One of the biggest hurdles to making life wonderful is living in survival mode, lowering our heads and soldiering on day after day, dealing with whatever comes our way as it comes. We know what survival mode looks like at a meta‑level. And we know how bad it feels day‑in and day‑out: the exhaustion, the fear, the dissatisfaction, the desire for something different and more fulfilling.

We are not designed to live in chronic survival mode. In fact, our ancestors experienced danger and threat in short bursts. They would see a threat, they would escape from the danger, and then they would rest and recover.

Unfortunately, today the threats we perceive are pervasive and often constant, primarily because they come from our thoughts, not actual physical danger. We are not just running from the tiger; we are raging on the road, worrying about our finances, struggling to balance work and home life, concerned about our children, anxious about the relationships we have or the ones we want and don’t yet have, and so on. This threat exists in a mind that, in survival mode, doesn’t shut off danger signals. In fact, your body is designed to raise the ante, or in other words, to “see your threat and raise you another threat” that you haven’t considered yet, all in an effort to protect you from anything and everything possible while increasing your chances of survival. As a result, we never get to rest or recover, and thus our bodies remain in a perpetual state of threat or high alert.

Therefore, a strategy that was once beneficial to our survival has transformed into one that has become detrimental to it. Chronic stress is linked to all sorts of proinflammatory states and conditions, challenges with fertility, and increased risk of asthma, heart disease, obesity, pain (headaches, back and neck pain), gastrointestinal issues (reflux, heartburn, colitis), depression, insomnia, and immune suppression, among other health issues.

Unfortunately, the ups and downs of daily living make it impossible to rid ourselves of stress. Instead, we need to learn to manage our daily challenges differently. We can do this by giving our bodies messages of safety instead of messages of danger. Here are a few exercises you can try to signal safety and reduce stress.

Use facial expressions to dampen the threat response.

Use facial expressions to dampen the threat response and increase your sense of safety. Try singing or humming your favorite tune. Share a smile with someone, even if it is just yourself in the mirror. Studies show that smiling, regardless of whether you are happy or not, can help lower your heart rate and more quickly recover from a stress response.

Take some deep slow breaths.

Take a few deep, slow breaths, breathing in for a count of three and out for a count of seven. Slow breathing techniques increase relaxation, alertness, and comfort while decreasing anxiety, depression, confusion, and anger.

Use your five senses.

Use your five senses to bring your attention to the present moment, most likely a time when you are indeed safe. This grounding technique helps reduce stress and anxiety by shifting our perception away from danger and towards safety. You can engage with the five senses in several ways.

1) Step outside with a cup of tea (taste), smell a flower (smell), listen to birds chirping (hear), look at the trees around you (see), and feel the weather on your skin (feel).

2) Another variation is the 5‑4‑3‑2‑1 technique. Find and name five things you can see (sky, clouds, flowers, butterflies, trees), four things you can feel (wind, warmth, hair on neck, ground), three things you can hear (traffic, talking, birds), two things you can smell (grass, flowers), and one thing you can taste (tea).

The post Living in Survival Mode? Try These Techniques to Relax and Feel More Grounded appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Researchers gathered a group of 428 healthy adults and measured their eating patterns, psychological health, and lifestyle behaviors through a series of questionnaires. One unique aspect of the study involved a Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ), which measured lapses in attention, memory, and action-related tasks to assess how diet might impact poor cognition. CFQ questions included prompts such as: “Do you leave important emails unanswered for several days?” and “Do you often walk into a room and forget why you entered it?” Additionally, researchers separated the participants’ fruit intake from their vegetable intake to look at the two food groups separately.

After accounting for age, BMI, general health, and smoking status, the researchers discovered that frequently consuming fresh fruit, irrespective of the amount eaten, improved psychological well-being and was not associated with mental lapses measured by the CFQ. Surprisingly, vegetable consumption had neither a positive nor negative association with mental health and cognitive functioning.

“Both fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and essential micronutrients which promote optimal brain function, but these nutrients can be lost during cooking,” explains Nicola-Jayne Tuck, lead study author and PhD student at Aston University. “As we are more likely to eat fruit raw, this could potentially explain its stronger influence on our psychological health.”

In contrast, savory snacks were associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and cognitive lapses. The researchers noted that many people cope with stress by snacking on nutrient-poor processed foods, so further work needs to be done to assess the exact relationship between savory snacks and mental health.

Snack Smarter

Why might savory snacks negatively impact mental health? The study explains that diets low in micronutrients, antioxidants, and fiber may reduce neurotransmitter regulation and increase inflammatory pathways in the brain, which leads to poorer psychological health.

“It is possible that savory snacking has a negative link with psychological health … due to saturated fat content,” says Tuck. “Forming a habit of eating fruit regularly can be a helpful tool to boost psychological well-being.”

A 2019 research review found that older adults who consumed large amounts of saturated fat were at a higher risk for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, a 2021 study published in Clinical Nutrition looked at a sample of more than 8,600 adults and found that those with the highest fruit and vegetable intake scored 10% lower on Perceived Stress Questionnaires compared to those who ate the least amount of fresh produce.

The bottom line: If you’re trying to give your mental health a boost, eating fresh fruit on a regular basis may lead you to a clearer, calmer mind.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Frequent Fruit Intake Linked to Better Mental Health appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

By 2013, at age 55, I was at the end of my rope. I was in the grips of a lifelong depression that had suddenly gone from bad to worse, and my feet and knees ached relentlessly. At just 4-foot-11, I weighed 220 pounds. (That’s a BMI of 44.) I knew that I couldn’t continue on that path, but another round of counting calories and portion control was out of the question.

The first thing I did was start a mindful eating practice—without which, I’m convinced my transformation wouldn’t have been possible. By paying attention to my food, thoughts, and feelings, I was able to start to understand what was driving me to overeat. This wasn’t a speedy process. It took nearly two years. But it laid the foundation for what was to come.

