If none of these seem like the perfect gift for the special people in your life, and you’re thinking of maybe even staying away from mass-produced items entirely, here’s another suggestion: Give the gift of homemade food.

Everybody eats. And while there are lots of delicious items you can buy in stores, there’s really nothing that compares to food made with love and care. And it’s even better when that food was created with you in mind.

Now, let’s put the oven mitt on the other hand and consider how cool it would be for you to make delicious homemade treats for the special people on your “nice” list. Whether for holidays, birthdays, or — my personal favorite reason for gift giving — “just because,”  there’s a unique joy in both giving and receiving something homemade, especially when it’s edible!

Unlike mass-produced food items, food gifts are not just about what’s inside the package but also about the love, effort, and care that you pour into the final product.

In this article, we’ll explore the art of giving homemade food gifts with seven delicious recipes that you can easily give any time of year. And in keeping with our mission here at Food Revolution Network, they all pass our triple test of “healthy, ethical, and sustainable” — in addition to being totally delicious and festive!

Why Homemade Food Makes a Great Gift

Gifting something homemade rather than store-bought is great for you, the recipient, and the planet.

1. Save Money on Gifts

For one thing, you can save money by making gifts in bulk for multiple recipients. For example, the toasted spice blend recipe below includes sunflower and sesame seeds, as well as small amounts of several spices. You might pay up to $15 for just one spice blend from the store — or you can spend $20 on ingredients and get up to a dozen homemade batches that you can gift to others.

2. Reduce Plastic Waste

The planet benefits when you avoid the plastic waste that often serves as packaging for store-bought food and gifts. (I hereby declare that you get bonus points for gifting the food in a reusable container like these stainless steel food storage containers or even wide mouth mason jars.

3. Practical and Useable

The recipient of a food gift gets something usable and delicious, and, if you’ve done your homework, something they actually want. And — since it’s made with your love — they’ll get something unique. You and your recipient will also know the item was made and given with love (and received with love), which can strengthen and enrich your connection.

4. Controlled Ingredients

Speaking of homework, I’d recommend finding out about your recipients’ taste preferences, dietary restrictions, and allergies, so you can tailor your homemade food gifts to each person. Not only does this ensure a personal touch that store-bought gifts often lack, but it can also avoid the unfortunate situation where your holiday nut brittle sends your favorite aunt to the emergency room in anaphylactic shock.

Even without allergies to think about, when you make food gifts yourself, you get to control the ingredients. You can choose high-quality, whole-food ingredients without any refined sugar or questionable additives.

5. It’s Fun!

Homemade food gifting can also be fun for kids and adults, both as givers and receivers. Let your creativity go wild and create something you’re proud of!

Tips for Choosing a Food to Gift

When choosing a food item to gift, do so with the recipient’s likes and dislikes in mind. The easiest way to gather this information is also the most straightforward: Ask them.

A high-probability strategy to avoid seriously bad outcomes — especially if kids are involved — is to make something that does not contain any of the nine major allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, and sesame seeds). If you stick to 100% plant-based treats, you automatically avoid four of them, so you just have to be cognizant of the nuts and seeds, wheat, and soy.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the benefits of food gifting is the chance to cook in bulk, saving both time and money. If you’re unfamiliar with the practice of batch cooking, our meal prep guide has you covered.

Since you’re not FedEx, you may also want to consider making food gifts that are small or at least portable and easy to transport. If you’re going to gift wrap them, think about a form that’s easy to wrap, or at least to stick a bow on.

Some ideas of small and conveniently transported food gifts include the following:

• Baked goods
• Homemade canned goods, quick pickles, preserves, etc. (here’s where mason jars come in very handy)
• Dried herbs, spice mixes, and loose-leaf teas (also a good use of mason jars — look for fancy ones often sold as wedding favors for that extra dash of class)
• Spiced nuts and seeds or granola
• Fire cider or kombucha
• Sauces, soups, dressings, spreads (and DIY kits to make them)
• Fruits, vegetables, and herbs from your garden

Unless you know that your recipient will want to consume the gift right away, it’s typically more convenient for them if the food is shelf-stable and doesn’t require refrigeration.

Alternatively, you can always gift a coupon for an item that the recipient can redeem at your mutual convenience (and you can have fun and use all your artistic creativity creating the coupon).

Where to Get Food Gift Ideas From

To get ideas for food gifts, peruse your favorite cookbooks, or think about cherished family recipes. At the risk of immodesty, this feels like a good time to mention the very first Food Revolution Network hardcover recipe book, Real Superfoods: Everyday Ingredients to Elevate Your Health.

Some of the recipes in that book that might qualify as excellent gifts include Golden Glow Lemonade (an awesome and delicious healing tonic), Crispy Miso Onion Chickpeas, Super Seedy Granola (seedy in a good way, I assure you), Velvety Chocolate Berry Dessert Cups (yes, healthy, although your recipient may not believe it after taking a bite), and Sublime Sweet Potato Mini Drop Biscuits. To whet your appetite, I’ve included two giftalicious recipes from Real Superfoods below: Sweet and Savory Spiced Pecans and FRN’s Fuel the Fire Cider.

You can also find candidates for food gifts in many other wonderful health-focused, plant-based cookbooks that we love. Check out the cookbook roundup on our blog for additional inspiration.

Practice Food Safety

Since you probably aren’t going to be preparing these food gifts in a commercial kitchen that has to undergo regular safety inspections, it’s really important that you practice fundamental food safety protocols. You do not want to share a side of salmonella with that jam because you did a slapdash job of washing a cutting board.

For kicks, let’s take a minute to review the basics:

1. Keep things clean: wash your hands and food prep surfaces often.
2. Separate: don’t cross-contaminate. Don’t chop veggies, for example, on a cutting board where you prepared a block of tofu (or meat if you eat it).
3. Cook: heat all foods to proper temperatures to kill any pathogens, checking with a food thermometer to be on the safe side.
4. Chill: refrigerate promptly to prevent bacteria from colonizing foods left for too long at room temperature.

If you will be canning items, be sure to also follow recommended food preservation guidelines to prevent spoilage.

What to Store or Wrap Your Gift In

While the food inside is the main attraction, the food gift packaging can also add fun, sparkle, and class to the experience. You won’t care how great your friend’s homemade applesauce is if they just ladle a pint of it into your lap — which I realize is an extreme example. But this is what my mind sometimes does when I’m a bit hungry while writing about food.

As we’ve seen, another great thing about homemade food gifts is the opportunity for sustainable or zero-waste packaging. And you can decorate this packaging with love and the help of your cleverness and creativity.

Mason jars — and here are a pair of very fancy ones that just scream “vintage” — or upcycled glass containers work well because they’re see-through, so a beautiful spice mix or granola can serve as its own decoration. You can also paint on the glass, or adorn it with ribbons (which I realized just moments ago is an anagram of my last name) and other accents.

You can wrap baked goods in a classy tea towel, a pretty fabric scrap left over from a project, or a reusable food wrap. Then you can deliver them in a basket, tin, or decorated produce bag.

Cereals and mixes can go in reusable silicone bags, which themselves make lovely and thoughtful gifts for someone who likes cooking. If you enjoy secondhand shops and garage sales, you might be able to amass a collection of vintage cookware that would make excellent containers for your homemade food gifts.

Recipes to Give as Food Gifts

Giving can be just as fun as receiving, especially when you tap into your creative talents as an expression of thoughtfulness, care, and gratitude. Giving the gift of scrumptious food not only provides an exciting and rewarding experience for you, it makes sharing delicious plant-based foods even more fun. We hope you enjoy creating and giving these wholesome gifts from the heart with the help of these nourishing recipes!

1. FRN’s Fuel the Fire Cider

Give the gift of warmth this holiday season with Food Revolution’s Fire Cider. Warming and immune-supporting ginger, turmeric, onion, garlic, and horseradish root create an invigorating, nourishing, and healing tonic that is the perfect gift to give those who could use a little plant magic. What’s more, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. When the vinegar runs out, simply refill and steep again!

2. Toasted Spice Blend

Creating your own homemade spice blend as a gift is a thoughtful and tasty way to express your love and appreciation any time of year. This easy-to-make blend is bursting with flavor from the variety of healthy seeds and spices and can transform any meh meal into a fantastic one in a snap. Plus, it’s guaranteed to put a huge smile on the receiver’s face!

3. Pickled Beets

Vibrant jewel-colored beets set the tone for a merry and bright gift that is as delicious as it is festive! These sweet and tangy beauties are quick to make and don’t require complicated canning. Just stick them in the fridge overnight and enjoy! Pickled beets are an affordable, sustainable, and unique gift that the receiver can enjoy again and again on their own or as an ingredient in a variety of plant-based recipes.

4. Sweet and Savory Pecans

When giving the gift of Sweet and Savory Pecans, be prepared for many thank-yous and compliments. What may seem like a rather complex and elegant gift actually couldn’t be more simple to create. These easy-to-make pecans are perfectly sweet, a little savory, and plenty crunchy. To gift them, add them to a mason jar, reusable box, or storage container. In fact, you may spend more time considering how you’d like to present the gift than making the gift itself!

Editor’s Note: Obviously, this is not a recipe for those with nut allergies. If you or your recipient is allergic to nuts, you could make a variation of this with sunflower and pumpkin seeds or try our Super Seedy Granola instead.

5. Balsamic Fig Jam

This jam is sweet, savory, and just a little bit tangy. A delightful fusion of caramel figs, tart-yet-sweet balsamic, and minty thyme, Balsamic Fig Jam makes a great hostess gift to bring to your next gathering or to contribute to a celebratory vegan charcuterie board! We highly encourage you to whip up a few batches to gift to those on your list who love a sweet and sentimental gift made from whole fruit.

6. Crispy Rosemary Cracker Thins

Cracker-making in your own kitchen?! It’s not only a fun activity for you and your family to do together, but it can also make gift-giving even more exciting! These homemade crispy cracker thins are a simple way to express your thoughtfulness and care. Best of all there are no natural or artificial flavorings needed. Thanks to the addition of rosemary, you’re left with a festive and delightfully herby flavor that’s perfect for the gift-giving season!

7. Pecan Cranberry Snowball Cookies

Show your appreciation to friends, family, and neighbors this year with the gift of these tasty snowball cookies. You can gift them in a recyclable container or large mason jar. And don’t forget to include a handwritten note about how much you appreciate them (the recipient, that is, not the cookies). Once they try these snowballs, however, they’ll likely send some appreciation right back to you. (P.S. Double the batch so you have some to keep for yourself!)

Editor’s Note: For a nut-free version of this recipe, replace the almond meal with another cup of oat flour and use seeds in place of the pecans.

The Gift of Food Is the Gift of Health

Homemade gifts can be incredibly special both for the giver and receiver. And food, in particular, makes a great gift. You know it’ll get used, and it won’t take up space the way many consumer goods do.

There are many different ways to give food as a gift. But you can start by unleashing your creativity in the kitchen. And then keep that creativity going by using reusable or upcycled items for packaging and containers. Because with homemade food gifts, you’re also giving a piece of your heart, time, and effort, which is a beautiful way to express your love and care for the recipient.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you ever received a homemade food gift? What was your favorite thing about the experience?
• What are some dishes you make that might make great gifts?
• Who are three people you can think of who would be grateful recipients of the gift of homemade food?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Daisy-Daisy

Read Next:

• Healthy Crunchy Snacks to Beat Those Potato Chip Cravings
• Food Revolution Network’s Holiday Gift Guide — 37 Healthy, Ethical, & Sustainable Wellness Gifts

The post From the Heart: Homemade Food Gifts That Speak Volumes appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Think of a tree losing its leaves, which end up on the ground. Little critters (that’s a fancy scientific term, which I like to imagine translates as Tinius Buggiums in binomial nomenclature) use them to stay warm, munch them down, and then poop out rich soil. When the critters die, they get digested by other organisms, and their nutrients get absorbed into the tree roots. Or if they get eaten by birds, they get converted into bird poop, which also feeds the soil under the sycamore the bird was perching on.

When humans rake up and bag the leaves, or for that matter, mow a lawn and remove the grass clippings, they’ve broken the cycle. So to keep the trees and lawns alive, they may in turn replace the missing nutrients with synthetic fertilizer. And they need to find a place to store all the plastic bags full of yard waste.

Similarly, when we don’t return food scraps to gardens and farms, we create two problems that don’t exist in nature: where to put ever-growing heaps of trash, and how to grow food in increasingly depleted soil.

That’s where composting comes in — that is, putting the scraps in a place where nature can do its thing.

But what if you have little to no outdoor space, or live in an apartment? What can you do with your kitchen scraps then?

The good news is that there are many ways you can keep food scraps out of your waste stream even if all you have is a little space in a basement, garage, spare room, or even just on your kitchen counter.

So how can you start composting in your own kitchen? What are your options? What tools do you need? And how can you ensure you don’t end up with a kitchen that smells like the bottom of a restaurant dumpster?

Why Save Your Food Scraps?

As planet-friendly as a diet may be, if it’s generating a lot of food waste, it can still be a real burden on the planet.

When food scraps rot, they release methane, a greenhouse gas that traps 84 times more heat than carbon dioxide. Many of our landfills turn into huge steaming piles of methane-emitting organic waste, which seriously compromises any plans of reversing our ever-intensifying global climate chaos.

