When the temperature dips, we’re less motivated to drink water and other hydrating beverages, but it’s no less important to our overall wellbeing.

During summer, staying hydrated is top of mind. It makes sense—you sweat more in warm weather, so it’s super obvious that you’re losing water. During winter, on the other hand, a lot of people are walking around dehydrated… without realizing it. Didn’t think managing your liquid intake was important when it’s chilly outside?

Here’s what you need to know.

You may be more dehydrated during winter

Your body needs the same amount of water all year round. Of course you need to replace increased amounts of water when you’re sweating a lot, which may happen more frequently in the summer. Dietician and friend Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN breaks it down: “When we sweat in colder months, the moisture turns into vapor instead of sitting on the skin. So while you’re still losing water, you don’t get the visual cue to drink up.”

Another surprising fact: Breathing cold, dry air also causes the body to lose a significant amount of fluid. The most important point: During winter, people feel about 40 percent less thirsty, regardless of how much water their body actually needs. So, in a lot of ways, it’s more important to be actively on top of your hydration needs.

Why hydration is as important in colder months

What’s the big deal, though, if you drink a little less water in January as compared to July?

Here’s a quick reminder of why H2O and other healthy hydrating beverages are critical: Water makes up 60 percent of your body weight, and every system in your body depends on it to function. Water flushes toxins and waste out of organs, helps carry oxygen and nutrients to cells, and provides a healthy environment for tissues.

When dehydrated, your body can’t carry out normal functions and begins to feel fatigued. In other words, if you get plenty of sleep and eat a super healthy breakfast to try to boost your energy, you’re still short-changing your health if you’re not getting enough hydration.

Delicious ways to stay hydrated

I always recommend drinking 64 ounces of filtered water every day, but there are other ways to stay on top of adequate hydration when it’s chilly. If you just want an upgraded way to sip that includes more flavor and added benefits, I’m currently loving Halo Sport (use code HALOMAX for 20% off). Not only does the super clean, organic sports drink skip added sugar, it delivers electrolytes for enhanced hydration and important minerals your body needs to function efficiently.

Bone broths (and soups in general) contains lots of water, and who doesn’t want their spoon in a yummy bowl of bone broth or butternut squash soup at lunchtime on chilly days? (Re-listen to The Genius Life episode 40 for a single bone broth primer and recipe.) Tea can also be hydrating, whether you’re drinking green for the antioxidants or chamomile to help you get to sleep.

Finally, citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits, which are at their best during the winter, are mostly water. Eat ‘em up for a hydrating snack.

What is collagen?

Collagen is a sticky protein that may as well be thought of as the glue that holds the body together. In fact, the word collagen is actually derived from the Greek word kólla meaning glue. It is the most abundant protein found in the human body, accounting for roughly 1/3 of our total body protein.

To date, 29 types of collagen have been recorded, and of these types, type I, II and III comprise 80-90% of collagen in the body with type I being by far the most abundant (R). Collagen is tremendously important and is found not just in our skin but our tendons, arterial walls ligaments, cartilage, bones, blood vessels, intestinal tract, intervertebral disks, corneas and even teeth!

Collagen protein is made up of three amino acid chained together in a repeating sequence, yielding over 1000 amino acids, every third of which is glycine. Proline and hydroxyproline are also quite abundant. The three strands wind together forming a tightly bound triple helix which is crucial for adding strength to this tissue-forming protein (R) (R).

But don't we make collagen in our bodies?

We tend to categorize amino acids and other nutrients as either essential or non-essential, however some scientists suggest a third category may exist called “conditionally essential” or “semi-essential.” Glycine, the most abundant amino acid in collagen, falls into this conditionally essential amino acid category. Our bodies make it, but perhaps not enough for optimal health (choline is another example of a conditionally essential nutrient).

While an average 150 pound human synthesizes about 3 grams of glycine a day, and consumes roughly an additional 2 grams on a mixed diet, studies over the past 3 decades show that this is not enough for basic metabolic needs. According to a research calculation, we need about 10 additional grams of glycine per day to account for all our metabolic needs–including the synthesis of collagen (R). Since 1/3 of collagen is glycine, it may take 30 grams of collagen daily to meet total metabolic need.

Collagen plays many impressive roles in the body. Read on to discover some of these functions, as well as some tips for getting more collagen in your diet.
 

1. Collagen promotes youthful looking skin

The collagen you consume does not necessarily equate to more collagen in your body, since collagen is first broken down into its constituent amino acids upon digestion. However, increasing the pool of available glycine (and vitamin C, mentioned later in this article), may increase your body’s capacity to produce collagen. This may be of benefit to many organs in your body, but perhaps most enticingly, your skin.

Skin is made up of collagen. As we age our bodies produce less collagen fibrins which contribute to loose, sagging skin and wrinkles (R). Additionally, the modern diet is very high in sugar and carbohydrates. This fact may increase our requirements for collagen, as sugar damages collagen. (R)

Although many factors are attributed to how our skin ages, adding collagen into our diet may help promote that youthful buoyancy and glowing skin. In one small double-blind, placebo-controlled study, women aged 35-55 received 2.5 grams or 5 grams of collagen daily for 8 weeks. At the end of the 8 week trial, both groups displayed a significant improvement in skin elasticity, skin moisture, transepidermal water loss and skin roughness with significantly higher skin elasticity observed in only 4 weeks (R)!  

In another double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with women aged 45-65, subjects were administered 2.5 grams of collagen per day for 8 weeks. After only 4 weeks there was a statistically significant reduction in eye wrinkle volume, while after 8 weeks a statistically significant higher concentration of procollagen type I and elastin was detected. Excitingly, positive long lasting effects were observed 4 weeks after the trial (R). Collagen supplementation has also been shown to reduce skin cracks and improve serum collagen (R).

The literature really does speak for itself here. Healthy skin can be a marker of health and vitally, and, collagen very well may be a piece of that fountain of youth we so much desire.

2. It can improve joint health and prevent degradation

Collagen has been shown to significantly improve joint health. Whether you are suffering from joint pain as an athlete, feeling stiff or are suffering from a disease impacting the joints, collagen may be a key player in your treatment plan.

In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study conducted at Penn State University, varsity athletes were given 10 grams of type II collagen hydrolysate or a placebo liquid containing xanthan for 24 weeks. At the end of trial period, statistically significant improvements in joint pain at rest, observed by a doctor and self-reported joint pain when walking, joint pain at rest, joint pain when carrying objects and joint pain when lifting was observed (R).

In another randomized controlled trial, subjects diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis were given acetaminophen alone or in combination with 10mg of type II collagen a day for 3 months. At the end of the 3 month intervention, subjects taking the collagen showed significant improvements in joint pain, function and quality of life compared to the baseline levels while the pain relieving group showed only marginal improvements in joint pain and quality of life. The study revealed the group taking the type II collagen experienced a significant improvement in joint pain compared to the group taking only the pain relieving medications (R).

Type II collagen supplementation has also been shown to improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory autoimmune disease of synovial tissue. In one trial 4 of the participants even experienced complete remission of symptoms after 3 months (R).

3. It can improve digestion and reduce inflammation

The role collagen can play in your digestive health cannot be understated. Glycine, the most abundant amino acid in collagen, is a well-documented cytoprotective amino acid and has been shown to be anti-inflammatory, protect gastric mucosa and enhance enterocyte (intestinal lining cells) function (R). A healthy mucosal lining is essential for the production of gastric juices (including hydrochloric acid) and maintaining digestive enzyme balances.

Our intestines are composed of an epithelial lining of cells bound closely together called “tight junctions” that serve as a barrier to keep out invaders such as toxins, allergens and pathogens. The disruption of this gut barrier can be detrimental to your health and is strongly correlated with autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease and infectious colitis to name a few (R). Glycine is anti-inflammatory and has also been suggested as protective agent in the management of IBD (R).  

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) is a proinflammatory cytokine that regulates the function and structure of tight junctions. It has been shown that collagen consumption may protect against TNFα-induced dysfunction in tight junctions (R).

4. It can potentially increase your lifespan

It’s highly unlikely we have evolved eating only the muscle meat of animals, which is what is customary in cuisine today. While all properly-raised meat is nutritious when part of a plant-rich diet, we may be best suited by consuming a more balanced amino acid profile by including collagen, if animal research is any indication.

Muscle meat is high in methionine, an amino acid, which has been correlated with shortened lifespans. Glycine, the most abundant amino acid in collagen, is needed for liver metabolism of excess methionine via the enzyme glycine N-methyltransferase. By eating only muscle meat and skipping glycine-rich portions of the animal such as organ meats, we may be imposing a stress on our bodies that may affect our longevity.

In rats, dietary methionine restriction increased longevity by 30-40%, improved metabolic health, and inhibited tumor growth (R). Because of glycine’s utility in metabolizing excess methionine, researchers hypothesized that dietary glycine supplementation would produce biochemical and endocrine changes similar to the methionine restricted diet findings. What was found is nothing short of astonishing. Rats were fed a controlled diet of 0.43% methionine and 2.3% glycine while the experimental groups got either 4%, 8% or 12% glycine. The median lifespan in the groups fed an 8% and 12% glycine diet increased from 88 weeks to 113 weeks (R)! That’s a 22% increase in lifespan! In the 12% glycine fed group, reductions in mean fasting glucose, insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 and triglycerides were also observed (R).

In English, what these studies suggest is that a high degree of muscle meat consumption, in a low glycine environment, is not good for us. While human studies are limited, one observational study found that red meat consumption was strongly correlated to type 2 diabetes. However, after controlling for excessive iron, altered blood lipids (which could be the result of a high sugar diet), and low glycine, the correlation between high red meat intake and type 2 diabetes was largely negated (R).

5. It might increase muscle mass

On paper, collagen is not an ideal source of protein for muscle building because it contains a low concentration of the amino acid leucine, which is the most “anabolic” amino acid relevant to muscle growth. However, it may still provide some value since it does contain some leucine, along with lots of glycine which is essential for the endogenous synthesis of creatine, a natural performance-enhancing molecule.

In a randomized double blind, placebo controlled study, a group of elderly men participated in a 12 week resistance training program. After the 12 week period, it was found that the group supplementing with 15 grams of collagen per day showed statistically significant higher levels of fat-free mass, bone mass, isokinetic quadricep strength, and sensory motor control while exhibiting statistically significant lower levels of fat mass when compared to the placebo group (R).

It must be said that in the aforementioned study collagen was not tested against a complete protein source such as whey. It is unlikely that collagen would provide any benefit to muscle mass over simply increasing your protein consumption, but it’s good to know that collagen can nonetheless be beneficial from a body composition and strength standpoint.

6. It can improve mood, cognition and sleep

Glycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. In fact roughly half of the inhibitory synapses along the spinal cord utilize glycine while most of the other inhibitory synapses use GABA. Glycine as an inhibitory neurotransmitter can induce feelings of calmness reducing anxiety and boost mental clarity (R). Glycine ingestion has also been shown to improve sleep and improve daytime sleepiness and fatigue caused by sleep restriction (R) (R).

7. It can improve wound healing

Collagen originally earned its name (from the Greek word kólla meaning glue) when it was observed that gelatin, a glue-like substance, was derived after boiling animal hide (R). This stickiness is critical during wound healing, when we need increased collagen to essentially “glue” wounds back together. It has been shown that increasing collagen intake in patients recovering from pressure ulcers sped up healing time at nearly twice the rate compared to a control group (R). Collagen-based wound dressings have long been used to cover wounds and continue to be used as dressings for ulcers on patients to speed recovery time (R) (R).

Foods that support your body's synthesis of collagen

1. Eat all the bits and clean your bones!

If you’re eating meat don’t just eat the lean muscle. Like our skin, the skin of animals is rich in collagen. So don’t fret about the low fat “remove the skin” fad we’ve experienced the past couple decades; now you can eat the skin and reap the benefits. Other parts of animals that are high in collagen include; cartilage, shanks, necks, feet, cheeks, oxtails and ribs. Lastly, make sure you clean the bones! The meat on the bones closest to the joint is a fantastic source of collagen! To that end, check out my ultra-healthy recipe for Insanely Crispy Gluten-Free Buffalo Chicken Wings which are rich in collagen.