The first time I saw Forks Over Knives, something didn’t quite connect in my brain. I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian and in so much denial that I didn’t see that the diet style presented in the documentary was radically different from mine—possibly because I was still buying into the whole “everything in moderation” myth, thinking that there was nothing wrong with eating a small amount of cheese every day.

A 2-Week Experiment

My eyes were opened when I started researching the connection between inflammation and depression. I stumbled upon the research of Michael Greger, MD, a whole-food, plant-based doctor. After that, I rewatched Forks Over Knives, and the dots connected. I realized that dairy was likely contributing to my depression and probably to my weight problems, too.

One of my first thoughts was “Oh please—anything but dairy!” I loved cheese; in fact, I felt that nothing tasted good unless it was buried under a mountain of it. But I decided that I would give up dairy as a two-week experiment. After all, I could endure anything for two weeks.

I lost 7 pounds within a matter of days, which was a huge motivator. By the end of the two weeks I was starting to think that maybe I was on to something. I extended my experiment for another month. I continued to lose weight and decided that I’d need to give it a full six months, just to be sure.

The cravings set in around that time. I wanted pizza badly. I wanted cheese; I wanted ice cream. These weren’t the kinds of cravings that you can easily distract yourself from. They were intense and unrelenting. In hindsight I can see that it was probably a kind of withdrawal. Cheese was my drug, and I wanted it. Forks Over Knives helped sustain me. I probably watched it once a week during that period. It provided the motivation I needed to keep going.

Once I was off dairy, I gradually made other changes, eating far more vegetables than I ever thought possible, phasing out salt and oil, and exercising more.

My Life Now

Since going whole-food, plant-based more than five years ago, I’ve lost 90 pounds. The lifelong depression has lifted, and I’ve taken up a more active lifestyle, running three 10Ks and numerous 5Ks (although I had to switch to bicycling in the past year, as my knees were too badly damaged from a lifetime of obesity to continue running).

Now, I help others live a healthier life. I earned a certificate in plant-based nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. I’m a coach, specializing in helping people who have a long history of yo-yo dieting, and I have a YouTube channel where I demonstrate the preparation of whole-food plant-based meals. I know the old habits aren’t coming back this time. I feel too good.

4 Foods I Batch-Cook Every Week

When you have the building blocks ready to go, healthy weekday meals come together quickly. Here are a few staples that I batch-cook regularly.

Whole Grains: Intact whole grains are integral to a whole-food, plant-based diet, and my fridge is rarely without a bowl of them. I like to mix and match, combining a few grains that cook similarly, such as brown rice, whole barley, rye berries, and/or whole spelt.

Vegetables: Roast a medley of your favorite veggies on the weekend to add to tacos, burritos, grain bowls, and more throughout the week. I roast three large trays of bell peppers, red onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and cauliflower, and like to mix in at least one seasonal veggie.

Potatoes: After roasting my veggies, I keep the oven hot and bake several Yukon Gold potatoes and sweet potatoes. Baked sweet potatoes freeze well: Cut them into thirds; place the pieces on a sheet pan in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the pieces to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Thaw in the microwave as needed.

Breakfast Oats: Once a week, I cook a big pot of whole oat groats and divide it into three containers. I refrigerate one and freeze the other two. When I’ve eaten the batch in the fridge, I pull one from the freezer and let it thaw, refrigerated, for 24 hours.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post After Decades of Dieting and Depression, I’m Healthy and Happy on a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

I challenged myself to make some big changes. I mustered what little willpower I had left and stopped drinking—just quit, forever. Then I dared myself to step outside and go for a short run. I spent most of the time gasping for air and walking, but I did it. Soon I joined a high-intensity interval training program with energetic coaches and good music. The gym was close to the new house that my wife and I managed to purchase. Little by little, and with the support of family and friends, I was seeing changes in myself and starting to feel like the person I wanted to be.

Prescription for Change

One day I received an email from my primary care physician’s office letting me know that my wonderful doctor was finally retiring. I needed to find a new one, so I did some research and found a physician who seemed promising: Daniel Pourshalimi, MD. During my first meeting with him, he performed an exam and asked me questions about my health, including my diet. Then he said, “Rick, I am going to say this once. It is something I say to all my new patients. I won’t bother you with it again unless you are interested in learning more. Most of my patients don’t go through with my recommendation, but here it is: I think you should be eating whole-food, plant-based meals.” 

My knee-jerk reaction was “Really? I eat pretty healthfully. Why this?” Dr. Pourshalimi was more than happy to lay out for me the diet’s important health benefits, not only for me but also for my wife and our two boys. He handed me a document he’d created explaining the basics of plant-based nutrition. He also told me to jot down the names of some books and documentaries to explore, among which were The Game Changers and Forks Over Knives. Listening to my new doctor, I thought: “Most patients don’t go through with this, huh? Well, I’m ready for a new challenge.” 

After that appointment, my wife and I watched The Game Changers. Toward the end of the film, a man who protects animals from poachers looks into the camera and says that he realized “the easiest way to protect other animals is just not to put them in your mouth.” I looked over at our puppy, then to my wife, and knew that we’d begin the switch the next morning.

Plant-Based Kitchen Makeover

We started by going through the refrigerator and cabinets, reading every label, and removing anything that had animal products. We had very little food left. So we went shopping at a new vegan-friendly market and were surprised that our purchases were not nearly as expensive as what we were used to. Bonus! 

We also reorganized our food storage, getting rid of all wasteful plastic bags and wraps, subbing in Mason jars. We stopped using paper napkins and paper towels, and we began composting! But what to cook? My vegan-recipe repertoire was woefully spare. We invited some friends over who had been vegan for years and asked if we could bend their ears for some advice while munching on some vegan takeout. They did not disappoint, sharing websites, books, recipes, tips and tricks, and more.