Some of our garbage is burned, and here, too, organic waste is a problem. When moist food scraps end up in incinerators, they require a lot of extra energy to keep the burner temperatures high enough to fully incinerate all the trash. The higher temperatures also contribute to the release of more toxins into the air. This can cause serious health problems for nearby communities (which are disproportionately low-income and communities of color).

We definitely don’t want that. So what do we do with all those food scraps? Wait for NASA to figure out how to tow them to Venus?

Here’s the thing: Kitchen scraps are actually a hugely valuable resource, one that’s mostly wasted in our broken food system. In fact, food waste wasn’t even accepted in municipal waste programs until the mid-20th century. Instead, they were often fed to backyard or farm animals, or were kept in a separate underground receptacle called a subterranean receiver.

Other creative ways to reuse food scraps and keep them out of the garbage stream include making art with them, creating skin care products, or even using them in new recipes. Depending on the scrap, you might even be able to coax it to grow into more food.

(For some more ideas, you can read our article on How to Use Food Scraps to Reduce Kitchen Waste.)

But if you aren’t ready to turn your cucumber peels into a facial mask or decorate a dress with pumpkin seeds, you may want to try composting instead. That is, letting nature take its course with your food scraps, turning rotting peels, skins, seeds, pits, and ends back into rich soil that’s ready to grow the next generation of crops.

Saving Food Scraps in the Kitchen for Compost

Food scraps are organic materials, which means they can break down and benefit the soil in the form of compost.

Some US cities are actually mandating composting, requiring that you place your food waste in a separate container from regular trash or recycling. If you live in one of those municipalities, you probably have a green bin that’s earmarked for food waste. If you’re not sure if your county or city offers municipal composting, you can check one of the maps on the environmental nonprofit GreenBlue’s website.

But even if you don’t live in a city with a composting program, there are other ways to utilize your food scraps for compost.

There are apps like ShareWaste or MakeSoil that are basically compost brokers, connecting neighbors who produce compost with neighbors who want it. It’s kind of like Tinder, but you don’t have to resort to ring lights, beauty filters, or duck face.

There are also other community composting options via local farms, community gardens, recycling centers, or private composting companies.

If you have a garden or other outdoor space, you might have room to nurture a traditional compost pile or tumbler. And if so, you might benefit from checking our guide to home composting.

And for any of these methods, you can easily collect food scraps in a small compost collection bin in the kitchen before either throwing them in a larger bin, donating them to a community program, or emptying them into an outdoor compost pile.

What Can You Compost?

While all organic materials are theoretically compostable, some will take so long to break down that for all practical purposes, they’re not appropriate for kitchen composting. Some municipal compost programs also don’t accept certain types of food scraps, such as animal products or even citrus rinds. And some accept disposable utensils and containers made of bioplastics, while others don’t. Check with your local program administrator for a full list of approved items.

For a general list of what you can compost, here’s a handy (and possibly even dandy) infographic.

Tips for Controlling Food Scrap or Compost Odors

The smellephant in the room when it comes to composting is the fact that composting is kind of an elegant name for rotting. And rotting smells. As singer-songwriter Tom Chapin puts it in his composting anthem “Good Garbage”:

“Good garbage breaks down as it goes
That’s why it smells bad to your nose
Bad garbage grows and grows and grows
Garbage is s’posed to decompose.”

So here are some suggestions for a largely odor-free compost collection experience.

Use a bin with a lid. This will not only trap odors but also help prevent pests like fruit flies. (As Groucho Marx sagely observed, “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.” I had to think about that for a bit before it made sense.)

Empty your compost container regularly. This is definitely not a “set it and forget it” hobby. You’ll figure out the right schedule for you, which will depend on the amount of kitchen scraps you generate, the type of bin you use, the ambient temperature and humidity, and whether you sing to it or not (OK, I made that last one up because I wanted a longer list). Some folks empty their bins weekly; others find that daily is more appropriate.

Keep your home reasonably cool, especially in the summertime. Nothing says “strong pong” like produce rotting in a sauna-like environment.

If you can’t get rid of your scraps in a timely fashion (say, you’re going away for a few days and don’t want to return to a “Silence of the Yams” horror-scape), you can freeze them in an airtight plastic or glass container. This will halt the process of decomposition so you won’t end up with nasty aromas.

Finally, clean your container after each emptying. Check whether it’s dishwasher safe; some should be washed only by hand. Even if you’re using a compostable plastic bag, you may find that some slime has made it into the interior of your container, so a good scrubbing with a brush and soapy water can go a long way to keeping your kitchen smelling like the room in the house where food goes before it’s eaten, as opposed to after.

Compost Collection Bins

There are a range of compost bins on the market, varying in look, price, convenience, size, and capacity. You can go high-end (well, not that high-end; as of this writing, there are no Gucci or Prada composting bins) or simple, small or large, minimalist or packed with features. You can also DIY compost bins out of just about any container you have lying around.

In the end, though, their ultimate purpose is to collect and contain your food scraps so they don’t go to waste and end up in the landfill (or sit around and attract flies and perfume the air with eau de sewage).

DIY Compost Bins

Henry David Thoreau warned, “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.” Similarly, you don’t need to invest in a fancy compost bin to collect your food scraps. You can repurpose almost any type of container, although you’ll definitely want a lid to keep the odors in and not floating around your kitchen.

Some examples of DIY compost containers include plastic or glass storage bins, buckets, bowls, flowerpots, and empty food containers like coffee cans.

Countertop Compost Bins

If the idea of a grungy orange five-gallon bucket from Home Depot sitting between your toaster and blender doesn’t fill you with joy, you can also purchase a simple compost container made specifically for that purpose. They come in various materials, including plastic, stainless steel, bamboo, and ceramic.

Some bins can be used with compostable bags, which may make it easier to clean the inside of the container. If you’re part of a municipal composting program, check with the administrator to find out if they actually accept compostable bags, as not all do.

Some commercially available containers also come with filters made of activated charcoal or carbon to capture odors before they can escape and assault your nose (or entice it, if you happen to have the nose of a fruit fly).

Countertop Composting

While the containers we’ve looked at so far are just receptacles for holding kitchen scraps, there are also ways to create compost right on your countertop. This type of composting is especially well suited for single people or couples without children, who generally generate less waste than larger families.

Countertop composting can also be very convenient since you don’t need to venture outside to deal with the scraps; you can gather up the peels and seeds right next to where you process the food. And it’s a great option to make a dent in food waste if you live in an apartment, don’t have outdoor space, or don’t have access to a curbside composting program.

There are three main ways to perform kitchen composting: One is powered by worms, another by fermentation, and the third by electricity.

Worm Composting

Worm composting bins take advantage of the fact that many worm varieties can eat up to half their body weight each day. And they’re diligent about rapidly converting that food into worm poop, which is a lot less gross than it sounds and is actually really nutrient-rich soil.

The fancy name for worm composting is vermicomposting (if you’re raising the worms, you’re engaged in vermiculture). It’s a pretty straightforward process: Feed worms food scraps, keep them sufficiently aerated and hydrated, maintain a liveable temperature, harvest the castings on a regular basis, and keep them contained so they don’t start casing your kitchen looking for food.

You’ll need a waterproof container with air holes (which you can either make yourself or put together from a purchased kit), moist bedding material, and worms (which you can order online, much to the delight of your mail carrier).

If seeing the worms in your kitchen makes you squeamish, it might be better to keep it out of sight under the sink or in another room, at least on those nights when you’re serving linguine or (etymology alert) vermicelli.

(If you’re a dedicated vegan, you may or may not determine that vermicomposting aligns with your ethical sensibilities. Personally, I think that building a world with less waste — and more compost! — contributes to the cause of compassion. But of course, as in all things, do what makes sense to you.)

Bokashi Composting

“Bokashi” means “fermented organic matter” in Japanese. And the Bokashi method of composting speeds up the process by introducing microorganisms into the mix, the same wee beasties that occur naturally in garden soil. Bokashi is usually done in a bucket with a tight-fitting lid and a spigot at the bottom (like one of those big glass beverage dispensers people use at cookouts, except instead of iced tea, you get Bokashi tea).

All you do is throw in your kitchen scraps, cover with a layer of bran inoculated with the microorganisms, and leave it alone. As the food waste pickles, it produces a dark, nutrient-rich liquid that you can access through the spigot, which, mixed with lots of water, your house plants will simply adore. Also, drawing off the liquid keeps the fermenting compost from smelling like an open sewer once you open it.

After somewhere between 10 and 21 days, you can open the bucket and behold what can charitably be called “pre-compost.” It’s not crumbly soil, but the food waste is fermented enough that it can either get mixed directly into a garden bed or finished in a compost pile or compost tumbler. Most Bokashi systems use two buckets in rotation, so you can feed scraps to one bucket while the other one is “locked” in fermentation.

You can buy Bokashi buckets and inoculated bran online or from a local garden store. YouTube searches will also show you how to make your own buckets and DIY vegan inoculated bran. Or to check out a starter kit that comes complete with bucket, spigot, and inoculant, click here.

Electric Composters

Electric composters bring the ancient art of rotting food into the modern age. They don’t just collect food scraps, but actually break them down into usable soil in a matter of hours. They do this by heating, grinding, and drying the scraps. Some include microbial pods that render the compost into garden-ready fertilizer. And they include filters, so you shouldn’t have a problem with odors.

Electric composters can come with some downsides. To accommodate their high-tech features, they’re typically bulkier than their manual cousins, and take up more counter space. They can also be expensive, both their original purchase price and their total cost of ownership, including supplies and electricity. However, some can be quite energy efficient, and the value they provide in terms of home garden fertilizer can make them more than worth the expense.

Don’t Let Your Food Scraps Go to Waste

Whether you just use compost collection bins to save your food scraps for curbside pickup or try your hand at one of the countertop composting methods, kitchen composting is a great way to reduce food waste and contribute to a healthier planet.

Best of all, you don’t need a backyard or a lot of space to put your food scraps to use. From kitchen counters to basements, there are creative ways to transform your food scraps into rich, nourishing soil.

By embracing composting, you not only divert waste from landfills but also help enrich soil, foster plant growth, and mitigate the challenges of depleted farmlands. Remember, every step you take to reduce waste and to turn trash into treasure is a step towards a more healthy, ethical, and sustainable future.

Tell us in the comments:

• What do you do with your kitchen scraps right now?

• Do you live in a place with a municipal kitchen scrap recycling program? How easy or hard is it to participate?

• If you don’t yet collect kitchen scraps for compost, what method described in this article seems most appealing to get started with?

Featured Image: iStock.com/JohnnyGreig

Read Next:

• How to Use Food Scraps to Reduce Kitchen Waste
• Decades of Public Messages About Recycling in the US Have Crowded Out More Sustainable Ways to Manage Waste

The post Kitchen Compost: Turning Trash into Treasure 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.

But as the number of telephone owners increased and the switchboard work became more challenging, managers came to the shocking conclusion that teen boys might not be the demographic best suited to the job. Apparently, they tended to lose focus easily. They engaged in frequent bouts of roughhousing. And according to Marion May Dilts, author of the 1941 book The Telephone in a Changing World, “when some other diversion held their attention, they would leave a call unanswered for any length of time, and then return the impatient subscriber’s profanity with a few original oaths.”

So by the end of WWI, the job of switchboard operator was mainly associated with women — who were relied upon to patch call after call through to the correct party, to facilitate communication and coordination in all areas of national life, and to do so in an effective and efficient manner.

Much like a switchboard operator used to facilitate communication and patch phone calls to the correct party, hormones have a similar job in your body. Your cells, tissues, organs, and various systems also frequently need to talk to each other. And it’s crucial that the right message gets sent at exactly the right time to the right destination. Hormones are the chemical messengers that relay information throughout your body, coordinating every aspect of your health and physiology.

When you’re healthy and in balance, that communication system works with exquisite orchestration, enabling all parts of your body to help each other get the job done. When something’s awry in your hormonal balance, however, you can experience unpleasant symptoms that sometimes devolve into outright disease.

One of the systems most responsible for the production and deployment of hormones is your microbiome, those 100 trillion cells that aren’t you exactly, but live in and on you and take on many of the critical functions that keep you alive.

When you nourish your microbiome on a fiber-rich diet, it manages the switchboard of your endocrine (hormone) system with care (like a competent and conscientious adult). When your microbiome is undernourished and fiber-deprived, however, it can create the wrong kinds of hormones at the wrong times — causing chaos throughout the body.

In this article, we’re going to look at the microbiome and how fiber impacts its makeup and function. We’ll also explore the link between fiber, gut health, and specific hormonal disorders and diseases.

Hormonal Imbalance

Hormones are essential to human health. In your body, hormones help regulate growth and development, metabolism, sexual function, reproduction, and mood. If hormone levels are too high or too low, that may represent a normal and temporary fluctuation, or it could indicate a chronic hormone disorder.

Hormones can lead to problems not just in deficiency or excess, but also if the target sites in your body don’t respond to the hormones the way they’re supposed to.

Hormonal imbalances can occur for many reasons, including life changes like puberty, pregnancy, and menopause; bouts of extreme stress; environmental factors; and certain medications. But one of the biggest factors determining the health of your hormonal system is the health of your gut — specifically your gut microbiome, which regulates the levels of many critical hormones in your body.

