Issue #445: The Key Nutrient You've Gotta Eat
Good morning. It’s Friday, April 11th.
In today’s email:
Learn: The Missing Nutrient
Think: Making Gratitude a Habit
In the News: Social Media Makes Us Slower
Watch: The Masters
Cook: Peanut Curry Lentil Soup
Brain Games: Calcudoku
Stat of the Day
The percentage of Americans who get an adequate amount of daily fiber. (USDA)
Learn
The Missing Nutrient
What if it was possible for one change in your diet to…
Help you eat less processed junk
Eat fewer calories overall (associated with longevity)
Get more nutrients
Support your gut
Reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer
Apparently it’s possible - but it has nothing to do with traditional macros (carbs, fats, protein).
It’s eating more fiber.
The National Academy of Medicine recommends that women eat 25g of fiber a day and men eat 38g.
But as it shows in the stat of the day - that apparently isn’t happening for any of us.
What is Fiber?
Fiber is basically the cell walls of plants or resistant starches (e.g., sweet potatoes) that we can’t digest.
Instead, when we eat fiber it does one of two things:
It either 1) becomes food for the 39 trillion bacteria living in our gut - so think of it as a “prebiotic” creating a healthy gut, which is absolutely essential for our own energy and brain health.
Or 2) it helps us better digest our food and push things along to get out of the body more efficiently - beans are one of the highest sources of fiber.
The benefits are kind of unprecedented:
It prevents cancer - especially colon cancer and breast cancer
It lowers our blood sugar (improves metabolic health)
It increases our overall longevity
How does it work?
In the case of colon cancer, fiber binds to carcinogens in the gut and speeds up waste removal, therefore reducing the opportunity for toxins to build up in the colon walls and become polyps. It also produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) - specifically butyrate - to help grow “good bacteria.”
As for breast cancer, fiber also binds to excess estrogen and removes it from the body.
When it comes to blood sugar, fiber creates a gel-like mesh in our stomach to reduce the absorption of carbs. It’s like a bouncer at the door only letting a few carbs into the bloodstream at a time - preventing glucose spikes and insulin resistance - which is the key to not just metabolic health, but also heart disease.
As a bonus - fiber makes us feel full so we eat less.
Check out these two studies:
Eat an apple 15 min before a meal to consume 15% fewer calories (on average) during that meal.
Include an avocado with our meal to reduce the desire to eat more calories by 28%.
All of this leads to an overall increase in longevity - with some studies showing we’re much more likely to survive the next decade by consuming more fiber.
The data is so powerful that the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)’s fiber recommendation is currently 40 g per day.
Geez - we’re not even making it to the old standards.
Ok - so what do we have to do?
Here are the top 33 high-fiber foods:
So do the math - how can you get 40g today?
Pro Tip: Not all fiber is created equal. The refined fiber being promoted on that loaf of multigrain bread or cereal can actually be harmful to your gut.
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Think
Make Gratitude a Habit
I’m not great at remembering just how special and awesome life is every day. If I’ve ever tried to write down what I’m grateful for I just say “my kids, my health, etc.”
Try this instead -
Just write down 1 thing at the end of the day before bed - BUT make it super specific.
Like - I’m so grateful for how my daughter’s eyes lit up and she ran into my arms when I picked her up from school.
OR
I’m so grateful for the feeling I got during my sunrise run - feeling the cool breeze in my face, seeing the colors of the sky, and sharing a smile with another runner who also made it out of bed by 6am.
Do it for just a week and see how you feel…
H&L in the News
Weighed Down by Your Phone?: A study of NBA players found those tweeting late at night tended to score fewer points or grab fewer rebounds in the game the next day. The same thing is happening to us amateur athletes. (Outside Magazine)
Gum Keeps Away the Flu: Apparently chewing this gum is enough to reduce the viral load of influenza and even herpes in our mouth. But it’s called bean gum, so not sure it’s worth the cost of the bad taste. (Source)
Brains, Beauty, and Mating Games: Could our creativity, humor, and big brains be nature’s version of a peacock’s tail? Matt Ridley explores how sexual selection - not survival - may have shaped both birds and the human mind. (Big Think)
Watch
The Masters
Spring has arrived, so it’s time for The Masters. ESPN and The Masters app have expanded their coverage to include range tracking data. We might just be a little too into data as a society…
Enjoy the weekend and check out some classic commercials you might see during ESPN’s coverage…
Cook
Peanut Curry Lentil Soup
Need fiber - we’ve got you covered! Try this Thai-inspired peanut curry before summer comes and it’ll be the first year you can’t wait for fall! This bowl is packed with fiber-rich lentils, sweet potatoes, and kale to support digestion, balance blood sugar, and keep you feeling full. Blended with creamy peanut butter, coconut curry, and a splash of lime, it’s the perfect sweet-savory-spicy combo to fuel your day.
Brain Games
Calcudoku
The objective is to fill in the grid with the correct digit in each cell, between 1 and 6:
Each row contains exactly one of each digit
Each column contains exactly one of each digit
Each bold-outlined group (with same color) must equate the result with the numerical operation - addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*) and division (/)
Credit: Brainzilla
**For answer, scroll to the bottom of the post
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Thanks for another great week!
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** Brain Games Answer **
Why Thrive25
We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25, Inc. does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.