2. Eat gelatin

Often times we hear collagen and gelatin used interchangeably. Gelatin is hydrolyzed collagen usually made from bovine bones in a process that breaks the collagen bonds and leaves individual intact amino acids. This solution of amino acids forms a jelly-like substance (this is gelatin) and when ingested can be used as building blocks by your body to form new collagen. A benefit of using gelatin is that for most people it is easily digestible as the protein is already broken down into free form amino acids. Additionally, gelatin is quite easy to cook with and can be purchased as a powder. Gelatin makes a delicious addition to sauces and can even be turned into a homemade sugar-free Jello-like dessert! (R)

3. Drink bone broth

After you eat all the parts of the animal you can boil the bones to extract the collagen. This process is lengthy as you will want to slow cook the bones for about 24-48 hours (depending on the type of bones). What I do is place the bones in a crock pot, add water, some apple cider vinegar and slow cook the bones for 24 hours. You will notice when you remove the bones they will look quite brittle. When the broth cools to room temperature the broth should form a jelly-like substance which as described above is the hydrolyzed collagen forming gelatin. Bone broth is not new but its buzz is picking up steam as people learn the many benefits it elicits.

Note: Bones are a storage site in the body for many minerals and heavy metals–including ones like lead that we do not want to ingest. When making your own bone broth, make sure the bones are sourced from somewhere you know and trust with high quality animal feed standards (R).

4. Take a hydrolyzed collagen powder

If you’re not into eating copious amounts of skin, gelatin or boiling bones, you can purchase hydrolyzed collagen as a supplement. Hydrolyzed means the collagen protein has been broken down into single amino acids. It’s important to get a brand that states the source and isn’t simply mixing glycine, proline and hydroxyproline in some concoction. If you’re looking to improve skin, look for a product with a high percentage of type I collagen mixed with type III. If you want a collagen to promote joint health, look for one with type II collagen.

As of this writing, I use Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides which comes from pasture-raised cows. (Disclosure: I am a paid social media ambassador for Vital Proteins, but have used their product as a paying customer for years prior to the partnership.) It has very little flavor and so I mix it into coffee, smoothies, tea, or just an 8oz glass of water.

5. Increase your vitamin C intake

That’s right! Foods high in vitamin C can help in the formation of collagen. Hydroxyproline is an amino acid found in high concentration in collagen. Hydroxyproline is made by modifying proline amino acids after the collagen chain has already been built! This process depends on vitamin C as a cofactor for the reaction to occur. Vitamin C is so essential in this process that without it the construction of new collagen would not occur - this is ultimately the deficit causing the disease known as scurvy (R). Foods high in vitamin C include; oranges, kale, red peppers, brussel sprouts, broccoli, green peppers, strawberries and so many more! Think colorful fruits and vegetables.  Load up especially on the vegetables as vitamin C concentration is by no means the only benefits you’ll be reaping!

If I have not convinced you to add more collagen into your diet after this post, I don’t know what will! The science is compelling and I highly encourage you to experiment with getting more collagen protein. Let me know your favorite way to incorporate collagen into your diet in the comments below!

Written with contributor Katie Bigras

Humans have known about the benefits of meditation for millennia. It's believed that primitive hunter-gatherer societies discovered meditation while staring into the flames of campfires. Over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice, with Indian scriptures called “tantras” mentioning meditation techniques as early as 5000 years ago.

As old a practice as meditation is, science is now catching up, providing a better understanding as to why it imparts such a seemingly vast array of benefits.

Meditation > medication

There's no doubt that our bodies are complex, with a myriad of interconnected systems that communicate and work harmoniously together to ward off illness while maintaining homeostasis. Meditation seems to work on multiple pathways which leads to better health, both mental and physical. It has been shown to reduce specific markers of inflammation, boost cell-mediated immunity, and even slow biological aging (R).

Read on to learn more about how meditation can improve health, mental well-being the overall quality of your life!

DISCLAIMER: This post is meant to inform and educate—it is not a replacement for medical advice and should not be construed as such.

1. Meditation can improve anxiety, depression, and stress

It is now well-documented and widely-accepted the meditation helps relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression. In one meta analysis examining 209 studies and over 12,000 participants, meditation proved effective at treating anxiety and depression, and this improvement was sustained upon follow-ups (R). But how does it work?

Meditation induces a multitude of beneficial changes and reactions in the brain. In one study it was suggested that a single meditation session could increase GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter which promotes cortical inhibition. Essentially, this process dampens primal excitatory processes, improving cognitive abilities and emotional regulation (R).

Meditation has also been shown to significantly alter brain wave activity. Our normal waking consciousness is characterized by a predominance of beta wave activity, but alpha and theta waves are increased during meditation (R). Alpha waves are related to relaxation while theta waves can be observed during periods of REM sleep. It’s been shown that individuals suffering from depression actually have less alpha wave activity (R), and therefore may benefit from meditation.

Meditation practice has also shown the ability to re-shape the brain in a process known as neuroplasticity. In one study, meditation was correlated with decreased grey matter in right amygdala and left caudate, parts of our brains linked with negative emotions. This may aid in explaining why meditators experience reduced stress reactivity (R)!

2. It can grow your brain—and size matters

It was once believed that the adult brain was unable to grow new brain cells. Thankfully, we now know that this process, called neurogenesis, is not only possible in the adult brain (R), but can be encouraged with meditation practice.

Our brains are made up of grey matter and white matter. The grey matter contains cell bodies, dendrites and axon terminals of neurons. The white matter is composed of bundles of myelinated axons. The grey matter is made up of neurons that regulate muscle control and sensory perception; speech, hearing, emotions, decision making, self-control and memory. The white matter can be thought of as the power lines by which signals are transmitted across brain regions.

Grey matter atrophy is observed in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (R). In a recently released systematic review looking at the effects of meditation on grey matter volume in healthy individuals and those affected by neurodegeneration, all studies reviewed reported significant increases in grey matter volume. Although limited research exists on the mechanisms by which meditation affects neurodegeneration, meditation may be promising in offsetting grey matter atrophy (R).

As far as white matter is concerned (which is what is gradually destroyed in multiple sclerosis), in as little as 4 weeks, a mindfulness meditation practice significantly increased myelin (R). Next time you’re meditating, know that you’re literally growing your brain!

3. It can increase concentration and improve memory

Another type of brainwave we experience is the gamma brain wave. It was found that various types of meditation practices induced gamma wave activity (R). The gamma wave is at a much higher frequency (40-110 Hz) and while research surrounding gamma waves is still in it’s infancy, gamma waves have been associated with insightful thinking and heightened cognitive abilities.

In a neuroimaging study, meditators show activations in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex suggesting a stronger ability to process distracting events than non-meditators (R). In another brain imaging study looking at multiple variables between meditators and non-meditators, it was found that not only are brain patterns changed during meditation, but cognitive ability and focus; mind-wandering, meta-awareness, and directed attention are also affected (R).

Meditation also increases grey matter in the posterior cingulate cortex, the temporo-parietal junction, and the cerebellum. These regions of our brain are involved with learning and memory processes (R) so growing them may improve cognitive ability and enhance memory!

4. It might help fight cognitive decline

In a randomized control trial in patients with subjective cognitive impairment (which is essentially a memory complaint but not severe enough to be called dementia), 3 months of meditation or musical exposure improved attention, executive function, processing speed, subjective memory function, sleep, mood, stress, well-being and overall quality of life.

All of these benefits were sustained or further enhanced at 3 months post-intervention (R).

5. It can improve immune function and reduce inflammation

Inflammation is a complex defense system and while it is a necessary and useful acute defense system against pathogens and crucial in wound healing, chronic inflammation can lead to severe tissue damage.

In a recent study by Georgetown University Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry, researchers measured inflammatory proteins in a group of people, and then gave some of them a meditation routine. Those who practiced meditation showed big drops in two markers of inflammation, the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, on a follow-up test, while those not practicing meditation showed modest rises in the same markers (R). This overall decrease in immune activation is good for your entire body and brain (R).

On the other hand, meditation has been shown to actually strengthen our immune system. In HIV positive individuals, the population of immune cells called CD4+ T lymphocytes generally decline rapidly which ultimately causes AIDS. In a randomized control study, participants with HIV who practiced mindfulness meditation for 8 weeks saw their CD4+ T lymphocyte count remained unchanged. While I am not saying mediation should be used as an alternative treatment for immunodeficiency, data does suggest it is a valuable tool to buffer immune decline (R).

6. It might slow the rate at which you age

In a previous post, I discussed the importance of long telomeres, which are a proposed biomarker of aging. The longer your telomeres are, generally, the more youthful you are.

Inflammation can shorten telomeres, and shorter telomeres impair our ability to defend against the ravages of aging. This includes keeping you safe from chronic diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative conditions, as well as accelerated skin aging (R). Longer telomeres have also been associated with greater volume of the hippocampus, the vulnerable memory center of the brain (R).

I've already described two proteins that are associated with the inflammatory response, IL-6 and TNF-α, and I've covered how meditation can reduce circulating levels of these proteins. This is good news, as both are inversely associated with telomere length—by reducing their presence in your system, we may be increasing our telomere length (R, R). Meditation has also been shown to increase activity of the enzyme telomerase, which protects and lengthens telomeres (R).

7. It can help break bad habits

With all of the benefits that meditation imparts onto your executive function, which is involved in self-control, planning, and decision making, it should be no surprise that meditation can help you break bad, lingering habits. 

In one randomized control trial, prison inmates that engaged in transcendental meditation for 4 months had a 47% reduction in total trauma symptoms including anxiety, depression, dissociation, sleep disturbance, and perceived stress compared to controls that didn't meditate. Trauma is significantly correlated to rates of recidivism (returning to prison), and a prior study found that transcendental meditation reduced rates of recidivism anywhere between 33% and 47%.

What about a more common bad habit, like smoking? In a small but nonetheless interesting study, smokers who underwent meditation training experienced a decline in their tendency to smoke and showed increased activation in brain areas related to self control on fMRI scans. What's cool about this study is that smokers weren't told that their smoking was going to be monitored—they thought they were signing up for a study to look at the impact of meditation on stress reduction, and ended up naturally reducing their cigarette consumption by 60% (R).

Types of meditation

Though the styles of meditation used in research can vary, many of the studies mentioned above have used a technique coined "integrative body–mind training," or IBMT (R).

IBMT was developed in the 1990s as a technique adopted from traditional Chinese medicine and incorporates aspects of meditation and mindfulness training. It involves whole body relaxation and mental imagery and is accompanied by a music background for 20 to 30 minutes per day. Trainees are instructed to concentrate on achieving a balanced state of body and mind and are guided by a teacher. The method stresses no effort to control thoughts (more on this below), but instead a state of restful alertness that allows a high degree of awareness of body, mind, and external instructions.

Research generally finds IBMT to be more effective than "relaxation training." Relaxation training involves the sequential relaxing of different muscle groups over the face, head, shoulders, arms, legs, chest, back, and abdomen, guided by a teacher with background music.

How to get started

1. Try an online meditation course

Truth be told, meditating is not something that comes naturally to most people. I am one of those people—I needed to be taught. While in-person training is the most traditional way of learning the technique of effective meditation, online courses have sprung up which can offer similar educations. One that I have vetted personally is zivaONLINE taught by Emily Fletcher, who is my meditation teacher.

zivaONLINE is a 15-day online meditation training program that will give you a sustainable meditation practice that you’ll want to commit to—complete with a private, online community for support.

2. Go easy

When you start meditating you will likely not think you are doing it correctly. Start with a few minutes a day and work your way up. Try to focus on your breath. If thoughts do come through—which they will—simply acknowledge them and let them pass like clouds. "The thoughts you like are the invited guests. The thoughts you don't like are uninvited. Either way, your job is to be the host not the bouncer. Best to gently move toward the technique, not away from the thoughts," says meditation teacher Emily Fletcher. When you catch yourself straying from your breath, gently bring yourself back to it. Meditating is called “a practice” for a reason—it takes practice!