For years, I’d been preparing different meals for each member of the family due to individual issues or needs (food allergies/sensitivities, IBS, wanting to gain or cut weight, and sometimes just an aversion to a specific ingredient). So I decided I would try and find some WFPB dishes that all of my family members could eat. I hit the internet, and a number of Forks Over Knives recipes popped up. Then I noticed Forks Meal Planner and thought that would be a great place for us to begin our journey. 

A Little Bit of Structure

Forks Meal Planner made the transition much less daunting and showed me the ropes of whole-food, plant-based cooking. I went to culinary school years ago just for kicks, and I thought there was very little left for me to learn about making meals, but I was wrong: I don’t think I’d ever prepared a dish without first pouring several glugs of oil in a pot until I used the recipes in the Meal Planner. 

Over the past six months, we’ve used the Meal Planner daily, and we’ve enjoyed the food and better health. I’m always excited for Thursdays, when the new recipes for the next week are posted. I customize the number of servings, swap out recipes for any requests family members have made, and add in a snack or dessert for the week. I use the shopping-list feature routinely, which is a huge help. 

Before, I was making multiple dishes for each mealtime, and we ordered takeout more than once a week so that I could recover. Now, we regularly eat the same dishes, which feels like a miracle. Finding creative ways to use fresh produce has been pleasurable, and I continue to educate myself, along with watching a fun lineup of vegan chefs on YouTube and TikTok. 

Stronger Than Ever

Since making the switch to WFPB last summer, my nails have grown stronger and my mind has grown sharper. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure many years prior and prescribed three medications to keep it in check; I am proud to say that my doctor has taken me off of two of those medications. Now my pill box doesn’t rattle like a container of Tic Tacs. At 48, I find myself healthier and stronger than ever. 

This chapter of my life has been marked with many successes (and not the career kind, which I used to think were the only kind). Each change I made gave me the will and confidence to make the next change. Quitting alcohol made exercise seem possible. Running daily made going to the gym easier. All the physical fitness forced me to get rid of clothes that no longer fit my new body, so I got to choose a new way to dress. I decided to take my boys hiking, grow my hair long, set up a morning routine to drop everything and hug my wife as soon as I saw her.

If I have a regret (and I really don’t), it would be that I didn’t make these changes sooner.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post Meal Planning has Simplified My Life, Improved My Health appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

In this article you’ll learn:

• What is Healthy Sleep?
• How Much Sleep Do I Need?
• What Does Sleep Deprivation Do To Your Health?
• The Four Stages of Sleep
• Does Your Sleep Position Matter?
• How Does Nutrition Impact Sleep?
• 7 Sleep Hygiene Tips

What Is Healthy Sleep?

Forming healthy sleep habits is much more involved than simply closing your eyes for eight hours every night. The quality of your sleep, the physical space of your bedroom, your routines during the day, and underlying health issues all impact your ability to drift into that sweet restorative state. 

According to the Sleep Foundation, our bodies cycle several times through four distinct sleep stages every night: light sleep (NREM 1 and 2), deep sleep (NREM 3), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In order to reap the benefits of good sleep—such as increased energy, better mental health, improved cognitive functioning, balanced hormones, and muscle tissue restoration—it’s critical to create sleep habits that promote the natural progression of this four-part cycle. 

People who frequently wake up during the night (such as new parents or those with sleep apnea) are at a greater risk for experiencing sleep deprivation and the associated negative side effects. In order to be your happiest and healthiest, there are several key changes you can make to form better sleep habits. But before you dive into restructuring your bedtime routine, take a closer look at how much sleep you need, what physical positions are most conducive to deep sleep, and how the food you eat can impact the quality of your unconscious hours. 

How Much Sleep Do I Need?

The amount of sleep you need changes over time based on your age, hormones, health, and lifestyle. To receive the maximum restorative benefits of sleep, experts at the Mayo Clinic recommend:

• Infants: 12–16 hours a day
• Toddlers and preschool-aged children: 11–13 hours a day
• Kids ages 6 to 12: Around 10 hours a day (potentially more, depending on their developmental needs)
• Teenagers: 8–10 hours a day
• Adults (including older adults): 7–9 hours a day

Because newborns are growing at a rapid pace, they require a lot more sleep than their parents to support the healthy development of their hormones, muscles, and cognitive abilities. The amount of sleep that children need per night generally decreases with age, although it can plateau or even peak again during the teenage years due to the intense impact of puberty on the body. 

What Does Sleep Deprivation Do to Your Health?

Not getting enough sleep can have severe side effects that impact your physical, mental, and emotional health. Sleep deprivation—the state of not getting enough quality sleep on a consistent basis—is linked to early death and can turn into chronic insomnia if left untreated. There are three main types of sleep deprivation:

• Acute deprivation: This means a person only experiences drastically reduced sleep for a short period of time, such as a few days.
• Chronic deprivation: This refers to sleep deprivation that occurs for three months or longer and is categorized as a sleep disorder. 
• Sleep deficiency/insufficient sleep: This categorization is more about the quality of sleep being frequently interrupted throughout the night, even if the person is technically asleep for the recommended hours per night. 