The Microbiome’s Role in Human Health

The microbiome is more than just a series of microorganisms taking up residence in your gut. The bacteria, viruses, and single-celled organisms that live there interact with and adapt to your bodily systems. There are many beneficial bacterial strains in the microbiome and a few harmful ones that can end up there, too. Together, these critters regulate metabolism, help you digest food and absorb the nutrients it contains, and support your immune system. All important stuff!

And nowhere are they more crucial than their role in supporting the endocrine system. Your gut microbes participate in regulating the levels of reproductive, immune, and metabolic hormones. In other words, they’re pretty darn crucial to your hormonal and overall health.

The Relationship Between Gut Health and Fiber

Factors such as age, lifestyle, and genetics all contribute to the makeup of your microbiome, but one of the biggest determinants is the food you eat. As a result, your microbiome is constantly changing based on what you feed it. And the number one nutrient that the beneficial bacteria love — which will make them stick around, reproduce like crazy, and generally have a nonstop party — is fiber.

Types of Fiber

There are two main types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. The most important difference, of course, is that insoluble fiber has two more letters and therefore will give you a better Scrabble score. Aside from that, soluble fiber also dissolves in water, while insoluble fiber does not.

Insoluble Fiber

Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stools and acts like a broom, cleaning out your digestive tract. It also promotes healthy bowel movements and helps with insulin sensitivity, both of which have an impact on hormonal health.

Soluble Fiber

We can further divide soluble fiber into two categories: viscous and fermentable.

Viscous fiber is the kind that forms a gel when it comes in contact with water in your digestive tract. Its main claims to fame are that it helps to balance blood sugar and lowers cholesterol.

Fermentable fiber doesn’t do much for us directly. But don’t turn up your nose at it just yet. It’s food for a select group of gut bacteria: probiotics. That’s why you may know fermentable fiber by another name: prebiotics.

Without prebiotics, probiotic gut bacteria starve. And since nature abhors a vacuum, a gut without probiotic bacteria becomes a playground for harmful bacteria to colonize and wreak havoc on your health.

One specific type of prebiotic, called resistant starch, has an especially crucial role. It impacts insulin sensitivity and helps produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the gut. These SCFAs keep your gut and immune system healthy as they circulate throughout your body, regulating inflammation and talking to your cells and tissue.

For a deeper dive on this topic, check out our article on prebiotics, probiotics, and the little-known postbiotics, here.

All of the types of fiber are essential for an optimally functioning digestive system. To the extent that your diet is deficient in fiber, your microbiome will be out of whack (that’s not medical jargon, in case you were wondering). And that can not only cause digestive problems but can lead to a cascade of problems due to your hormonal system’s reliance on the microbiome to provide a pool of well-behaved chemical messengers.

Fiber’s Impact on Insulin

Insulin is one of the most important hormones in the body. Without it, your cells can’t get the energy they need, and blood sugars become dangerously high. When your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, or when your body loses the ability to use insulin properly (a condition called insulin resistance), the result is diabetes.

You need insulin to move sugar in your blood into energy that powers your body; but it does a bunch of other stuff as well, like regulating blood pressure, storing fat, and promoting cell growth. But insulin is a double-edged sword, and too much insulin can lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and decreased lifespan.

While fiber can’t make up for a malfunctioning pancreas, it can help your body to need less insulin by reducing insulin resistance through its support of beneficial gut microbiota. These bacteria enhance the communication between the gut and other tissues that are involved in insulin and glucose balance. Fiber signals them to increase insulin sensitivity so less of the hormone is required to shuttle glucose from the bloodstream to the cells that need it. And fiber itself lowers blood sugar directly by slowing the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

A 2019 study on adolescents found several interesting things. First, only two of the over 750 participants in the study met the US daily fiber intake recommendations. Second, both insoluble and soluble fiber intakes were inversely associated with fasting insulin and insulin resistance markers — meaning the less fiber the adolescents ate, the more insulin was required to turn food into usable energy. Third, lower fiber intake of all types was associated with higher insulin levels, which as we’ve seen can cause all sorts of long-term health problems.

A 2021 meta-analysis also found that dietary fiber could significantly reduce HbA1c and fasting blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes. And soluble fiber, in particular, such as the beta-glucan found in whole grains and some mushrooms, can do good things for glucose levels and insulin responses, especially those mediated by hormones produced by the gut.

Fiber, Sex Hormones, and Cancer Incidence

Among the hormones impacted by fiber intake are the ones related to reproductive function. Excess circulating levels of these steroidal hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, are linked to increased cancers of the reproductive organs.

Hormones, Fiber, and Breast Cancer

Many studies have shown that high circulating levels of insulin and its close relative insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) are risk factors for breast cancer. So how do you get high IGF-1 levels? One way is by consuming a lot of animal products, which don’t contain any fiber.

And if you consume dairy from cow’s milk, you may also be pumping up your IGF-1 levels because of a synthetic hormone called recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH). This drug is often given to cows to increase their milk production and make them mature more quickly.

Certain types of breast cancer are also affected by sex hormones such as estrogen. In fact, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer is the most common subtype of breast cancer.

Diet affects both of these risk factors. There have been multiple studies showing that the more fiber you eat, the lower your risk of breast cancer. These include the giant Nurses’ Health Study II, which found an inverse relation between fiber and breast cancer in over 44,000 nurses. And a 2020 meta-analysis of 20 studies calculated an 8% reduction in breast cancer risk for those who ate the most fiber compared to those who ate the least.

A 2020 paper also identified a healthy gut microbiome, specifically including bacteria from the Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria phyla, as the mediating mechanism between fiber consumption and the reduction in breast cancer risk.

Several biological mechanisms may explain the beneficial effects of dietary fiber on breast cancer risk. Fiber may decrease breast cancer incidence by controlling blood glucose and improving insulin sensitivity. It may also increase serum concentrations of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), thereby reducing the circulating levels of estrogen in the body. Also, dietary fiber can shuttle estrogen out of the body by triggering more frequent and larger bowel movements (since excess hormones leave the body through excrement).

Fiber and Prostate Cancer

The fact that fiber increases SHBG is relevant to prostate cancer as well as breast cancer. SHBG binds the sex hormones testosterone and estradiol and decreases their biological activity, which can reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

In fact, it turns out that many diagnoses of prostate cancer are hormonally linked: sex steroids, particularly androgens such as testosterone, appear to contribute to the development and progression of prostate cancer. Again, the consumption of animal protein (which, I repeat, contains zero fiber) correlates with an increased risk of prostate cancer, and greater odds of recurrence after remission. As with breast cancer, this is likely due at least in part to increased levels of circulating IGF-1.

On the other hand, a plant-based diet can lower IGF-1 levels, putting men at a lower risk for prostate cancer. A 2012 study found that increased total, insoluble, and soluble fiber intake were all associated with a lower risk of aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

A large study that followed over 43,000 Japanese men for almost 12 years found that fiber intake may be protective against aggressive prostate cancer, and the protective association was greatest in those who consumed the most fiber.

The improved insulin sensitivity that fiber induces can also reduce that risk. Insulin may affect cancer development by influencing cell division and decreasing insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding proteins, which increase the bioactivity of IGF-1.

Learn more about IGF-1, including how it works and how to bring IGF-1 levels down in your body.

Fiber, Satiety Hormones, and Obesity

We’ve known for a while that fiber can help fight obesity. But we’re discovering that one of the mechanisms by which it does so is via hormones produced by the gut microbiome. For example, fiber intake predicts ghrelin levels in people with obesity. Ghrelin is a gut hormone produced and released by your stomach. It’s your stomach’s way of telling the brain, “Hey, I’m empty; it’s time to eat. Create the sensation of hunger!”

Ghrelin plays an important role in promoting fat development, so it makes sense its dysregulation could influence the development of metabolic disturbances associated with diet-induced obesity.

In lean, healthy people, ghrelin levels increase before meals and drop after eating. By contrast, in people with obesity, insulin resistance, or type 2 diabetes, fasting ghrelin levels are lower, and don’t show much if any variation. In fact, ghrelin levels either drop less or not at all after eating in obese people, compared with lean ones.

One older study showed that variation in ghrelin levels was positively associated with fiber intake. In fact, fiber consumption had as much influence on ghrelin levels as total calories consumed, even though fiber doesn’t provide calories. So a high fiber intake increases the perception of satiety, reduces appetite, and lowers food intake.

This effect could be due to fiber’s ability to slow down the process of moving food through the stomach. “Decreased gastric emptying,” as this phenomenon is called (or, if you prefer, you can just think of it like “stuff stays in your tummy for longer”), allows the stomach to pull out more nutrients more effectively, and therefore downregulates hunger, since the stomach is getting what it needs and doesn’t need the brain to call for more.

Fiber may also impact levels of another hunger-related hormone, leptin. Leptin functions as a counterweight to ghrelin: It’s secreted by fat cells and signals the brain to decrease sensations of hunger. When leptin levels are high for a long time due to excess fat, the body can stop paying attention to its message of “stop eating.” 

One way to help people overcome obesity is to lower their leptin levels and stop leptin resistance, so their bodies can re-establish a balance. It’s like if someone has been shouting at you for so long that you no longer pay any attention to them, unless they stop shouting for a while, you’ll have a hard time listening to them ever again.

A small 2017 study of overweight adults found that adding resistant starch to a moderate- to high-fat diet lowered leptin levels. And a larger 2021 study of 17-year-olds also found that higher fiber intake was significantly associated with lower leptin. This may contribute to reductions in low-grade chronic inflammation and improved health outcomes, such as the prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Fiber-Rich & Hormone Balancing Recipes

Fiber is in a wide range of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, which are all designed to supply your body with the nutrients it needs to live a happy, healthy, and balanced life. Speaking of balance — regulate your hormones with ease as you enjoy these tasty, fiber-filled recipes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (and maybe a tasty afternoon, fiber-filled snack, too).

1. Oatmeal Banana Bites

Packed with plenty of fiber from oats and bananas, these muffin-like bites are a tasty snack that does just the trick for proper hormone balance. The banana’s prebiotic fiber will feed your good gut bacteria. And the oats provide both soluble and insoluble fiber, preventing a spike in your blood sugar. Plus, these Oatmeal Banana Bites are super simple to make — and tasty, too!

2. Smoky Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad

Sweet potatoes and black beans are two plant-based foods that are excellent for balancing hormones, feeding a healthy gut microbiome, managing a healthy insulin response, and supplying the body with protein, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients. Plus, the combination of sweet and smoky flavors is absolutely scrumptious, making this simple, mouthwatering salad one you can enjoy anytime!

3. Moroccan Bulgur Bowl with Savory Orange Dressing

The Moroccan Bulgur Bowl is filled with a healing blend of spices, loads of fiber-rich veggies, and nourishing healthy fats to keep your hormones in check. Plus, the flavor combinations are scrumptiously unique! And the creamy Savory Orange Dressing drizzled on top of fragrant bulgur, veggies, crunchy pistachios, and cooling mint takes this meal to the next level.

Keep Your Hormones Balanced — With Fiber!

The microbiome plays an important role in human health, including influencing hormonal balance. And one of the biggest controllable factors in the health of your microbiome is fiber. Prebiotic fiber, in particular, feeds good gut bacteria that help keep your hormones where they need to be.

Fiber also helps your digestive system stay healthy and get rid of waste, which includes spent and excess hormones. Getting enough fiber doesn’t just have a positive impact on hormone levels — it can also help prevent chronic diseases and conditions like type 2 diabetes, cancer, and obesity.

By eating foods with various types of soluble and insoluble fiber, you can keep your body’s information switchboard running smoothly and effectively, without disruption in hormonal balance.

Tell us in the comments:

• What are your favorite high-fiber foods?
• Do you notice a difference in your hunger after eating a high- vs low-fiber meal?
• What fiber-rich recipe will you make next?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Inside Creative House

Read Next:

• Why Is Fiber Good For You? (And How To Get Enough Fiber!)
• How to Balance Hormones Naturally with Diet & Lifestyle

The post The Importance of Fiber in Gut Health and Hormonal Balance appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Fire, in these and many other songs, is a complicated thing, both desired and uncontrollable.

In human history, fire is both a blessing and a curse as well. Tamed, it gave our ancestors protection against things that go chomp in the night and allowed us to cook food and smelt metal. Wild, it destroyed homes, villages, and crops.

Even when under our control, fire can cause blowback — figurative and literal. One example: Our modern addiction to fire, in the form of burning fossil fuels, is heating up the planet and threatening the ecosystems upon which all life depends.

Fire plays a dual role in our bodies as well, in the form of inflammation (from Latin inflammatio, meaning “to set on fire”). In moderation and under control, inflammation helps us survive injuries and exposure to pathogens. But out of control, inflammation can lead to all manner of chronic disease — including pop music’s favorite meme, the broken heart. (I’m still waiting for the songs about nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, colon cancer, and asthma — and no, “Every Breath You Take” doesn’t count.)

Normal vs Chronic Inflammation

Good inflammation is the body’s natural defense response to injury. It focuses your immune system’s attention on fighting a perceived threat — often bacteria or viruses or damage from foreign invaders, like toxins. The immediate response of inflammation in the body is called the acute phase response.

For example, think of what your body naturally does in response to a cut or bruise — it sends the “first responder” white blood cells and a bunch of other immune cells to contain and start healing the damage. A swollen joint after an injury is likewise an acute inflammatory response — bathing the affected area in fluids to protect it and allow tissues to regenerate. A sore throat that accompanies a cold or flu is another example of helpful inflammation. Any time part of your body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, that’s acute inflammation in action. And some amount of inflammation is usually necessary for your body to start healing.