3. Experiment with different techniques

There are plenty of ways to meditate and many resources to help guide you to the mediation practice right for you. I was trained in ziva, but some other popular practices include transcendental meditation, mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation and even movement meditation. So practice various practices to decide what practice you wish to practice!

4. Commit to your practice

It’s easy enough to know the benefits of meditation but adopting and committing to the practice can be a lot more challenging. When starting out, approach meditation the way you would a workout. Commit a certain amount of time each day, or several times a week when you can get into that meditative zone. Remember: Meditation isn't urgent, but it is important. So schedule your sits just like an appointment with your doctor or a workout.

Do you have a practice? Let me know in the comments below what your personal experience with meditation has been or which practices you think may be most useful!

Written with contributor Katie Bigras

Ice-bathing, cold showers, and cryotherapy all impose a form of stress on the body called hormesis which forces an adaptive response by cells throughout the body (R). This stress response is in many ways beneficial, ultimately activating gene pathways involved in rejuvenation. (In a previous post, I’ve covered some of the beneficial effects of sauna use, which works in a similar way, albeit at the other end of the temperature spectrum.)

Read on to discover the many ways cold showers can increase brain function, reduce pain, enhance your immunity, reduce recovery time and even help you lose weight!

DISCLAIMER: While intermittent cold showers and brief periods of cold-water immersion might be safe (and beneficial) for the general population, if you are on any medications or have any medical condition, make sure your doctor approves your use of cold water hydrotherapy. This post is meant to inform and educate—it is not a replacement for medical advice and should not be construed as such.

1. Cold showers may be a potential treatment for depression.

Cold water showers have the potential to impact your mental health. One hypothesis is that primates have experienced physiological stressors including brief changes in temperature for millions of years and today, our lack of such “thermal exercise” may be to the detriment of our brain function. (R)

Cold water therapy has been shown to increase synaptic release of norepinephrine and raise blood levels of beta-endorphin and norepinephrine (R). Endorphins are our happy little hormones associated with a sense of well-being while norepinephrine plays a role in many cognitive processes that are important to maintaining social relationships. Social dysfunction is possibly one of the most important factors affecting the quality of life in depressed patients. (R)

Some interesting research has been done on the mood-enhancing effects of cryotherapy in patients with mood and anxiety disorders. In a controlled trial, 3 weeks of cryotherapy (cold exposure) caused 34.6% of people with mood/anxiety disorders to experience a decrease of at least 50% of depressive symptoms on a depression scale compared to 2.9% of a control group. 46.2% of the cryo group also experienced a decrease in anxiety symptoms of at least 50% on an anxiety scale compared to zero in the control group. (R) (While not directly comparable to cold showers, I'm inclined to believe that cold showers confer at least some of the benefits of cryo. For the record, I've experimented with cryotherapy, cold showers, and cold water immersion, and have felt very similar effects on my mood from all three.)

The best part? There are no known long term side effects or withdrawal symptoms if you choose to include cold water therapy as one of your tools to combat depression or simply enhance your mood.

2. They can reduce inflammatory pain.

If you suffer from joint aches and pains or sore muscles, cold water therapy should be at the top of your list for pain relief.

The skin has an extremely high density of cold receptors that when stimulated, fire electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings in our brain causing an analgesic, or pain-relieving, effect (R).

In one Finnish study, subjects suffering from inflammatory arthritis were subjected to cold mist showers twice daily for 2 minutes over the duration of 5 days. At the end of the trial period subjects reported a significant decrease in inflammatory arthritic pain (R). Cold water therapy has also been shown to relieve musculoskeletal pain, including knee and lower back pain (R) as well as relieving painful symptoms associated with fibromyalgia (R).

3. They can help you burn fat... with fat!

Humans have brown adipose tissue (brown fat) and white adipose tissue (white fat). Brown adipose tissue is thermogenic, meaning it produces heat. And, the more you have, the more heat you can produce. Brown adipose cells have many mitochondria which are the powerhouses of energy production in our bodies. Exposure to cold temperatures increases serum triglyceride uptake by our brown adipose tissue to be used as energy, meaning you’re literally burning fat (R)! When the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated as it is with cold water therapy, the brown adipose tissue dissipates the energy made as heat throughout your body (R).  

Research has shown that cold acclimatization can significantly increase brown adipose tissue (R). Brown fat not only fights obesity, it slows the aging process, reduces the risk of degenerative disease and has an increased ability to uptake glucose with cold water stimulation (R).

4. They can increase circulation.

Taking the plunge into cold showers improves circulation. Naturally when we are exposed to cooler temperatures, our body’s blood vessels contract, known as vasoconstriction. This increases blood pressure and circulation. Warmer temperatures allow for vasodilation, the dilation of our blood vessels leading to a drop in blood pressure. This alternating hot and cold temperature allows the body to drive oxygen rich blood into areas that may not have as much blood supply when we are constantly “comfortable” (R). This method of improving blood circulation may have a tonic effect on blood vessel walls, strengthening them over time.

The benefits reaped in the circulation department aren’t simply unique to the cardiovascular system either. Our lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump and relies on muscular contractions and movement for flow to occur. Our lymphatic system is our immune powerhouse, carrying away waste and killing foreign invaders. The whole body contractions experienced during cold showers increases lymphatic flow.

5. They can improve memory function.

Studies have shown that cold water therapy can also improve memory. This is due in part to the robust increase in the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which plays a key role in executive functioning regulating cognition, motivation, and intellect. The battery of positive “nootropic” effects (R) doesn’t end there: Cold water exposure can cause a significant decrease in tension and fatigue, and you are already aware of its potential to elevate mood. The ability of cold water to reduce stress may be a key mechanism by which it can improved memory. 

Finally, cold water's positive effects on circulation can also help memory as this occurs not only below the neck but in the brain as well. (R)

6. They can shorten exercise recovery time.

Delayed onset muscle soreness is something many of us experience days after a workout. Leg day is the worst, when 24-48 hours later, the simple act of sitting makes you cringe. When we work our muscles, we create micro tears which are then repaired allowing for muscle growth. This process may cause inflammation contributing to sore muscles and a painful recovery. Because of the anti-inflammatory effect of cold water therapy in part due to vasoconstriction, it has been shown that cold showers can actually speed up this healing process (R). So next time you start feeling the pain, hop in a cold shower so you can do it all over again sooner!

7. They can stimulate and strengthen your immune system.

Cold stress exposure can boost your immune system. Not only will cold showers increase endogenous antioxidant production (R) but the number and activity of immune cells have also been shown to proliferate (R). Peripheral cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells shown to increase play a major role in adaptive and innate tumor immunity. Plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-2 and IL-6 have also been shown to be mildly increased with cold stress over the period of 5 days to 6 weeks (R). It is suggested that this increase in proinflammatory cytokines and interplay with hormones is what leads to the body’s adaptive response to restore immune homeostasis (R).

In one study involving hundreds of participants, cold shower treatments significantly decreased sick days over a 90 day period by 29% (R)!

So what does all this mean? Don’t stay warm to avoid catching a cold.

Tips to get started

1. Work your way down.

Many studies show benefits attributed to cold water showers with as little as 2 minute exposure times. If you’re wary about turning the knob too far right at first, you can allow your body time to adapt by starting off as you normally would and finishing the last 2 minutes of your shower cold.

2. Or, jump right in!

Slowly easing into cold showers may be necessary for some, but jumping in may be right for you. Cold shock is attributed with an involuntary increased heartbeat and rapid breathing, but is coupled with its own benefits. This cold shock phenomenon has been shown to decrease the habituation period and the colder the better. Jumping in at 50°F has been shown to improve adaptation more so than dipping your toes in at 59°F (R).

3. Increase time intervals while decreasing temperature.

As your body adapts to cold showers, begin to increase exposure time and decrease temperature. If you start off with 2 minutes at the end of the shower, gradually increase it to 3, then 4 and so on until you can handle the cooler temperatures for the entirety of your shower. As your increase duration, decrease temperature. If you start off at 60°F, gradually work your way down, targeting 50°F.

4. Measure your temperature.

The ultimate goal would be to get your water temperature down to about 50°F, or 10°C. An easy way to know how cold your shower is would be to simply get a plastic cup and a thermometer. At the peak of coolness, grab a water sample with your cup, drop in the thermometer and voila!

Thanks for reading! Is this something you think you might add to your healthy lifestyle bag of tricks? Let me know in the comments below your experiences with cold showers!

Written with contributor Katie Bigras

I recently took the TeloYears test to measure an approximation of my cellular age and wanted to share my results with you. How does TeloYears determine this? By measuring the length of genetic structures called telomeres.

What are telomeres?

Telomere research is at the forefront of the scientific and biohacking community as one of the few proposed biomarkers (or, measurements) for longevity and health. They are often described as the shoelace caps at the ends of your chromosomes that guard your DNA from damage (a key driver of aging). In reality, these shoelace caps are simply a repeating sequence of genes that tends to be longer when we're younger, and grow shorter with age.

The longer your telomeres are, generally, the more youthful you are and the greater protection you will have against the ravages of aging. This includes keeping you safe from chronic diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative conditions, as well as accelerated skin aging. (R) Longer telomeres have also been associated with greater volume of the hippocampus, the vulnerable memory center of the brain. (R)

With all that is at risk, why aren’t we monitoring our telomeres as closely as we monitor blood pressure and blood sugar—especially since a growing body of research suggests that we can have a positive impact on our telomere length? This is why I took the TeloYears test. But before I share my results, here are the top 4 ways you can increase your telomere length.

1. Reduce and control stress

Is your life stressful? Constant connectivity, social media, and productivity expectations increasing your heart rate and providing more than a little anxiety? You are not alone. The American Psychological Association reports that between August 2016 and January 2017, the overall average reported stress level of Americans rose from 4.8 to 5.1, on a scale where 1 means little or no stress and 10 means a great deal of stress. This represents the first significant increase in the 10 years since the APA began the survey. (R)

There are multiple studies that directly correlate chronic stress to the shortening of telomeres. (R) The good news is this type of stress is something you can control.

Meditation

Mindfulness and mediation is an inexpensive and powerful way to manage and thereby reduce stress on a daily basis. In a recent study by Georgetown University Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry, researchers kept track of participants’ stress responses by monitoring levels of the stress hormone ACTH and the inflammatory proteins IL-6 and TNF-α. Those who practiced meditation and mindfulness showed big drops in these markers on the second test, while those not practicing meditation showed modest rises in the same markers. Both IL-6 and TNF-α are positively associated with shorter telomeres. (R, R)

Meditation has also been shown to increase activity of the enzyme telomerase, which protects and lengthens telomeres. (R)

2. Get some sun (or consider a vitamin D supplement)

Vitamin D status has been associated with longer telomeres. In one compelling twin study, sisters with higher levels of vitamin D had longer telomeres, correlating with 5 years of reduced cellular aging, even though both sisters were obviously the same chronological age. (R)

Vitamin D is created in our bodies via our skins exposure to the UVB rays of the sun, but despite how easy this seems, the majority of the population is vitamin D deficient. The exposure you need to achieve healthy levels varies from person to person. People with darker skin tones, those who are overweight, live in northern latitudes, and older people are at the highest risk for deficiency.

If you can't seem to work adequate sun exposure into your routine, fear not—vitamin D3 supplement users were also found to have longer telomeres than nonusers in the same study mentioned above. (R)

3. Improve your cardiorespiratory fitness

Exercise not only helps you maintain a healthy weight, it also keeps your cells young. In one 2009 study by German scientists, the length of middle-aged runners' telomeres were compared to sedentary, age-matched controls. The runners' telomeres were, on average, about 75% longer. (R) They were actually close, lengthwise, to those of runners in their 20s, reduced by only about 10%! The researchers noted that exercise was associated with a marked increase in telomerase activity: It was 2.5 times more active in young athletes, and 1.8 times more active in middle-aged athletes.