Sleep Deprivation Symptoms

• Cognitive issues: While you sleep, your brain deepens the neural pathways that help you learn, process new information, and retain memories. A 2018 study published in the journal Neuron found that important neural connections are strengthened during sleep while unimportant neural connections are weakened over time, which allows your brain to discard irrelevant information. Without enough rest, the important neural pathways aren’t formed and you can experience memory loss, have trouble concentrating during the day, or make poor decisions that could otherwise be avoided with a well-rested brain.
• Mental health disorders: Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and general irritability are just a few of the mental health challenges that can be exacerbated by sleep deprivation. In a 2021 study published in Preventing Chronic Disease, researchers found that people who average six or fewer hours of sleep a night are 2.5 times more likely to experience frequent mental distress. If you are in a crisis, help is available by calling the 24/7 National Suicide Hotline at (800) 273-8255.
• Risk of heart disease: Numerous studies have shown links between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, coronary artery disease, and heart attack. A 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that “ frequently neglected sleep disturbances such as poor sleep quality and insomnia are associated with increased blood pressure and vascular inflammation.” Hypertension and inflammation in the cardiovascular system can strain the arteries and reduce the body’s ability to clear plaque, which can ultimately lead to coronary artery disease or heart failure.
• Weakened immunity: Because the body uses the time it’s asleep to repair itself, regulate hormones, and fight infections, a sleep-deprived person is at a much higher risk for catching a cold or infection. The immune system is weakened when it doesn’t have time to go into autopilot at night. 

In their book Body on Fire, Monica Aggarwal, MD, FACC, director of Integrative Cardiology and Prevention at the University of Florida, and Jyothi Rao, MD, explain how sleep supports our immune system: “In order for the body to work, it needs oxygen. However, the use of oxygen in cellular reactions can generate free radicals, which make our cells unstable and cause damage to our DNA. Consequently, this can lead to chronic illness. … Antioxidants are needed to protect our cells against damage from this oxidative stress. Sleep deprivation adversely affects the immune system, creates even higher oxidative stress, and in turn contributes to even more metabolic imbalances. In contrast, sleep is restorative and serves as an antioxidant.”

• Weight gain: When you’re sleep-deprived, the chemicals in your brain that signal to your stomach that it’s full are out of balance. This means you’re much more likely to overeat or use food as a coping mechanism to deal with the other mental and emotional impacts of not getting enough sleep. Plus, when your normal digestive processes are out of whack, you’re more likely to have higher blood sugar levels and be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

Aggarwal and Rao note that sleep deprivation can make us crave higher-calorie foods: “That trend is partly due to your body’s extra demands for calories and energy, simply because you are awake longer. Several hormones associated with weight management also are affected. Ghrelin is a hormone secreted by the stomach that stimulates appetite and has been shown to increase with sleep loss. Therefore, you are hungrier when you sleep less. Leptin is the hormone that tells your body that it is full and your appetite decreases. After only two nights of sleep deprivation (only four hours), ghrelin production increased by 28 percent and leptin production decreased by 18 percent. In other words, two days of sleeping four hours makes you hungrier and reduces your body’s ability to know you are full. Sleep loss also changes how we utilize energy. One study showed that sleep deprivation slowed down fat loss by 55 percent compared to a control group with similar caloric intake but no sleep deprivation.”

• Low sex drive: It’s very common for a person’s libido to decrease when they aren’t getting adequate sleep. A 2015 study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that women had greater sexual desire and gential arousal when they got the recommended hours of sleep. Another study from 2020, published in Translational Andrology and Urology, found that disrupted sleep leads to much higher rates of moderate to complete erectile dysfunction in men.  

Insomnia

Insomnia is a severe form of sleep deprivation that is defined by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s ICSD-3 manual as “persistent difficulty with sleep initiation, duration, consolidation, or quality.” It can be acute or chronic, but the duration isn’t as important as the main characteristics that distinguish it from standard sleep deprivation. A 2007 article in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine states that insomnia involves “(1) difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or nonrestorative sleep; (2) this difficulty is present despite adequate opportunity and circumstance to sleep; (3) this impairment in sleep is associated with daytime impairment or distress; and (4) this sleep difficulty occurs at least 3 times per week and has been a problem for at least 1 month.” 

There are many possible causes of insomnia, including but not limited to:

• Stress and mental health disorders that agitate the mind and make it difficult to fall asleep
• Eating too much before bed or ingesting substances that make it hard to sleep such as caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol
• Poor sleep hygiene—behaviors and external conditions that compromise sleep—such as an uncomfortable bedroom environment, having too much screen time before bed, or exercising late at night
• Medications that interfere with sleep, such as certain antidepressants or over-the-counter cold medications that contain stimulants
• Chronic pain or other medical conditions that make it uncomfortable to lay down for long periods of time
• An irregular work, school, or travel schedule that throws off the body’s circadian rhythm 

Experts from Winchester Hospital in Massachusetts report that women, people over the age of 60, pregnant people, those struggling with mental health issues, and night-shift workers are the most prone to developing insomnia. Resolving this disruptive sleep disorder—especially chronic cases—can take some time, but building a strong foundation of healthy sleep habits is a crucial first step. If the symptoms persist and continue to interfere with your daily life, then seeking professional help from a physician or sleep specialist is highly recommended. 

The 4 Stages of Sleep

Throughout the night your body naturally moves through the four stages of sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, different physiological reactions occur during each stage that progressively help the brain and body fully relax so you can feel energetic, alert, creative, and healthy the next day. The amount of time spent in each stage differs from person to person and varies from one sleep cycle to the next, but the average length of each stage is as follows.

• NREM Stage 1: 1-5 minutes
• NREM Stage 2: 10-60 minutes
• NREM Stage 3: 20-40 minutes
• REM: 10-60 minutes

NREM Stage 1: 1–5 minutes

This initial sleep stage is typically characterized as the “dozing off” stage, where you’re just beginning to transition from consciousness to a more relaxed state. It typically lasts a few minutes, and it is easy to be awakened from this stage. The body and brain are just beginning to slow down, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, muscles are relaxing, and brain wave activity begins to gently decrease. Throughout the night, the length of this stage decreases with every completed cycle so you can spend more time in the restorative Stage 3 and REM phases. 

