Friday, 28 August 2015
Monday, 24 August 2015
Eating white bread, rice ups depression risk in women
NEW YORK: Consuming foods rich in refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and white rice, may cause mood changes, fatigue and other symptoms of depression in postmenopausal women, a new study has warned. According to researchers, a diet high in refined carbohydrates may lead to an increased risk for new-onset depression in postmenopausal women.
The study by James Gangwisch and colleagues in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Centre (CUMC) looked at the dietary glycemic index, glycemic load, types of carbohydrates consumed, and depression in data from more than 70,000 postmenopausal women who participated in the US National Institutes of Health's Women's Health Initiative Observational Study between 1994 and 1998. Scientists said that while carbohydrates consumption normally increases blood sugar levels, eating highly refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, rice and junk food, triggers a hormonal response that affects the glycemic index.
This then exacerbates changes in a woman's mood and triggers fatigue as well as other depression symptoms.
Greater consumption of dietary fibre, whole grains, vegetables and non-juice fruits was associated with decreased risk, researchers said. This suggests that dietary interventions could serve as treatments and preventive measures for depression.
According to researchers, a diet high in refine carbo hydrates may lead to an increased risk for new-onset depression in postmenopausal women.
Further study is needed to examine the potential of this novel option for treatment and prevention, and to see if similar results are found in the broader population. The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
PTI | Aug 7, 2015, 05.53 AM IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Eating-white-bread-rice-ups-depression-risk-in-women/articleshow/48384323.cms
Monday, 17 August 2015
New Study Investigates And Proves That Stress Will Make You Eat Food That is Bad For You
New Study Investigates And Proves That Stress Will Make You Eat Food That is Bad For You
It is common knowledge that stress can make people do some strange things. High stress makes people more impulsive, particularly when it comes to stress release. For many people, this means eating certain types of “comfort foods.”
A new study, then, looks at the effect stress has on diets and has determined that, sure enough, people in general are more likely to choose fatty, sweet, and salty foods over healthy options when they are under high stress.
“We find that stress increases reward signaling and thus may boost a craving for getting the instantaneously rewarding option,” explains lead author Silvia U. Maier at the University of Zurich, linking this study with earlier ones looking at how stress affects decision circuits in the brain.
Maier goes on to say, “The more stressed you feel, the less likely you become to override your own taste preferences when we present you with a really tricky challenge, say: your favorite chocolate bar versus a portion of broccoli. You could say it’s almost like stress is turning up the dial on signals about taste, and turning down the signal on health goals.”
Furthermore, University College London neuropsychology expert Molly Crocket notes, “What’s exciting about this work is that it identifies specific mechanisms for how stress affects self control: by amplifying the influence of short-term rewards on choices, and by impairing the influence of a brain region known to be important for self-control.”
She continues, “When you’re faced with an unhealthy food that’s not very tempting, stress won’t affect your self control much, But when you’re faced with your most favorite tempting foods, stress will make it more difficult to resist those temptations.”
Published On: Thu, Aug 6th, 2015
Friday, 14 August 2015
Thursday, 13 August 2015
Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious?
Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious?
Because of soil depletion, crops grown decades ago were much richer in vitamins and minerals than the varieties most of us get today
Martin Poole, Digital Vision/Thinkstock
Dear EarthTalk: What’s the nutritional difference between the carrot I ate in 1970 and one I eat today? I’ve heard that that there’s very little nutrition left. Is that true?—Esther G., Newark, N.J.
It would be overkill to say that the carrot you eat today has very little nutrition in it—especially compared to some of the other less healthy foods you likely also eat—but it is true that fruits and vegetables grown decades ago were much richer in vitamins and minerals than the varieties most of us get today. The main culprit in this disturbing nutritional trend is soil depletion: Modern intensive agricultural methods have stripped increasing amounts of nutrients from the soil in which the food we eat grows. Sadly, each successive generation of fast-growing, pest-resistant carrot is truly less good for you than the one before.
A landmark study on the topic by Donald Davis and his team of researchers from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was published in December 2004 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. They studied U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional data from both 1950 and 1999 for 43 different vegetables and fruits, finding “reliable declines” in the amount of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C over the past half century. Davis and his colleagues chalk up this declining nutritional content to the preponderance of agricultural practices designed to improve traits (size, growth rate, pest resistance) other than nutrition.
“Efforts to breed new varieties of crops that provide greater yield, pest resistance and climate adaptability have allowed crops to grow bigger and more rapidly,” reported Davis, “but their ability to manufacture or uptake nutrients has not kept pace with their rapid growth.” There have likely been declines in other nutrients, too, he said, such as magnesium, zinc and vitamins B-6 and E, but they were not studied in 1950 and more research is needed to find out how much less we are getting of these key vitamins and minerals.
The Organic Consumers Association cites several other studies with similar findings: A Kushi Institute analysis of nutrient data from 1975 to 1997 found that average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables dropped 27 percent; iron levels 37 percent; vitamin A levels 21 percent, and vitamin C levels 30 percent. A similar study of British nutrient data from 1930 to 1980, published in the British Food Journal,found that in 20 vegetables the average calcium content had declined 19 percent; iron 22 percent; and potassium 14 percent. Yet another study concluded that one would have to eat eight oranges today to derive the same amount of Vitamin A as our grandparents would have gotten from one.
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What can be done? The key to healthier produce is healthier soil. Alternating fields between growing seasons to give land time to restore would be one important step. Also, foregoing pesticides and fertilizers in favor of organic growing methods is good for the soil, the produce and its consumers. Those who want to get the most nutritious fruits and vegetables should buy regularly from local organic farmers.
UT’s Davis warns that just because fruits and vegetables aren’t as healthy as they used to be doesn’t mean we should avoid them. “Vegetables are extraordinarily rich in nutrients and beneficial phytochemicals,” he reported. “They are still there, and vegetables and fruits are our best sources for these.”
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Monday, 3 August 2015
My experience with Back To Eden Gardening With Wood Chips
There is a reason why I`ve not been on my blog for so many weeks. We were very busy with our new garden project this spring. As any new initiative it takes usually a grate effort to start and going on when facing challenges.
Last year our family failed with looking after our allotment which was located far from the house and as not convenient ended up neglected, covered with weeds and finally abandoned .
When still missing a taste of real organic veges but not provided with an efficient time and gardening experience but just having a little space of a back garden covered with a wild lawn, we needed something different. A few months ago our friend, a Christian missioner, shared with us an idea of a pallets supplemented by wooden chips. He convinced us that we didn`t need a large piece of arable land to obtain a satisfactory harvest. We picked up the idea that if people changed their mind on farming, it would be possible to feed the whole world with available resources placed on the area equal in size of Texas(!). Intrigued by this perspective we decided to work it out on a small scale.
It involved some DIY in the beginning (done by my husband) to build planters from pallets.
Then we filled it up with 3 layers: soil, compost and wood chips.
My handy man put some drainers on the bottom of the planters to collect `compost tea` i.e. excess of water, reach in nutrients, in order to recycle it when watering.
In the meantime I seeded vegetables in trays keeping them on window sills as a green house still remained only in my dreams. After few weeks I replanted seedlings into planters` compost outside and topped up with wooden chips.
For the benefits of using wooden chips see the video:
https://youtu.be/ji9XL4LXosE
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