In a separate study, VO2 Max, which is a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness, was strongly correlated with telomere length: Better fitness, longer telomeres. (R) But what is the most efficient way of boosting VO2 Max? When young men did high-intensity interval training (3x20-second ‘all-out’ cycling with each cycle followed by 2 minutes of low intensity cycling) for a mere 10 minutes, 3x/week, they boosted their VO2 Max by about 20%. This improvement was on par with that seen in exercisers who cycled at a more moderate pace, for 45 steady minutes, 3x/week.

The takeaway: Boosting VO2 Max needn't necessarily come in the form of long runs. This news is welcome, since it has also been observed that excessive exercise (such as half marathon running) can lead to transient increases in single strand DNA breaks in peripheral blood cells. (R) As important as exercise for longevity, choosing the right types of exercise, and of course recovery, may be just as important.

4. Diet Is Key

As you already know, the importance of diet is a cornerstone of my philosophy for optimal brain health and performance. Diet may also play a key role in improving your telomeres. While diet/telomere research is in its infancy, here are some basic diet recommendations linked in studies to longer telomere length.

• Consume a diet that minimizes inflammation. While there isn't one-size fits all diet for everyone, I recommend a diet that is rich in nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich foods (R), such as dark leafy greens, nuts, eggs, fatty fish, low sugar fruits, and properly-raised sources of meat (organic, grass-fed, etc.), low or free of grains, and especially free of added sugars, refined carbohydrates, and fruit juices. (R)

• Avoid processed meat. An inverse association has been made between processed meat consumption and telomere length. (R) Studies like this can not prove causality, but in general, low quality meat products (which include processed meats) are not a good choice for health and may promote inflammation.

• Eat more nuts and seeds. Consumption of nuts and seeds accounts for meaningful decreases in cellular aging. Nut and seed intake was positively and linearly associated with telomere length such that adults of the same age had more than 1.5 years of reduced cell aging if they consumed 5% of their total energy from nuts and seeds. (R)

• Take a multi-vitamin. Nutrient deficiencies can lead to premature telomere shortening. A good multivitamin (such as Pure Encapsulations' ONE)—while not a replacement for a nutrient-dense diet—can ensure that many of your boxes are checked, and one study found that multivitamin use was associated with longer telomeres (multivitamin users are also more likely to live a healthy lifestyle). (R)

My TeloYears results

I sent my blood sample in to TeloYears one week before my 35th birthday. According to my results, I have telomeres that look more similar to a 27 year old than a 35 year old. My telomeres are longer than 95% of other males my age. 

While I am very pleased with this result (as it confirms my belief that I am currently eating a near-optimal diet with near-optimal lifestyle practices), I'd like to maintain my youthful cellular age for as long as possible, or even reduce it. I plan on keeping tabs on this, and re-checking annually. 

If you are interested in taking the test, click here and be sure to tell me your results in the comments below or on Facebook!

I had the pleasure recently to be interviewed by Liana Werner-Gray, best-selling author of The Earth Diet, on Hay House Radio. Hay House is a popular publishing company and Hay House Radio is their widely listened-to streaming radio platform.

In this 55-minute interview, we cover:

• How I came to be referred to by some as a "brain health expert"
• Why I am so interested in nutrition and the brain
• 5 of my current favorite brain health-boosting foods and why
• The best way to cook eggs for most positive health impact
• How proper nutrition can help your mood and even treat major depression
• Where does caffeine fit within a brain healthy diet?
• The best way to drink coffee to minimize "adrenal fatigue"

Enjoy!

Broccoli sprouts are among the world's healthiest foods, but few people realize this. They are the top known source of sulforaphane, one of the cancer-fighting compounds in adult broccoli. Broccoli sprouts contain anywhere between 20-100 times the sulforaphane-producing compounds as broccoli.

But sulforaphane isn't just a powerful cancer fighter. It may as well be described as a panacea, able to aid in everything from neuroplasticity to weight loss.

What is sulforaphane?

Certain raw cruciferous vegetables contain two important compounds that combine to create sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate. One of them is the glucosinolate glucoraphanin and the other is an enzyme called myrosinase. 

Sulforaphane is created in your mouth when these vegetables are chewed raw. This is because the 2 compounds in question normally reside in separate compartments, but damage to the cell structure unites them.

Sulforaphane actually serves as an insect "antifeedant"—it is toxic to bugs who try to chew the plant. This mild toxicity in humans acts as a hormetic stressor, which, like exercise, compels our bodies to respond in a very positive way.

What will sulforaphane do for me?

Sulforaphane is not a vitamin or essential nutrient. (If we're speaking strictly in terms of micronutrient content, adult broccoli is more nutritious than broccoli sprouts.) Instead, sulforaphane is a powerful genetic modulator known for its potent activation of an antioxidant pathway called NRF2. NRF2 is the body's master switch that when activated, turns on the machinery to create powerful chemicals that mop up oxidative stress. In fact, sulforaphane is the most potent known activator of this pathway.

Among the many activities sulforaphane is currently being studied for, I've gathered a sampling of research that may compel you to add sulforaphane-producing foods to your diet (of which broccoli sprouts are the top contributor). Sulforaphane may:

1. Kills cancer cells and protect healthy cells. (R)
2. Prevent obesity. Mice fed sulforaphane along with an obesity-promoting diet gained 15% less weight and had 20% less visceral fat deposits compared to mice that weren't fed sulforaphane with their diets. (R)
3. Improve symptoms of autism in people. (R)
4. Protect against harmful gut bacteria and reduce gut inflammation. (R)
5. Improve liver function. (R)
6. Aide in the detoxification of air pollutants. (R)
7. Prevent autoimmunity. (R)
8. Promote hair growth by degrading DHT, which is responsible for male-pattern baldness. (R)
9. Protect against UV-induced skin damage. (R)
10. Reduce inflammation in the brain. (R)

I plan on doing a post going deep into the benefits of sulforaphane, but in the meantime the website SelfHacked provides a great list (with citations) of the many known benefits of sulforaphane.

Why can't I just eat broccoli?

Well, you can, and you should, continue to eat broccoli which contains many micronutrients not contained in broccoli sprouts. However, young, 3-day old sprouts contain 20-100 times the sulforaphane-creating compounds as adult broccoli (R).

In other words, 1 pound of sprouts equals 100 pounds of broccoli in terms of sulforaphane-producing capacity.

Talk about bang for the buck!

What you'll need to sprout your own seeds:

1. A wide-mouth mason jar. It's usually easy and cheap to buy single jars from hardware or gardening stores or your local Whole Foods.
2. A sprouting lid or a small piece of mesh to act as a strainer. I use this lid, which fits wide-mouth mason jars. When I first began, I used a simple coffee filter but using a straining lid is far easier to manage.
3. Broccoli seeds. I like Todd's seeds because of their high germination rate.
4. Tap water

Activate your seeds:

1. Put two tablespoons of seeds in a jar and fill so that the seeds are submerged in water. Depending on the size of your jar you may be able to increase the amount of seeds.
2. Cover the jar with your sprouting lid. 
3. Set in a dark cabinet and leave overnight (12 hours should suffice).

Sprout your seeds:

1. Drain the soaking water and fill with fresh, cool water.
2. Gently swirl the seeds to ensure all are rinsed.
3. Drain. You will do this twice a day for 3 days. Morning and night is fine. Note that the seeds/sprouts should always be wet but never sitting in a pool of water.
4. After 3-4 days, eat!

Root hairs: After a day or two, you may notice little hairs sprouting from the roots (they may appear slightly fuzzy). This is not mold—they are simply little root hairs reaching for more water. A quick rinse should suffice to make them happy!

Optional: You can green your sprouts. After yellow leaves begin to appear, your sprouts can be taken out of the darkness and into the light. Leaving the jar on a windowsill with exposure to ambient sunlight is fine. This will cause chlorophyll to develop, and after a day your yellow leaves will turn green (see below)!

Remember: Glucoraphanin content declines after sprouting (by day 3), reaching the level of adult broccoli by 15 days (R). If you're only interested in sulforaphane, once the leaves emerge (as pictured above, in either image), the sprouts are good to eat!

When and how to eat

Once your sprouts are ready, I like to eat them straight out of the jar (they have a strong but not unpleasant radish taste) or put them on salads. No matter how you chose to eat them, they should be consumed raw as heat deactivates the enzyme myrosinase. Excess broccoli sprouts can be stored in the fridge until you're ready to eat them!

Have you tried this? What do you think of the results? And how has your health changed since consuming more broccoli sprouts? Let me know in the comments below!

Nootropics are all the rage today, with supplement manufacturers touting products that can dramatically improve cognitive domains such as attention, focus, working memory, and even brain health.

As someone with a personal and professional interest in optimizing cognitive health and function via whichever means necessary, I am often asked my opinion on nootropics, and which ones I like to use, if any. My response is often disappointing to those looking for a pill-based solution, because... wait for it... food is by far the most powerful nootropic that I know of.

While I do not currently use or endorse any supplement for the sole purpose of boosting memory function, I spend a lot of time combing the research to uncover whole foods or whole food extracts that may support cognition. 

So, without further adieu, are 10 of my favorite cognition-boosting foods.

1. Eggs

Eggs are the top known source of choline, which is critical for proper signaling at your neuronal membranes. It is also the precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. (R)

Acetylcholine is important for learning and memory, as well as deep sleep. Some of the drugs approved to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, a fatal memory disorder, work by boosting levels of acetylcholine in the brain.

While the body is able to produce small amounts of choline, we don't produce enough for good health and therefore must get it from our food (choline was actually once considered a vitamin!). Sadly, 90% of people consume inadequate amounts of choline. (R)

The current Institute of Medicine adequate intake for choline is:

425 mg/day for women (450 mg/day for pregnant women, 550 mg/day for lactating women)

550 mg/day for men

One egg contains 125 mg of choline in its yolk. Other great sources include liver, seafood, and shellfish.

In one study of 2500 men across 22 years, frequent egg consumption was associated with better results in certain tests measuring cognitive performance. (R)

2. Dark leafy greens

Dark leafy greens like kale and spinach are a top source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids which have been the focus of numerous recent studies.

In volunteers, supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin led to faster processing speed. (R) This effect was significant "even when testing young, healthy individuals who tend to be at peak efficiency," wrote study authors.

In another study, human subjects with higher levels of lutein and zeaxanthin did better on a test of working memory, while their brains seemed to be working more efficiently when observed under fMRI. (R)

Finally, lutein (found in egg yolks, spinach and kale) was associated with greater crystalized intelligence—the ability to use learned knowledge and experience—in older adults. (R)

3. Dark chocolate

A robust link has been observed between dark chocolate consumption and cognitive function, owed in part to the flavanols (a type of polyphenol) found in the cocoa bean. This benefit to memory may be partly explained by cocoa's ability to increase blood flow to the brain, (R) as well as by enhancing functioning of the dentate gyrus, a region of the brain's memory center where neurogenesis (the growth of new brain cells) is known to occur.

In a study of nearly 1000 people of all ages, habitual chocolate consumption was significantly associated with stronger cognitive function “irrespective of other dietary habits”. More frequent chocolate consumption was “significantly associated with better performance on [cognitive tests including] visual-spatial memory and organisation, working memory, scanning and tracking, abstract reasoning, and the mini-mental state examination”. (R)

I try to consume at least one 85% chocolate bar every week (click here to see my article on how to ensure that the chocolate you are purchasing is of high quality).

4. Coffee

Evidence suggests that coffee consumption plays a protective role in risk for multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, and may even prevent early mortality (R).

Coffee is the most common source of caffeine in the diet, which has been shown to enhance cognitive performance in part by blocking the activity of adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. This neurotransmitter can reduce mental stamina and make one feel drowsy.

Recent research has found that caffeine might also block gene pathways involved in systemic inflammation. (R) Higher levels of this type of inflammation has been associated with reduced cognitive performance.

Excessive caffeine consumption on the other hand can create the sensation of being "wired and tired"—this is known informally as "adrenal burnout." Therefore, a "sweet spot" for cognitive enhancement may be 1 to 2 cups per day.

