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I want to welcome new readers to Nutrition Made Easy!

🍵Grab a cuppa and settle in, let's debunk diet myths and simplify nutrition science so you can make smarter food choices.

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Today’s menu:

1) Beyond Weight Loss: Can Fasting and Calorie Restriction Boost Brain Health?

2) Plant-Based Bloating Blues? Here's How to Ease Your Gassy Woes 

3) How to learn to enjoy foods you don't like

🍽️ Beyond Weight Loss: Can Fasting and Calorie Restriction Boost Brain Health?

🙊 Just a little less 

Fasting and calorie restriction are usually carried out to improve digestion and for weight management.

But how about their benefits to brain health?

A new study tried to answer this question by using fruit flies as its model.

Researchers found that both fasting or a 10% reduction in calorie intake led to increased levels of a specific gene in the flies - OXR1. This gene plays a crucial role in protecting neurons from age-related damage and neuro degenerative diseases.

Here’s how the OXR1 gene works:

• Free Radical Fighter: This gene shields neurons from harmful free radicals, the unstable molecules that contribute to cellular aging and damage.

• Cellular Recycling: OXR1 also promotes the efficient recycling of proteins and fats within neurons. This "housekeeping" process ensures smooth cellular function and the creation of healthy new cells to replace aging ones.

Interestingly, a parallel experiment in the study revealed that artificially boosting OXR1 levels in the flies extended their lifespan, suggesting a direct link between this gene and longevity.

🥊 Punchline

This study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that dietary restriction, including fasting and calorie reduction, can offer benefits beyond weight management and digestive health. The potential to enhance brain health, potentially even delaying ageing, is an exciting avenue for future research.

Any family and friends who are fasting?

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🌱 Plant-Based Bloating Blues? Here's How to Ease Your Gassy Woes 

💨 Bloating Be Gone! 

New year = new me = eating more plant based foods

But before you dive headfirst into a leafy green extravaganza, consider this: your gut might need some adjusting because its not used to digest so much fibre.

After all, plant-based diets are higher in fibre and different types of carbohydrates.

Bloating is common, thanks to fermentation of fibres happening in the large intestine (sensitivity varies greatly, of course!).

Don't worry, though, initial discomfort is completely normal!

🥊 Punchline

Here are some top tips to help manage bloating:

1. Drink enough water: Aim for 1.5 / 2 L per day

2. Build up fibre intake slowly: Increase your fibre intake gradually, giving your gut time to adjust.

3. Eating mindfully: Slow down and savour your meals. This reduces the chances of swallowing more air and indigestion.

4. Watch out for cruciferous veggies: Cabbage, broccoli, and their buddies contain raffinose, an indigestible carbohydrate that can fuel fermentation and bloating. Enjoy them in moderation.

5. Overnight soaking of dried beans and lentils: This helps break down the carbohydrates that causes bloating. Canned beans are a handy alternative, but remember to drain and rinse them thoroughly.

Try these tips to help you manage bloating. If abdominal discomfort persists and you suspect to have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a dietitian can help you identify specific triggers and tailor a diet plan just for you.

Know anyone who gets very bloated?

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🫘 How to learn to enjoy foods you don't like

🧬 Nature vs Nurture

How to learn to eat bitter and sour foods, like vegetables?

That’s the question on every parent’s mind!

We know both the environment and culture play a crucial role in determining food preferences.

And this mainly takes place during childhood through repeated exposure and watching what others do.

Ok so, what about learning to enjoy foods you currently don’t as an adult?

Here there are some strategies according to research:

1.    Small Bites, Big Change. Repeated exposure, even tiny bites, can shift your palate. 10-15 tries might unlock a newfound liking!

2.     Eat it repeatedly in a positive context. That could mean eating it after playing your favourite sport or with people you like. Or pair it with a favourite food

3.     Eat it when you’re hungry. When hungry, you’ll be more willing to accept a taste you might not appreciate on a full stomach.

4.     Remember the “why”. Remind yourself of the health benefits behind your quest. You may be changing your diet for health reasons

5.     Mask bitterness. This is easier achieved by eating it with other foods or ingredients that contain salt. For instance, you can pair bitter rocket with a salad dressing. Salt in low concentrations can reduce bitterness, but increase sweet, sour and umami

6.    Variety is Key. The more you embrace diverse flavours, the easier it becomes to welcome new ones with open arms.

🥊 Punchline

Understanding how your food preferences have come about, and how they can evolve, empowers you to change them. Bon appétit!

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And finally!

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To your health!

Paolo

Hungry for more reading?

Why not read the most read articles?

Issue no. 14: Why do we keep eating even when we’re full?

Issue no. 9: A link between gut health and Alzheimer's confirmed!

Issue no. 7: How to snack without sabotaging your diet

Issue no. 6: Eat the rainbow: The importance of plant diversity for all diets