Think, Eat, Be Healthy

3 Recent Health News Items and My Thoughts About Them

Mushrooms in the forest.

Mushrooms in the forest.

“8 Scientifically Proven Reasons To Spend Way More Time Outside” by By Dr. Patricia Thompson at MindBodyGreen

An outline of reasons, backed by scientific studies, of why it is important for all of us to spend time outdoors and in nature. I have always felt a deep connection with nature and feel better, both physically and mentally, when I spend more time out of the house. Even walking down a sidewalk in the city improves mood, immune system function and overall physical health. Science may not yet be able to explain exactly why these effects occur but that makes them no less real and we should all take full advantage of them.

I have written on this topic before and new studies continue to reinforce the positive effects of nature on our lives. To me it is much better to go for a short walk outside than to take antidepressant medication and get sick more often. Plus, nature and the outdoors are free and do not support the large pharmaceutical companies.

There are a wide variety of truly natural raw, unfiltered honeys available. Bees visiting the flowers of specific plants will produce honey with distinctive flavors and colors.

There are a wide variety of truly natural raw, unfiltered honeys available. Bees visiting the flowers of specific plants will produce honey with distinctive flavors and colors.

“Sugar Alcohols Best Avoided To Protect Gut Health” By Sarah at The Healthy Home Economist.

This article details how sugar alcohols are produced and why most can be labeled as natural products even though they are all highly refined. They have been a financial windfall for the commercial food industry but have not been so wonderful for those hoping to lose weight or control their diabetes symptoms. It still surprises me that these products have been on the market for so long without any major long-term health studies of their effects. This allows the food industry to continue to downplay anecdotal evidence of health problems caused by consumption of sugar alcohols.

All the more reason to eat a whole food diet and avoid all such highly processed “foods”. Raw unfiltered local honey, grade-B maple syrup and brown rice syrup will continue to be my sweeteners of choice, and only in limited amounts. I prefer that what I eat not be discovered in a laboratory and produced in a chemical factory.

nuts, tree nuts, hazelnuts, filberts

Hazelnuts or Filberts are very high in folate.

“Nuts May Lengthen Your Life, Study Suggests” by Kathleen Doheny at WebMD

Another large study of 200,000 people in both the U.S. and China found health benefits for those eating the most nuts. Rates of death from heart disease and all other cause was twenty percent lower during the course of the study for those eating the most nuts compared to those eating the fewest nuts. Peanut butter and peanuts were included in this study.

These findings do not surprise me. Nuts, like all seeds, are compact nutritional powerhouses. They have to be: they must contain all of the nutrients necessary to start a complete new plant or tree.

Nuts tend to be higher in healthy fats, minerals and many vitamins than other common foods. Tree nuts and peanuts should be part of every healthy whole food diet. If you like nut butters rather than whole nuts, try to make them yourself or find products containing only nuts without a lot of added salt, oil, sugar or other ingredients. Fresh raw nuts are always better for health than those roasted with added oils.