One method to optimize caffeine consumption is to cycle off by drinking only decaf for a week, which could theoretically help sensitize you to caffeine's biochemical effects. The smell and flavor of decaf coffee may still provide a boost, thanks in part to the power of classical conditioning.

Finally, always drink your coffee before 2pm (some may be able to consume it later) so as not to interfere with sleep.

Curious what a neurologist thinks about coffee? Watch my interview with David Perlmutter, MD.

5. Green tea

Green tea is a favorite of many "biohacks." While it contains small amounts of caffeine, it is more notably known for its catechin and L-theanine content. Theanine is a powerful cognitive booster shown to promote relaxation without sedation, while catechins are flavanols (similar to those in chocolate) which seem to favorably promote brain function.

In one small study, green tea consumption appeared to increase connectivity between frontal and parietal brain regions during working memory processing. (R) This is compelling because activity in the frontal region of the brain is correlated to executive function, while the parietal region handles sensory input. The researchers found that green tea consumption enhanced performance on a test of working memory.

6. Extra-virgin olive oil

In a large, randomized control trial, people who added an additional liter of extra-virgin olive oil per week to diets that resembled a healthy "Mediterranean-style" diet (typically defined as being high in vegetables, fish, and legumes, and low in sugar, refined carbs, and processed oils) showed improved cognitive function over 6 years compared to placebo. (R)

In a mouse model of accelerating aging and neurodegeneration, extra-virgin olive oil corrected learning deficits (compared to butter) and enhanced memory, and reduced oxidative stress in the brain in part by boosting levels of glutathione, the body's most potent endogenous antioxidant. (R)

7. Broccoli sprouts

Many plant compounds (including coffee) activate the body's NRF2 pathway, a powerful master-modulator of inflammation. When activated, this pathway increases production of powerful endogenous antioxidants. Think of it as a genetic "app" whose job it is to mop up free radicals and quench oxidative stress.

While many NRF2 activators have limited bioavailability—meaning they are generally difficult for the body to absorb or use—one compound has emerged as a top NRF2 activator in part because of its high bioavailability: Sulforaphane. (R)

While many cruciferous vegetables release sulforaphane when chewed raw (broccoli and kale, to name a few), broccoli sprouts release the most. In fact, when chewed, broccoli sprouts release 10-100x more sulforaphane than adult broccoli. (R)

Research has shown that sulforaphane has been effective in alleviating symptoms of depression and autism (R). Insofar as neuroinflammation can negatively affect working memory and executive function, it's likely that sulforaphane is a powerful nootropic as well. 

I have detailed an easy method of inexpensively growing your own broccoli sprouts at home—just click here to read it.

8. Blueberries

Blueberries are rich in a class of compounds called anthocyanins which have been shown to protect the brain against aging (equating to up to 2.5 years for the highest level of berry consumption) in human observational studies. (R)

Animal studies are just as compelling. Aging rats that consumed diets supplemented with blueberries improved both their learning capacity and motor skills, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats. (R)

9. Turmeric

Turmeric is another powerful activator of the NRF2 pathway. In research on humans with prediabetes, turmeric was shown to enhance working memory (R). Other studies have shown a positive effect of turmeric on symptoms of depression.

I like to include whole turmeric in my cooking, and ensure that whenever I'm using it, I am cooking with fat and black pepper—two ingredients which enhance the absorption of turmeric and its constituent compounds.

10. Fatty fish

Many studies have shown a link between fish consumption, brain health, and better memory function. Fatty fish (such as wild salmon or sardines) are rich in omega-3 fats, which can assist in optimal brain function. There are two types of omega-3 fats found in the fat of fish: DHA, which is essential for healthy neuronal membranes, and EPA, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory.

EPA in particular is useful for fighting inflammation, which is increasingly implicated as an underlying mechanism of depression. When people were injected with inflammation-promoting chemicals, they experienced a reduction in cognitive function and mood. They also felt the sensation of anhedonia—a reduced ability to experience pleasure. However, in another study, when people were given a supplement containing EPA at the same time as such inflammation-instigating chemicals, these effects were significantly reduced. (R)

Another fishy compound found in crustaceans as well as wild salmon is astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is a powerful carotenoid (pigment) antioxidant that has been shown to enhance cognitive function while protecting neuronal cell membranes from oxidative stress. It can also promote neurogenesis. 

11. Water

Even mild dehydration (at levels common during daily living) can negatively affect cognitive function, altering a person's mood, energy levels and processing speed. (R) Drink up, pee clear!

Remember: Do not waste your money on supplements without looking to your diet (and exercise and sleep habits) first! Often, it's the "low hanging fruits" that provide the biggest impact.

Do you have a favorite memory-boosting food? Let me know in the comments below!

It's been known for some time that poor diet is associated with increased risk for depression (R), but the direction of causality has been uncertain. Of course, when we're depressed we tend to reach for lower quality comfort foods, but can reaching for lower quality comfort foods more often cause us to become depressed? And if we're depressed, can improving our diets improve our symptoms? These questions have remained largely unknown from a scientific standpoint. Until now. 

Led by Dr. Felice Jacka, the director of Deakin University's Food and Mood Center in Australia, this new trial was the first randomized control trial that explicitly sought to answer the question: If I improve my diet, will my mental health improve?

The SMILES trial

My 1-hour long interview with Dr. Felice Jacka, the lead researcher of the SMILES trial

The trial, dubbed SMILES (for Supporting the Modification of lifestyle In Lowered Emotional States), involved 67 men and women who were taking antidepressants and/or were in regular psychotherapy. All of the subjects had pretty unhealthy diets at the start, with low intakes of fruits and vegetables, little daily dietary fiber, and lots of sweets, processed meats, and salty snacks.

Half of the subjects were placed on the intervention diet, which was a modified Mediterranean diet (researchers called it the “ModiMed” diet—details on this in a moment) and attended regular sessions with a dietician.

The other half continued eating their usual diets, but were required to attend social support “befriending” sessions.

Before and after the 3-month study, everyone’s depression symptoms were graded. The test the research group chose to focus on was the MADRS scale (Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale), which rates mood on a scale of 0 to 60. The higher the score, the more depressed the individual, with 60 being the most severely depressed. (The average score of study participants was 25.) 

After 3 months, people in the ModiMed diet group saw their MADRS scores improve on average by about 11 points. Thirty-two percent had MADRS scores so low that they no longer met criteria for depression! Meanwhile, people in the social support group with no dietary modification improved by only about 4 points, and only 8% achieved remission. (R)

The diet

For the ModiMedi diet, calories were not limited, as the diet did not have weight loss as a focus. The breakdown of macronutrients was as follows (R):

• Protein: 18% of total calories (ie, 90 grams of protein in a 2000 calorie-day)
• Fat: 40% of total calories (89 grams of fat in a 2000 calorie-day)
• Carbohydrates: 37% of total calories (185 grams of carbs in a 2000 calorie-day)
• Alcohol: 2% of total calories
• Fiber/other: 3% of total calories (15 grams of fiber in a 2000 calorie-day)

Encouraged foods: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, low-fat/unsweetened dairy, raw unsalted nuts, lean red meat (note: most red meat in Australia—where the trial was performed—comes from grass-fed cows), chicken, fish, eggs, and olive oil

Discouraged foods: sweets, refined cereals, fried food, fast food, processed meat.

Beverages: maximum two sugar-sweetened beverages per week and maximum two alcoholic drinks per day, preferably red wine

This diet was a vast improvement over the subjects' previous diets. As a side note, I theorize that fewer grains (less carbs) and more fibrous vegetables (to increase fiber intake a bit) would help it to perform even better. 

$urprise—it cost less!

The number one excuse people give for not buying healthy food is that it’s expensive. However, a bonus finding of the trial was that the ModiMedi diet was actually less expensive—by about 19%!—than the unhealthy diets subjects were eating prior to the intervention. Cha-ching!

Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts on this, or if you have any questions and I'll try to get to them!

I love to travel. It not only keeps life interesting and satisfies my inner wonder junkie, but also helps me to see a new side of a person I thought I’d known pretty well: myself. Under normal circumstances, we can predict how we might react to an unwieldy line at our usual coffee shop, or how we might feel stuck in traffic on our regular route to the gym. This is because familiar settings inspire familiar thoughts. Thrust into a completely novel environment, it’s hard to say how any of us might react to otherwise unremarkable stimuli. It’s as author Alain de Botton says: “Journeys are the midwives of thought.” This is true literally as well as figuratively. Thought itself is the observable outcome of the invisible communication of billions of neurons in your brain, and novel experiences (such as what we might expect from a trip) increase the number of connections that these brain cells form with one another. (R)

As great as travel is for the mind, however, it can take a physical toll on one’s body. Sitting for many hours in transit is incongruous with our biological yearning to move. Crossing time zone throws off our bodies’ circadian rhythms. Recent research has shed light on these internal clocks, linking them to everything from weight gain to cancer risk. (R) Eating on the road presents its own set of health problems: The packaged foods rich in easily digestible carbohydrates, processed oils and industrial additives make us feel crummy all around.

How can we solve the cognitive consequences of jet lag? Our brains sit in a dark cavity, with our eyes their only window to the outside world. The light we see is therefore a major modulator of many of these effects. When I arrive at a destination, if the sun is still out, I step outside and look at the sky without sunglasses—not directly at the sun, but towards the sky, which even on a cloudy day is brighter than any indoor lighting could ever be. The following day, I step outside as soon as I wake up and do the same thing. The bright light helps to anchor the body’s entire 24-hour cycle.

Taking melatonin (three to five milligrams) 30 minutes before sleep has also been shown to significantly improve jet lag. (R) Melatonin is the hormone secreted by your pineal gland that tells your brain when it’s time to wind down. This naturally produced hormone is easily suppressed by bright light, however, so I try to minimize my exposure to glaring screens for at least an hour before bed (or don a pair of blue-blocking glasses which can help minimize light-induced melatonin suppression). Ensure your hotel is as dark as possible—even dim light while sleeping has been found to negatively affect cognitive function. (R) You may also consider traveling with a sleep mask to use at night, such as the Alaska Bear Sleep Mask or Sleep Master Sleep Mask.

The body prefers cooler temperatures to sleep, and in fact, your body temperature itself will drop during sleep. Aside from lowering the air conditioner in a hotel room, I find that taking a warm bath or shower and stepping out into the cooler room tricks the body into a sleepier state.

A shower can help anchor the body’s circadian clock in the daytime, as well, helping you to feel alert when your body is in Tokyo but your brain is in New York. Taking a shower on the coldest setting in the morning could theoretically trigger a hormone response akin to what normally occurs waking up—helping to put you back on track. I do this regularly and when I’m fatigued the cold makes my brain feel like it’s coming back “online.” We owe this sensation to a surge in the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which is important for focus and attention.

Light and temperature aren't the only signals your brain uses to keep time: Meal timing may be a powerful modulator of our body's circadian rhythms. When we know that our schedules are going to be suddenly thrown off by travel, we can use intermittent fasting (ie, strategically avoiding food) to soften the blow to our circadian rhythms. I avoid food and caffeine during long flights (but drink lots of water), until eating a large fast-breaking meal (along with a cup or two of coffee) the morning after I arrive (or just upon arrival, if I arrive in the morning). A protocol similar to this, developed by a chronobiologist at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, was shown to significantly reduce occurrence of jet lag in a 2002 study. (R) 

What (not just when) you eat may also matter. New research into how certain nutrients affect sleep has highlighted some interesting associations. Diets that are lower in carbohydrates and higher in dietary fiber from vegetables (dark leafy greens, for example) have been associated with more time spent in slow wave sleep. (R) And chocolate fans, finally rejoice: After partial sleep deprivation, eating flavanol-rich chocolate (ideally, it should be 85-percent cacao content or above) was shown to correct some of the cognitive problems associated with sleep loss. (R) Perhaps hotels that put little chocolate squares on our pillows knew this all along.

Do you have any tried-and-true methods for defeating jet lag? If so, let me know in the comments below!

Cocoa has enjoyed a long history of human appreciation. Did you know that cacao beans were honored as valid currency in the Mexico City region until as recently as 1887? Perhaps its because of the amazing potential health benefits of this tasty bean.

