate your calcium balance and build strong teeth and bones — all of which are important when dealing with CKD.

Read our related article about creative ways to enjoy cauliflower.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is a gluten-free whole grain that’s relatively low in potassium and phosphorus and may alleviate kidney problems in patients with type 2 diabetes. A good source of protein and fiber, buckwheat has been shown to protect kidneys and break up compounds that can harm them — in rodents, at least. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)

Grapes

Grapes, especially red ones, are rich sources of a compound called resveratrol that’s the subject of a lot of hype for its purported anti-aging properties. While the jury’s out on that one, it’s clear that resveratrol protects against CKD and its progression.

The flavonoids in grapes can benefit heart health and ameliorate the effects of type 2 diabetes, both of which can support kidney health. And grapes also contain quercetin, which helps maintain healthy blood vessels.

Chili Peppers

The more chili peppers you eat, the less likely you are to have kidney disease, at least according to this 2019 study of the eating habits and health status of over 8,000 Chinese adults. Eating chilis appears to decrease the risks of obesity and hypertension, both of which can increase the risk of CKD.

Another study from China showed that the enjoyment of spicy food enhanced the diner’s sensitivity to salt, which meant they needed and wanted less of it. This in turn lowered daily salt intake and blood pressure. And two compounds found in chili peppers, capsaicin and piperine, have been shown to improve kidney function.

Recipes with Kidney Healthy Foods

When it comes to healthy kidney function, focusing on fiber-dense foods (plants!) is key. Below you’ll find a tasty array of plant-based meals that contain tons of fiber, as well as other nutrients, to support healthy weight, blood pressure, insulin response, and bones. Consider your own unique needs when choosing foods for kidney health, making substitutions or omissions where necessary, since each individual’s dietary plan to meet kidney function goals can be different.

1. Blueberry Poppy Seed Pancakes

This one delicious breakfast boasts multiple kidney-friendly ingredients. Blueberry Poppy Seed Pancakes contain fiber-rich buckwheat flour. Flax meal provides lignans, which may help with blood pressure and blood sugar management. The blueberries are packed with anthocyanins, which are anti-inflammatory, helping support heart and kidney function. Of note, poppy seeds can be high in oxalates. One tablespoon of poppy seeds for four servings won’t put you over the oxalate level. However, if you’re concerned about kidney stones, simply omit the poppy seeds (the pancakes will still be delicious!).

2. Super Greens Salad with Bulgur and Lentils

Super Greens Salad includes healing, low-oxalate greens (kale and arugula), and provides a source of plant protein from lentils and pumpkin seeds. What’s more, there is plenty of fiber in this satisfying salad, found in the lentils, bulgur, pumpkin seeds, and greens. Super Greens Salad with Bulgur and Lentils can support kidney health, whether you’re simply trying to care for healthy kidneys or to prevent the progression of kidney failure.

3. Korean Cauliflower Tacos

Adding cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower to your plate may help fight against oxidative damage caused by kidney disease. Also, the detoxifying capabilities of sulforaphane may take some of the workload off of the kidneys (their job, after all, is pretty huge!). Take note, peanuts are high in phosphorus, so you may want to omit them if you’re watching your phosphorus intake. Also, if you’re watching sodium, consider adding crushed red pepper flakes in place of hot sauce to avoid sodium added to commercial hot sauce.

Keep Your Kidneys Healthy

Kidneys perform an important role in waste regulation, electrolyte balance, and the production of certain hormones. As the incidence of chronic kidney disease increases due to the increase in chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it’s important to look at the lifestyle factors that may be impacting the kidneys. With chronic kidney disease, in particular, diet is one of the most vital lifestyle changes to consider — and a well-planned plant-based diet may be helpful in preventing or slowing the progression of the disease.

Tell us in the comments:

• What’s your favorite kidney-friendly food?
• What lifestyle change would most benefit your kidneys, and why?
• What food shape do you think will be the next fad in swimming pool design?

Feature Image: iStock.com/Lisovskaya

Read Next:

• Not All Protein Is Equal: A Doctor Explains Why You Should Choose Plant Protein Over Animal Protein for Better Heart Health and Longevity
• The Truth About Nitrates and Nitrites in Your Food & Water

The post How to Take Care of Your Kidneys — and the Best & Worst Foods for Chronic Kidney Disease appeared first on Food Revolution Network.