NREM Stage 2: 10–60 minutes

The next stage moves one level deeper in terms of the physiological responses. Your body temperature drops, your heart rate and breathing slow down, eye movement stops, and your brain wave activity becomes much more lethargic except for small bursts of activity that help you resist being awakened by external stimuli. This stage of sleep gets progressively longer with each cycle, and most people spend half of their sleep time in the Stage 2 phase.

NREM Stage 3: 20–40 minutes

The juicy, deep sleep of the third stage is crucial for brain development, hormone regulation, digestion, immune system recuperation, balanced energy levels, and many other important health factors that can impact your waking hours. During this phase of restorative sleep, your body shuts down even further and it’s harder to rouse someone from their slumber. Brain activity moves into delta waves, which are associated with deep relaxation, physical healing, and dreamless sleep. Time spent in this stage decreases over the course of the night, and you experience the longest period of Stage 3 sleep toward the beginning of the night. 

REM: 10–60 minutes

The rapid eye movements that give this stage its name correspond to a sharp increase in brain wave activity. While your eyes and brain are running wild, the rest of your body is frozen in a near paralysis state called atonia. REM sleep is where vivid dreams happen and scientists believe it is crucial for processing memories, integrating new information, regulating emotions, and inspiring creativity. Typically an REM cycle doesn’t occur until you’ve been asleep for at least 90 minutes and they progressively get longer as the night goes on. 

Does Your Sleep Position Matter?

We spend nearly one-third of our life sleeping—shouldn’t we make it as comfortable as possible? The position you sleep in can make or break the quality of your sleep, and each position is associated with different health benefits or negative side effects. Let’s go over the three most common sleep positions:

• On the back: Sleeping flat on your back comes with the greatest benefits for your body, such as preventing acid reflux, keeping your spine in proper alignment, relieving neck pain, and preventing wrinkles. Gravity exerts equal force across your entire body, which helps reduce strain on your joints and lessens the chance of waking up sore. Placing a pillow underneath the knees can also decrease hip and low back pain and muscle tightness by supporting the natural curve of the spine. However, this sleep position is notorious for increasing the severity of snoring or sleep apnea because it’s easier for the tongue to put pressure on your airway. 
• On the stomach: Most sleep experts agree this is the worst position to sleep in (although people with sleep apnea are an exception). Sleeping on your stomach can compound neck and back pain because the weight of your body sinks into the mattress and throws your spine out of alignment. Your muscles, joints, and organs are all impacted by the unnatural position, which can cause you to unconsciously shift around a lot during the night and experience a more restless sleep. However, your airways are more open when you sleep face down, which makes this position useful for sufferers of chronic snoring or sleep apnea.
• On the side: About 41 percent of people worldwide sleep on their side, making it the most common posture for a comfortable slumber. The exact position can vary—some sleep on their sides with their legs long and straight, while others curl up into a fetal position—but the impact of lying on your side stays pretty much the same no matter how you tweak it. This sleep position can help reduce snoring, decrease heartburn, aid with digestion, and keep the spine aligned if you suffer from back pain. Placing a pillow between your knees and/or hugging one between your arms can further keep your body in a proper, healthy alignment. Additionally, sleeping on your left side has been found to be more beneficial in relieving heartburn and is better for pregnant people. The downsides are more cosmetic than health related, which include greater potential for face wrinkles, sagging breasts, and tight jaw muscles.   

How Does Nutrition Impact Sleep?

While diet isn’t the only factor that impacts your ability to catch some Zs, it is possible to eat your way to a better night’s sleep. A 2016 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine revealed that people who consume more fiber and less saturated fat were less prone to sleep disorders. Consuming large amounts of unhealthy foods—such as sugar, red meat, alcohol, and highly processed foods—can interfere with natural hormone production, digestion processes, and nervous system regulation, which then impacts sleep quality. Switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet is a great way to eat more fiber and less fat so you can prioritize the quality of your sleep even during your waking hours. 

Neal Barnard, MD, has a few food-related tips to kickstart healthy sleep habits:

• Starch helps you sleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, a slice of whole-grain bread or some other starchy food will trigger the release of serotonin in the brain, allowing you to fall back to sleep.
• Alcohol is tricky. It can lull you into sleep, but the alcohol molecules are soon transformed by your liver into aldehydes, which are mild stimulants that can trigger restlessness.
• Caffeine stays in your system. For some people, traces of the caffeine from a morning cup of coffee are still circulating at bedtime and will make sleep lighter and more easily disturbed. Notice if your ability to get a good night’s rest changes when you cut out caffeine.

7 Sleep Hygiene Tips

The American Sleep Association defines “sleep hygiene” as habitual behaviors that promote good sleep. If it seems daunting to incorporate several new sleep habits at once, remember that it’s OK to gradually introduce new habits one at a time. Try to not get discouraged if your sleep doesn’t improve immediately: Cultivating good sleep hygiene is a long game, and it’s one you definitely want to play in order to live a long and healthy life. 

1. Create a Calm Bedroom Environment

If your bedroom is disorganized, unwelcoming, or uncomfortable, it’s much less likely that you’ll feel fully comfortable drifting off to sleep. Prioritize creating a calm and enjoyable sleeping space so that your mind and body can relax when it’s time to hit the pillows. This includes investing in a quality mattress and bedding, getting rid of harsh lighting, hanging blackout curtains, regulating the room to a comfortable temperature, and adding soothing scents such as lavender or chamomile with an essential oil diffuser. Treat your bedroom like a sanctuary where you can escape to when life gets busy and stressful. The more at ease you feel in your own bed, the more likely you are to get a good night’s sleep.