In a previous post, I've outlined what to look for when purchasing chocolate for maximum health impact. (If you haven't already read that, click here.)

Now that you've got your chocolate bar in hand, these are the top 8 benefits you might expect.

1. Powerful antioxidant protection

Oxidation is a form of chemical damage against which which we have natural defenses. However, when the rate of damage surpasses our ability to repair, accelerated aging and increased disease risk can occur. This is where polyphenols come in.

Polyphenols are plant compounds known to have a positive effect on our health via a broad range of mechanisms. One is by stoking our own internal antioxidant systems. (R) Cocoa is one of the richest sources of polyphenols in the world. (R)

Among this class of plant compounds are flavanols (a subcategory of polyphenols) which are believed to be responsible for many of cocoa's observed health benefits. Other sources of flavanols include tea and grape skins.

2. Improved athletic performance

Dark chocolate increases nitric oxide in the body, which dilates blood vessels and reduces oxygen consumption. This may allow athletes to go further for longer. (R) It also may improve sexual performance through this "lever," but that's for another post.

In one small study, flavanol-rich dark chocolate consumption (40 grams—roughly half a bar—per day for 14 days) increased cycling endurance by 17% compared to eating flavanol-poor white chocolate. The dark chocolate also reduced the amount of oxygen used when cycling during a 2 minute sprint. (R)

3. Reduced cognitive aging

The hippocampus is the brain's memory center, and is among the most vulnerable structures in the brain. It is damaged by chronic stress and Alzheimer's disease.

One of the most important parts of the hippocampus is the dentate gyrus. It's this small region where adult neurogenesis—the creation of new neurons throughout life—is known to occur.

Dysfunction of the dentate gyrus typically accompanies "normal" aging, but dark chocolate seems to offer protection to this vulnerable structure. In a randomized control trial involving healthy, middle-aged adults, cocoa flavanols reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older adults by improving function of the dentate gyrus. (R)

4. Greater mental acuity

In the aforementioned study where cocoa flavanols improved functioning of the dentate gyrus, the human volunteers also showed significant improvement in tests of memory. (R) This has been borne out in long-term observational research where cognitively healthy people who ate chocolate at least once a week had stronger cognitive performance on visual-spatial memory, working memory, and abstract reasoning tests than those who consumed little to no chocolate. (R)

5. Better vascular function

Partly because of chocolate's ability to boost nitric oxide, consuming dark chocolate acutely improves endothelial function and can reduce blood pressure. (R, R) The endothelium is the dynamic, one-cell-thick lining of your blood vessels that constrict and expand according to metabolic needs, and dysfunction is thought to be a predictor of cardiovascular risk—and likely of dementia as well. (R, R)

The beneficial effects of chocolate on vascular function are blunted when the chocolate bar contains a lot of sugar, however. (R) (See my guide on how to buy the best chocolate, here.)

6. Healthier, better looking skin

The flavonols in cocoa might protect against sun damage. In one study, participants were instructed to eat 20 grams of flavanol-rich dark chocolate daily for 3 months. When subjected to UV light, the favanol-rich chocolate group (but not the control group) showed greater resilience to sunburn. (R)

Chocolate also helps increase blood flow to the skin, probably due to its positive effect on vasculature. (R) It seems to enhance hydration, skin texture, as well as subjective appearance of skin. One study even found that 6 weeks of flavanol-rich chocolate consumption was able to reduce wrinkles and the visible effects of sun damage on skin. (R) 

7. Improved blood lipids

Dark chocolate seems to be a potent HDL booster. (R) HDL is thought to be the "good" cholesterol. Though this is an oversimplification (HDL carries cholesterol), low HDL is thought to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (although recent research has challenged this idea (R)).

More importantly, cocoa flavanols might protect your lipoproteins (these include HDL and LDL) against oxidation. (R) Oxidized lipids are highly damaging to our blood vessels. 

8. Better metabolic health

In a placebo-controlled trail of 90 adults with mild cognitive impairment (often considered pre-dementia), those that were given moderate- to high-flavanol cocoa supplements showed an improvement of insulin sensitivity. (R) Insulin sensitivity is a marker of metabolic health (how well your body creates energy from food and oxygen) and insulin resistance is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes. Patients in this trial also showed improved cognitive function.

How often do you consume chocolate? How does it make you feel? Let me know in the comments below!

An overwhelming body of research is finding that the harsh blue light emitted by digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs wreaks havoc on our sleep, cognitive function, and overall health. (R, R) This is because short wavelength blue light is a color temperature that historically was only emitted by the sun. Today, it's everywhere, putting our brains in a perpetual state of arousal and thwarting many important processes meant to occur as our bodies wind down at night.

Suppressing the release of melatonin from our pineal gland is among these damaging effects. Melatonin is most famously known for making us feel sleepy, but is also involved in these key aspects of health:

• Defense against oxidative stress (R)

• Blood pressure regulation (R)

• Protection against cancer (R)

• Bone production (R)

• Eye health (R)

• Reproductive health (R)

• Weight loss (R)

While avoiding blue light exposure past sundown may be the best strategy, it might also be wishful thinking in the modern world with our modern responsibilities (and let's be real, there are still 2 more seasons of Game of Thrones to come!). So here are 5 ways to safeguard yourself against blue light while still getting to do (and watch) what you need to.

1. Wear blue light blocking glasses at night.

Blue light blocking glasses don't just make a statement—research has validated that amber-colored glasses worn before bed can improve sleep and even enhance mood. (R) They do this by preventing blue light-induced melatonin suppression—by up to 50%, according to one study published in the Journal of Pineal Research. (R)

My recommendation: Grab a pair (I love Swannies), wear them for 3 hours (1 hour minimum) prior to sleep when exposing yourself to blue light. 

2. Get more sunlight exposure during the day.

In one small study from Japan, exposure to morning blue light actually prevented light-induced melatonin suppression at night. (R) This suggests by going outside and actually seeing daylight, you can more safely make use of your devices at night. Who knew?

3. Install the Flux app on your desktop computer.

Flux makes the color of your computer's display adapt to the time of day—like sunlight during the day, and warm and amber-like at night. It's available for Mac and PC and acts fully autonomously. Just download it, install, and sit back and watch as your screen turn the color of a warm campfire at night. (Thankfully, this effect can always be "paused" in case you need to view something and want full the full color experience.)

4. Turn on "Night Shift" on your iPhone (or download an app for Android).

Up until recently, the only ways to shield blue light from your iPhone screens would be to "jailbreak" the phone and install an app (like Flux, above) or use a physical screen filter. The former would expose your phone to security risks, and the latter would be irksome during the daytime hours when we actually want our eyes to perceive blue light.

 Thankfully iPhones now come with an option called Night Shift which removes blue hues from the screen on demand or after a certain hour. You can access your Night Shift settings by going to:

Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift

I recommend scheduling Night Shift from 7pm to 7am, and sliding the "color temperature" setting all the way to the right, for "more warm."

For Android users, there are two apps that achieve similar goals. The first is "Night Shift: Blue Light Filter" and the second is "Twilight"—both are available in Android Apps on Google Play.

5. Install warmer bulbs in your house.

Look on light bulb packaging and find bulbs that emit warmer hues—usually between 2700 and 3000 K. This light feels inviting and cozy—the exact opposite of artificial "hospital" white. There's typically no need to ever have "cooler" hues in your home—all of the bulbs I buy for mine are at the warmest end of the spectrum.

6. Install black-out curtains in your bedroom (or wear an eye mask while you sleep).

Urban environments are flooded with light, a growing problem with consequences that researchers are just started to comprehend. Ambient "light pollution" can still be perceived by our retinas even when our eyes are closed. If this occurs during sleep, which is meant to occur in darkness, it may have repercussions on our cognitive function. One small study found that small amounts of light while sleeping led to reduced brain activation the following day. (R)

My recommendation particularly for those in heavily light-polluted areas (urban environments for example), install black-out curtains or wear a light-blocking sleep mask to sleep. Here are a few of the top rated masks on Amazon (I've never personally used any of these):

• Alaska Bear Sleep Mask (4.5/5 stars)

• Sleep Master Sleep Mask (4/5 stars)

• Dream Essentials Contoured Sleep Mask (4/5 stars)

Try one out and let me know how it feels—or share one that you're already using—in the comments below!

• Increased blood flow to the brain. (R)
• Reduced signs of brain aging. (R)
• Reduced oxidative stress. (R)
• Improved skin appearance. (R)
• Better cognitive function. (R, R)
• Enhanced athletic endurance. (R)
• Increased protective HDL. (R)
• Better metabolic health via increased sensitivity to the hormone insulin. (R)

But how do you make sure you're getting the healthiest bang for your buck when you buy chocolate, which is how cocoa is most commonly consumed?

Here are the 5 things to look out for when purchasing your chocolate.

1. Ensure your chocolate is free of emulsifiers.

To take cocoa and turn it into chocolate, you technically only need 3 ingredients: Cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and a sweetener. But many bars on the market are loaded with extra ingredients that likely serve no purpose to you and may even be harmful. Take commercial emulsifiers for example. These are often added to foods to create a smooth and creamy "mouth feel." They are most commonly found in ice creams, salad dressings, coffee creamers, and chocolate bars.

Two particular emulsifiers, carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, have been shown in animal models to powerfully disrupt the gut microbiome and degrade the mucosa. (R) The mucosa is sort of like a slimy hammock that keeps the bacterial content of the gut and your immune system at a comfortable distance from one another. Humble as it may sound, a robust mucosa is critically important to good health. By damaging this barrier, emulsifiers can be a powerful instigator of inflammation. This can potentially drive chronic inflammatory disease or make symptoms worse in pre-existing disease. It can also cause weight gain and reduced metabolism.

The good news is that these are usually listed on the ingredients list. Simply check the ingredients to make sure that there is no carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80 in your chocolate (or anything else you consume).

2. Make sure your chocolate hasn't been processed with alkali.

This is also referred to as Dutch processing. Dutch processing is meant to give cocoa a smoother, more mellow flavor. It is also used to darken cocoa, giving it its more characteristic deep brown hue. Unfortunately, this method greatly also degrades the health value of cocoa.

Polyphenols are the compounds in chocolate said to have massive benefits on our health, ranging from increased athletic performance to healthier vascular function to better cognitive performance. Chocolate is actually one of the top dietary sources of polyphenols (R), but Dutch processing directly degrades the polyphenol content of chocolate. (R)

The ingredients list will usually say whether the cocoa has been processed with alkali. Above is an image I found online of two seemingly identical packages of cocoa, yet one has been processed with alkali and one has not. Always go for the one that hasn't been processed by alkali.

3. Opt for 85% cocoa content or higher.

Dark chocolate contains cocoa content ranging from 70% to 99%. The higher the cocoa content, the less sugar will be in the bar. This is better for your health, but also for your willpower. You might find that when you stick with a bar that contains 85% or higher cocoa, you can "safely" consume a few bites and feel satiated without feeling like you need to consume the whole bar in one sitting. But why is this so?

Below 85% and chocolate tends to veer into a territory known as "hyperpalatability," a term used by food scientists to describe food that is "impossibly delicious." Only processed foods take on this quality, which is usually engineered to drive insatiable consumption on par with drugs of abuse. A food that is hyperpalatable usually includes a pleasing mouth texture, salt, sugar, and fat. Ring a bell? Chocolate!

Chocolate below 85% has all of the qualities that make a food "hyperpalatable"—avoid these to gain more benefits in less calories, and you'll be doing your willpower a favor in the process.

4. Skip white chocolate or milk chocolate.

These variants are usually just candy with minimal cocoa content (if at all, as in the case of white chocolate) and loads of sugar.

5. Reach for organic.

The benefits of eating organic foods are not just in reduced exposure to pesticide and herbicide residues. Many of the most health-promotive contents of food are their polyphenols, which are created by plants as a defense mechanism to predators (i.e. pests and fungi). When this need is taken away from them, they produce less. By reaching for organic, you're ensuring higher polyphenol content across the board.

