http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
We really took on the slow cooker in 2016, publishing dozens of recipes and articles and equipment reviews. Here are our 16 most popular recipes, from the best pulled pork, to Crock-Pot mac and cheese, to truly crispy apple crisp. Winter, spring, summer, or fall — it’s always a good time to pull out the slow cooker.
http://chriskresser.com/
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and antidepressant use has risen dramatically in recent years (1). Depression also happens to be one of several commonly reported side-effects of hormonal contraceptives, and mood symptoms are a known reason for stopping hormonal birth control treatment (2, 3).
I’ve written previously about depression as an inflammatory condition. In this article, I will specifically focus on the associations between hormonal birth control and depression.
The hormones estrogen and progesterone fluctuate over the menstrual cycle in a predictable pattern that is repeated every month. Estrogen and progesterone levels begin very low at the beginning of the cycle (the follicular phase), signaling the pituitary gland to produce follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH begins the process of maturing about 15 to 20 follicles, the fluid filled sacs in the ovaries that each contain an egg. The follicle produces estrogen to prepare the body and uterus for pregnancy.
Approaching ovulation (about midway through the cycle), high estrogen levels trigger the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, causing the release of a single egg from the follicle (the ovulatory phase). The ruptured follicle (corpus luteum) begins to secrete progesterone and estrogen to continue to prepare the uterus for pregnancy (the luteal phase). If the egg is not fertilized, estrogen and progesterone levels drop and menses begins as the uterine lining is shed along with the unfertilized egg.
A basic knowledge of this natural hormone cycle and the rise and fall that occurs will help us to better understand the various types of hormonal contraceptives and how they alter this cycle to prevent ovulation.
The primary types of hormonal contraception (HC) include the combined pill, progestin-only pill, IUD, implant, injection, vaginal ring, and transdermal patch. Hormonal contraceptives contain either synthetic estrogen and progestin (combination) or progestin only. Most HCs work by providing the body with synthetic hormones, keeping progesterone (and estrogen) levels consistently high. In the case of oral contraceptives, there is a sharp spike in hormones each day of the cycle that falls before the next day. (This is why oral contraceptives have to be taken daily to prevent pregnancy.)
The high levels of synthetic estrogen and progesterone “fool” the body into thinking it’s pregnant, inhibiting the secretion of LH and FSH and thus effectively blocking follicular development and ovulation. Progestin-only contraceptives also inhibit sperm penetration through the cervix by decreasing the amount and increasing the viscosity of cervical mucus (4).
The takeaway here is that hormonal contraceptives suppress the natural hormone pattern that occurs over the course of the menstrual cycle. We’ll see in the next few sections how these hormones are associated with mood and depression.
Hormonal differences between the two sexes have a tremendous effect on mood. Studies have shown that the lifetime prevalence of depression is approximately twice as high in women as in men across different populations (5, 6), whereas before puberty, the frequency of depression is equally distributed between girls and boys (7). Because of these and other studies, the two primary female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, have been hypothesized to play a role in the symptoms of depression (8, 9).
A review by Toffoletto and colleagues found evidence that steroid sex hormones have an influence on cortical and subcortical brain regions involved in emotional and cognitive processing (10). Changes in estrogen levels may trigger depressive episodes in women at risk for depression, and adding progesterone to hormone therapy has been shown to adversely affect mood in women (11). Progesterone metabolites can mimic the neurotransmitter GABA, the major inhibitory system in the central nervous system (12). External progestins also increase levels of monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that degrades serotonin. It may do this more potently than endogenous progesterone (13).
Furthermore, a double-blind, randomized controlled trial recently found that women given a goserelin (a stimulator of gonadotropin-releasing hormone) implant had significantly greater subclinical depressive symptoms than those receiving a placebo implant. Depressive symptoms were positively correlated with a decrease in estrogen (14).
Several studies have now studied the association between low-dose HC use and risk for depression. Two studies found that teens taking progestin-only contraceptives tended to be more frequent antidepressant users (15, 16). Another study found that use of combined oral contraceptives among women who previously experienced adverse emotional effects resulted in deterioration of mood and changes in emotional brain reactivity (17). A 2014 case report describes two female patients who developed depressive symptoms after starting hormonal contraception use (18). On the other hand, one study found no association between mood and oral contraceptive use (19), while three studies suggested that HC use was actually associated with better mood (20, 21, 22).