2. Limit Distractions Before Bed

Smartphones and tablets have certainly connected the world in incredible ways, but the portability of distracting devices undoubtedly impacts our sleep as well. Instead of scrolling through social media as you get under the covers, put your gadgets away for at least half an hour before bedtime. Silence notifications or even put your phone in another room while you sleep to avoid the temptation to check it. Not only does the influx of information you get every time you open your phone stimulate your brain, but the blue light emitted from the screen can throw off your circadian rhythm by fooling your body into thinking it’s still light outside. (TV also emits blue light, so the 30-minute rule also applies to Netflix.) Technology isn’t the only thing that can distract you before bed, though: Listening to lots of energetic music, socializing until the early morning hours, or exercising late at night are all surefire ways to negatively impact your sleep hygiene. 

Apart from limiting distractions, it’s also beneficial to create a bedtime routine that brings you peace, comfort, and relaxation. This could include meditation, reading a good book, some light yoga stretches, taking a bath, or journaling. Figure out what makes you feel calm, and strive to do that every single night before bed. Over time your brain will learn to associate these “winding down” activities with sleep and naturally provide the physiological responses that move your body towards rest. 

3. Set a Consistent Sleep Schedule

A healthy sleep habit is exactly that—a habit. Sticking to a fixed wake-up time and bedtime is important in order for your body to maintain its circadian rhythm, which supports restful sleep. If you currently have an unstructured schedule and want to build better sleep hygiene, start to adjust your sleeping hours in small increments of 30 minutes. Gradually moving your sleep schedule in a healthier direction will give your body time to acclimate to and absorb the new habit. 

4. Exercise Regularly and Eat Well

This might sound like a no-brainer, but a healthy diet and regular physical activity are some of the best cures to sleepless nights. However, many of us have jobs that require sitting at a desk for several hours a day and aren’t conducive to getting regular exercise. This sedentary routine traps energy in our bodies that needs to be expelled, which could lead to restlessness later in the night. Tiring out the body with a long walk or good gym session is a great way to also tire out the mind. Plus, exercising releases feel-good hormones such as serotonin, which can help relieve stress and put you in the right mindset for a better night’s sleep. 

5. Don’t Use Your Bed for Random Activities

Once you’ve created a cozy bedroom atmosphere, it can be tempting to spend time in bed doing activities that aren’t associated with sleep, such as watching TV, folding laundry, or talking on the phone. It’s crucial to train your brain to associate your bed as a place of rest, not a place of activity (apart from sex). Try to get out of bed as soon as you wake up and move all your morning activities out of the bedroom so that your mind gets accustomed to associating that room exclusively with sleep.

6. Be Mindful of Daytime Habits 

All the small things you do throughout the day add up to inform your sleep habits at night. To put yourself in a prime position for a good night’s sleep, pay attention to when you’re consuming caffeine, alcohol, or highly sugary foods, because they could impact your ability to fall and stay asleep. Allow your body to experience its natural circadian rhythm by seeing the sunlight and feeling fresh air on your skin during the day. Avoid smoking or being near secondhand smoke to keep your lungs clear. And be mindful of the kind of content you’re consuming as you move about the world: Is checking the news headlines every half an hour actually making you more informed, or is it just adding to your stress levels? Even the smallest adjustments to our daily routines can make a difference when our heads hit the pillows. 

7. Talk With Your Doctor

If you still feel like you aren’t getting enough sleep after several months of trying to build healthier habits, it’s time to talk to a physician. Sleep tests, prescription medications, hypnotherapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are all more rigorous approaches to getting your body back on track with sleep.

To learn more about the health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Healthy Sleep Habits: What You Need to Know appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

A Taste of Better Living

For a 2017 New Year’s resolution, I challenged myself to eliminate dairy and highly processed foods from my diet. I stuck with it for 11 days. After that, I had to ask myself: Why, during those 11 days, could I not stop thinking about junk food? I started researching what might be behind these compulsions. I read The Pleasure Trap by Alan Goldhamer, DC, and Douglas J. Lisle, PhD, and learned about the addictive nature of refined foods. I also learned about calorie density, and how whole plant foods are lower in calorie density than highly processed and animal foods.

I decided to apply this newfound knowledge and began transitioning to the whole-food, plant-based way of eating. I completely eliminated added salt, oil, refined sugar, and refined flour products, because these were the foods that I was most addicted to. I also cut out alcohol.

I noticed changes—some immediate, some gradual. My energy started increasing. My thinking became clearer. My complexion improved. My nails, which had been splitting, grew stronger. And the excess weight was dropping off. But the most pleasant surprise of all was that I no longer felt driven by addiction to junk foods. The longer I went without them, the less my brain called out for them, and the more freedom I felt.

Committing to a Plant-Based Diet

Some heavy life trauma came my way later in 2017, and I turned back to salty, sugary foods for comfort. But I never forgot the sense of freedom that I had experienced when whole-food, plant-based—and, after a few failed starts, I recommitted to eating this way in January 2020.

Gaining confidence in the kitchen was a challenge. I’d never thought of myself as a good cook.

But I found some delicious whole-food, plant-based recipes online, like potato tacos on lettuce leaves, and I wound up becoming an excellent chef.

Extraordinary Changes

Over the last year, I’ve lost more than 60 pounds. The benefits go deeper than the weight loss: As a result of improved clarity of thinking, I’m now more in tune with my mental health. This is important, as I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Last summer, I battled exhausting depression symptoms for about five weeks. It was not a new experience, but this time I was able to recognize what was happening and have the presence of mind to dramatically increase my self-care.

Eating the whole plant foods I love; abstaining from salt, oil, flour, alcohol, and sugar; and staying well-hydrated have all gone a long way in cutting my junk-food cravings. These days I keep it pretty simple when it comes to what I eat. I love baked potatoes and sweet potatoes, especially topped with mushrooms (which I sauté in their own juices). I enjoy oatmeal and other whole grains, and I eat a lot of apples, bananas, pineapples, and other fruits.  

