health briefs

The Oreo Trap

For all those endeavoring to eat more vegan this year, our health is indeed our wealth; but beware of the pitfalls of junk food veganism. It’s not unusual for those new to vegan eating to lose weight, largely because they often subsist on bananas and green salads while figuring out how to navigate the grocery store and local cafés.

Then, like a siren’s call, they can fall prey to the wicked ways of vegan junk food, fast food and sinful Impossible burgers, to say nothing of the accidentally vegan delights that have always littered store shelves such as Oreos, Nutterbutters, Fritos, crescent rolls and Twizzlers. Then just like that, the pendulum swings back, and the pounds initially shed come roaring back with a vengeance.

While the convenience of such foods can be tempting, don’t let the ease of vegan junk food trump the need for nutrition. Nutritionally dense food is important for all diets: vegan, omnivore and everything in-between. A conscientious approach to eating, along with a few easy tips, is sure to help any newbie avoid the Oreo trap.

n Just because it says vegan doesn’t make it healthy. Coconut ice cream and frozen plant-based meals do not have a leg up on their non-vegan counterparts. n If we can’t pronounce the ingredients, it probably isn’t good for us, vegan or not. n Smoothies (made from whole fruits and veggies) are our friend. Pack them with peas, protein powder, peanut butter or chia seeds to start (or end) the day with an easy win. n Eat the good stuff first. Don’t order onion rings as an appetizer before a quinoa bowl. Fill up with nutritious food first, then sparingly indulge on the other stuff. The same goes for any fast food; think of it as a splurge, not a staple.

We can surround ourselves with healthy options. Stock the kitchen purse, car and backpack with healthy, vegan snacks. Think trail mix, not Tostitos, and fruit, not Fritos.

Try new things. Take a spin down the international foods aisle. Try to add one new ingredient to our cart each grocery trip. Maybe we love barley. Or fonio. Opt for flavor-packed Mediterranean takeout instead of the standby burger and fries.

Mary Bishop, “The Vegan Mary”, holds a certificate of plant-based nutrition from Cornell University, and a master’s degree in business. For more information, visit TheVeganMary.co.

Two Cups of Tea May Avert Early Death

A few cups of black tea a day might help to avoid an early death, a study published in Annals of Internal Medicinesuggests. Among nearly half a million adults ranging from 40 to 69 years old, those that consumed two or more cups of tea a day saw a modest, but lower risk for all causes of mortality over a median follow-up of more than 11 years. Participants of the large cohort study, called UK Biobank, self-reported tea intake from 2006 to 2010,

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while researchers noted mortality from all causes, including cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke and respiratory disease. The researchers concluded that drinking more than two cups of tea per day can be part of a healthy diet.

Parental Depression May Affect Childhood Development

According to a new study funded by the Welsh government, children that live with a parent that has depression are more likely to also develop depression and not achieve educational milestones. Information on children born in Wales from 1987 to 2018, as well as their parents, was used in the study.

The researchers found that living with a parent with depression is detrimental to a child’s outcome, but having a parent that has had a history of depression, even prior to the birth, increases the risk of depression and lowers the educational attainment of the child. The highest level of childhood depression risk was associated with exposure to a mother that had depression both before and after the birth of the child.

The risk of failing school exams was highest when the child was exposed to either a mother or father (or another stable male figure) with a history of depression, both before and after the child’s birth. These results suggest that exposure to a chronically depressed parent(s) is important in determining if the child will develop depression and have trouble with schoolwork.

Other findings included: having no father figure in the child’s life resulted in a higher risk of childhood depression and poorer results in school, and having a father with depression was associated with poorer results in school.

Depression is an issue that impacts the entire family, not just an individual. Taking a whole-family approach to addressing mental health will help ensure positive outcomes for both parents and children in the long term.

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