This type of birth control doubles your risk of depression
The most robust study, however, was published just last month and provides strong evidence for an association between HC and depression (23). The researchers designed a prospective cohort study, where patients are followed forward in time and outcomes are observed. The entire female population of Denmark between ages 15 and 34 was studied, thanks to extensive national registry data. Of the more than 1 million women studied, 55.5 percent were current or recent users of hormonal contraception.
So what did they find? Compared to non-hormonal contraceptive users, the chance of needing your first antidepressant was:
Use of all types of hormonal contraceptives was also positively associated with subsequent diagnosis of depression. These risks were even higher for adolescents and for those who had been using hormonal contraception for a longer period of time.
Evidently, hormonal contraception is not as harmless as it is often made out to be. If you are a current or past consumer of HCs and are concerned about the health implications of your HC use, I’ve talked extensively on my podcast about how to recover from “post-birth control syndrome” and the associated nutrient deficiencies, gut dysbiosis, detoxification issues, and adrenal fatigue.
I also know that women use HC for a number of reasons, not just preventing pregnancy. Fortunately, there are natural alternatives to HC:
While there has not been a ton of research in this area (it’s not anywhere near as profitable to study cycle charting as it is to study a birth control pill), a review of robust clinical trials found that the FAM symptothermal method for contraception has about 98 percent effectiveness for typical use and about 99.5 percent efficacy for correct use (24). In comparison: condoms are 98 percent effective when used properly, and birth control pills are between 91 and 99 percent effective. However, it should be noted that FAM does not protect against STDs.
For more information on FAM, I highly recommend the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility, by Toni Weschler.
Now I’d like to hear from you. Do you take hormonal contraceptives? Did you in the past? Have you ever experienced depressive symptoms? Do you use FAM? Let us know in the comments!
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Keeping our kitchens organized is a never-ending task. More than any room in the house, the kitchen is subjected to a constant stream of additions and subtractions, not to mention some pretty hardcore daily use. If we don’t stay on top of it, things can slide into disorder in a flash.
Here are our top stories from the past year on ingenious tricks to help control, contain, groom, and organize the chaos.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Did you think you’d be much further along in your holiday baking by now and are starting to panic about how you’re going to get it all done? First, take a deep breath, and second, make it easy on yourself! Here are 12 quick cookie recipes to help you make your goals, including the four-ingredient, Paleo, vegan cookie everyone loves, as well as our our favorite soft and chewy oatmeal cookies. We’ve got savory cookies, too!
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Tipping Point)
Ingredients and goods at the grocery store might have a fixed price, but that price can look different based on your annual income. A new website — Tipping Point — wants you to experience what it’s like to live below the poverty line, specifically in the Bay Area. According to Fast Company, about one in 10 families living in the Bay Area lives below the federal poverty line, which is $24,300. The site aims to give awareness to this issue and raise money for those in need.
The website is simple: Enter your yearly household income into the website and find out how everyday household items would “cost” you if you were living below the federal poverty line in San Fransisco.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
Winter has come. That means different things to people based on their climate, but I’m of the opinion that winter is relative. You’d be right that the “cold” I face isn’t as objectively dangerous or unpleasant as the cold people in New York, Ottawa, Chicago, Warsaw, or Stockholm face. What’s cold to me in Malibu is short-sleeve weather in my native Maine—but it’s still cold to me today! “Feeling cold” is the defining characteristic.
Today, I’m going to tell you why you should appreciate and enjoy the cold season.
Discomfort is a good thing. Our ancestors were frequently uncomfortable. Discomfort weeded out the unfit and made us who we are today. Those with a beneficial response to physical discomfort were more likely to pass on their genes. We are the product of those people, and exposing ourselves to uncomfortable situations and sensations will probably improve our health and overall resilience, too.
Cold weather provides an easy opportunity for feeling uncomfortable. You just go outside in light clothing and wait for the chill.
The best part, besides making you tougher? Feeling uncomfortable makes comfort feel even better.
People hate the cold. Use the fact that people hate the cold to your advantage. Every time I go for a hike in sub 50° weather, I’m mostly alone. People are by and large wimps. It’s great.