The problem is when inflammation goes from being a quick response to a singular event — like a cut, injury, or infection — and becomes chronic. If your immune system is constantly responding to messages that something in your body is in big trouble, then inflammation can go from being an adaptive survival response to an actual cause of disease.

Most health experts now agree: Chronic inflammation is linked with many, if not all, major diseases of our times. And our bodies become more susceptible to the damages of inflammation as we age.

So the logical question is, what causes chronic inflammation, and is there anything you can do about it?

Using Diet to Combat Inflammation

And the happy answer is yes: Through lifestyle choices, you can reduce the amount of chronic inflammation in your body. And one of the main tools at your disposal is your diet. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet and consuming foods and beverages that fight inflammation are important steps to take for your health.

In this article, we’ll look at why chronic inflammation is damaging to health, what to include in an anti-inflammatory diet, and a few foods (and recipes) that are excellent for fighting inflammation.

Why Is Chronic Inflammation Bad for You?

A healthy body can identify trauma or foreign invaders and deal with them quickly. But when the immune system isn’t functioning at its best, it can’t do its thing and get rid of whatever is causing the inflammation. Instead, you can develop chronic, low-grade inflammation that may last for several months or even years.

Chronic inflammation can then lead to chronic diseases (or noncommunicable diseases, meaning they’re not contagious), which the World Health Organization has called one of the greatest threats to human health. Some research even suggests chronic inflammatory diseases may be responsible for 50% of deaths in the world today.

It might surprise you to learn that these are all examples of inflammatory diseases or disorders:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases
• Cancer
• Autoimmune diseases
• Inflammatory bowel diseases
• Cardiovascular disease
• Stroke
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
• Chronic kidney disease

And in the US, inflammatory diseases and disorders like these are responsible for an estimated $1.1 trillion in health care costs every year. Over half of Americans and nearly one-third of Europeans are dealing with at least one chronic disease. So what is the cause of such pervasive inflammation in our lives?

What Causes Chronic Inflammation?

Chronic inflammation is often considered to be the effect of an “overactive” immune system — as though your immune function is confused or malfunctioning. But is this always the case? Or do we also live in an increasingly toxic and stressful world?

Many people today are overwhelmed by environmental toxins such as endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic chemicals in everything from food to water to nonstick pans to household cleaners. Your body will respond to this exposure like it would to any injury, using inflammation to try and heal. But concurrent or consistent exposure to low levels of toxins doesn’t allow the body to get rid of the perceived threat. Instead, it persists and wreaks havoc on the body. And the inflammatory response itself starts causing damage, like the Talking Heads sang: “Fighting fire with fire.”

The same effect can be seen in other causes of chronic inflammation, including:

• Infectious organisms like fungi, viruses, bacteria, and parasites
• Obesity and sedentary behavior
• Dysbiosis in the gut
• Diet and food allergies
• Stress
• Lack of sleep

To combat inflammation, we need to help our bodies cope with what amounts to a continuous onslaught of immune triggers. And while some causes of chronic inflammation are not completely in your control, one of the best ways to help your body fight inflammation is to eat an anti-inflammatory diet.

How to Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

The first step in fighting chronic inflammation through diet is to eliminate or minimize unhealthy, inflammation-causing foods: processed foods, refined sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages, refined carbohydrates (such as white flour bread and pasta), and red and processed meats. Many of these foods contribute to oxidative stress and cellular dysfunction in the body, which increase the formation of harmful chemicals and compounds that trigger an inflammatory response.

Additionally, keeping your consumption of omega-6 fatty acids to a minimum and increasing your omega-3s appears to be helpful. An imbalance in these fatty acids is directly linked to higher levels of inflammation.

Studies have found that a ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s between 5:1 and 2.5:1 has been linked to increased longevity and lower rates of certain forms of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and inflammation overall. However, the ratio in the industrialized diet may be as high as 16:1. This is widely believed to be one of the drivers of chronic inflammation in the modern world.

So where does the excess omega-6 come from? Largely from vegetable oils like sunflower, corn, soybean, safflower, and cottonseed. (Olive and avocado oils are notable exceptions, as they do not contain significant amounts of omega-6.) Reducing or eliminating these vegetable oils from your diet not only lowers your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio but may also make the omega-3s more bioavailable.

As you remove some of these inflammatory stressors from your regular diet, the second step is to add in more of the good stuff. An anti-inflammatory diet is rich in whole plant foods that provide abundant phytochemicals and antioxidants. These compounds help the body repair itself by combating oxidative stress and binding to free radicals. Choosing organic produce as much as possible (especially when it comes to the Dirty Dozen) and properly washing fruits and vegetables will help reduce your exposure to toxic pesticides.

7 Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Add to Your Diet

While many foods have anti-inflammatory properties, here are seven that are especially powerful.

1. Berries

Berries are one of the healthiest foods you can eat and are represented by the second B in Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s GBOMBS acronym. Berries have a very high polyphenol content and are excellent sources of antioxidants. Many berries like strawberries and raspberries contain vitamin C, which fights oxidative stress and has a strong association with a lowered risk of chronic inflammatory diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.

All berries are good for you, but if you want the most antioxidant bang for your buck, you can’t beat blackberries due to their anthocyanins.

For more on berries and how to use them, see our article here.

2. Leafy greens

It’s hard to go wrong with eating more greens. They’re an invaluable part of any healthy diet. And they’re powerful inflammation fighters.

A 2020 study found that a diet high in dark green leafy vegetables reduced C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients, and thus decreased their risk of chronic disease. CRP is a marker for inflammation, and high levels can indicate the presence of a chronic inflammatory state.

Cruciferous greens like kale, arugula, and broccoli sprouts may be particularly anti-inflammatory due to the presence of glucoraphanin, which converts to sulforaphane in our guts. Studies have shown that sulforaphane can both inhibit and treat many inflammatory conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

For more on leafy greens and how to use them, see our article here.

3. Alliums

Garlic and other allium family veggies (like onions, chives, and leeks) won’t just keep away the vampires, they also play a role in preventing inflammation and related conditions. Alliums contain organosulfur compounds that inhibit the formation of inflammatory mediators and pathways. They’ve also been shown to reduce the risk of multiple types of cancer.

The flavonol quercetin — found in alliums — can even alleviate rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and may positively benefit other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, and IBD.

For more on alliums and how to use them, see our article here.

4.  Turmeric

Turmeric has a long history of medicinal usage and is an anti-inflammatory superstar. Regarded as the “King of Spices,” turmeric’s primary active compound, curcumin, may even help your body fight disease and inflammation by turning off potentially problematic genes.

Research has demonstrated that curcumin can obstruct inflammation through multiple pathways. And it’s beneficial for the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis (as well as general aches and pains), type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, and cancer, just to name a few.

For more on turmeric and curcumin, see our article here.

5. Ginger

Ginger is another remarkable anti-inflammatory spice. Like turmeric, ginger has been found to be useful for the prevention and treatment of a staggering array of conditions, and it offers general protection against disease due to its powerful antioxidant capacity.

Research has shown that 6-gingerol (one of the active components in ginger) exhibits potent anti-inflammatory properties in inflammatory bone disorders. Ginger may also help increase serotonin levels in the gut and brain, which can reduce inflammation and inflamed blood vessels responsible for migraine headaches.

For more on ginger and how to use it, see our article here.

6. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds fall into the category of healthiest foods on the planet. Eating one ounce of nuts daily may even reduce your overall risk of death by 20% according to a 30-year study. While each type of nut or seed has its own unique health benefits, they share a common component — vitamin E. Known for its antioxidant properties, vitamin E helps your immune system by fighting free radicals and may counteract the accumulation of reactive oxidative species, which can cause DNA and cellular damage.

Some nuts and seeds such as walnuts, flax seeds, and chia seeds are also high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 essential fatty acids not only work to heal inflammation in the body, but as a result, help maintain proper brain function, regulate mood, and support cardiovascular health. Just make sure to also reduce your intake of omega-6s, which are notoriously high in the modern industrialized diet due to the prevalence of processed and fast foods.

For more on the health benefits of nuts and seeds, see our article here.

7. Cacao

Raw cacao was called “the food of the gods” by the ancient Aztecs — and for good reason. This plant contains over 300 enlivening compounds (many of which are strongly anti-inflammatory), has more antioxidants than high-antioxidant berries like blueberries and goji berries, and is packed with vitamins and minerals. The polyphenols in cacao and cocoa products also have pain-relieving superpowers due to their polyphenol content.

But this doesn’t mean that you should start gorging on Mars bars. To get the optimal anti-inflammatory benefits of cacao, you’ll need to seek out unprocessed and preferably unsweetened cacao nibs, powder, or beans. Dark chocolate and cocoa are also good options if they don’t have added sugar, oils, or dairy. (And with chocolate, choose organic or fair trade if you don’t want to unintentionally finance child slavery.)

For more on the health benefits of chocolate, see our article here.

Anti-Inflammatory Recipes

A good rule of thumb for a supportive anti-inflammatory diet is to include vibrant, whole plant foods as often as you can. We’ve made that an easy task with these tasty recipes, as each one has at least two of the seven top inflammation-fighting plant foods. From berries to ginger to cacao and everything in between, we’ve got you covered with the best ways to harness the magical power of plants!

1. Blueberry Ginger Smoothie

Naturally sweet blueberries, zesty ginger, and earthy greens make a refreshing anti-inflammatory triple combo that is bursting with flavor, brightness, and plenty of antioxidant-rich compounds blended into one supercharged, plant-powered treat! Enjoy this inflammation terminator as an energizing breakfast or an invigorating afternoon delight.

2. Vibrant Bulgar, Kale, and Chickpea Salad

When it comes to a combination of whole plant foods that are high in phytochemicals and antioxidants, this delicious Vibrant Bulgur, Kale, and Chickpea Salad hits the jackpot! Kale, carrots, red cabbage, (turmeric coated) chickpeas, avocado, pumpkin seeds, and bulgur deliver a wide range of anti-inflammatory nutrients that do wonders for your health. Just as the name implies, this vibrant yet soothing salad will have you glowing from the inside out.

3. Cherry Chia Cacao Pudding Parfait

Cherries, chocolate, and chia seeds are an inflammation-busting trio. Full of anti-inflammatory omega-3s from chia seeds, anthocyanins from cherries, and flavonols from cocoa, a few bites of this sweet treat and you’ll be saying, “Hasta la vista, inflammation!”

How to Take Control of Inflammation in Your Body

Chronic inflammation poses serious long-term health risks, affecting hundreds of millions of people around the world. But you don’t have to sit back and allow inflammation to persist and cause damage to your body. Modifying certain lifestyle factors, especially diet, can significantly reduce chronic inflammation. Focus on eliminating inflammatory, omega-6-rich junk foods and processed sugars first — and replacing them with whole foods. Then you can gradually add potent anti-inflammatory foods — including berries, leafy greens, alliums, turmeric, ginger, nuts and seeds, cacao, and other inflammation-fighting foods — to your diet. Adopting an anti-inflammatory diet can help you stave off chronic disease and live a healthier, longer life. And that’s something to sing and dance about!

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you suffer from a chronic inflammatory condition?
• What anti-inflammatory foods are your favorites?
• What other lifestyle factors will you modify to reduce inflammation in your body?

Featured Image: iStock.com/fcafotodigital

Read Next:

• 6 Foods to Eat and 3 to Avoid to Help Your Body Fight Autoimmune Disease and Excessive Inflammation

The post Fight Disease with an Anti-Inflammatory Diet + 7 Foods that Fight Chronic Inflammation 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

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• Good Food = Good Mood: The Nutrition and Mental Health Connection
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The post The Emotional Heart: How What You Feel Impacts Heart Health appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

It started with Austrian clergyman and scientist Gregor Mendel, the acknowledged “father of genetics” (side note: isn’t it weird that historians of science didn’t also identify a mother, since that’s kind of how genetics works?), who unraveled many of the secrets of genes and inherited characteristics. His work, which formed the basis for most of our modern understanding of genetics, was carried out on pea plants.

And these days, scientists are once again turning to peas with great interest, this time in attempts to solve some of humanity’s most pressing problems: climate chaos, chronic disease, and malnutrition. And so far, the humble pea is proving more than capable of delivering.

At the center of these efforts is pea protein, which stands poised to replace animal-based protein in multiple industries. Major brands like Beyond Meat have made huge financial and technological bets on their ability to use plant-based protein to create meat analogues that can fool even the most devout meat-lover.

But unlike that steaming bowl of green mushy peas, pea protein is a factory-produced substance, not a whole food. And we hear often that we should be eating food that comes from plants (as in, plant foods), not food manufactured in plants (as in, factories). So what’s the truth here? Is pea protein healthy? Can it truly provide adequate protein or replace animal protein? And what’s preferable: pea protein powder or isolates, or whole food sources?

The Rise of Pea Protein

Pea protein is having its moment; it’s now one of the most popular protein options in the plant-based world. And for several good reasons: It’s highly bioavailable, it offers great nutritional value, it greatly reduces land use and greenhouse gas emissions compared to animal-based protein production, it’s less expensive to produce, and it can provide significant health benefits.