Learning how to sustain this way of eating has changed my life in such extraordinary ways. I’m a single mom to two daughters, ages 25 and 17. My 17-year-old has had a front-row seat to my journey and has been inspired to make some changes for her health, too.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post Conquering Addiction to Processed Foods on a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Learn how the simplest change to what’s on your fork can profoundly impact your mental health.

In 2012, Adam Sud’s life was completely out of control. He was seriously overweight and struggling with multiple addictions and mental health disorders, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases. His life nearly came to an end when he attempted suicide by drug overdose. He checked into rehab and with the help of his parents and a plant-based diet, he began a journey that led to a remarkable recovery. 

“The reason I found myself in that situation wasn’t because there was anything wrong with me,” Sud says. “It was because it was a very reasonable and predictable response to the way I was living my life. If I was willing to radically shift how I was living my life, I could actually take charge of my health. Essentially, if I’m the problem, I get to be the solution.”

Within one year, he had overcome his addictions, reversed all of his chronic diseases, gotten off all of his medications, and lost 180 pounds. While Adam’s story centers around recovering from addiction and disease, it’s also about stepping away from shame and into self-love. 

“I think back and realize that I was always viewing myself as an adversary to my body,” Sud says. “My whole life I’ve had weight problems; I’ve never been the fastest or the strongest, and I always believed that my body wasn’t good enough. I remember being in my sober living house talking to my house manager about the day I survived suicide, and I realized, What if that story I had in my head about my body has never been true? What if surviving suicide was the ultimate expression of my body never giving up on me? My body has been my ally my entire life, and I just forgot it because somebody or something got me to believe that I had to be something other than what I was in order to be acceptable, and I believed it. When I look at my body as my ally, every choice I make is an act of care-taking.” To hear Adam’s full presentation, watch the video above.

Adam is the founder of the Plant-Based for Positive Change, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the research on diet and mental health and addiction. In 2020 he ran the very first controlled research trial to investigate the effects of a plant-based diet intervention on early addiction recovery outcomes. 

In this webinar, Adam Sud discusses:

• How a plant-based diet helped him overcome addiction and depression.
• What is addiction really? What is the role of nutrition in the disease?
• Never-before-seen insights from his clinical research study on plant-based nutrition and addiction recovery outcomes, which will be published this summer.

WATCH THE REPLAY

Originally aired August 11, 2021

The post Webinar Replay: The Role of Nutrition in Mental Health and Addiction Recovery with Adam Sud appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Personally, I’ve struggled seeing my loved ones with severe depression and tragically lost one young family member to suicide. As a physician, I also see the effects of depression in my professional community. Thirty percent of resident physicians experience depression or depressive symptoms, according to the New York American College of Emergency Physicians. 

Diet can play a role in mood changes. Sugary processed foods are neurotoxic to the brain and research shows how they can worsen mood, anxiety, and ability to concentrate. Animal-based products contain a pro-inflammatory compound, arachidonic acid, that can “adversely impact mental health via a cascade of neuroinflammation,” leading to worse depression and increased risk of suicide. 

For these reasons and more, I recommend my patients minimize animal-based foods and sugar-rich, highly processed foods, and instead opt for whole plant foods. Eating a healthy plant-based diet not only decreases your risk for depression, anxiety, and brain fog but it can decrease your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, gastrointestinal disease, autoimmune disease, and other chronic diseases. Whole, intact plant foods are attached to fiber, vitamins, and minerals, while animal-based products are deficient in these mood-regulating nutrients. 

5 P’s to Improve Mental Health on a Plant-Based Diet

If you’re looking to improve your mental health with a plant-based diet, here are some things to keep in mind. 

Process

When you’re ready to go plant-based, embrace the process of learning a new way of eating (both at home and when choosing prepared meals from restaurants). You can challenge yourself to start with Meatless Mondays or making more homemade meals centered on whole plant foods. The journey can be healing rather than overwhelming. Accept the ups and downs as part of a forward-moving path. Remember, there will be pleasant, positive surprises and your future self will thank you. 

Planning

If you know that you will be in an environment that lacks plant-based foods, either at work, a social gathering, or on the road, prepare snacks and meals ahead of time. Do your research and check out the local grocery stores and vegan-friendly eateries. If you’ll be attending an important meeting with limited options, fill your stomach with fiber-rich foods at home; these will help you feel full longer. Try to set specific and realistic goals. Track your goals. Be proud of your progress. 

If you know your weaknesses are dairy-packed desserts, prepare a sweet, healthy treat such as nice cream to have ready to go in your freezer. 

Patience

Be patient with yourself when transitioning to a plant-based diet. It is not easy to rewire your brain after decades of negative habits. It’s natural to crave unhealthy foods, especially cheese. Cravings are part of the withdrawal process since your brain has become dependent on these unhealthy substances. You can learn to substitute with hydration (aim to drink 2 to 3 liters of water per day) or with a nature walk that can also elevate your mood hormones. And if you do slip up, don’t beat yourself up. 

Purpose

It is important to identify your motivation for living, whether it’s for the sake of building meaningful memories with loved ones, helping others, traveling and completing your bucket list, or something else. Your purpose is your guiding light. It will drive you forward, aligning you with your long-term goals, encouraging you to grow, learn, and stay hopeful. It will make it easier for you to nourish healthy habits.

Passing it On

Once you build new healthy habits, you have the potential to pass them on to your family members. Parents, grandparents, children, people of all ages—anyone you know could benefit from your journey. Don’t be afraid to share your health transformation story to your social sphere. Share your plant-based dishes for a tasting opportunity. You may find more individuals than expected who are interested in eating more plant-based. Don’t be surprised if your friends and family start to ask you for recipe suggestions (which is a big confidence boost). From my experience, the person who seems like your biggest critic—someone who keeps asking you why you’re doing this, what you can eat, etc.—may actually be the one contemplating the diet the most. By sharing your plant-based lifestyle with others, you’re helping pave the way for healthier generations and a more sustainable environment.  