If you’re worried about being outside in the cold (and believe me, the wilderness takes away about 10°!), don’t be. Once you get moving, you quickly forget the temperature. Your body revs up, and you start sweating. You’ll probably start peeling off articles of clothing. Whatever you do, don’t dress to the ambient temperature. That quickly becomes irrelevant.
Everyone should cold plunge on a regular basis. I’ve been doing it every night for several years now, and I don’t think I could manage without them. It’d be pretty hard to give up:
Any body of water you encounter will be cold. Outdoor swimming pools usually have the heaters off in winter—jump in! The cold water in your shower will be far colder during the winter than at any other time—time to try a contrast shower! Heck, you can turn on a garden hose, strip down to your skivvies, and douse yourself in a reliably cold stream of water if it’s winter.
Winter is famously bad for the waistline. You bounce from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, pounding various permutations of grain dust, sugar, and oil. Some evidence suggests that we gain more weight during the holidays than any other time of the year. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Cold exposure activates brown fat, the metabolically active adipose tissue that increases energy expenditure in order to keep you warm. Brown fat is like keeping a burner on low. It won’t heat you up enough to sweat, but it will provide a low level of adaptation to the cold and help you replace indoor heating, the use of which seems to parallel the increase in obesity.
According to one study, exposing yourself to cool weather (60°F) for just 2 hours a day for six weeks while wearing light clothing increases energy expenditure and reduces overall body fatness. That’s really easy to do. Leave the heat off. Skip the jacket when you go outside. Run shirtless through the woods. It’s not even that cold.
My favorite way to expose myself to ambient cold is to go for shirtless walks or hikes. I don’t have any weight to lose, but it feels great—and I bet shirtless or tanktopped walks would do wonders for those of you who do have extra weight.
The Nordic countries might get the most attention for their fantastic social outcomes, impressive education systems, and profound mythology, but I’m partial to the Danish concept of hygge.
Hygge doesn’t have a perfect corollary in English. It means wintry coziness, togetherness, group-based comfiness. Hygge is drinking hot cocoa around a fire. It’s snuggling in with a good book. It’s most similar to our idea of “holiday cheer,” only it lasts all year long.
I’m calling it now: Hygge can be huge.
I go snowboarding every year. But I have to travel to do it. It’s a pain, but I still make it happen. That’s how much I cherish skimming across the snow while standing on a board.
Winter sports are more than sheer fun. They’re exciting and a little dangerous (controlled danger is good for you).
People who live an Uber ride away from the slopes don’t know how good they have it. I’m really, truly jealous. Don’t squander your good fortune.
Snowball fights/angels/men/women
I don’t get snow much anymore. Living in Malibu, I’m lucky to see my breath. But growing up in New England, my buddies and I would get into the most epic snowball fights around. This was before helicopter parenting became a thing, back when you had the freedom to wage entire season-spanning campaigns against the kids across town.
Snowplay unlocks something deep within. Find it again.
Man, there’s nothing like a big brothy bowl of falling-apart meat and hearty vegetables on a cold day. It’s a day-long endeavor that drip-drop rewards you with smells, anticipation, and, finally, sustenance.
That same meal might taste good enough in August, but it doesn’t hit you in the heart like it does in December. It satisfies your belly, not your soul.
You can get purple Okinawan sweet potatoes from the Asian markets—they’re okay, just not as good as eating them fresh from Hawaii—but my favorite purple potato as of late has been the Stokes purple sweet potato. It’s moister than the Okinawans and drier than your standard orange Garnet sweet potato. I like them two ways:
Bake at 400 until soft, mix with coconut oil, salt, and cinnamon.
Bake at 400 until soft, mix with 85% dark chocolate and sea salt.
Once November rolls around, I know they’ll be coming soon to Whole Foods.
That’s why I love cold weather. What about you? What are you appreciating about winter these days? Thanks for reading, everybody.
The post 9 Primal Things to Appreciate about the Winter Season appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
From Apartment Therapy → The Easy-to-Add Super-Stylish Storage Solution Every Kitchen Needs
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Growing up, I had not one, not two, but three different holiday traditions. As a result, I dreamed of a life that looked a lot like Norman Rockwell’s famous painting, Freedom from Want: Family gathered, a fat brown turkey on the table, and ideally, fewer emotional complications for my kids than my own divorced childhood had delivered.
But dreams don’t always come true, and sometimes they fail to encompass all the available — and wonderful — possibilities.
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
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