Of course, not everyone needs an additional protein source outside of the food they eat. While vegans and vegetarians are far too familiar with the question, “But where do you get your protein?” analysis of common foods shows that if you’re consuming enough calories from plant-based foods, you’re almost certainly consuming enough protein as well.

While many people get plenty of protein — often, far too much — it’s also true that protein needs vary. Some people, like the elderly or those with particular conditions, may need an additional or alternative protein source. And while soy has traditionally been that alternative — think tofu, tempeh, soy-based hot dogs and burgers, and textured vegetable protein (TVP) — many people are allergic to soy or otherwise want to limit their consumption of it. (For more on soy, see our article, here.)

So is it a good idea to include pea protein in your diet? It’s time to take a PEA-k at this lovely little legume.

What Is Pea Protein?

Pea protein comes from yellow peas, or Pisum sativum, grown in Europe and North America. The creation of pea protein happens by separating the protein from the pea starch and fiber in a factory. As a result, it’s not a whole food.

Processors can output two main types of protein: pea protein isolate and textured pea protein. The isolate, with a protein content of 85–90%, is used primarily in protein powders.

Textured pea protein serves mainly as a plant-based meat alternative. It’s versatile and can take the form of fibers, shreds, chunks, bits, granules, slices, or similar food forms. Since heat application occurs during processing, its protein content is lower than that of pea protein isolate (typically around 65–80%).

Pea Protein vs Animal Protein

So what’s the deal with pea protein as an alternative to and potential replacement for animal protein? As plant-based meat has improved meteorically in culinary quality in the past decade, the animal agriculture industry has been funding studies and pumping out press releases decrying this “artificial” product as vastly inferior to “natural” meat. But what’s the truth beyond the hype?

Are Pea and Animal Proteins Nutritionally Similar?

There are longstanding concerns that plant proteins are inferior to animal proteins on three counts. Let’s take a look at them.

“Incomplete Proteins”

First, there’s the assumption that plant-based proteins are “incomplete.” That is, while animal protein contains all 20 amino acids that make up the human body (which makes sense because, while we’re encouraged to forget the fact, we ourselves are animals, too), plants were thought to provide some but not all of the 20. And while humans can synthesize 11 of them, that leaves 9 “essential” amino acids that we must get from our diets.

That belief led to the practice of “protein combining” among vegetarians in the 1970s, making meals of so-called “complementary proteins” such as rice and beans, whole grain bread and peanut butter, hummus (chickpeas and tahini), and so on. (To be fair, these are all amazing meals that do provide a lot of nutritional benefits; it’s just not necessary to consume these various plant foods simultaneously to get them.)

While long ago debunked, the concept of complementary proteins reinforced the idea in the popular imagination that consuming a vegetarian diet was inviting protein deficiency. The truth is, all plants do contain all 20 amino acids; the only potential issue is the ratios of specific ones. Because your body makes complex proteins from all 20, if your diet is low in a particular amino acid, it becomes the limiting factor in protein synthesis.

Grains, for example, tend to be low in lysine. Other amino acids of concern include methionine, isoleucine, threonine, and tryptophan. But a varied plant-based diet can provide adequate sources of all of these.

In other words, eating a variety of foods is important. Combining specific foods in any given meal is not.

And, it turns out, pea protein has a very well-balanced amino acid profile, with highly bioavailable forms of all the amino acids. It’s high in lysine, which makes it a perfect complement to a grain-strong diet. In fact, pea protein is one of the plant-based proteins that meet the amino acid requirements of the alphabet soup of acronyms that is the WHO, FAO, and UNU.

What About Building Muscle?

Some people believe that whey protein and other forms of animal protein are necessary to build muscle. And there’s no doubt that many bodybuilders consume large amounts of animal-based protein. But do they need to?

At the time of writing, many studies have shown that pea protein produces similar results to an animal-based protein when it comes to athletic performance and fitness results. This finding validates the lived experience of many plant-based athletes as well.

How does pea protein compare to whey protein? A 2015 study looked at a muscle-building intervention among young men ages 18–35. One experimental group took pea protein, while the second used whey protein. To keep things clear, there was a control group that received a placebo. The pea group was the only one with significant increases in muscle size — beating both the whey protein group and the placebo.

More Bioavailable Amino Acids?

It’s widely believed that, because animal tissue is so similar to human tissue, amino acids from animal protein are absorbed more fully by the body, and therefore are more bioavailable. Of course, by this logic, the healthiest human diet would be cannibalism (at least from the perspective of the diner, if not the dinner). But is it true?

It turns out that animal protein is typically about 10–20% more readily absorbed than plant protein, generally speaking. But this may not be the advantage many people assume it is. Because there are some compelling reasons to favor plant protein over animal protein sources — as we’re about to see.

Is Pea Protein Healthier?

Well, yes, for a bunch of reasons.

Avoid Harmful Dietary Compounds

For one thing, pea protein doesn’t form harmful compounds in your digestive system. Meat — in particular, red meat — promotes the formation of TMAO, a nasty compound associated with the development of multiple inflammatory conditions. Animal proteins are also high in the accurately acronym-ed “AGEs” — Advanced Glycation End-products — which form during the cooking process when animal proteins are in proximity to sugars and fats at high heat. AGEs can lead to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, among other maladies.

Animal protein also comes with heme iron, which is much more easily absorbed into the body than the plant-based, nonheme variety. While this sounds like a good thing, it often isn’t. Heme iron intake is associated with the development of several cancers, including ​​colorectal, pancreatic, and lung cancer, as well as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Pea protein, and plant proteins, in general, may also be better for heart health and longevity than animal proteins. As a result, you may be able to reduce your risk of chronic disease by eating pea protein instead of whey or other animal proteins.

Pea Protein and Gut Health

Second, pea protein is better for gut health and weight management than whey protein. For example, it can support the growth of two types of beneficial gut bacteria: Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. In several studies, people who consumed pea protein felt very full after eating, which tends to discourage overeating and subsequent weight gain. It also contributed to reducing the blood sugar spike that occurs after eating.

And pea protein is also being studied as a tool in helping to prevent irritable bowel disease, with early successes reported in mouse trials. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)

A Major Allergen Alternative

Pea protein also shows promise as a supplemental protein for people with two common food allergies: dairy and soy.

Pea protein isn’t officially hypoallergenic, as there are some people who suffer from pea allergies. Nevertheless, it can be an alternative protein source for those allergic to pea’s legume cousins: soy and peanuts. Its advantage may be short-lived, however, as increased exposure to a protein often leads to increased sensitivity among a population.

But it beats soy in another respect as well: most of the world’s soy is now bio-engineered (BE; aka “GMO”). It’s true that scientists have been tinkering with pea plant genes since old Gregor Mendel in the 19th century, but so far, it’s been resistant to effective modification using modern gene-splicing technology. Research on a strain of BE peas was discontinued in Australia in the early 2000s after scientists discovered that it caused an immune response in mice. For anyone who prefers to be non-GMO, pea beats soy unless the soy is organic.

Is Pea Protein More Sustainable?

In addition to being a potential boon to the health of individuals, pea protein gaining ground on animal protein can also lead to giant environmental steps forward. Let’s just look at one aspect of pea protein’s environmental impact: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Right now, animal agriculture is responsible for a large share of the world’s GHG output. Through methane released via cow “eructations” (there’s a less technical word for that which my kids were very fond of around age 3), huge amounts of carbon released through deforestation to make room for grazing land, and highly inefficient conversion of animal feed into animal protein, animal agriculture is a major driver of climate chaos.

Livestock provides only 18% of the food calories eaten by humans and 37% of the protein, yet it uses over 83% of all farmland. Even the lowest-impact beef is responsible for six times more greenhouse gases than plant-based proteins like peas. And in terms of land requirements, it’s far worse: It takes 36 times more land to grow the same amount of protein from beef as it does from plants. It’s clear that beef farming is a huge waste of resources, almost like buying a new iPhone and then smashing it just to get your hands on the roughly two bucks worth of gold it contains.

Peas, in particular, have a tiny carbon footprint when compared to any type of animal protein. One hundred grams of protein produced from peas emits 0.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq), while the same amount of protein from beef creates 35 kilograms of CO2eq — nearly 90 times as much! Peas also have a massively smaller water footprint, requiring only 71 gallons of water per pound compared to beef’s 1,847 gallons per pound.

And of course, peas also don’t contribute to animal cruelty.

Pea Protein Dangers and Downsides to Consider

Things are not all rainbows and unicorns in pea protein land, however. There are at least two downsides to the heavy consumption of pea protein.

Pea Protein Heavy Metals

The first is that many plant protein powders may contain contaminants and toxins, including heavy metals and other known carcinogens. These typically include things like cadmium, lead, arsenic, and BPA. This fact isn’t limited to pea protein but can occur across the board in food. Plants absorb lots of things from the soil, including heavy metals. That’s why their levels of contamination can be higher than those found in whey-based proteins.

One way to address this is to visit a pea protein manufacturer’s website and look for information about what is actually in their product. Specifically, look for any third-party testing for heavy metals and toxins — and certification they may have received.

Is Pea Protein Processed?

We’ve seen that pea protein is superior in many respects to animal protein sources. But it’s still a highly processed food. Processing involves taking things out (like starch, fiber, and water). And it often involves putting other things in, too.

Pea protein isolate, textured pea protein, and the products made from them may also contain natural and artificial flavors, fillers, preservatives, refined oils, and sugar.​​

So while plant-based protein powders, meats, and dairy products can be helpful for transitioning to a plant-based diet, it’s still often preferable to get the bulk of your protein from whole food sources. Whether you choose to include pea protein in your diet is up to you. But instead of eating pea protein, you could eat actual peas and reap many of the same benefits plus more that come with the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that your body will also appreciate.

Even if mushy peas aren’t your thing, there’s split pea soup, stir-fries with peas, peas and carrots, pasta and peas, fresh pea salad, and even green pea hummus.

You can find out more about peas, along with three yummy recipes to get you started, in our comprehensive article on peas. And remember — peas are just one of the awesome foods in the legume family.

In fact (and not many people know this), beans were John Lennon’s favorite vegetable… up until he decided to give peas a chance.

Giving Peas a Chance

Pea protein is a popular plant-based protein, often used as an alternative to whey protein powders or as an ingredient in meat substitutes. Although it was once thought that pea protein was inferior to animal protein, it turns out that it’s plenty nutritious and effective for building muscle, and that it may be better for your health since it doesn’t contribute to the formation of TMAO and AGEs. It’s also produced more sustainably and has a much lower carbon and water footprint than animal proteins.

Although there are some risks to consider when consuming pea protein products, overall they can offer a good source of protein for those who want or need extra protein in their diets. But for most people, it’s probably not necessary to consume pea protein. Getting your protein from whole plant sources is often healthier, tastier, and more cost-effective.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you ever used pea protein powder? What was your goal in doing so?
• Do you eat plant-based meat alternatives made with pea protein?
• What are your favorite sources of plant-based protein?

Read Next:

• 3 Things That Shouldn’t Be in Your Protein Powder (But Probably Are)
• Are Peas Good for You? — What You Need to Know About Peas

The post What Is Pea Protein & Should You Eat It? appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Table of Contents

Due to an extreme shortage of auto parts in the Soviet era, Russians often couldn’t just get a new pair of windshield wipers at the store when the old ones wore out. It was common for someone to return to their car to discover that someone had nicked their wipers. The afflicted party might then grab a pair from a nearby car to replace their own. And so on, until large segments of the motoring population became engaged in a never-ending game of musical chairs (or rather wipers), grabbing them wherever they could.

This chain reaction became so widespread during the Soviet Union that almost no parked cars had visible windshield wipers. Instead, drivers would remove them with a screwdriver, and only put them back in case of heavy rain.

Bear with me, but there’s something similar going on in your body all the time: a process known as lipid peroxidation. Basically, the thief here is a free radical, and the stolen object is an electron taken from a lipid molecule in the membrane of a cell. That lipid molecule then becomes unstable, and in turn, grabs an electron from a neighboring cell, and so on and so on.

This process can really damage your health, affecting most chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, atherosclerotic plaque (which itself can lead to heart disease and stroke), and cancer.

Fortunately, your body also contains crime-fighting compounds called antioxidants that fight free radicals and protect against oxidative damage. And one of the most powerful and ubiquitous antioxidants is glutathione.

First discovered in 1888 by J. de Rey-Paihade, a French doctor, glutathione was found in high concentrations in most of the cells of the human body, especially in the liver. These days, many health influencers talk about its benefits for a number of conditions, and also tout its potential to slow the aging process.

But what exactly is glutathione? What claims for its benefits are valid, and what’s currently just speculation or hype? How do you make sure you have enough in your body? And can you make it all yourself, do you need to get it from food, or do you need to supplement?

What Is Glutathione?

First things first: pronunciation. Since you’ll be saying “glutathione” to yourself a lot as you read this article, you might want to make sure you’re saying it right. The word is pronounced “gloo-tuh-thigh-own.” Or, for an image you might not be able to get out of your head, just picture gluing tuh’ your own thigh. (Or not. There’s a reason I’m not a linguistics professor.)

Glutathione is one of the most potent antioxidants in the body. It binds to fat-soluble toxins — the electron thieves that we just met — as well as heavy metals that make their way into the body. As such, it supports the liver and kidneys as they work to detoxify harmful compounds, both organic and inorganic. Glutathione also helps make proteins in the body and regulates the function of the immune system.