6. Avoid lead and cadmium contamination

Lead exposure has been a significant public health issue for decades. That's because it's linked to a variety of neurological impairments, including learning disabilities, seizures, and a lower IQ.

Developing fetuses and children are especially vulnerable to lead exposure because their brains are in critical growth and development stages. No level of lead is safe for children.

Cadmium can cause damage to the kidney, liver, and bones, while also impairing neurobehavioral development.

Lead and cadmium are both classified as reproductive toxins.

What does this have to do with chocolate? Both of these compounds have been detected in chocolate. Internet watchdog organization As You Sow has conducted independent laboratory testing of 70 chocolate products for lead and cadmium. They found that 45 of the 70 chocolate products contain lead and/or cadmium above the safe harbor threshold of California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65).

To see As You Sow's list of chocolate which contain higher than acceptable amounts of lead and cadmium, as well as their "green light" varieties, click here.

Do you have a favorite brand? Let me know in the comments below!

Given that low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, I thought I’d share an approach that has done wonders for me and many others.

It’s designed to essentially undo the effects of sitting—by activating our woefully underdeveloped posterior chains (all the muscles on the back of your body that work as a unit to keep you upright—this includes your hammies, butt, back, core, and shoulders). Unlike typical corrective therapy, it focuses on the entire unit, not just one joint or muscle group.

It’s called Foundation Training.

Foundation Training

Foundation Training is a protocol designed by Eric Goodman. It’s part yoga, part pilates, and part physical therapy, with the focus being to activate the posterior chain and strengthen the muscles that control movement. Today, we are very anterior- (or front-) dominant. We sit at desks which cause our cores to become weak and then only work our abs and chests when we go to the gym.

The main move in Foundation Training is the Founder. Do this every single day (with a few variations) and you should see your back pain improve dramatically. Mine has since I’ve started doing this — and in case you’re wondering, I have no affiliation whatsoever with the program. I don’t even know Dr. Goodman.

Watch the video below to learn how to do it properly.

Aside from watching videos on YouTube (search "Foundation Training"), you can also learn from Dr. Goodman's books, of which he has two (I own both). Start with Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence. It's packed with full-page pictures and demonstrations of a myriad of poses and variations of the Founder.

Does your back hurt only when you are positioned in a particular way, like when you're tilting to use the sink? Or when you're picking something up off of a low table? His more recent book, True to Form: How to Use Foundation Training for Sustained Pain Relief and Everyday Fitness, shows how to integrate the poses into every day postures. You'll learn how to make any task not only more back friendly but a potential strengthening exercise in-and-of itself.

Let me know how this works for you in the comments below!

What you’ll need:

1. ¾ cup extra-virgin coconut oil, for cooking
2. 1 egg
3. 1 cup almond flour
4. 2 tablespoons turmeric powder
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
7. 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips (or buy chicken breast pre-cut into tenders to save some time.)

What to do:

1. Add the oil to a large pan and heat on medium-high.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg and add the chicken.
3. Mix the almond flour, turmeric, pepper and salt. Put this mixture onto a plate.
4. Take the chicken from the egg mixture and then dip them in the almond flour mixture. Coat well and then drop them into the hot pan.
5. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.

How to serve:

Serve with Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo or dairy-free Ranch dressing for dipping. Both of these products are 100% avocado-oil based—no cheap, inflammatory oils!!!

In Finland, saunas are a national obsession. There is, on average, 1 sauna per household in this small Scandinavian country. Watch the quirky documentary Steam of Life to see the funny things that Finns will convert to saunas—everything from abandoned telephone booths to decommissioned crop harvesters.

Scientists have studied the effects of sauna use on our physiology, and the results are pretty convincing—saunas may be both medicine and the ultimate performance enhancer!

Here are 5 incredible things you are doing for your brain when you sit in a sauna.

DISCLAIMER: Sauna use isn't safe for everyone. Make sure your doctor approves your use of a sauna so you don't hurt yourself. I'm not responsible for harm that comes from using saunas beyond their intended or appropriate use.

1. You may be reducing your risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Observational research from Finland has shown that men who used the sauna 4-7 times per week had a 65% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. (R)

Now, this kind of research can't prove causality (it's only a correlation) but there is one thing I'd like to point out: In the States, sauna use is associated with a gym membership and healthy lifestyle. Were this observational study performed in the U.S, it would be hard to say whether the sauna itself was actually doing anything. However, in Finland, sauna use is extremely commonplace. It's not even necessarily a health practice. This strengthens the notion that sauna use was actually mediating the effect seen on practitioners' health.

2. You are helping prevent your brain from becoming a dumping ground for plaque.

When proteins become disfigured, they can clump together. This is the case with beta amyloid, the protein comprising the plaque found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease sufferers. What if we could do something to prevent this accumulation? Enter: heat shock proteins.

Exercise and saunas provide a form of heat stress. Heat stress activates heat shock proteins (HSPs). Think of these proteins as structural reinforcement to other proteins, like the scaffolding on a building. Among their many duties is to prevent beta amyloid from becoming disfigured which can cause it to clump up. (R) 

3. You may be treating your depression. 

When compared to a sham (fake) treatment, acute doses of hyperthermic conditioning (the scientific term for elevated body temperature) for 6 weeks significantly improved symptoms in people with major depression. (R) Researchers noted that the effect was almost 2.5 times stronger than standard antidepressant treatment compared to placebo. (R) There are many complex mechanisms at play, but one of them likely involves proteins called dynorphins.

Dynorphins are released by sauna use (or extreme exercise) which creates feelings of discomfort. If the term "dynorphin" sounds familiar it's because they're like the inverse of endorphins, those feel-good compounds we all associate with exercise. While unpleasant, a temporary increase in dynorphin helps to increase endorphin receptors (R), thus making you more sensitive to the feel-good effects of exercise or sauna. This is why immediately after a sauna or exercise session, you feel amazing—and the effects become more pronounced with time.

4. You are growing new brain cells.

Exercise is well-known to boost BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a major mediator of neuroplasticity. This helps your brain forge new connections, solidify long term memories, reduce anxiety and even heal from early traumatic events. A small study has found that sauna use post-workout helped to increase the expression of BDNF in the brains of subjects beyond exercise alone. (R) 

5. It might help prevent multiple sclerosis (MS).

In MS, myelin is destroyed by the body's immune system. Myelin is the fatty insulation around neurons that helps transmit thoughts.

Researchers have noted the strange phenomena that whenever women with multiple sclerosis become pregnant, they go into remission. It turns out that the hormone prolactin, which surges during pregnancy, helps to rebuild myelin. (R) But prolactin is present in men also, and is powerfully boosted by sauna use. Men that stayed in a sauna (80 degrees, dry heat) saw their prolactin levels shoot up 10-fold (R), while in another study women experienced a 5-fold boost. (R)

Unfortunately, studies that have tested the effectiveness of heat therapy on patients who have already developed MS have turned up with negative results. In one Finnish study, heat-sensitive patients with MS (heat sensitivity is a common symptom of MS) were subjected to sauna and experienced a temporary worsening of cognitive function. (R) Similarly, another study found that there was a reduction in physical performance in patients with MS. (R) Both effects were related to an increase in core body temperature that was not seen in healthy controls.

6. You are sharpening your focus and enhancing your memory.

When you heard about the attacks on 9/11, what were you doing? I bet you can remember your exact circumstances in perfect clarity. This is owed to a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine, which helps you focus and store strong memories during emotional stress. But, emotional stress isn't the only stimulus to cause a robust increase in norepinephrine.

Physical stress, like from heat or exercise, causes a surge of norepinephrine as well. One study found that when men sat in a sauna that was heated to 80°C (176°F) until subjective exhaustion, their levels of norepinephrine increased three-fold. (R) Another study in women saw a similar (albeit less pronounced) boost. (R) The takeaway? Use saunas (or exercise) to boost "norepi" next time you need to "refocus."

“Sun, sun, merciful one!”

Human are diurnal creatures, which means that we're programmed to be awake while the sun is shining and sleeping at night. But while we can easily look at our smartphones to tell the time of day, our genes use a far more rudimentary input for time-keeping: The presence or absence of bright light.

Bright light (and particularly blue wavelength light, which the sun emits) has many effects on our bodies. Unfortunately today, our daytime exposure to sun is limited—we're frequently stuck in our apartments or sitting in cars, to get to our 9-to-5 desk jobs.

Here are 5 incredible health benefits of the sun that will hopefully inspire you to embrace the light of day.

1. It makes your brain work faster.

University of Arizona researchers recently exposed adult volunteers to bright blue light (mimicking the wavelength of sunlight) for 30 minutes, and then looked at their brain activity with an fMRI machine. Bright light exposure seemed to activate subjects' prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain responsible for "higher order" aspects of cognition including planning, decision making, and even aspects of personality. The light also seemed to sharpen their mental acuity: subjects displayed increased processing speed and reaction times on tests compared to those exposed to amber-colored light. (R)

2. It makes you horny baby, yeah.

A small trial involved 38 fellas who complained of both low libido and low sexual satisfaction. Half of the men were exposed to full spectrum light (to mimic sun exposure) for 30 minutes per day for 2 weeks. A placebo group was exposed to "sham" light for the same period. The men exposed to blue light showed a 3-fold improvement in subjective sexual function, along with a 70% increase in testosterone from baseline. (R) Shwing!

3. It reduces stress hormones.

Cortisol is the body's chief waking hormone, but it also can become chronically elevated due to stress. Chronically-elevated cortisol is no bueno—it can cause the accumulation of inflammatory visceral fat (that's the fat in your midsection that squeezes your organs), and shrink the memory center of your brain.

While finding appropriate means of dealing with stress (like meditation) is probably the best strategy, bright light exposure may help as well. When people were exposed to short wavelength (blue) light for 6.7 hours, their cortisol levels decreased by up to 25% compared to what they were at baseline. (R) Granted, spending 7 hours in daylight may seem a bit impractical today, but as hunter-gatherers, spending the whole day outside would be the norm. In fact, you could argue based on this research that spending the whole day indoors actually boosts cortisol 25%!

4. It makes you happier.

Serotonin, the neurotransmitter famous for its role in mood, is normally produced during the day, and darkness causes it to become converted to melatonin (this is why melatonin production is disrupted by bright light exposure at night). When scientists looked into the brains of people who'd died during both the summer and winter months, brain serotonin levels were higher in those who died in summer than in those who died in winter. (R) This may be why so many people are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder, a dip in mood accompanying the shorter days of winter.

5. It protects you against nighttime screen exposure.

Technology is a double-edged sword. In many ways, it rules—you're reading this article thanks to it. In other ways, it is disruptive. One way that it has harmed our health is by exposing us to unprecedented amounts of blue light in the evening hours, when for hundreds of thousands of years our eyes would have only known amber-colored light (from fire) once the sun went down. This suppresses melatonin which is involved not just in healthy sleep but in healthy immune function. So, how can we continue to have our technology and eat it too?

In one small study from Japan, exposure to daytime blue light actually prevented light-induced melatonin suppression at night. (R) This suggests by going outside and getting your fill of blue light during the day, you can more safely make use of your devices at night.

6. It boosts your immune system.

Groundbreaking research out of Georgetown University found that blue light "activated" a category of immune cells called T cells and caused them to move around faster. (R) While this was an in vitro study (meaning it was done in a petri dish and not in a real, living body), blue wavelength light is able to penetrate the skin where it can reach these cells, which then circulate throughout the body. This suggests that the sun acts as a "hormetic" stimulus, creating a mild "stress" at the cellular level, which then activates gene pathways involved in protection and repair.

7. It regulates healthy gene expression (in a huge number of genes).

Imagine a little clock within each cell in your body. Exposure to bright light in the morning is what sets these clocks, called your circadian rhythm. This rhythm regulates 15% of the human genome including genes that regulate hormones that control appetite, immune function and produce neurotransmitters.