Get Help

If you’re currently struggling with depression, anxiety, or suicidal ideation, please know that you are not alone and that asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. ⁣⁣You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-213-8255 anytime and visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for more resources. 

The post Going Plant-Based for Your Mental Health? Here Are Some Things to Keep in Mind appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

More than 8 percent of American adults age 20 and older have experienced depression in a given two-week period, according to Centers for Disease Control data. Here are key ways in which diet can impact depression and overall mental health. 

The Gut Is Connected to the Brain

Mounting research suggests that clinical depression may be affected by the bacteria in the gut. In a 2019 study published in Nature Microbiology, researchers observed that gut bacteria produce neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, that are connected to the brain via the vagus nerve, immune system, and other pathways, potentially influencing mood and behavior. They also noticed that depressed subjects tend to be lacking in two specific species of gut bacteria.

GET OUR FREE 20-PAGE ULTIMATE PLANT-BASED BEGINNER’S GUIDE

“We are only beginning to understand the impact that the microbiome has on cognition, emotions, and behavior,” says Richard Aiken, MD, author of Neurodietetics: The Dietary Science of Human Flourishing. “Diet is considered to be one of the most crucial factors impacting the human gut microbiota from infancy to old age. Dietary interventions may have the potential to modulate psychiatric symptoms.

Inflammation Has Been Linked to Depression

Inflammation is the body’s fight response to bacteria, viruses, and toxins. It’s closely linked to what we eat, and it’s also linked to depression. For example, a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry tested levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, in more than 70,000 Danish adults. Researchers found that the higher the blood levels of CRP, the more likely someone was to use antidepressants or be hospitalized for depression.

“The evidence suggests that people who are depressed have raised inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein, and inflammatory illnesses are associated with greater rates of major depression,” says Michael Greger, MD, FACLM, author of How Not to Die. “This is the case for a variety of inflammatory conditions, including relatively benign inflammatory conditions, such as asthma and allergies. And that’s important, suggesting the mood symptoms are not simply feeling bad about having a terrible disease—but may be directly tied to the inflammation.”

Food and Depression

The old adage “you are what you eat” is more true than we might think. The foods we consume fuel our bodies and brains, and they can either help or hinder us on our journey toward a healthy life. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest connections between diet and mental health.

A Plant-based Diet May Alleviate Depression and Anxiety

An 18-month study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion tested the impact of a low-fat vegan diet on well-being and workplace productivity. Researchers with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine placed 292 GEICO employees who were either overweight or had previously been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes into one of two groups: a control group and a vegan dietary intervention group. The vegan group experienced reduced feelings of depression, anxiety, and fatigue—and a boost in overall productivity and well-being.

Food Can Affect PMS

What women eat throughout the month may have an impact on PMS symptoms, according to research published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Researchers followed 33 women over four menstrual cycles. For two cycles the participants ate a vegan diet; for two cycles they ate their customary diet and took a placebo pill. During the vegan phase, the majority of women experienced less discomfort, bloating, and behavioral change (including PMS-related mood shifts). 

Overcoming Depression with the Help of a Plant-Based Diet: Real-Life Stories

• After Decades of Dieting and Depression, I’m Happy and Healthy on a Plant-Based Diet
• How I Conquered Severe Depression With a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet
• I Went Plant-Based and Left Life-Threatening Depression Behind
• At 45, I’m Healthier and Happier Than I Was in My 20s
• Type 2 Diabetes, Addiction, Depression, 130 Pounds—Gone in Three Years on a Plant-Based Diet!

Ready to get started? Check out our Plant-Based Primer to learn more about adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet.

The post Diet and Depression: Exploring the Connection appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

Since my earliest memories (and I don’t have many) I have always felt sick, tired and unhappy. Having asthma and allergies did not help either. My family, having no idea about nutrition, raised me as best as they could. Boxed food, fast food, and junk food seemed to be in constant supply. I learned how to suppress my feelings with food. My favorite dinner used to be mac and cheese with hot dogs, and if I had a bad day I could eat a whole bag of Oreos by myself. 

Lifting the Fog

In February 2018, I went for my annual checkup and weighed in at 202 pounds. I also (for the first time) openly admitted I was battling depression. I was only 27, and I couldn’t understand how I felt so low. 

Then I started seeing a therapist (one of my best decisions), and I watched Forks Over Knives. The film was so eye-opening and exciting that I stayed up all night doing research and ordering books. I decided to go all-in on a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. 

As soon as I finished detoxing from all the processed foods and animal products, I quickly found a mental clarity I had never had before. I felt a lift from the constant “brain fog” that I had always considered normal. After a few weeks, I woke up feeling such a natural high that I knew I wouldn’t give up on this lifestyle. I even started loving things I thought I hated, such as sweet potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. It was hard at first, but the longer I kept up with it, the more natural it felt. 

Brimming with Energy

Following a plant-based diet has changed everything. I’m 32 pounds lighter, and my energy and love for life are at an all-time high. I’m a massage therapist. In the past, there were many times when I felt as if I were giving from an empty cup; now I’ve got extra! 

It is quite the experience to feel better at 28 than I did as a child. I have had to take other roads to work on my mental health such as therapy and living sober, but I definitely acknowledge Forks Over Knives for saving me from a very unhappy existence. I live a very happy and full life now by realizing that the saying really is true: You are what you eat.

Read Next: My Wife and I Shed a Combined 100 Pounds By Going Plant-Based

The post How Going Plant-Based Helped Me Overcome Depression appeared first on Forks Over Knives.