Your body naturally produces glutathione in your cells. The largest producer is the liver, which creates it from three amino acids: cysteine, glutamate, and glycine. That’s why glutathione is characterized as a tripeptide (“three peptides”).

Since glutathione serves to fight the free radicals that cause oxidative damage, we want our bodies to increase the concentration of glutathione in cells in response to oxidation. And one of the safest and most effective ways to raise resting levels of glutathione appears to be exercise. Just as lifting weights can grow your muscles and cardio can strengthen your heart, temporarily raising free radical levels through physical activity creates adaptations that increase glutathione activity throughout the body.

Benefits of Glutathione

Due to its key roles in detoxification, fighting free radicals, and making essential proteins, glutathione is indispensable for health. Low levels of glutathione are associated with a number of diseases and conditions. In some cases, clinical trials have revealed a causal relationship (that is, raising glutathione levels makes things better). And in others, it’s still unclear if low glutathione is a cause of a symptom, or if the condition itself has suppressed glutathione synthesis.

Glutathione and the Liver

Since the liver is ground zero for glutathione production, it makes sense that glutathione levels are lower in people with a variety of liver disorders and diseases.

Medical research has found that glutathione supplementation can help mitigate the effects of liver disease. A small 2017 clinical trial found that people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) had their liver function improve when given supplemental glutathione. This is good news, as NAFLD is associated with the development of insulin resistance (a root cause of type 2 diabetes), obesity, and high blood pressure.

Glutathione also appears to restore some liver function in those with alcoholic liver disease.

Glutathione and the Immune System

When your glutathione stores are low, your body is less able to fight off viral infections. And glutathione also participates in the development of trained immunity, whereby your immune system gets better at defeating pathogens through exposure. A 2021 study showed that high concentrations of glutathione in plasma cells were associated with some immune cells’ ability to “remember” past infections and deal with new ones more effectively.

One way glutathione supports the immune system is by inducing a phenomenon called macrophage polarization, in which macrophages (the immune cells that gobble up pathogens; their name is Greek for “big eaters”) can adjust their programming based on environmental signals. A 2022 microbiology paper argued that glutathione deficiency could even be a risk factor in life-threatening cases of COVID-19.

Glutathione and the Brain

One of glutathione’s impressive list of feats is its ability to regulate brain metabolism. It turns out that when glutathione function is impaired, the brain loses more neurons — a process that’s associated with cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s, and increased risk of depression and anxiety. It’s also clear that insufficient glutathione may contribute to Parkinson’s disease.

One of the challenges in glutathione research is knowing how to measure it accurately. Researchers are still debating the best way to determine brain concentrations of glutathione. Doing so is important because there’s evidence that too little and too much glutathione may contribute to mood disorders like depression and schizophrenia.

Glutathione and Cancer

As one of the “master conductors” of cellular behavior, glutathione can tell cells to do a bunch of different things, including divide, grow, protect themselves, and self-destruct. All these processes are involved in cancer. And glutathione appears to be a double-edged sword in this case. It can tell damaged cells to die, either through apoptosis (programmed cell death) or a recently discovered type of cell death called ferroptosis, which relies on iron and reactive oxygen species (ROS) to basically blow up a cell’s mitochondria from the inside.

But glutathione can also become a cheerleader for cancer; elevated levels in tumor cells can trigger the progression of tumors and increase resistance to anticancer drugs. It appears to be a matter of timing: Glutathione removes and detoxifies carcinogens, which prevents the initiation of cancer, but it also promotes the growth and metastasis of already-formed tumors.

It appears that glutathione isn’t a “more is always better” molecule when it comes to cancer. Good health depends on a homeostatic balance between oxidation and its chemical opposite, reduction. Too much glutathione appears to tilt the balance, and not necessarily in the right direction. So rather than simply giving someone a glutathione supplement, novel cancer treatments are looking at closely modulating glutathione levels and strategically “interfering” with different steps in the glutathione metabolic cycle to improve existing cancer therapies.

Glutathione and Type 2 Diabetes

There’s definitely a link between glutathione deficiency and the presence of type 2 diabetes. But it’s not entirely clear yet which one causes the other (or whether both are caused by an as-yet-unknown initial factor).

A 2018 study of just 24 people (16 with type 2 diabetes and 8 matched controls who did not have the disease) found that the people with type 2 diabetes had lower glutathione concentrations, suggesting that something about the disease might cause less tripeptide production. Additionally, it appears that there’s something about excess blood sugar that requires more glutathione, leaving less for other critical functions.

For someone with type 2 diabetes, the question of causality may be less important than finding out if glutathione supplementation can improve symptoms and mitigate progression.

A 2021 controlled trial out of Denmark sought to answer that question, studying the effects of three weeks of oral glutathione supplementation in 20 obese males — 10 with type 2 diabetes, and 10 without. The 20 were randomized to receive either 1,000 mg GSH (a common form of glutathione present in the body) or a placebo.

The results were promising: the group receiving glutathione improved their whole-body insulin sensitivity, meaning that it became easier for them to move glucose from the bloodstream into the cells. And the glutathione had apparently been absorbed and sent to where it was needed; a muscle biopsy confirmed that GSH concentrations increased by 19% in skeletal muscles. These findings occurred in subjects both with and without type 2 diabetes, suggesting that oral glutathione could help prevent prediabetes from developing into full-blown diabetes.

Ways to Boost Glutathione Levels

For most people, the best way to boost glutathione levels is to eat foods that contain glutathione or its precursors. (More on that coming soon.) A few of the nutrients that appear especially important to helping your body make and synthesize it effectively include:

Vitamin C: A group of researchers discovered that consumption of vitamin C supplements resulted in a rise in glutathione levels in the white blood cells of healthy adults. One particular study found that consuming 500mg of vitamin C daily led to a 47% hike in glutathione levels in red blood cells. For more on vitamin C, see our article here.

Selenium: One investigation analyzed the impact of selenium supplementation on 45 adults suffering from chronic kidney disease. The participants got a daily dose of 200mcg of selenium for a period of three months. The results revealed a significant increase in the levels of glutathione peroxidase in all of the participants. Another study demonstrated that the consumption of selenium supplements led to an elevation in glutathione peroxidase levels among patients undergoing hemodialysis. Perhaps the best way to ensure an adequate supply of selenium is to eat 1–2 Brazil nuts per day.

Turmeric: Turmeric is a brightly colored herb with vast therapeutic and anti-inflammatory properties. Several animal and laboratory studies have demonstrated that turmeric and its extract, curcumin, have the potential to raise glutathione levels. Researchers believe that the curcumin found in turmeric can enhance the functioning of glutathione enzymes. For more on turmeric and curcumin, see our article here.

Food Sources of Glutathione

Some nutrients are essential, meaning that your body can’t manufacture them and you have to get them from food (vitamin C, for example). But glutathione isn’t like that; you can manufacture it in your liver and increase its production by creating appropriate amounts of oxidative stress through exercise.

But that doesn’t mean nutrition isn’t important here. You still need to consume the building blocks of glutathione. And many plant foods provide those building blocks, either in the form of amino acids, precursor molecules, or in some cases, glutathione itself. The following are some of the best food sources of glutathione and glutathione precursors.

1. Alliums

Onions and garlic were both found to increase concentrations of a few forms of glutathione in rats. Both alliums raised GSH levels in the animals’ livers and kidneys. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.) This may be one of the many mechanisms by which onions and garlic can prevent cancer.

Check out our full article on alliums for much more good news about onions and garlic.

2. Avocados

Avocados contain glutathione, along with many other health-promoting compounds. A 2021 animal study compared avocado oil to a common hypertensive drug, prazosin, and found that, while both treatments decreased high blood pressure in hypertensive rats, only the avocado oil improved the mitochondrial function in the rats’ kidney cells. The avocado oil, the researchers found, improved the ability of glutathione to neutralize free radicals and thereby prevent the damage often caused by high blood pressure.

Read all about the health benefits of avocados (with recipes) in our comprehensive article.

3. Asparagus

If you’ve ever eaten asparagus and then noticed a funny smell when you urinate, the culprits are sulfur-containing compounds that form when asparagusic acid breaks down. Sulfur is one of the main ingredients in glutamate, which as you may recall is one of the three amino acids that form glutathione. Sulfur is also critical for the synthesis of glutathione. For the highest concentrations of these beneficial compounds, choose brightly colored green asparagus spears rather than pale or white ones.

Other plant-based foods that are high in sulfur, and that are associated with increased glutathione levels, include cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, kale, brussels sprouts, and mustard greens.

We don’t yet have a comprehensive article on asparagus, but until we write it, you can enjoy this Creamy Asparagus Risotto recipe.

4. Watermelon

Watermelon is rich in many compounds, among them lycopene and vitamin C. Both of these may lower biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation, partially through increased glutathione production.

For a deep dive into watermelon nutrition, here’s our comprehensive article.

5. Pomegranate

Pomegranates are another red fruit that can boost glutathione levels. A 2014 study fed pomegranate juice to 14 healthy volunteers for 15 days and found that their GSH levels had risen by almost 23% by the last day of the trial. And a 2017 study gave pomegranate juice or a placebo to 9 elite weightlifters right after a strenuous workout. Among many other positive effects, the pomegranate juice increased the antioxidant power of glutathione by about 7%.

For more information on the fabulous pomegranate (including an appropriately scholarly discussion of how many seeds are in each fruit), check out our full article here.

6. Mushrooms

Some mushroom species are high in glutathione itself. One of them, Agaricus bisporus, may sound exotic — but fortunately, that’s just the fancy botanical term for the common white button mushroom! A long-term study of over 15,000 participants found that the more mushrooms people reported eating, the lower their chances of dying. So whether it’s the glutathione or the full symphony of nutrients found in edible fungi, mushrooms can be a great addition to most diets.

Here’s our big article all about mushrooms.

Glutathione Deficiency

Because glutathione is so important across so many systems and functions, if you’re in good health, you’re probably not deficient. But it is possible to develop a deficiency, due to either aging, certain medical conditions, or a combination of the two.

You can test for glutathione levels via a blood test. Optimal glutathione levels are between 177 and 323 μg/ml (which you say as “micrograms per milliliter”).

The tests can measure glutathione levels in both red blood cells and plasma. And another biomarker for glutathione levels is an enzyme called gamma glutamyltransferase, or GGT. When it’s high, glutathione is often low.

If you need to check your numbers, talk with your health care provider about which measure is more appropriate for you.

Do Glutathione Supplements Work?

Some studies show that supplementing with oral glutathione is effective for deficiency, while others show glutathione is poorly absorbed orally. While it may depend on the person and the condition, there’s some recent research suggesting that two forms of oral glutathione might be more bioavailable and therefore more effective in raising systemic glutathione levels.

The two forms of glutathione supplements that show the most promise are liposomal and sublingual. Liposomal glutathione supplements are prepackaged in a packet of fat cells, made to mimic the structure of our own cells. This can protect the glutathione from being broken down by digestive enzymes during the digestive process. Sublingual (under the tongue) glutathione gets absorbed into the mucous membranes of the mouth, which also increases transit time and bioavailability.

Another option is intravenous glutathione supplementation, which may also be more effective in raising blood levels than oral intake. (That kind of makes sense, since you might imagine that when you inject something into your blood, doing so would increase your blood levels of it.)

A different supplement, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), is currently being studied as a supplement for glutathione support. Again, the research is not conclusive — results differ from disease to disease. But it appears people who supplement with NAC in conjunction with cysteine and glycine may experience a boost in glutathione levels, especially among those who may not have adequate quantities of the amino acids or who need higher levels of glutathione.

Who May Want to Supplement With Glutathione?

As we’ve seen, glutathione does a lot of things. Two of its most urgent and therefore prioritized jobs are dealing with oxidative stress — basically, protecting cells from ROS and other free radicals — and detoxifying heavy metals and other contaminants. When that job becomes overwhelming, your body may not be able to produce enough glutathione to take care of other, less immediate concerns.

So if someone is dealing with lots of stress, which can also include malnutrition or exposure to environmental contaminants, they may need to supplement with glutathione just to keep up with demand.

For example, smokers and those with alcohol abuse problems tend to have decreased glutathione levels and may benefit from supplementation. And people with AIDS or cystic fibrosis may benefit from (or may need to take) glutathione supplements as well.

The elderly may also experience decreased glutathione levels as their natural supplies of the amino acids glycine and cysteine diminish.

And there’s some research showing that glutathione supplementation may aid in recovery from extended aerobic exercise, and so may become a helpful part of the regimen for endurance athletes.

A word of caution: for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, it’s important not to get too much, as glutathione can increase their resistance to chemo drugs.

How Much Glutathione Should You Take?

The recommended dose for adults who are choosing to supplement is generally going to be 500–1,000 mg/day of liposomal glutathione.

For glycine, the standard dosage is 3 grams per day, and it’s considered safe up to 6 grams. And for NAC, a standard dose is 600–1,200 mg (that is, 0.6–1.2 grams). And it’s safe up to 3 grams, while 7 grams or more may be toxic.

Recipes with Glutathione-Rich Foods

As we have learned, glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that’s essential for our overall health. While for some people supplementation may be beneficial, these scrumptious recipes are a whole foods way to support your natural production of glutathione. Whether you try these recipes as is, or swap out a few ingredients with others on our glutathione-rich foods list, these antioxidant-rich combinations will not disappoint.