8. It may protect your eyes.

Nearsightedness is a growing problem around the world, but what if such a problem were optional for some? Higher UVB exposure, directly related to time outdoors and sunlight exposure, was associated with reduced odds of nearsightedness, and exposure to UVB rays between ages 14 and 29 years was associated with the highest reduction in odds of adult nearsightedness. (R)

9. It can make you live longer.

When researchers followed 29,518 Swedish women over 20 years, they found that those who had the most sun exposure had longer lives and less cardiovascular disease than those who avoided the sun. Compared to the most avid sunbathers, those who avoided the sun had reduced life expectancies of 0.6–2.1 years. In fact, cigarette smokers in the highest sun exposure group were at a similar risk of death and disease as non-smokers who avoided sun exposure—sun avoidance seemingly cancelled out the health benefits of not smoking! (R)

10. It helps you sleep better at night.

When people are exposed to sunlight or very bright artificial light in the morning, their nocturnal melatonin production occurs sooner, and they fall asleep more easily at night. (R) Sleep is a master hormonal regulator, and as such may help you to attain greater willpower when it comes to dietary choices. See? Everything's connected!

It's well documented that our decades-long demonization of fat (and saturated fat in particular) has been based on biased, industry-funded, and often erroneous data. This paved the way for sugars, refined grains, and unhealthy seed oils to creep their way into nearly every crevice of the modern food supply. Saturated fat, on the other hand, has been largely exonerated, at least for the general population. The most recent large scale meta-analysis found no association between saturated fat consumption and death by any cause, and a recent small trial even found it to be protective to cardiovascular and metabolic health (R, R).

That said, there are still some instances where eating excessive saturated fat might be a bad idea. Here are 5 of them.

1. You haven't cut the sugar and other sources of concentrated carbohydrates from your diet.

Insulin, the body's fat storage hormone, becomes elevated when we eat sources of concentrated carbohydrates, like a baked potato or bowl of brown rice. When you consume saturated fat and carbs in one meal (a slice of pizza or cheesy burrito, for example), more insulin is secreted for the same amount of carbs. (R) Hyperinsulinemia (or chronically elevated insulin) is so problematic to our health—and our waistlines—that it's now being considered a "unifying theory" of chronic disease! One recent estimate stated that nearly 50% of Alzheimer's cases alone may be owed to hyperinsulinemia. (R) On the other hand, saturated fat by itself or with protein and leafy vegetables is likely a-ok.

2. You have genetically very high cholesterol.

About 1 in 250 people have gene variations that make them less efficient at processing LDL cholesterol, while also causing their livers to create more of it. This is called Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH). For this group, eating excessive saturated fat may not be a good idea. They also over-absorb dietary cholesterol, and so while for the VAST majority of people, eating cholesterol (from egg yolks, for example) has no bearing whatsoever on cholesterol in the blood, this small group may be an exception. Not a whole lot is known about this condition, but it proves that we actually are unique snowflakes—while there are dietary principles that may work for most, there is truly no such thing as a "one-size fits all" diet.

3. You're a fiber-phobe.

If you haven't heard of the microbiome by now, you are living under a rock. But if you truly have missed one of the most exciting health developments of our time, I'll spell it out for you: We have a commune of 30 trillion microorganisms that live in our gut. And their collective health is our health. Problem is, they have different tastes than us—they only like to eat one thing: fiber. Without fiber, various bacterial byproducts can enter our circulation, causing damaging and mood-zapping inflammation. This ability of bacterial products to be ferried into the blood seems to be enhanced by saturated fat, but is prevented when saturated fat is consumed with fiber (from dark leafy greens, for example). (R)

4. You carry the ApoE4 allele (which is actually pretty common).

The ApoE4 allele is the most well-defined Alzheimer's risk gene, putting carriers at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's and other neurological conditions. Some researchers suspect that carriers of either 1 or 2 copies of the gene, which make up ~25% of the population, are worse at processing cholesterol, causing it to become "backed up" in the blood. (R) While the science of ApoE4/diet interaction is SUPER complicated and VERY far from being settled, going out of the way to eat loads of saturated fat if you're a carrier may be unwise until science can clarify. (Dietary cholesterol, on the other hand, seems safe and possibly even protective.) (R, R)

Wanting to get some perspective from practicing clinicians, I interviewed two cardiologists specifically on this topic: William Davis, MD, and Steven Gundry, MD. Both have differing opinions, despite being relatively aligned in overall dietary approach. Dr. Davis has a more liberal view on saturated fat for ApoE4s (video), while Dr. Gundry believes that ApoE4s should avoid concentrated saturated fat sources and opt for foods high in monounsaturated fat (olive oil, avocado, macadamia nuts) instead.

To find out your ApoE status, sign up for a gene testing service like 23andMe, which tells you which variants of the gene you carry under your Alzheimer's risk status.

5. If ketogenic/paleo/low carb/Atkins/Bulletproof/LCHF diets drive your cholesterol way up.

Most people will see their numbers improve on low carb diets such as these, which IMO are generally healthful. Some, however, can see their numbers begin look worse (unusually elevated LDL for example). Peter Attia, a low-carb-friendly physician, has shared a case study on his blog of a patient following a ketogenic diet (very low carb, high fat diet) with a high percentage of calories from saturated fats only to see their LDL particle count (thought to be a predictor of heart disease risk) shoot through the roof. When they replaced sources of saturated fat (butter, coconut oil) with monounsaturated fat (olive oil, avocado oil), their lipid profile improved dramatically.

If eating lots of saturated fat causes your lipids to become high, this does not mean that ketogenic diets "don't work for you" or that your Paleo diet is wrong, or that you've got bad genes. It just means that your version of the diet needs a little bit of tinkering to make it work for your unique biology. For 30 days, stop putting coconut oil and butter in everything (including your coffee) and replace commonly recommended saturated cooking fats with avocado oil, which is very heat stable. Draw new labs. See what happens. Just remember: There's no such thing as a singular diet that's perfect for everybody.

In the words of Stephen Hawking: "Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist."

Whoa, Max. You're about to recommend packaged foods? UNFOLLOW.

You're right. The vast, vast, VAST majority of packaged foods consumed today are toxic—filled with rapidly digested carbohydrates, oxidized oils, fake colors, preservatives, and gut-busting emulsifiers. These foods now make up 60% of all calories consumed in the United States. It's no wonder our health is in the state it's in. But there are a few exceptions!

Here are my top 5 favorite packaged foods that are actually real foods, despite coming in packages.

1. Primal Kitchen Mayo

Primal Kitchen, run by mega-athlete and nutrition blogger Mark Sisson, is the only manufacturer I can think of that makes mayo that is actually—genuinely—healthy. Most purportedly healthy mayos (sold in big health food supermarket chains) tout being made with non-GMO canola oil, or some blend of canola and olive oil. But canola oil, organic or not, is easily-oxidized because of its polyunsaturated fat content. That means it goes rancid easily. It also often contains trans-fats created from the processing alone! Primal Kitchen mayo on the other hand is made only with avocado oil, which is a chemically-stable, primarily monounsaturated fat. I especially love their Chipotle Lime variety. If only I had more uses for mayo.

2. Phat Fudge

My friend Mary, known to hundreds of thousands of Instagram users as simply the Paleo Chef, is the proprietor of Phat Fudge. This stuff is the bomb-dot-com. Made with her secret blend of coffee, Egyptian spices (including turmeric), cacao (a potent source of health-enhancing polyphenols), and chemically stable fats, it's delicious eaten straight from the package or blended into a cup of coffee.

3. Grass-fed ghee

Butter is very low in milk solids—it's almost pure fat. But there are still traces of casein and lactose which may be problematic for some. For those wanting a more pure fat, there's ghee. Used for centuries in Ayurvedic cooking, ghee is a packaged food, produced when butter is gently heated so that the milk solids (which rise to the top) can be skimmed off and discarded. It's delicious and highly heat- and shelf-stable—it won't brown the way butter does. And, when sourced from grass-fed cows, it's also a wonderful source of many nutrients which have become lost to the modern diet, like vitamin K2, which helps shepherd calcium to its correct homes in your body. (Want to take a deep dive into the wonders of vitamin K2? I highly recommend Kate Rheaume-Bleue's book, Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life.)

I currently enjoy Ancient Organics, which is a good value, organic, and comes from grass-fed cows.

4. Lion's Mane mushroom coffee

I love coffee. The nootropic (cognitive-boosting) effects are well-known. But as America's #1 source of dietary polyphenols (and a surprising source of prebiotic fiber), a morning cup of joe may also be one of the healthiest things you consume all day. (See my video with some other mind-blowing coffee facts.)

How can something that's already so good get even better? By combining it with Lion's Mane mushroom, a fungi that strangely resembles the pom-poms that cheerleaders use.

Used for centuries for its cognition-boosting effects, Lion's Mane, or Hericium erinaceus, was discovered to promote Nerve Growth Factors (NGFs)—molecules that stimulate the differentiation and re-myelination of neurons. (R, R) Perhaps this explains why it was found to improve symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), considered pre-dementia. (R)

My friends Four Sigmatic make a premium instant coffee-Lion's Mane blend (as well as a pure Lion's Mane extract for coffee abstainers) which I am hooked on.

5. Extra-virgin olive oil

Extra-virgin olive oil is the juice of the olive fruit. It comes in a package, and yet is one of the healthiest foods money can buy, rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and powerful antioxidant polyphenols. Studies have shown liberal olive oil consumption to be associated with improved cardiovascular health, weight loss, and better cognitive function at levels of up to 1 liter per week.

For a deep dive into picking the right kind of olive oil (which admittedly can be tricky), watch this video interview I did with one of the worlds leading olive oil experts, oleologist Nicholas Coleman.

6. Nutritional yeast

I am obsessed with this nutritional yeast, or nooch. It is a rich source of protein (containing all 9 essential amino acids), dietary fiber, micronutrients, and is low in carbs. Oh, and did I mention it tastes just like cheese without the dairy? I literally put nutritional yeast on everything, from meat recipes to eggs to pastured pork rinds (a delicious low carb snack). It is one of the most versatile flavor enhancers in the kitchen, without adding any extra sodium. One purchasing tip, look for varieties that have not been fortified with synthetic B vitamins, which many people have trouble utilizing.

Sari Foods makes my go-to choice.

7. Dark chocolate

Cocoa is a powerful health booster, particularly because it is among the top highest ranking polyphenol-containing foods in the world (it comes in at #4 in a recent review published in Nature. Extra-virgin olive oil, by comparison, comes in at #61). These benevolent plant compounds have been found to boost cardiovascular health, brain health, cognitive function, and even athletic performance. (R) Cocoa is also a top source of magnesium, a powerful and critically important mineral that most people under-consume.

The problem is, finding high quality cocoa in its most common form—the chocolate bar—is like a skipping through a junk food minefield. Milk chocolate or white chocolate are straight-up candy—avoid. Dark chocolate is a safer bet, but even here there are some important things to know. For one, make sure the cocoa in your bar has not been processed by alkali, also known as "Dutch" processing. (Usually labels will say.) Two: Opt for 85% or higher cocoa content. Below this and not only do cocoa levels decline, but sugar levels increase. And lastly, spring for organic, which may ensure higher levels of polyphenols.

Green & Black's is my go-to choice which also happens to be easily found at many drugstore chains and supermarkets.

8. Kelp noodles

Kelp noodles are the top source of iodine, which is needed to build myelin in the brain, helping you think faster. It's also critical for healthy thyroid hormone production. And—what do you know—they are also very low in carbohydrates.

I like throwing some on salads, and if you're ever in LA, Erewhon's kelp noodle Pad Thai is impossibly delicious.

9. Hummus

Hummus is a traditional food made by combining chickpeas with garlic, tahini (which are whole, ground sesame seeds), olive oil, and lemon. It is a very low glycemic load food, meaning, it doesn't flood your blood with glucose, and yet provides a nice blast of prebiotic fiber to feed the bacteria that live in your large intestine. It's also a great vehicle for extra-virgin olive oil, mentioned above.

I use hummus as a condiment on everything from grass-fed "bun-less" burgers (instead of ketchup, which is loaded with sugar) to grilled chicken. Be sure when purchasing to read the ingredients: Many cheaper brands use soybean oil or canola oil instead of the traditional extra-virgin olive oil—avoid these.