1. Breakfast Chanterelle Avocado Toast

We couldn’t think of a tastier way to support your glutathione needs than with this delicious Breakfast Chanterelle Avocado Toast! Mushrooms are a great source of dietary glutathione, coupled with other nutrients like vitamin D, B vitamins, and fiber. This yummy toast gives you plenty of plant power to keep your glutathione levels healthy.

2. Nutty and Seedy Kale Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

With so many flavorful and nutrient-rich ingredients, it’s no surprise this delicious Nutty and Seedy Kale Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette made it to our glutathione-supportive recipes list. Pomegranate and kale offer plenty of antioxidant plant power. Loaded with vitamin C, glucosinolates, and isothiocyanates, this superfood combo increases the antioxidant power of glutathione naturally, making it a great go-to recipe to support your natural glutathione production!

3. Air Fryer Chickpea Cauliflower Tacos

Crunchy air fryer tacos that can help support your immunity and improve your glutathione capacity? Sign us up! Enjoy these savory, crispy, and absolutely delicious cauliflower tacos at your next Taco Tuesday gathering (or any time of the week!), and feel the joy that comes with tasty plant-based antioxidant-rich meals. Cauliflower, kale, silky avocado cream, and green onions help to give a natural boost to your own glutathione production, making it a tasty weeknight meal your whole family will love.

Get to Know Glutathione!

Glutathione is a potent antioxidant that is vital for cellular function and immunity, among many other benefits. It protects against free radicals and oxidative stress that is responsible for a number of chronic diseases, especially those often associated with aging. For most healthy people, supplementation isn’t necessary, as our bodies can make glutathione naturally or source it from the foods we eat. But age, fitness level, and certain medical conditions may warrant supplementation, especially if a deficiency is present. You may want to consult with your healthcare provider about getting your levels checked – and if they’re low, then it’s possible you could benefit from a glutathione supplement.

Tell us in the comments:

• What was the most surprising thing you found out from this article?
• What are your favorite high-glutathione foods?
• What recipe from this article will you make next?

Featured image: iStock.com/Zerbor

Read Next:

• What Are Antioxidants? And Why Are They So Good For You?

The post The Benefits of Glutathione & How to Ensure You’re Getting Enough of This Vital Antioxidant appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

While most of us will never throw away anything quite so valuable, we can still unknowingly toss stuff that can still be of great use. For example, many people toss another common (and less valuable) substance on a daily basis that could be serving a multitude of purposes.

I’m referring, of course, to coffee grounds.

Coffee Grounds Are Valuable

Coffee is one of the world’s most popular beverages, with an estimated two and a quarter billion cups consumed worldwide each day. And because of how coffee is made, that results in an awful lot of unconsumed by-products. Every year, humans collectively generate an estimated 23 million tons of spent coffee beans. For funsies, that’s about the weight of 470 fully equipped Cunard Line QE2 ocean liners.

But here’s the thing: While these coffee grounds may be “spent” in terms of making a quality cup of joe, they’re far from spent in terms of chemical, nutritional, and thermodynamic value. And many people are starting to catch on to the unrecognized value of coffee grounds.

Already, aspiring social entrepreneurs are innovating industrial reuses of coffee grounds, from inventing ways to process coffee grounds into fireplace logs and pellets, turning them into flavor additives, and even utilizing them to replace synthetic materials in manufacturing.

Coffee shops often have programs to collect bulk amounts of used grounds and share them with local nurseries, farms, and home gardeners (and you’ll see why in a bit!).

But you don’t have to wait for science or industry or commerce to figure out how to reuse coffee grounds. If you or anyone in your home is a regular drinker, spent coffee grounds no longer have to be a wasteful part of the morning routine. Instead, you can reuse them in elegant and clever ways. Not only will you reduce your ecological footprint, but you’ll also add value to other parts of your home and life.

Why Consider Saving Coffee Grounds

Let’s look at what happens to coffee grounds that end up in your kitchen trash. Much of the wet, pulverized remains of roasted coffee beans are sent to the landfill, where they emit methane gas and contribute to global climate chaos. If you send them packing via your garbage disposal, they can build up in your pipes (the disposal won’t grind them any finer than they’ve already been ground) and may eventually lead to a blockage.

And even if these disposal methods were benign, rather than harmful, spent coffee grounds contain enough residual value to warrant giving them a second life.

Coffee grounds can retain up to one-third of their original aromatic and beneficial compounds (including antioxidants) as well as oils and even the controversial but widely coveted caffeine. They also generate a surprisingly high energy output (which is why they make a great sustainable alternative to wood-based fuels like pellets and fireplace logs). And for the gardeners out there, coffee grounds are a rich microbial food source for beneficial organisms — the little critters that do the crucial work of keeping your soil bountiful and fluffy.

We can collectively reduce how many tons of coffee grounds we send to landfills or down the drain by innovating new ways to reuse or “upcycle” grounds. And many of these ways are simple, low-tech, and easy to implement on a personal scale. By reusing and/or upcycling the coffee grounds you (or your household) produce, you can reduce your environmental impact while also improving your life.

How to Reuse Coffee Grounds

1. Add Coffee Grounds to Soil

One of the twelve principles of permaculture (a sustainable and regenerative approach to farming and gardening) is to use and value renewables. And just as cardboard and fallen leaves can break down and return carbon to your soil, so too can coffee grounds share their residual nutrients with your garden beds.

If you’ve been gardening in the same spot for a while, everything you harvest represents some depletion of soil nutrients and minerals. You can spend money to replenish them with amendments harvested and processed from some other piece of land, or use synthetic fertilizers, but why not keep the nutrient cycle local and use coffee grounds to help restore fertility?

Coffee contains key minerals for plant growth, including nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and chromium.

To amend soil or garden beds with coffee grounds, here’s a simple 3-step plan:

1. Sprinkle a ½-inch layer of grounds on the area you want to amend.
2. Lightly till or scratch into the soil.
3. Water as needed.

The grounds will slowly release nitrogen and feed beneficial soil microbes as they break down. One reason to gently till the grounds rather than just tossing them on the surface is that they will repel water when left on top of the bed. Gently incorporated into the soil substrate, they’ll help retain moisture and preclude the need for frequent watering during dry spells.

As an added bonus, the grounds may help deter pests that annoy your plants (like slugs) and annoy you (like mosquitoes).

2. Fertilize Houseplants with Coffee Grounds

Like garden crops, houseplants can also benefit from coffee grounds fertilizer, with one small but significant difference. While you want most garden beds to retain moisture, the roots of your potted plants can become oversaturated with water if you add grounds directly to the soil. A better way to get coffee nutrients working for your houseplants is to turn the grounds into a liquid fertilizer “tea.”

Make the tea by steeping up to one cup of used grounds in a gallon of water for a few hours or overnight. Then strain out the grounds using a sieve, a cheesecloth, or (who’d ever think of this?) a coffee filter, and use the remaining “tea” as a liquid fertilizer. You can pour it into the soil, or put it in a spray bottle and use it as a spray directly on the leaves.

But wait, there’s more! You can reuse the strained grounds on garden beds, or in compost piles because even after all that, they still have some nutritional love to give to your soil.

Both the tea and the twice-used grounds can provide supplemental nitrogen to your plants, and since they’re relatively pH-neutral, you don’t have to worry about acidifying your potting soil. And because plants lack central nervous systems, it’s unlikely that cold brew will make them jittery.

3. Compost Coffee Grounds

As we’ve seen, coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, calcium, and potassium — all of which are essential building blocks of rich compost. And compost is any gardener or farmer’s best friend since this highly fertile material can rejuvenate your soil, helping produce bigger, tastier, and more nutritious yields. Adding healthy compost to your garden allows your beds to retain more nutrients and water, buffering them against both nutrient depletion and drought.

We make compost by fostering the natural decomposition of organic matter, like food scraps and yard debris, along with providing sufficient water and oxygen. And coffee grounds are one of the best food scraps to add.

First, they can help compost smell better; most people prefer the aroma of a dry roast to that of rotting squash peels. Second, compost that includes coffee grounds is higher in nutrients than coffee-free compost. A 2009 study compared three formulas used in vermiculture, a form of composting that employs worms to eat the waste and convert it into soil. While the worms appeared to enjoy cow dung and kitchen scraps, their favorite meal was cow dung mixed with coffee grounds, as measured by how much they grew and multiplied.

If you don’t have access to a source of cow dung (which, according to my research, is generally a cow), or you prefer vegan gardening, without any animal inputs, then you can follow the formula recommended by Oregon State University: equal parts coffee grounds, dried leaves, and fresh grass clippings.

4. Create Baked Goods and Other Tasty Treats with Coffee Grounds

Have you ever been disappointed when you took a bite of coffee cake to discover it didn’t actually taste like coffee? Talk about false advertising!

Luckily, if you love the taste of coffee enough to want to add it to baked goods, you can upcycle coffee grounds in a variety of baked goods and desserts. Typically, you want to use more finely ground coffee for this purpose.

Ways to use coffee grounds in baking:

• mix them into cake, brownie, and pancake batter
• add them to bread and cookie dough
• stir them into savory rubs for vegetables and tofu

While I wouldn’t eat them by the spoonful, coffee grounds are safe to consume in small amounts. And bonus, they also contain antioxidants and dietary fiber!

Just remember that they also contain caffeine, so unless you want to spend the night sitting up in bed alternating between wondering what that sound was and where you put the receipt for that thing you need to return, you probably don’t want to eat coffee-infused baked goods after dinner. (If you perform shift work, do whatever you need to do to that last sentence to make it work for you.) Of course, decaffeinated coffee grounds contain little to no caffeine.

5. Clean Stubborn Dishes with Coffee Grounds

No, I’m not talking about the Pyrex casserole that refuses to fit into your toaster oven no matter how nicely you ask. By stubborn, I’m referring to dishes with hard-to-clean, baked-on food and stains. Turns out that coffee grounds can serve as a great natural cleaning scrub for nonporous surfaces.

They may even have a sanitizing effect due to their antiviral and antibacterial properties. (These properties are so intense, researchers have begun using leachate from coffee to disrupt the life cycle of Aedes albopictus, the mosquito that transmits dengue fever. That’s especially good news because the little buggers have recently started to develop immunity to some pesticides.)

Even if you’re not trying to prevent the spread of tropical diseases, you can still take advantage of coffee’s cleaning powers. Keep coffee grounds on hand in the kitchen to scour the sink, polish your cookware, and clean your stove. Just make sure to avoid porous surfaces such as the grout between tiles, as the grounds can stain them brown.

6. Kitchen Odor Removal with Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds don’t just leave surfaces looking cleaner; they can help your spaces smell cleaner as well since they’re great at absorbing and neutralizing odors. When combined with carbon, the nitrogen in coffee grounds can eliminate foul-smelling sulfur gasses from the air. (You can make this magic happen even if you did poorly in chemistry class.)

You can keep a bowl of coffee grounds in your fridge or freezer to help contain smells from spoiled or fragrant food. Or, dry out the grounds and add them to socks and pantyhose (ones you aren’t wearing, preferably) to create simple, portable, chemical-free air fresheners. Depending on how grotty the socks or hose are, they might make great DIY gifts — the ultimate stocking stuffer!

You can store used coffee grounds in a container next to your kitchen sink. Dip your fingers in the grounds and scrub with water to remove aromatic oils and fragrances from your hands after you’re done cooking.

7. Exfoliate with Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds are a great natural exfoliant that can be easily added to coconut oil, moisturizers, or soaps. You can safely add a small amount of used grounds to a mixture that works for your skin type and massage it into your face and body. Not only will they help remove dead skin, but they also contribute antioxidants that can help protect your skin from sun damage. And vigorous scrubbing with coffee grounds can increase blood flow, leading to healthier, more vibrant skin.

8. Repair Scratches on Dark Wooden Furniture

OK, now we’re getting into “Crazy Plant-Based Hacker” territory. But yes, coffee grounds are a cheap and chemical-free alternative to dark-finish wood restorers.

Here’s how to conceal and buff out scratches on wood surfaces with coffee grounds:

• Apply wet grounds to the damaged area and gently rub in with either a cotton cloth or cotton swab for smaller areas.
• Wait 10 minutes.
• Remove the coffee grounds and excess moisture with a clean cloth.

9. Create a Natural Coffee Dye

If you’ve ever spilled coffee on a white rug or tablecloth, you may be well aware of its power to create stains that just won’t come out. While you may not appreciate this quality if the item in question was part of Grandma’s trousseau, you can put it to use on any items you’d like to turn brown on purpose.

Used coffee grounds show promising potential as a nontoxic replacement for commercial food, textile, and cosmetic dyes. And you can adapt these industrial processes for your own home. Coffee grounds can effectively color cotton, rayon, cellophane, linen, and paper.

One clever tip is to inexpensively refresh your stained tea towels with a coffee ground dye. Here’s the process:

• Rewet and boil your coffee grounds for 30+ minutes, adding water as necessary.
• Remove from heat and add the material you wish to dye (for some materials, you may need to let the water cool).
• Soak until the desired hue is reached. To achieve a light tan color, you only need a few minutes. For a darker brown, leave to soak for at least 30 minutes, or even overnight.
• Rinse and wash fabrics before mixing them with other garments.

10. Rid Your Companion Animal of Fleas

Most flea-removal products have harsh chemicals that can harm your dog or cat. And while fleas appear pretty easygoing when it comes to choosing their homes, they really don’t seem to like being around the compounds found in coffee. So do coffee grounds repel fleas?

Yes! Simply rub coffee grounds into your companion animal’s coat while shampooing, and then rinse. (If they retain a little mocha aroma and brown color, you may need to resist the urge to change their name to Starbucks or Cappuccino.) Coffee grounds act as a chemical-free flea deterrent. If this nontoxic, DIY flea treatment doesn’t do the trick, you may want to discuss other options with your vet.

Don’t Throw Away Spent Coffee!

The many uses for used coffee grounds make them worth recycling or even upcycling. If you or anyone in your home is a regular creator of coffee waste, now you’ve got a bunch of ways to keep them out of landfills while saving money. Plus, you can retire a bunch of synthetic chemicals in favor of a safe and nice-smelling alternative.

Tell us in the comments:

• Which way to reuse coffee grounds was most surprising to you?
• Have you ever used coffee grounds that were left over after making coffee?
• What’s one “coffee ground hack” you’d like to try?

Featured Image: iStock.com/CalypsoArt

Read Next:

• Is Coffee Good for You or Bad for You? Find Out the Truth!
• Compost: 5 Secrets to Composting at Home

The post Beyond the Bean: 10 Ways to Reuse Coffee Grounds at Home appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

But as of 2016, the WHO reversed its stance on coffee due to a lack of evidence. And many studies have since shown how coffee actually has myriad benefits for your health.

To be clear, there’s no question that coffee isn’t for everyone. Personally, I drink it rarely because, while I enjoy the taste as well as the “buzz” it brings, I find that a few hours later, I feel jittery, anxious, and even a bit cranky.

But I’ve been enormously impressed with the research, which tells us that for many people, coffee can bring significant benefits.

In this article, you’ll discover some of the research-backed health benefits of coffee, a couple of potential downsides to drinking it, why sourcing and the “company it keeps” matter, and some healthy ways to enjoy your java.

The Health Benefits of Coffee

Coffee and Heart Health

Coffee is a vasodilator. This means that it causes blood vessels to expand, which is good for your circulation and cardiovascular system. In fact, it may even reduce your risk of heart failure and death.

In one enormous meta-analysis of 31 studies and 1,610,543 individuals, researchers found that all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality risk decreased with the consumption of up to four cups of coffee per day. That’s not to say that you need to drink four cups per day, since drinking more coffee didn’t necessarily yield better results, but rather that even heavy coffee drinkers saw a benefit over nondrinkers.

A 2021 analysis of cardiovascular disease risk factors also found that coffee consumption was associated with a reduced long-term risk of heart failure. Interestingly, the study also looked at other dietary risk factors and found that whole milk consumption puts you at increased risk for heart failure. Leaving dairy out of your coffee can help ensure you’re not negating the health benefits of coffee.

Coffee, Dementia, and Stroke

Coffee also seems to have a particular effect on the blood vessels that feed your brain — making it an ally in the fight against all forms of dementia and stroke.

The Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study tracked more than 1,400 individuals over the course of 21 years to look at a broad range of diet and lifestyle choices and health outcomes. In the study, people who drank 3–5 cups of coffee per day at midlife had a 65% decreased risk of dementia in later life.

In another more recent study, both coffee and tea were also found to decrease the risk of dementia and stroke. The researchers analyzed 365,682 participants from the UK. And they found that when the study participants drank 2–3 cups of coffee or tea (or a combination of coffee and tea) per day, they had a  32% lower risk of stroke and a 28% lower risk of dementia.

Coffee and Cancer

Does coffee fight cancer? Or does it, as some media reports and older research studies have implied, actually cause it?

In March of 2018, a judge in the state of California ruled that Starbucks and other coffee chains needed to post warnings because their brews may contain a chemical linked to cancer.

The target of the ruling was acrylamide, a potential carcinogen that’s formed when foods containing both starches and the amino acid asparagine cook at high temperatures.

Acrylamide is a by-product of the coffee roasting process. It’s also in bread and crackers, french fries and potato chips, canned black olives, prune juice, and even breakfast cereals.

So is the acrylamide in coffee a serious concern? Unlikely. If we look at the real world, outside of courtrooms and lab theories, I’ve never heard of a single study that found an elevated risk of cancer in people who drank more coffee.

On the contrary, according to one systematic review and meta-analysis, people who consume coffee are 1.45 times less likely to develop mouth and throat cancer.

Other studies have found that coffee reduces the risk of many types of cancer — including endometrial, prostate, brain, colon, breast, liver, lung, and skin cancers.

We don’t know for certain if acrylamide in coffee poses health risks. But we do know that coffee is associated with broad health benefits in large numbers of people.

Avoiding coffee altogether on account of acrylamide strikes me as a bit like avoiding the outdoors because sunshine can cause skin cancer. It’s true that some danger may exist. But your health would likely suffer if you spent your whole life indoors as a result.

Coffee and Type 2 Diabetes

Drinking coffee may also lead to a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. An increase of at least one cup per day decreased the risk by 11% compared to people who made no dietary changes.

And for those who already have type 2 diabetes, coffee can possibly even prolong life expectancy. One study of nearly 4,000 people with type 2 diabetes found that those who drank coffee were 30% more likely to still be alive after being tracked for 20 years.

Coffee and Antioxidants

Coffee is an abundant source of polyphenols, a class of mostly antioxidant plant compounds known for their health-protective effects. Among the most potent types of polyphenols in coffee are chlorogenic acids, which fight free radicals and prevent oxidative stress damage that can lead to degenerative disease.

In addition, it turns out that coffee is a major source of other kinds of antioxidants, too. (Antioxidants help to prevent the damaging effects of oxidation on cells throughout your body.) In fact, coffee is the #1 source of antioxidants in the American diet — by a wide margin. We know that the average American’s diet is woefully deficient in antioxidants. And in that context, the antioxidants in coffee are clearly beneficial. But one thing we don’t know is how helpful coffee might be for people who are already eating an abundant amount of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. If your body isn’t antioxidant-starved, it’s possible that the net benefits of coffee will be less dramatic because your diet’s already healthier than the norm.

Potential Coffee Downsides to Drinking Coffee

Caffeine in Coffee

Of course, we can’t talk about coffee without talking about caffeine.

Caffeine affects some people very differently than others, and this is at least in part due to the different ways in which it’s metabolized. Studies have shown that genetics may play a part in how sensitive someone is to caffeine, and whether they get jittery from it or not. However, for most of us, caffeine is a stimulant, meaning that it increases nervous system activity and communication to the brain.

For many people, coffee can become addictive because of the caffeine that it contains. And as with many habit-forming or addiction-fueling compounds, the more you consume, the more your body develops a tolerance to it — and the less effect it has on you. As people come to rely on caffeine for mental alertness and focus, they sometimes use it to mask fatigue that might really be a result, not of caffeine deficiency, but rather of a lack of sleep, poor nutrition, or other lifestyle factors. The unfortunate side effect is that coffee drinkers tend to need more and more to get comparable benefits and experience headaches and other withdrawal symptoms if they skip a day.

Because caffeine stimulates the nervous system, drinking coffee can also make it harder to sleep, especially if you drink it later in the day. And it can further exacerbate anxiety and related disorders, even contributing to panic attacks in some individuals.

Also, pregnant women are advised to avoid coffee because caffeine can not only cross the blood-brain barrier but the placental barrier as well.

Overall, whether you should drink coffee or not is highly individualized depending on factors such as your metabolism, mental health, and pregnancy status, among other things. Always listen to your body first.

How Much Coffee Is Too Much?

As with many things, moderation is key when it comes to coffee. And there is such a thing as having too much coffee. According to the US FDA, 400 milligrams is considered the recommended upper limit of caffeine consumption per day.

How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee? Most coffee averages between 80–100 mg of caffeine per cup, but it depends on factors such as how the beans were processed and the brewing method used. A grande (16-ounce) medium roast from Starbucks, on the other hand, contains 310 mg of caffeine.

What About Decaffeinated Coffee?

Contrary to its name, decaffeinated coffee still contains a bit of caffeine — but in much smaller amounts. A cup of decaf may have around 2–15 mg of caffeine, which is still much less than even a cup of black or green tea.

Unfortunately, few studies exist on the health effects of decaffeinated coffee.

But we do have studies telling us that decaffeinated coffee has about 75% of the antioxidants of the caffeinated version. Which is less — but still potentially quite beneficial.

And while many decaffeination methods involve the use of solvents like methylene chloride or ethyl acetate, the Swiss Water Process is a more environmentally friendly and chemical-free method.

What You Put in Your Coffee Matters

Although coffee on its own has a number of health benefits, coffee that comes packed with sugar, artificial flavorings, factory-farmed milk, and high fructose corn syrup probably doesn’t contribute a net benefit to anyone’s health. And the majority of people who drink coffee don’t drink it unsweetened and black.

The fact of the matter is, what you put or don’t put in your coffee matters. For example, adding dairy milk or creamers to your coffee will negate some of coffee’s potent antioxidant effects. When tested in both human and test tube studies, significantly fewer chlorogenic acids were found when milk was added to coffee. In fact, one human study showed it decreased the chlorogenic acid content by more than half. The same effect was not seen in nondairy milk, such as soy.

There are also the negative health and environmental effects of dairy to consider. And seeing as so many plant-based milks are available now, there are plenty of options that won’t harm people, animals, or the planet.

So, just because coffee may have a broad range of health benefits doesn’t mean everyone should drink it by the gallon, or guzzle a daily Salted Caramel Mocha at Starbucks (which, by the way, contains 59 grams of added sugars per 16-ounce serving).

But the data is pretty clear that a freshly brewed cup of unadulterated coffee offers a great many health benefits.

Enjoy More Conscious and Ethical Coffee

Because coffee is one of the largest exports from tropical countries, coffee production has a massive impact on the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of families and farmers. Regrettably, many of them are living in countries with relatively low incomes and widespread poverty. Gender inequality and child labor are also issues found throughout the coffee supply chain, even for major coffee brands like Starbucks and Nespresso.

Additionally, coffee plantations often use a monoculture system, which is a leading cause of deforestation in many tropical regions — such as the Amazon — where coffee is grown. Monocropping harms biodiversity, increases the use of pesticides, and leads to soil degradation as well as water runoff and pollution. Coffee is also a pretty thirsty crop with a large water footprint, taking 140 liters of water to produce around 125 milliliters of coffee.

Therefore, the kinds of coffee you choose have a real impact on the kind of world we will leave for future generations. When purchasing coffee, you can make a difference by choosing brands invested in more ethical and sustainable growing practices. Although they’re far from perfect on their own, fair-trade, shade-grown, Rainforest Alliance-certified, or organic coffees are better choices for a fairer and healthier world. Organic coffee may even have higher antioxidant content than nonorganic coffee. (Read our article on food labels for more on how to decipher food packaging.)

Some of our favorite organic and sustainable coffee brands are:

• Lifeboost — our top pick for traditional beans;
• Four Sigmatic’s Think Coffee with Lion’s Mane & Chaga Mushrooms — our top pick for a caffeinated mushroom/coffee blend; and,
• Four Sigmatic’s Calm Decaf Coffee with Reishi & Chaga Mushrooms — our favorite decaf option.

Ways to Enjoy and Brew Coffee

There are many ways to brew coffee, and how you brew it can affect the strength of its beneficial compounds, flavor, and acidity.

Popular hot coffee brewing methods include pour-over, French press, and percolation. One study comparing hot coffee methods found that percolated coffee retained the highest amount of phenolic compounds (or antioxidants).

You might enjoy your coffee black, or with milk or sugar added. But as discussed in the downsides section of this article, dairy and refined sugar may counteract the health benefits of coffee. If you want to put something in your coffee for added flavor, try a plant-based milk like almond, soy, or oat milk (bonus points for your health if you go with an unsweetened variety). And if you want to add some extra flavor, try mixing in cocoa, powdered cinnamon, or vanilla. For sweetness, try a pinch of stevia or a dash of maple syrup. (Check out this article for more on the best and worst sweeteners.)

And, if you’re concerned about the acidity in coffee, try cold-brewing it. Cold-brewing drops the acidity level of coffee by approximately two-thirds. Cold-brewed coffee is also often described as having a smoother and even sweeter flavor profile than hot-brewed coffee.

You can make cold brew at home by putting ⅔ cup of ground coffee in a mason jar with three cups of filtered water and letting it sit in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Filter it as you would any coffee, and voilà — you have cold-brewed coffee. Unlike hot-brewed coffee, cold brew stores well in the fridge for up to two weeks, and if you like, you can also heat it up. It can get really concentrated, however. Which is lovely if you want to mix it with a generous helping of plant milk for a simple latte.

Enjoy Coffee for Your Health!

The debate over whether coffee is good for you continues to rage on. Like anything you eat or drink, it all depends on your individual biochemistry (as some people are more sensitive to caffeine and acidity) as well as what you put in it. But on its own (or with the addition of more healthful inputs), coffee has a number of health benefits and may even decrease your overall risk of death. Now that’s a-latte to be grateful for!

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you drink coffee? Why or why not?
• How do you like your coffee?
• What coffee health benefits surprised you the most?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Bet_Noire

Read Next:

• The 6 Healthiest Beverages You Should Be Drinking Now
• Healthy Morning Drinks to Start Your Day Off Right

The post Is Coffee Good for You or Bad for You? Find Out the Truth! appeared first on Food Revolution Network.